One Sea, One Voice, One Caribbean
The Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) is the Caribbean’s regional tourism development agency.
The CTO was established in 1989 and was set up with the aim of being an organized body to focus on the entire region of the Caribbean as a single destination entity.
Now, with a membership of over 30 countries and territories, as well as private sector members, the CTO is the region’s umbrella agency for the international promotion of the tourism industry for the economic and social benefit of the Caribbean people.
Sustainable Tourism
The CTO’s vision is to ‘position the Caribbean as the most desirable, year round, warm weather destination by 2017’, with a focus on sustainable tourism.
The CTO’s mission is to provide to and through its members, the services and information needed for the development of sustainable regional tourism and the overall Caribbean tourism product.
According to the CTO’s website, the term ‘sustainable tourism’ in the Caribbean is understood as the optimal use of natural, cultural, social and financial resources for tourism development on both regional and international levels.
The goal is to provide a unique tourist experience and quality of life through strategic partnerships on all tiers – government, the private sector and communities.
CTO members work towards designing and implementing sustainable tourism policies and programs, with the help of the overarching CTO.
How Does The CTO Function?
The Organization consists of both government and private sector operatives in tourism. Its members include destination countries as well as private companies involved in providing holidays to the region; companies such as airlines, hotels, cruise operators and travel agencies.
There are chapters of the CTO all over the world, each with the key objective to promote travel to the Caribbean.
Countries pay for membership and contribute to a Regional Marketing Fund (RMF), based on a tourism arrivals formula.
Want the full list of destination members? Please see the CTO’s website for information about each member (www.onecaribbean.org/destinations).
There are government and non-government members of the CTO.
Government members – countries are represented on the CTO’s Council of Ministers and Board of Directors by tourism government officials.
Representing Barbados is the Hon. Richard Sealy, Minister for Tourism and International Transport (current as at October 2014).
Non-government members include:
— allied members – companies, corporations, firms, organizations, agencies and individuals providing goods and services to, or are otherwise engaged in, the Caribbean tourism industry.
— affiliate members – tourism industry organizations whose objectives and activities complement those of the CTO (in the opinion of the Board of Directors).
Need to know more? For more detailed information on government members see www.onecaribbean.org/members-lists/government-members, and for non-government members see www.onecaribbean.org/members-lists/non-government-members.
It’s All About Collaboration
The CTO aims to bring forth closer collaboration in Caribbean tourism among its members, and assists its member countries to maximize on their international marketing opportunities, with a view to focus the world’s attention on the Caribbean as one of the world’s outstanding tourist destinations.
The Organization provides specialized support and technical assistance to member countries in the areas of marketing, human resource development, research and statistics, information technology and sustainable tourism development. The CTO disseminates information on behalf of its member governments to consumers and the travel trade.
Want To Know More?
Refer to the CTO’s website at www.onecaribbean.org. The CTO headquarters is based in Barbados with marketing offices in the United States (New York), the United Kingdom (London) and Canada (Toronto).
Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) Head Office
Ground Floor
Baobab Tower, Warrens
St. Michael
Barbados
T: (246) 427-5242
E: [email protected]
Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) New York
80 Broad Street
Suite 3302
NY 10004
New York
USA
T: (212) 635-9530
E: [email protected]
W: www.caribbeantravel.com
Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) London
22 The Quadrant
Richmond
Surrey, TW9 1BP
United Kingdom
T: (44) 208 948 0057
E: [email protected]
W: www.caribbean.co.uk
Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) Canada
512 Duplex Avenue
Toronto, M4R 2E3
Canada
T: (416) 485-8724
E: [email protected]
There are also CTO offices in Europe. To see the list of locations, please visit the CTO website at www.onecaribbean.org/contact-cto.
Author: Brett Callaghan
