The fourth Caribbean Media Exchange on Sustainable Tourism (CMEx) will examine the impact of the cruise lines on the sustainability of the Caribbean`s tourism sector.
To be held at Half Moon
Golf, Tennis and Beach Club, May 15-19, 2003 in Montego Bay, Jamaica, CMEx organisers have attracted Canadian Ross Klein, one of the foremost authorities on the cruise industry.

CMEx is a biannual media and tourism industry event which attracts leading journalists and editors from the Caribbean, North America and Europe as well as key tourism industry officials. The theme of the upcoming conference is “Maximising the Economic Impact of Tourism”.
An Associate Professor of Social Work at Memorial University of Newfoundland in St. John`s, Canada, Ross Klein has written two books and a number of articles about the cruise industry. He is somewhat unique in that his writing has grown out of his experience as a cruise passenger and cruise enthusiast having taken more than 30 cruises comprising 300 days. 
In his writing and speaking, he raises concerns about the social and environmental sustainability of the cruise industry. He advocates changes and improvements oriented toward greater environmental responsibility and better treatment of crew, with a view toward making the cruise industry sustainable.

In addition to his writing on the cruise industry, Ross maintains a web site at www.cruisejunkie.com. 

Air Jamaica Vice President Allen Chastanet, one of the key visionaries of the CMEx talks, has articulated that cruise lines have sailed the region`s seas for too long without paying their dues. He believes that neither the availability of jobs for Caribbean nationals aboard the liners nor the amount of regional products used or offered for sale on board has kept pace with the phenomenal growth the industry has experienced.

“Given the tough economic times, we have to look for ways to get the cruise industry to make a positive contribution to our economic development,” said Chastanet who also is chair of the Caribbean Hotel Association`s Marketing Committee.

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