MANAGUA, Nicaragua, became a hub of activity as an estimated 30 delegates gathered to attend the 23rd Meeting of the Special Committee on Sustainable Tourism (SCST) of the Association of Caribbean States (ACS) and 1st Preparatory Meeting of the 3rd Meeting of Ministers of Tourism of the Greater Caribbean (TMM-3), held from 28th – 29th June, 2012. Included in the high-level gathering were delegations from 10 ACS member states and representatives of leading regional and international organisations: the Caribbean Tourism Organisation (CTO), the Central American Tourism Integration Secretariat (SITCA for its acronym in Spanish), and the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).
The Chairman of the Special Committee and Minister of the Nicaraguan Tourism Institute, Mario Salinas underscored that the major objective of this meeting was to efficiently market and integrate tourism with its various sub-sectors in an effort to foster solidarity and cooperation among ACS member states and Associate Member States with the ultimate outcome being increased economic benefits at the national and regional levels.
The ACS Director of Sustainable Tourism, Ms. Gloria de Mees, on behalf of the Secretary-General conveyed to the government the vision of the Association’s new administration as regards strengthening its role as a platform facilitating regional dialogue, cooperation and concerted efforts in areas of common interest.
Aligned to this mission, the objective of the two-day gathering was focused on maximising the potential of the ACS Sustainable Tourism Work Programme by translating the pending and new initiatives into tangible outcomes.
At the conclusion of the meeting, some important advancements were made, foremost of which was the endorsement for cooperation between the Secretariats of the ACS, CTO and SITCA, as instilled in a cooperation matrix presented to the gathering, and designed to enhance cooperation among the three regional agencies and simultaneously define a jointly coordinated route for collaboration in priority areas for intervention.
Delegations proclaimed the meeting as being a resounding success and pledged their commitment to support the ACS in the work to strengthen and promote the sustainable development of tourism in the Greater Caribbean.