[Fwd: CARIBBEAN: OECS Countries Unify to Strengthen Tourism Industry]

Jayne Musumba wrote:
>
> OECS countries unify to strengthen tourism industry
> CANA
> Friday, May 25, 2001
>
> CASTRIES, St. Lucia, May 24 (CANA) -- Countries that make
> up the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) and
> their French and Dutch neighbours have agreed on new joint
> approaches to stengthen their vital tourism industry, the St
> Lucia-based OECS Secretariat has reported.
>
> The Secretariat said this followed a two-day meeting in St Kitts
> and Nevis that brought together tourism ministers and directors
> of tourism from OECS member states, as well as commissioners of
> tourism from St Barts, St Eustatius, Saba, and St Maarten.
>
> The May 17 to 18 meeting agreed that there was need to improve
> and diversify the tourism product among the islands to enhance
> their competitiveness, but participants felt external assistance
> was required because of the limited capacity of the Islands.
>
> As a result they requested the St Lucia-based OECS Secretariat to
> mobilise international assistance for, among other things, the
> development of heritage sites and environmental and cultural
> assets, and the improvement of standards for all areas of the
> hospitality industry.
>
> The meeting also agreed to establish a Ministerial Forum
> comprising tourism ministers from the OECS and Commissioners from
> the other islands. St Lucia's tourism minister, Menissa Rambally,
> said the meeting also agreed on greater collaboration on issues
> of airlift, competitiveness, marketing and working together to
> make more effective use of resources that are available among the
> islands.
>
> "Most of the smaller islands are now facing the same challenge in
> terms of a possible reduction in our charter services out of the
> UK, so now there is an opportunity for us small islands to
> dialogue or negotiate together with the charter companies in an
> effort to ensure that we maintain the number of airline seats
> that come out of the UK into the Caribbean islands," Rambally
> said.
>
> SOURCE: Jamaica Observer
>
> To post a submission please email tourism-newswire@sidsnet.org
Received on Sat May 26 11:55:39 2001