A five-day regional workshop on tourism statistics and information management commenced in Antigua this week. The workshop, organised by CTO in collaboration with the European Union-funded Caribbean Regional Sustainable Tourism Development Programme (CRSTDP), seeks to enhance participants’ knowledge and understanding of existing, new and emerging tourism statistical and research methodologies.Participants will also share experiences and study best practices in tourism information management, statistics and research. It targets senior and mid level statisticians, researchers and persons responsible for managing and coordinating tourism statistics at the national tourism organisations and national statistical offices.

Delegates to the October 10 - 14 event will examine prominent tourism statistical systems that are prevalent in the region and determine the effectiveness of these systems. They will also discuss modified uses of immigration (E/D) cards as a stronger medium for gathering tourism information.

“Since tourism is such an important component of the economy in every Caribbean country, tourism authorities need to examine numerous characteristics of the industry both from the supply side and the demand side,” said McHale Andrew, research consultant at CTO.

“The information collected will be used to customise policies and strategies aimed at redressing any supply problems or at enhancing the tourism product and providing a more competitive and attractive destination or experience for the visitor,” he added

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