NEW YORK, NY (Oct. 10, 2002) - The Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO), along with its 32 member countries, will celebrate Caribbean Tourism Day on Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2002.

The theme for this year’s celebration is “Tourism, A Tool for Sustainable Development.”

The theme is consistent with a recommendation from the World Ecotourism Summit held in Quebec, Canada in May, 2002, to world leaders who met for the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg, proposing that the leaders recognize the need to apply the principles of sustainable development to tourism.
CTO’s Barbados-based headquarters will observe Caribbean Tourism Day this year by hosting an Open Day for secondary students interested in pursuing a career in the tourism industry.

“By opening our doors to tomorrow’s tourism leaders, we are offering them the opportunity to interact with today’s professionals,” said Karen Ford-Warner, deputy secretary general for the Caribbean Tourism Organization. “It is important that we display leadership and give encouragement as we reach out to our youth to become active in the development of the Caribbean tourism industry.”

Activities will include a presentation on “Careers in Tourism” and a discussion on “Sustainable Tourism and Environmental Health.”  Students will also have the opportunity to meet with tourism professionals for one-on-one discussions.

“CTO is encouraging member countries to replicate such events at the national level,” Mrs. Ford-Warner emphasized.

CTO also plans to distribute regional messages from Secretary General Jean Holder, and CTO member countries.

Caribbean Tourism Day is observed each year on the first Tuesday in November, to help raise awareness of the importance of tourism to the region.

The Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO), with headquarters in Barbados and marketing operations in New York, London and Toronto, is the Caribbean’s tourism development agency and comprises membership of 32 governments and a myriad of private sector companies.

The CTO’s mission is to provide to and through its members, the services and information needed for the development of sustainable tourism for the economic and social benefit of the Caribbean people.  The organization provides specialized support and technical assistance to member countries in the areas of marketing, human resource development, research and statistics and sustainable development.

The CTO disseminates information on behalf of its member governments to consumers and the travel trade.

For more information, please contact CTO Headquarters at One Financial Place, Collymore Rock, St. Michael, Barbados; tel: (246) 427-5242; fax: (246) 429-3065; E-mail: [email protected].  CTO`s New York office is located at 80 Broad Street, 32nd Floor, New York, NY 10004, USA; tel: (212) 635-9530; fax: (212) 635-9511; E-mail: [email protected].  CTO`s London office is located at 42 Westminster Palace Gardens, Artillery Row, London SW1P 1RR; tel: 171-222-4335; fax 171-222-4325; E-mail: [email protected].  CTO Canada can be reached at Taurus House, 512 Duplex Avenue, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M4R 2E3; tel: (416) 485-8724; fax: (416) 485-8256; E-mail [email protected].  Visit CTO on the web at www.doitcaribbean.com and www.onecaribbean.org.

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