Cuba will host the sixth annual Caribbean Conference on Sustainable Tourism Development. The Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) announced this week that the conference would be held at the Habana Libre Hotel in Havana from April 27 - 30, 2004. For the second successive year, it will be staged in collaboration with the Association of Caribbean States (ACS).

“Cuba is an important Caribbean tourism destination and a valuable member of the Caribbean Tourism Organization and we are pleased that the Cuban government has agreed to host this important conference,” said Karen Ford-Warner, CTO’s deputy secretary general.

This year’s conference theme is Keeping the Right Balance: Land and Sea Encounters, highlighting the impact of land and sea-based activities on the sustainability of coastal areas and the resources necessary for sustainable tourism development.

“Caribbean development converges on coastal areas. Most Caribbean states and territories are small islands, and in the case of the continental countries of the region, an important percentage of their population and economic activities are located near or on Caribbean coasts,” said Jean Holder, CTO’s secretary general. “This conference will look at how land and sea based activities are affecting the sustainability of coastal areas in the Caribbean. The vital interests of every land mass and country that touches the Caribbean Sea are engaged. Those who are in the same sea are in a real sense in the same boat.”

A new addition to this year’s conference is the Blue and Green Tourism Exhibition which aims to facilitate further exchange of regional initiatives in the area of sustainable tourism. It will allow Cuban and Caribbean professionals and service suppliers to present their ideas and products to Conference participants and residents.

The sixth annual Caribbean Conference on Sustainable Tourism Development precedes the 24th Cuban Tourism Convention, which takes place in Varadero, Cuba from May 3 -6, 2004.
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