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PORT-OF-SPAIN, Trinidad, Jan 28 2016 – Trinidad and Tobago is one of six Caribbean countries to benefit from a US$800,000 Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) Grant to develop and implement a regional tourism health information, monitoring and response system.
The other countries Caribbean nations that are beneficiaries of the IDB Grant are Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Guyana and Jamaica.
The Caribbean region is the most tourism dependent region in the world and the recent pandemics – SARS in 2000, HINI in 2009, Chikungunya in 2013 and now the zika virus has accelerated the need to monitor and respond to travel related illnesses and support the tourism sector to adopt comprehensive and effective health and environmental sanitation practices.
In welcoming this three year regional tourism health initiative, Shamfa Cudjoe pledged the support of the Ministry of Tourism as “strengthening the public health system will strengthen our tourism product”.
Minister Cudjoe pointed to the project’s enhancement of our national health system through the implementation of health, safety and environmental standards, a training and certification programme to build capacity in food and environmental safety as integral to reducing outbreaks and other health issues that all negatively impact upon the local travel and tourism sector.
Dr. Lisa Indar, Head Tourism and Health Programme of CARPHA, stated that the key benefit will be fewer and less costly outbreaks and other negative public health events occurring in the tourism industry; resulting in a healthier and safer Caribbean for both citizens and overseas visitors.
The Regional Tourism Health Information, Monitoring and Response programme is a collaborative project of Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA), who has direct responsibility for the execution of the project, the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) and the Caribbean Hotel Association (CTA).
