Students from 14 Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) member countries will tackle some of the most pertinent issues facing the regional tourism industry at the CTO-organized Caribbean Tourism Youth Congress in Antigua & Barbuda next month.
The ‘Junior Ministers of Tourism’ will present proposals on three topics – Towards Smart Travel Experiences Within The Caribbean Region, Equipping Our Youth To Thrive In A Changing Tourism Environment, and Making Excellence A Habit In Caribbean Tourism.
The students, aged 14 to 17, will do so in the presence of the key decision-makers from CTO member governments, among other tourism leaders, at the event to be held at the Royalton Antigua Resort & Spa on Friday 4 October.
On the issue of smart travel experiences, students will propose policies or actions which can be implemented by governments to facilitate smart travel experiences at ports of entry. They will also address the quest for habitual service excellence in the tourism industry in order to meet growing expectations on businesses and keep the industry competitive and growing.
In addition, the students will also look at government strategies which can help prepare young people for the changing nature of work brought about by technology.
An Overseas Development Institute 2015 report on ‘Jobs for the Future’ predicts that such jobs “will look dramatically different” from what we are used to. “Fundamental changes in technology—the ‘digital revolution’—are breaking down barriers and building new bridges with unprecedented speed. Together with the retirement of the baby boomer generation and rise of the millennials generation [and Generation Z], we see a workforce with new characteristics. Interconnectivity and globalization are weaving a new economy that connects the world at great
speed, creating new powerhouses and threatening traditional models,” the report states.
The gathering, typically a thought-provoking and spirited exchange of views from the youth leaders, will be chaired by last year’s winner, Bryanna Hylton of Jamaica.
The Caribbean Tourism Youth Congress is the final event of a three-day program of activities organized by the CTO in Antigua and Barbuda. It will follow the members-only Caribbean Tourism Sector Outlook Forum on the morning of Friday 4 October, at which Caribbean tourism policymakers, marketers and other senior officers will engage leaders from the tourism industry that generate business to the region. Both these events will be preceded by the CTO business meetings on 2 and 3 October.
