CASTRIES, St. Lucia – The St. Lucia-based Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Commission has adopted a unified and collaborative approach to enhance and address the challenges facing the nine-member tourism sector in the sub-regional grouping..
It said the OECS Tourism Policy Regional Task Force, comprising senior public servants and technical officers from the Ministries of Tourism across OECS, had convened a two-day regional consultation in Antigua and Barbuda, aimed at establishing new guiding principles and articulate a mission and vision for the development of a new OECS common Tourism Policy.
OECS Director General, Dr. Didacus Jules says the updated policy will seek to develop a fully comprehensive and pragmatic approach that supports competitiveness, balanced growth, greater community participation, and increased benefits to local communities as mandated by the Revised Treaty of Basseterre, introducing new areas of opportunities specifically within the blue economy.
The chief executive officer of the Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority, Colin James, welcomed the initiative’s potential, highlighting the economic challenges of developing tourism and the benefits of a collective approach:
“Your collective expertise will be instrumental in enabling you to engage in meaningful discussions and articulate a fresh vision and mission for our vibrant tourism sector.”
The Regional Task Force, which had its first meeting in August 2023, reviewed initial findings from national stakeholder consultations held over the last four months.
The Commission said that the goal is to leverage this momentum to create a Sustainable Tourism Policy, which, once adopted by the OECS Council of Ministers for Tourism, will direct the OECS Commission’s tourism initiatives and assist governments in their tourism development over the next five years.
The meetings featured several working sessions where participants envisioned the future of a flourishing regional tourism industry and collaborated on crafting a renewed vision.
The Commission said that the initiative is supported by the World Bank through its “Unleashing the Blue Economy Project,” that aims to conduct a thorough revision and update of the OECS Common Tourism Policy (2011), with a special focus on integrating the Blue Economy to enhance competitiveness and adapt the policy for the post-COVID-19 era.
The revised OECS Common Tourism Policy is expected to include directives on sustainable tourism development, as well as climate-smart and resilience strategies to promote a thriving and more equitable tourism sector.
