BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (28 May, 2012) – A documentary which reveals the economic power of the Caribbean Diaspora will be screened at the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO)’s Diaspora Forum in New York on 5 June.
The documentary, Forward Home: The Power of the Caribbean Diaspora, showcases the experiences of members of the Caribbean Diaspora who straddle the dual worlds of Caribbean Homelands and Global Cities as tourists, travellers and entrepreneurs, and the organizations that make the relationship work, according to Dr. Keith Nurse, the film’s executive producer.
“The documentary maps the uncharted territory of diasporic tourism and provides empirical evidence to support what we have known anecdotally, which is that the diasporic economy is of huge significance to the diversification and competitiveness of the Caribbean economy,” said Dr. Nurse, who is the director of the Shridath Ramphal Centre (SRC) of the University of the West Indies (UWI). The SRC is a training, research and outreach organization that services the Caribbean region in trade, industrial and development policy matters.
Forward Home is based on an analysis of the diasporic tourism and investment flows of four Caribbean countries and counterpart global cities – Jamaica and London; Guyana and Toronto; Suriname and Amsterdam; and The Dominican Republic and New York – and was shot in nine countries.
The Diaspora Forum is part of the programme for Caribbean Week in New York – a series of consumer events and business meetings, showcasing the diversity and vibrancy of the Caribbean to thousands of New Yorkers and visitors to the Big Apple. The Forum will be held on Tuesday 5 June from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm at the Marriott Marquis hotel in the heart of Times Square and the Broadway theatre district.
Themed Rediscover Home: Defining our Role, the Forum brings together ministers, commissioners and directors of tourism, as well as senior tourism officials and the Caribbean diaspora in an exchange of information on the unique selling propositions of the various destinations.
This year’s Forum will also feature presentations by Montserrat, which is celebrating its 50th carnival, and Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago, both observing their golden jubilee. In addition, the CTO will give an update on its Rediscover Home programme – a series of activities aimed at encouraging the Caribbean Diaspora to rediscover the Caribbean – including a loyalty card and the Diaspora website, www.onecaribbeandiaspora.com.
Caribbean Week in New York is supported by Aimbridge Hospitality – Jewel Resorts, American Airlines, Anguilla, the Bahamas, Barbados, Brides magazine, British Virgin Islands, Bermuda, Carib Beer, Caribbean Airlines, Caribbean American Chamber of Commerce, Caribbean Tales, Cayman Islands, Chef Shorne, Cititech Solutions, Clergy Authors Network & Radio Ministry Works, Corporate Courier inc, Curacao, David Williams Funeral Home, Delta Vacations, Denizen Rum, Discover Dominica Authority, El Dorado Rum, Elite Island Resorts, Empire State Building, Face of Fashion, Fine Fare Supermarket (233rd Street, Bronx), The Flamboyant Hotel & Villas, Global Bridal Weddings, Garvey Lundy Laundry, Golden Krust, Grace Foods, Grand Lucaya Bahamas, Grenada Board of Tourism, Guyana Tourism Authority, Haiti, Hard Beat Communications, Hilton Ponce Golf & Casino Resort, Invest Barbados, Jamaica, Jet Blue, Jewels Dunns River Resort & Spa, Kalinago Beach Resort, Kantours the Destination Specialists, La Source, Laura Davidson PR, Marry Caribbean, Martinique Promotion Bureau, Ministry of Rum, Montserrat, Moxons Beach Club, The New York Times, One Caribbean Television, Opusseven, Puerto Rico Tourism Company, The Rosalie Bay Resort, St. Kitts Marriott & Royal Beach Casino, Saint Lucia, St. Maarten Promotional Bureau, St. Martin Chamber of Commerce, Tobago House of Assembly, Trinidad & Tobago, Turks & Caicos Islands, the United States Virgin Islands, The Wall Street Journal, and World Travel Market, World Travel Market Latin America. Sponsorship opportunities are available.
