CTO secretary general Hugh Riley (left) and TF CEO Salli Felton sign MOU at Caribbean Week New York
NEW YORK, NY (June 8, 2017) – The Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Travel Foundation (TF) to formally establish a framework of cooperation and facilitate collaboration between the organizations in areas of common interest to contribute to sustainable tourism development in the Caribbean Region. The MOU was signed by CTO secretary general Hugh Riley and Salli Felton, TF chief executive officer on Thursday, June 8, during a CTO press conference held during Caribbean Week New York.
TF, the international charity that works with destinations and leading organizations to improve the impacts of tourism on people and the environment, and CTO will facilitate the joint implementation of projects and publications, the organization of workshops, seminars, meetings, conferences, and other initiatives on matters of common interest. The two organizations will support and participate in each other’s relevant projects and activities.
“The Caribbean Tourism Organization is pleased to align our sustainability and environmental advocacy efforts with the Travel Foundation and come together during Caribbean Week New York to formally announced our new vested partnership,” Mr. Riley said
“To further our ongoing work in the Caribbean, we are pleased to partner with CTO to facilitate future tourism development which promotes thriving communities and a healthy environment,” added Ms. Felton.
This agreement follows the recent announcement of CTO and TF’s launch of a free online sustainable tourism course for ministries, government departments, tourism authorities and tourist boards engaged in destination management in CTO member countries. The course is designed to help increase knowledge of how to review and plan for the sustainable development of Caribbean tourist destinations.
Benchmarked with good practice case studies, the course will sharpen participants’ ability to plan the development of their local tourism industry in a way that meets the needs of both visitors and host communities, creates a more resilient economy, protects tourism assets and secures the future tourism potential of Caribbean destinations. To register for the free online course, please click on the following link: travelfoundationtraining.com/caribbean.
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About the Travel Foundation
The Travel Foundation (TF) is an international charity based in the UK (Charity No 1065924). The TF works in partnership with leading tourism organizations to improve the impacts of tourism in destinations – bringing greater benefits for local communities, the environment and tourists. To achieve this, it develops and implements tourism initiatives that promote cross-sector collaboration, builds local capacity to deliver sustainable tourism initiatives and enables the long-term incorporation of sustainable practice into tourism frameworks.
As well as providing the “Leading the Way online training course, The Travel Foundation is currently active in the Caribbean on the following projects:
· Working in Jamaica to encourage tourists to explore outside of their hotels and increase opportunities for local businesses, community enterprises and artisans to benefit from tourism.
· Working in Saint Lucia to tackle the invasive lionfish problem (that threatens the Caribbean coral reef ecosystem), by encouraging fishermen to catch them, and hotels and restaurants to include them on their menus.
· Research in Saint Lucia to understand the impacts of tourism and manage risks relating to the sustainable future of the sector.
· Reducing greenhouse gases and improving resource efficiency across tourism businesses in Antigua & Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, St Kitts & Nevis, St Lucia and St Vincent and the Grenadines, as part of a wider UN environment programme.
