[Fwd: Caribbean Media Exchange on Sustainable Tourism]

CERNNET wrote:
>
> Forgive cross postings please
>
> For Immediate Release:
> Photograph Available: http://www.counterpart.org/tmp/cast.htm
> <http://www.counterpart.org/tmp/cast.htm>
> Contact: Samira Cherrouk (202) 721-1577 (scherrouk@counterpart.org)
> <mailto:scherrouk@counterpart.org)>
> GETTING THE STORY "WRITE"
>
> WASHINGTON, DC (August 8, 2001) -- The first ever Caribbean Media
> Exchange
> on Sustainable Tourism will be held on the beautiful island of Jamaica
> this
> October.
>
> Counterpart International is teaming with the Caribbean's business
> community, non-governmental sector, civil society and media to produce
> the
> landmark symposium which will stress that sustainable tourism involves
> more
> than ecotourism and cultural tourism.
>
> Slated for the tourism capital of Montego Bay (October 7-11), the
> media
> symposium seeks to enhance flows of information to strengthen
> Caribbean
> tourism policy and to increase the public's understanding of the
> multi-sectoral value of sustainable tourism.
>
> Business, trade, health, commerce, industrial and other sectors will
> be
> highlighted along with the traditional visitor and travel concerns
> associated with the rapidly expanding global tourism industry.
>
> According to Counterpart's President/CEO designate, Lelei LeLaulu, the
> meeting will expose journalists and other media professionals to
> important
> developments in the global and Caribbean tourism industries. "We know
> Caribbean journalists can deliver some of the best writing anywhere on
> this
> topic -- but we hope to listen to the regional media representatives
> to
> determine how to help them hone their already impressive skills.
>
> "Together with Counterpart and our partners, we would like to explore
> ways
> and means of encouraging unfettered information flows; and to
> encourage the
> development of networks for better exchange of information," he said.
>
> Counterpart is collaborating with Air Jamaica and the Caribbean
> Alliance for
> Sustainable Tourism (CAST) to produce the symposium, with support from
> its
> Barbados affiliate Counterpart Caribbean, the Caribbean Broadcasting
> Union,
> the Caribbean Hotel Association and the Great Places in the Caribbean
> marketing programme.
>
> Travel and tourism is the world's largest industry with the United
> Nations
> estimating one in every 17 jobs on Earth being tourism-related. In the
> Caribbean, it's one in four, making it the region's lifeblood
> industry.
>
> According to the organisers of the conference, it takes an entire
> community
> to develop successful sustainable tourism destinations and Caribbean
> nationals can enhance their natural and human resource development if
> they
> are given the highest quality news, information and education on
> cutting
> edge sustainable tourism.
>
> "Accurate, valuable sustainable tourism information can directly
> contribute
> to sound policy decisions by governments, the private sector and civil
> society," said Counterpart's Director of Communications, Raymond
> Chavez.
>
> The symposium will precede important regional tourism meetings,
> including
> the annual Caribbean Tourism Conference to be held on Grand Bahama
> Island
> (October 15-18) and the CARICOM Heads of Government Tourism Summit,
> slated
> for October 20-21 in Nassau.
>
> Delegates to the media exchange will discuss issues ranging from
> marketing
> the "green" Caribbean, regional aviation policy to the link between
> HIV/AIDS
> and tourism.
>
> ENDS-
>
>
Received on Sat Aug 11 10:09:57 2001