Rapporteurs Report

By Indranauth Haralsingh

Director – Guyana Tourism Authority

OPENING CEREMONY

General Session I:

Climate Change Adaptation:

Educating and

Innovating for Tourism

Sustainability

Moderated by

Dr. Maya Trotz Associate Professor of Civil & Environmental

Engineering, University of South Florida

•Knowledge Attitude and Practice (KAP) Study in

2009 – Dr. Paulette Bynoe

•Mangrove Restoration Project, Guyana – Annette

Arjoon- Martins

•Caribbean Challenge Initiative – Eddy Silva

•“Partnerships for Resilience – Climate Change

and Caribbean Tourism” – Video Presentation –

Dr. Owen Day

General Session I:

Presentations

General Session I:

Discussion

• Partnerships and Communities

◦ Partnerships must include communities.

◦ Key stakeholders in global, regional and national dialogues.

• Regional Groupings and Marketing

◦ CTO annual award for tourism and conservation.

◦ Stronger CAST - Private Sector collaboration.

◦ Marketing Caribbean products at global conferences.

• Environmental Degradation and Awareness

◦ More awareness on habitat and resource destruction.

◦ Consequences of improper garbage disposal e.g. seawall.

◦ Increased enforcement of penalties, e.g., Mangrove removal.

General Session II:

Climate Change Adaptation:

Reducing the

Vulnerability of Caribbean

Tourism Infrastructure

moderated by

Shyam Nokta

Head of the Office Climate Change

Guyana

General Session II:

Presentations:

•“Climate Change Impacts and Risks: The Challenge for

Caribbean Ports” – Dr. Leonard Nurse

• Insurance and Climate Change – Ravi Rambarran

•Planning, Policy, and Management : Tourism

Infrastructure – Elizabeth Riley

•The Blue Community Program for Coastal Habitat &

Marine Environment Protection – Dr. David Randle

General Session II:

Discussion

•Geographic Vulnerabilities

◦ Low lying coasts particularly vulnerable.

◦Minor changes have huge impact.

◦Vulnerabilities must be addressed.

• Innovative private/public sector partnerships

◦ St Lucian initiative.

◦Hotels the largest users of electricity and water

◦Augmented supplies to share with communities.

Special Address:

Bermuda Since STC 12

By

Mr. Charles Brown

Director of Department of Sustainable

Development

Ministry of Environment, Bermuda

Bermuda since STC 12

• Significant policy development

◦ The Companies Act and Motor Car Act.

◦ 2010 Energy White Paper.

◦ The Bermuda Plan 2008.

◦ The Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan.

◦ The Protected Species Act.

◦ In process: Tourism Plan, City of Hamilton Plan, Waterfront

Development Plan, and Infrastructure Plan (initial stages).

• Global recognition

◦ World Heritage Site critical to success.

• Projects and initiatives

◦ Coral reef conservation a priority.

◦ Cahow Recovery Project.

◦ The Sargasso Sea Initiative.

WORKSHOP 1A:

How To Craft, Deliver And Market

Customer-centric Sustainable

Tourism Products

Judy Karwacki

Small Planet Consulting Inc.

Canada

WORKSHOP 1A

Discussion

• Customer expectations

◦ Emphasis on value for money

◦ High expectations fueled by recommendations and

marketing.

◦ Managing expectations important, e.g., Iwokrama forest.

◦ Should focus on seasonal wildlife opportunities.

• Emerging trends

◦ Carbon footprint concerns.

◦ Channeling oil revenues to conservation/preservation.

◦ Interest in nature themed weddings e.g. Kaieteur Falls.

◦ Increasing requests for authentic local cuisine.

WORKSHOP 1B:

Integrating Biodiversity Principles

Into Hotel And Resort Siting And

Design

Guilia Carbone

Deputy Head of the Business and Biodiversity

Programme IUCN

WORKSHOP 1B

Discussion

• Updated and holistic policies for EIAs needed.

• Enforcement of biodiversity protection legislation.

◦ Lack of birds in Maldives compared to Caribbean as a cautionary tale.

◦ Biodiversity can become part attraction for hotels.

◦ Focus on mega-structures and quick returns sidelining conservation.

◦ Insurance companies not insuring wood structures.

• Important to choose the right investor.

◦ Should seek genuine long term capital e.g. pension fund.

• Lessons important to Guyana

◦ Growing tourism industry in the Rupununi

◦ Need to prevent inundation of sites. e.g., Galapagos and Machu Picchu

◦ Managing carrying capacities and biodiversity important.

