CTO Chairman John Maginley Calls for Caribbean Unity

In a New Year’s message directed at the entire Caribbean region, CTO Chairman John Maginley, minister of tourism and civil aviation, Antigua and Barbuda, said that, “In 2010, topics such as the effects of climate change and sustainable tourism will increase in focus.”

He promised to announce the dates for the Caribbean Tourism Organization’s 2010 Sustainable Tourism Conference, “where we’ll discuss renewable energy strategies, devise new ideas to support Caribbean-wide sustainable tourism, and examine the delicate balance between competitive economic activity and reducing our Region’s carbon footprint.”

He went on to note the investment that airlines and cruise lines are making in the Caribbean and that “some properties” in the region’s hotel and villa sector “recorded very encouraging occupancy levels over the holiday period.” He concluded by encouraging Caribbean tourism players to pool resources and to use combined strengths.