With the global climate change debate continuing to make headlines, the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) will explore the impact this important issue has on the tourism industry.

This will occur during a Master Class session to be held on Monday, Oct. 22, 2007 at the 30th Annual Caribbean Tourism Conference. 

The Conference itself, which runs from Oct. 19 - 24, 2007 in San Juan, Puerto Rico, is organised in collaboration with the Puerto Rico Tourism Company (PRTC). It attracts delegates from all sectors of the tourism industry who will gather under the theme,  “The Next Generation: Learning From the Past, Preparing for the Future.”
Several leading academic voices in the field will share information on the effects of climate change on the Caribbean tourism industry and how the industry can reduce its contribution to the problem. Experts include: 
? Dr. Daniel Scott, Canada research chair for global change and tourism and assistant professor of geography at the University of Waterloo in Canada.  Dr. Scott is also chair of the Expert Team on Climate and Tourism of the World Meteorological Association and the World Tourism Organization
? Dr. David Viner, senior research scientist in the climate research unit of the University of East Anglia in Norwich, England.
“Climate change is a primary concern for all sectors of the global economy, especially those of us in the tourism industry,” said Hugh Riley, the CTO’s director of marketing for the Americas.  “Our goal for this conference is to learn more about how the changing climate affects our destinations and also to determine how we can help stem the tide through our industry’s own practices.”
This year, CTO expects to host more than 600 tourism industry officials representing Caribbean governments, hotels, airlines, cruise lines, travel agents, tour operators, strategic partners and media representatives from around the world.
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