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The Caribbean tourism recovery is on track, but hard work and collaboration will be needed to sustain momentum and to overcome obstacles on the horizon.
“Now is not the time to sit back and think that all will fall into place. While recovery so far has been considered robust, we are still digging ourselves out of two years of literally no income,” stated Nicola Madden-Greig, president of the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA) as she encouraged local tourism stakeholders attending the St. Lucia Hospitality and Tourism Association's (SLHTA) Annual General Meeting last month.
“We must not go back to past decisions that as soon as tourism starts to perform we decide to tax it,” warned Madden-Greig, who called for the widening and deepening of linkages, which will inevitably help governments to raise revenues based on growth.
“We must continue to use the level of collaboration that was forged in the fire of the pandemic to drive innovation, knowledge sharing and diversification into new markets. We must use technology and develop our Caribbean talent to meet the needs of the new breed of traveler while maintaining the charm and authenticity for which the Caribbean is known.”
The meeting addressed the theme “Building Forward Better ... TOGETHER”.
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