ANTIGUA & BARBUDA TOURISM AUTHORITY

President, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, of Brazil, at the Latin America and Caribbean Youth Leadership Summit in Brazil in 2005 said “We know that humankind always pursues the future with hope. And the most illuminated window that moves us forward is the youth."

In a world of cynicism, distrust, and suspicion, this statement signals a sense of hope that all in not lost; That the future of Caribbean tourism and our Caribbean societies in general are in safe hands.

The young people of this region constitute approximately 35 percent of the region’s population.
As we celebrate another Caribbean Tourism Day under the theme “One Sea, One Voice, One Caribbean” it is both timely and relevant for us to focus on the future of our society – the youth. 
It is the young people of the region that will continue to fan the flame started by this and past generations, and equipped with better opportunities to achieve higher education than passed generations, will hopefully overcome the pessimism, the doubt and nationalistic tendencies that to some extent still characterized our Caribbean societies and has inhibited our region’s ability to achieve its objective of providing a safe and secure environment for our people and a decent standard of living for all.

In my Tourism Day message, I deposited the fact that tourism is the industry that provides the region with its greatest comparative and competitive advantage for sustainable growth and development. I also reiterated the fact that as a region and a people, we also have a common bond to protect the common environment that sustains the industry and makes the Caribbean such an attractive place to visit for millions of stay over and cruise ship passengers annually. I also highlighted the point that we have an even more important common duty to protect the resources of the region and to foster a type of development that will ensure the economic and social wellbeing of all our Caribbean peoples.  

It is you, the young people, armed with the technological skills and know-how that will be essential in protecting these resources while strengthening the framework for a more competitive tourism industry.
In societies where according to the World Travel and Tourism Council May 2010 Report 10.9 per cent of economy –wide jobs in the Caribbean (approximately 1.9 million people or 1 in every 9 jobs) and approximately 12.4 per cent of total GDP is created in the tourism industry, this is very important.
As young leaders I am sure you are aware that the challenges will not be easy.

Caribbean tourism in recent years has not lived up to expectations. Tourism has failed to create strong linkages with national economies, and few Caribbean-owned tourism businesses have flourished. The region’s traditional tourism product, beach resorts, has matured and faces challenges from competitors in other regions such as Asia, the Middle East and even developed countries like USA, Canada and France. However, the strong long-term growth projected in global tourism and the emergence of new market segments in the region has created the possibility for reinvigorating Caribbean tourism.

As the leaders of our society we have a duty to prepare you, as the next generation of leaders, to participate in the discussion of the economic, environmental and social challenges that the industry faces in the 21st century.
We also have a duty to equip and enable our youth with the requisite knowledge, skills and attitudes to shape and reposition the industry in the current global environment.

Today’s National Youth Forum therefore plays a pivotal role in identifying, mobilizing, training,  supporting, empowering and engaging our young leaders, as active and enabling partners, in the development process. It is a commitment of our faith in the creativity, energy, talents and innovative ability of our young people and our resolve to give the youth a voice to help shape the industry that will create employment opportunities for the majority of our young people, and generate the necessary revenue that will enable the government to provide the type of social, physical and economic services that is so essential for the development of a progressive and prosperous society. 

The Ministry of Tourism, Civil Aviation and Culture, and the Government of Antigua and Barbuda understands and believes in the ability of our youth to shape and change society in progressive ways. We also understand that we must continue to engage you in discussion and dialogue if we are going to get more young people involved in the sector to achieve the overall goal of creating a more productive, diversify and sustainable industry as a viable sustainable business.

As Minister of Tourism, Civil Aviation and Culture I am comforted that we have been attracting some of the best and brightest minds to the industry, and we will continue to create the platform to attract even more. Competitive product quality in today’s tourism industry requires a skilled and customer-oriented workforce.

As the leaders of tomorrow’s society and stewards of the biggest industry in the region – tourism, you can, and must provide the regions’ leading industry with a fresh perspective, and a new, creative and innovative voice that can provide hope, inspiration and optimism to the tourism industry, the region and its people.