Tourism

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Work on this Study was informed by the expectations of key stakeholders that the results will offer viable, practical resolutions to the challenges related to the air transportation sector in the OECS Region. To achieve this outcome, El Perial approached the project primarily from the perspective of persons travelling or potentially travelling within the Region. To inform and assist with this approach, three (3) types of surveys were conducted across the OECS Region during the Study to take account of three (3) key stakeholders:

 Tourism Authorities
 Business Organizations
 General Public

The surveys for the Tourism Authorities and Business Organizations were supplemented by interviews that probed deeper their responses to the questionnaires.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The increased focus on tourism in the Caribbean has become more critical because of the decline in traditional sectors such as agriculture which depended on the export of a narrow range of primary commodities to Europe and the United States of America (USA) on special preferential trade arrangements, which have been significantly eroded over the past two decades. With tourism‟s emergence as the lead economic sector in the OECS region, agriculture is being given a second look because of its multi-functional and cross-cutting nature and because of the recent global shifts in the use of food as important sources of energy, creating challenges for many countries in terms of their ability to provide food to feed growing populations.

Preamble

Overview
This Strategic Plan details the strategic guidelines, actions and requirements for the start-up, execution and on-going operation of the Eastern Caribbean Institute of Tourism (ECIT). ECIT is a virtual & blended learning institute, which is the operationalised result of the concept for an Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Network of Excellence for Tourism and Hospitality Training and Education (NETHTE). The operationalized specifics itself are detailed in the OECS NETHTE Institutional Framework for ECIT, a separate addendum document that provides the foundational elements for the various required areas of this Strategic Plan.
The concept itself was conceived with the overall purpose of harmonizing and enhancing the competitiveness of OECS’ Tourism and Hospitality Sector through improved knowledge management and human resource development – a purpose that remains a central focus of this plan. The operationalisation of this concept through ECIT further serves to support the establishment of the Eastern Caribbean Economic Union as a single financial and economic space by deepening the level of integration and functional cooperation in tourism, the lead economic driver in the Eastern Caribbean.

SUMMARY
1.1 Tourism – Critical to the People and Economies of the OECS
Tourism is of critical importance to the economies, livelihoods, and people of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS). It provides incomes, delivers foreign exchange and generates government revenue. It is a sector where the OECS has a comparative advantage, something which, unfortunately, no longer applies to the region’s agricultural sector; nor does it apply to manufacturing. Nurturing the tourism industry is therefore fundamental to the economic and social future of the OECS.

Saint Lucia's Tourism industry is confronted by many serious challenges, as well as opportunities and threats. In particular, the broader institutional and policy framework within the sector has been found deficient in terms of vision, coverage, resource allocation, flexibility and internal consistency. The Ministry of Tourism, the Saint Lucia Tourist Board (SLTB) and the Saint Lucia Hotel and Tourism Association (SLHTA), with initial financial support from the Office of Private Sector Relations (OPSR), have in response embarked on an initiative geared towards fonnulation of a comprehensive policy to guide future growth and sustainable development of St. Lucia's tourism industry.

The OECS Tourism Development Programme is an integrated regional project which will rely upon intelligent support from Member States in the complementary and systematic matching of product and market development initiatives at national levels, both within the public and the private sectors. An equally importan determinant of the programme's success will be the recognition and adoption of objectives and strategies which are realistic, attainable and sharply focussed on specific issues. The issue merits attention in view of the fact that support budgets allocated to the programme are limited.

The OECS Tourism Development Programme is an integrated regional project which will rely upon intelligent support from Member States in the complementary and systematic matching of product and market development initiatives at national levels, both within the public and the private sectors. An equally important determinant of the programme's success will be the recognition and adoption of objectives and strategies which are realistic, attainable and sharply focussed on specific issues. The issue merits attention in view of the fact that support budgets allocated tob the programme are limited.

Like most small island economies, St. Kitts and Nevis is at a crossroads. Accelerating globalization, rapidly vanishing preferential treatment for agricultural exports, and a threatened offshore financial services industry leave small islands with increasingly limited options for stimulating economic growth. The competitive advantages that St. Kitts and Nevis and others in the Caribbean enjoy nearly all relate to their stunning natural beauty, mild climate, rich heritage, pristine environment, and pace of life. These assets cannot be manufactured and provide an important foundation for development of the one export industry that holds long-term, sustainable development potential-Tourism. The principal challenge in stimulating tourism growth is to define strategies that preserve those assets for future generations, generate broad-based economic impacts across all segments of society, and make the most productive use of limited resources.

The document introduces the economic phenomenon of tourism and the way that Governments are fast recognising its importance in terms of job creation, the earning of foreign exchange and stimulating both economic development and diversification. Spin-off in terms of preservation of cultural heritage and the environment are also mentioned, including the reinforcement of national pride. In terms of the region, tourism growth has outpaced the global average although it is expected to slow to around 4.3 per cent over the ten-year period to 2010.

This report was prepared under contract with the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (UNECLAC). Data used in preparation of this report was obtained from a variety of sources. However, critical data on the number of licences granted to foreigners to acquire land in Tobago prior to 1990 under the Aliens Land Holding Act Chapter 58:02 were not made available for the report despite various attempts by the Consultant and UNECLAC to obtain the information.

This report was prepared under contract with the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (UNECLAC). Data used in preparation of this report was obtained from a variety of sources. However, critical data on the number of licences granted to foreigners to acquire land in Tobago prior to 1990 under the Aliens Land Holding Act Chapter 58:02 were not made available for the report despite various attempts by the Consultant and UNECLAC to obtain the information.