THE CARIBBEAN – In a speech in central London on August 12th, UK Prime Minister David Cameron described tourism as “fundamental to rebuilding and rebalancing” the UK economy and “one of the best and fastest ways of generating jobs.” Cameron outlined four key components to create the “strongest possible tourism strategy” which included the introduction of new government policies for tourism, removing obstacles that discourage tourism and freeing up the red tape and reducing the “excessive business taxes” on the UK’s tourism businesses.

Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA) President Josef Forstmayr hopes that Caribbean governments will adopt a similar approach to tourism which is the Caribbean’s #1 employer.

“It is gratifying to see a country like the UK recognize the true importance of tourism” said Forstmayr. “The Prime Minister’s speech could easily be adopted by all of our 35 member destinations – particularly as it relates to the excessive red tape and taxes that burden the Caribbean’s private sector; tourism contributes so much to our local economies,” he added.

CHTA recently launched its own Tourism Is Key advocacy campaign, in conjunction with the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) during a recent CARICOM Heads of Government meeting in Montego Bay.

The campaign seeks to educate and inform a broad audience from Caribbean Heads of State to ‘the man in the street,’ regarding the importance and impact of tourism on the Caribbean’s economies.

“Travel & Tourism is a major economic and social driver in the Caribbean,” said Jean-Claude Baumgarten, President & CEO of WTTC. “It is essential that its value is recognized by governments and the public at large, and that governments help to unlock its full potential for the benefit of all stakeholders in the Caribbean.”

Forstmayr added: “Prime Minister Cameron’s speech is exactly ‘on message’ with our ‘Tourism Is Key’ campaign and we have sent a copy of the speech to all Caribbean Prime Ministers and Ministers of Tourism.”

Alec Sanguinetti, CHTA’s Director General and CEO is in the process of visiting several Caribbean government leaders to discuss the state of the tourism industry in the Caribbean.

For more information on Tourism Is Key and to read the Mr. Cameron’s speech in full, visit .

Stay tuned to for additional CHTA developments or follow the association on Facebook or Twitter.

Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Association

The Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Association (CHTA) facilitates the full potential of the Caribbean hotel and tourism industry by serving members’ needs and building partnerships in a socially responsible and sustainable manner. CHTA was founded in 1962; it is the voice of the Caribbean hospitality industry for the development of the region in the highly competitive and sophisticated environment of international tourism. Today, tourism is widely recognized as a pivotal industry in the economy of the region – and CHTA functions as the common denominator for this industry in a region of diverse nationalities, languages and styles, identifying mutual problems and marshalling the resources of the active and allied members to devise solutions. CHTA represents all facets of the hospitality industry with more than 725 member hotels and 525 allied members.

For more information, visit .

Theresa Oakes/Josh Kahn
KTCpr
516-594-4100
CHTA