Press Releases

Port of Spain, Trinidad (June 28th, 2013) – On July 16th and 17th the ACS Secretariat located in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, will have the honour of hosting the 24th Meeting of the Special Committee on Sustainable Tourism (SCST-24) at its headquarters. High-level officials and tourism authorities will convene to discuss matters pertaining to the efforts of the Association of Caribbean States (ACS) in relation to the sustainable development of tourism in the Greater Caribbean.

This meeting follows closely on the heels of the tremendously successful Fifth Summit of the Heads of States and/or Governments of the ACS, which was held in Pétion-ville, Republic of Haiti on April 26th 2013. With the input of the ACS countries, the SCST-24 meeting plans to revitalise the Work Programme of the ACS Directorate of Sustainable Tourism, as well as address and decide on issues and concerns affecting the Regional tourism industry. The ACS Directorate additionally aims to inform the meeting of its projects and activities highlighting advances made and new initiatives, which seek to contribute to and promote the practise of sustainable tourism in the region.

The SCST-24 Meeting returns to Trinidad and Tobago for a seventh time, the most recent being the 21st Meeting of the Special Committee on Sustainable Tourism (SCST-21) held in 2010. The meeting will be chaired by Mme. Karine Roy-Camille, President of the Martinique Committee on Tourism, in the capacity as current Chair of the Special Committee; and further presided over by the Vice-Chairs, the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela and Costa Rica; with the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago as Rapporteur.

The Special Committee on Sustainable Tourism meetings are held annually and gathers not only Regional Tourism Authorities from ACS Members and Associate Member States but also representatives from regional and international organisations with whom the ACS collaborates, such as the Caribbean Tourism Organisation (CTO), the Central American Tourism Integration Secretariat (SITCA) and the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO). The main focus of this gathering being the facilitation of a mutually beneficial multi-lateral dialogue aimed at strengthening cooperation mechanisms in this most critical area.

On the second day of the meeting, July 17th, discussions concerning the convening of the ACS 3rd Meeting of Ministers of Tourism of the Greater Caribbean (TMM-3) will take place. The ACS Directorate of Sustainable Tourism anticipates a high level of participation from its countries and looks forward to a most productive meeting.