General Session III:

“Going Green” Invest

Caribbean Now Forum

Moderated by

Felicia Persaud

CEO, Hard Beat Communications

Presentations:

•Waste to Energy – Naanova

By Tony Fiddy

•Caribbean Hotel Energy Efficiency Action

(CHENACT)- Sustainable Tourism for the Caribbean

by Loretta Duffy-Mayers & Dr. Ujjwal

Bhattacharjee

General Session III:

General Session III:

Discussion

• IDB Smartfund - making loans available for energy efficiency,

offer rebates and to do energy audits

• Concern over smaller islands being able to produce sufficient

waste to support waste management plants

• Certification for Caribbean Region for Green Initiatives and

reducing carbon footprint

• Creating opportunities for communities to benefit from reduced

energy initiatives; small and medium size business to potentially

increase employment

• Waste water management crucial to the cruise industry in the

Caribbean

General Session IV:

Stakeholders Speakout!

Moderated by

Christopher Nascimento

former President of Tourism & Hospitality

Association of Guyana

• The Jungle Strikes Back: Balancing the image and sustaining the development of Caribbean tourism – Donald Sinclair

• “Keeping the Right Balance: Sustaining our resources” – KfW/ German Funded Small Grants Project – Sharifah Razack

• Biodiversity Conservation and Sustainable Tourism – A WWF Guianas’ Perspective – Dr. Patrick Williams

• Iwokrama - Using without Loosing! – Dr. Raquel Thomas

• Ensuring Sustainability in Community Tourism – Recommendations from the Rupununi Community Tourism Blue Print – Curtis Bernard

General Session IV:

Presentations

General Session IV:

Discussion

•Long term planning for the Rupununi at the national level to include fresh water conservation

•Lessons learned from Iwokrama’s Road Management Plan

•Guyana enhancing the music sector through training and hosting events e.g. Festival of the Guianas

•Link communities of the coast and interior in environmental education

•Garbage disposal and littering needs to be addressed through public information campaigns, providing bins and implementing waste management plans

•WWF, CI and the EPA involved in various initiatives to build capacity of community people as managers and scientists e.g. Wildlife Clubs and Arapaima Project

YOUTH SESSION:

Role of Youth in Mitigating the

Impacts of Climate Change for

Sustainable Tourism

Development

Moderated by

Tomeca Sukdeo-Singh

Hospitality & Tourism Lecturer , UG

YOUTH SESSION:

Presentations

• Iwokrama My Experience

by Renee Spencer

• Caribbean Youth Environment Network

by Asha Jannelle Jones

• Welcome to Pandora – The Sustainable Hotel of the Future

by Laura McLoughlin and Morgan Opramolla

YOUTH SESSION:

Discussion

•Increased networking for youth groups

•Local communities contribute products

and resources to green hotels e.g.

coconut fiber for beds and balata for

fixtures

•IICA’s Forum for Youth is a resource

WORKSHOP 2A:

Strategic Marketing For

Sustainable Adventure Travel

Antonio del Rosal

Executive Director Latin America,

Adventure Travel Trade Association, Mexico

WORKSHOP 2A - Strategic Marketing For

Sustainable Adventure Travel

• Higher costs incurred for adventure travel due to cost of travel to remote locations

• Adventure travellers seeking a more unique experience beyond the crowds

• ATTA extremely supportive and useful with networks of leading tour operators and media outlets

• The cruise ship economy needs to be addressed

• Communities can benefit from equipment and training from adventure travellers

• Hotels need to adapt to the changing needs of adventure and eco tourists

WORKSHOP 2B:

Agro And Culinary Tourism –

Getting To The Next Level

Ena Harvey

Management Coordinator – Caribbean

Region and Agrotourism Specialist,IICA,

Costa Rica

WORKSHOP 2B - Agro And Culinary Tourism –

Getting To The Next Level

• Promote regional culinary tourism and support each other

• Create a Culinary Caribbean Tourism Alliance

• Repository for all things culinary in region with recipes and foods from throughout the Caribbean

• Promote culinary classes for indigenous dishes

• Promote branding and quality control

“Defining the Way Forward”

Key Recommendations

“Defining the Way Forward”

Recommendations for Caribbean Region

• Partnerships must include community stakeholders at all levels

• Hotels need to adapt to the changing needs of adventure and eco tourists

• Creation of a culinary Caribbean Tourism Alliance along with a repository for all things culinary in the Caribbean

• Increased networking for youth groups

• Enforcement of biodiversity protection legislation

• Creation of updated holistic policies for environmental impact assessments for tourism industries

“Defining the Way Forward”

Recommendations for Guyana

• Creation of a long term plan for the fast growing Rupununi tourism industry including fresh water conservation, carrying capacities and road management

• Link communities of the coast and interior in environmental education

• Garbage disposal and littering needs to be addressed by the public, civil society and private sector

“Defining the Way Forward”

Recommendations for CTO

•CTO annual award for tourism and conservation in the private sector

•Continue sustainable conferences

• Increase marketing Caribbean products at global conferences

• Include people as part of the infrastructure discussion

Thank you!