ACTING Minister of Tourism, Industry and Commerce, Irfaan Ali has expressed confidence that Guyana will win awards in all  six  categories it has been nominated in for this year’s Caribbean Conference on Sustainable Tourism Development to be hosted by Trinidad and Tobago.

Speaking to the media in a recent interview, Ali said that this conference, which is hosted by the Caribbean Tourism Organisation (CTO), is a very important conference for Guyana since the country plays a leading role in eco-tourism and sustainable tourism within the Region.
“Within the Region, the heaven of sustainable tourism resides in Guyana and we are very confident that we can take away all six of the awards this year and continue this progressive frontier of not only advancing our eco-tourism product, but remaining the most outstanding sustainable tourism destination,” he said.
Ali pointed out that last year’s conference was hosted by Guyana, and the country won awards in all four categories it was nominated in.
According to him, there are very tight criteria for judging the nominees in the various categories, such as ensuring that their products are sustainable, and that they integrate the environment into the development of their products.
He said that the names of the various nominees that the Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA) is supporting in this year’s conference will be released to the public.
Sustainable tourism
Ali noted that a very important issue for Guyana is the protection of the environment, noting that the Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) dictates that the country develops its tourism product within the framework of sustainable tourism.
“Some of the larger nations are still behind in their obligation and it is our hope that this conference would reinforce the importance of us fulfilling those obligations, especially in the larger states,” he stated.
According to the Sustainable Tourism Conference website, this year’s conference will be hosted from 15th-18th April, under the theme: “Keeping the Right Balance: Enhancing Destination Sustainability through Products, Partnerships, Profitability.”
This is the 14th CTO’s Caribbean Conference on Sustainable Tourism Development, and it is part of the information dissemination and Regional awareness component of the organisation’s strategy for sustainable tourism.
It looks at how member states can design and implement sustainable tourism policies and programmes, and offers a Regional forum for information exchange on the successes and pitfalls of national, Regional and international initiatives.
The conferences also provide a primary arena where new and creative ideas about enhancing the competitiveness and sustainability of the Caribbean tourism product are generated.