Grenada Tourism Minister Issues World Tourism Day Challenge
ST.GEORGE'S GRENADA – All eyes are on Grenada as the Minister of Tourism issues a challenge to key private sector stakeholders to sign the United Nations World Tourism Organization global code of ethics and corporate social responsibility.
The Minister’s challenge was issued through letters sent to the Grenada Hotel and Tourism Association (GHTA), the Marine and Yachting Association of Grenada (MAYAG) and the Grenada Dive Association (GSDA), asking them to review and sign the code.
This challenge was sent out to the business associations to commemorate World Tourism Day, which is held on September 27th every year. This year’s theme issued by the United Nations World Tourism is ‘Tourism and Community Development’.
According to the Minister, nearly six months have passed since the launch of “Pure Grenada”, developed through a Compete Caribbean grant offered to the GHTA in partnership with the Government. “We have supported our industry through the re-branding of Grenada as a sustainable destination; now it is time to show the world we are prepared to walk the talk”, her friendly challenge read. The Minister is confident that the tourism stakeholders will all respond quickly.
Grenada is already on the path to sustainable tourism. Merely three months after launching the brand Grenada became the first Caribbean country to host the 3rd Executive Coastal Innovators Symposium with the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CREST) and the Centre for Responsible Travel (CREST). The conference highlighted innovations in sustainable and responsible tourism.
Many tourism stakeholders have already committed to environmental stewardship and community development. Six Star Diamond Award resorts, Sandals LaSource Grenada and Spice Island Beach Resort along with other hotels on island have been certified and officially incorporated green policies into their overall operations. Leading Agro-Tourism Enterprise, Belmont Estate was recently certified as a Fair Trade Operation. In addition to this, several properties are engaged in an energy efficiency retrofitting project aimed at reducing the carbon footprint of the industry.
“We’ve labelled ourselves Pure Grenada - The Spice of the Caribbean because we wanted to raise the bar” the Minister has remarked, “Grenada’s tourism industry is already characterised by better working conditions when compared to several countries around the world, and there is ample evidence of our nation’s corporate commitment to sustainability.”
The Global Code of Ethics for Tourism is a set of 10 guiding principles which aims to maximise benefits of a country’s tourism sector while minimising the potential negative impact on the environment and cultural heritage. With all tourism stakeholders on board, Grenada will continue its journey to increased success in the tourism sector and auxiliary sectors of tourism.
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