Celebrated experts to present tactical methods for developing sustainable tourism programs

The Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) is securing an all-star team of presenters for this year?s Caribbean Conference on Sustainable Tourism Development, otherwise known as Sustainable Tourism Conference (STC).

Heading the list of esteemed speakers is Jonathan Tourtellot, Geotourism editor at National Geographic Traveler, and the person who coined the term geo-tourism. Mr. Tourtellot will deliver the keynote address on the first full working day of the conference, Monday, May 10, 2010. Also down to deliver presentations on Monday are Kwame Boafo of the UNESCO cluster office for the Caribbean; Mary Mahon Jones, founder of Mahon Jones & Associates, a consulting firm specializing in tourism and culture and Dr. Keith Nurse, director at Shridath Ramphal Centre for International Trade Law, Policy and Services at the Cave Hill, Barbados Campus of the University of the West Indies.

The line up for Tuesday?s session is equally dynamic with a panel that includes Jean Marc Flambert, the former head of the Sri Lankan Tourist Board in the UK and director, Your Tourism Partner Limited, a UK-based tourism marketing company; Erika Harms, executive director, Tourism Sustainability Council (TSC), UN Foundation and a representative of the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP).

Workshops will be conducted by Terestella Gonz?lez Denton, partner, Caribbean Round and for executive director of the Puerto Rico Tourism Company (PRTC); Dr. Colmore Christian, a former permanent secretary in the Ministry of Tourism in Dominica, now assistant professor, Alabama A&M University; and Jason deCaires Taylor, designer of underwater sculpture museums.

The 11th annual STC conference will be held from May 9-12, 2010 at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre in Bridgetown, Barbados, and is being organized in collaboration with the Barbados Ministry of Tourism. The conference is designed to provide attendees with information on the development and implementation of ecologically-responsible tourism.

According to CTO secretary general Hugh Riley, the stature of the speaker roster is reflective of the vital importance to address sustainability in the region. ?The Caribbean cannot afford to put off until tomorrow or look the other way when it comes to considering its future,? said Riley. ?The time is now, and we must act quickly if we are to preserve the very resources that make our industry the lifeblood of our regional economy. The speakers scheduled to appear at this conference are all leaders in their respective fields and reflect this sense of urgency. We expect our delegates to benefit immensely from their expertise and come away with clear action steps to ensure our continued sustainability.?

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