CTO Secretary General Highlights Urgent Need For Climate Action

BERLIN, Germany – The Secretary General of the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO), Dona Regis-Prosper, has called for immediate and tangible climate action, financing and collaboration to protect tourism-dependent destinations.

CTO Secretary General, Dona Regis-Prosper (second from left) with other officials at the ITB Berlin conference.Speaking during a panel discussion at the high-profile ITB Berlin, one of the world’s leading travel trade shows, Regis-Prosper stressed the urgent need for practical tools and financing to help tourism-dependent regions navigate escalating climate impacts.

“Sustainability is our currency,” Regis-Prosper said, noting the Caribbean’s unique economic dependency.

“At least eight out of the 10 most [tourism]-dependent nations in the entire world are based in the Caribbean. And for some of our destinations, up to 80 per cent of GDP (gross domestic product) is tourism-based.”

Speaking on the topic “From Promise to Progress: Steering Tourism in Challenging Times”, Regis-Prosper, told the other panelist from the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), the World Sustainable Hospitality Alliance, the European Commission, and NECSTouR, that while Caribbean destinations have already taken significant steps toward sustainability, including community-based tourism, circular economy initiatives, and strict regulations on single-use plastics, access to financing remains a critical challenge.

“There’s a saying that faith without works is dead. We certainly have the faith in the Caribbean. We are willing to work – we are hardworking people – but the gap is that access to financing, and that’s how you get to work,” Regis-Prosper said, making reference to the Caribbean’s active participation at the 29th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP29) in Baku last year.

Senior Vice President of Advocacy and Communications at WTTC, Virginia Messina, said  that more than half of the world’s top travel and tourism companies have now committed to clear climate targets.

“We are seeing some progress, but we know we need to do a lot more,” Messina said on the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.

The chief executive officer of the World Sustainable Hospitality Alliance,  Glen Mandziuk, called for global adoption of standardized metrics to measure sustainability.

“We want [transparent], verifiable real-time data,” Mandziuk noted, adding that industry leadership is essential.

The policy officer for Tourism with the European Union,  Misa Labarille, announced her organization’s plans to launch its first dedicated tourism sustainability strategy next year, saying the commission is prioritizing tourism amid mounting global pressures and challenges.

“Going forward, what we want to do is to launch a new strategy, a new strategy for sustainable tourism,” Labarille said, noting extensive consultations planned throughout the year.

Managing Director of NECSTouR, John Fitzgibbon, underscored the essential role destination management organizations play in delivering these EU-wide strategies.

“It’s really important that the voice of the regions, who are at the sharp end, in [the] frontline of delivering these EU strategies and national policies as well … have something to say about all of this,” he said.