Guyana was formally presented with the Tourism Circuit Manual of the Amazon Tourism Trail during a forum at the Guyana International Conference Centre that was organized by the Ministry of Tourism, the Guyana Tourism Authority and the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (ACTO), after which a workshop to discuss the manual’s uses, applications and the next steps forward was held.

The Rainforest Alliance’s verification standard for tourism businesses has been recognized by the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) -- the internationally recognized standard setter for sustainable tourism. This achievement reflects the credibility of the Rainforest Alliance’s work helping tourism businesses further their sustainability commitments.

The Chairman of ICTP, Juergen Thomas Steinmetz, said: “We are pleased to welcome the Anguilla Tourist Board to our organization, expanding the reach of the Caribbean region. Anguilla joins the Grenada Board of Tourism, already and ICTP member, in working to promote green tourism in the Caribbean.”

Jamaica will reestablish local “resort boards” to provide ordinary Jamaicans with input into the country’s tourism initiatives, according to Dr. Wykeham McNeill, the country’s newly appointed minister of tourism and entertainment. Resort boards representatives will eventually join the ministry’s Tourism Product Development Company (TPDCo.), McNeill said.