The fourth Caribbean Media Exchange on Sustainable Tourism (CMEx) will go ahead because sustainable tourism should take on major disruptions such as war and natural disaster, said President of Counterpart International, Lelei LeLaulu.

One concession to disruptions, however, is re-locating the biannual sustainable tourism symposium to Half Moon, Golf, Tennis and Beach Club in Montego Bay, Jamaica. Planned airline connections and other conference logistics to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic did not eventuate partly because of the war in Iraq and the soft economy.

“We should be able to prepare for such eventualities,” said LeLaulu. “This is what sustainability is about, preparing for the unexpected.”
CMEx, which draws media specialists and tourism industry executives from the Caribbean, North America and Europe, will examine these and other issues at
Half Moon May 15-19, 2003.

The next CMEx will explore the theme: “Maximising the Economic Impact of Tourism”. Previous conferences have focused on environmental, business, marketing and management aspects of tourism. Newspaper articles, radio shows, television features, coral reef restoration initiatives, public-private sector collaboration and other international partnerships are some CMEx outcomes since first mounted in Jamaica in October 2001.

Topics include the impact of heavy discounting on the industry, creating new profit centers for tourism suppliers, innovative public relations strategies, expanding local social and economic benefits of tourism, the importance of information and communication technology, the viability of better environmental practices, and health and safety issues, including the impact of HIV/AIDS in the Caribbean
The conference is co-produced by Counterpart International, its Barbados-based partner, Counterpart Caribbean, Caribbean Hotel Association, Caribbean Alliance for Sustainable Tourism, Air Jamaica, Caribbean Hotel Association Charitable Trust (“Life Needs the Caribbean”), EarthVoice and the Caribbean Broadcasting Union.

CMEx IV is supported by Air Jamaica Express, Almond Beach Resorts, American Express, Bahamas Ministry of Tourism, Barbados Tourism Authority, Bay
Gardens Hotel, Caribbean Star Airlines, Glamour Tours, Half Moon Golf, Tennis and Beach Club, Jamaica Pegasus, Sandals Resorts International, United Nations Development Programme, United Nations Population Fund and Organisation of American States.

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