BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, (GIS) – Tourism Industry Conference (SOTIC) is needed now more than ever to help reshape the Caribbean's tourism product and chart a way forward in an evolving global environment of changing travellers and product offerings, says chairman of the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) and Barbados' minister of tourism and international transport, Ian Gooding-Edghill, as he addressed the opening ceremony of SOTIC today at the Hilton Barbados Resort.

The 2025 Conference, themed “Reimagining Caribbean Tourism: Research, Relevance and the Road Ahead” , runs from September 30 to October 3. More than 400 delegates from 31 countries, along with 50 speakers, including youth representatives, are taking part in discussions on the sustainability and future development of the sector.

Speaking to the theme, minister Gooding-Edghill stressed that the“old way of doing business” in Caribbean tourism, while successful, must evolve.“In 2024, the Caribbean welcomed over 34 million stay-over visitors, a new record.... And while we should celebrate these gains, we must also remind ourselves of a hard truth. Recovery is not enough. Growth alone is not a strategy....

“This is a regional industry; the challenges we face, whether climate change, air connectivity, cruise industry renewal, or workforce deployment, are shared across our borders, which means that our solutions must be shared as well. That is why SOTIC 2025 matters more than ever. This is the space where we align our common goals, where we exchange data and best practices, where we are strengthened, not just by the regional voice, but by regional growth,” he stated.

The CTO chairman highlighted that earlier this year, members developed the Reimagine Plan 2025-2027“One Sea, One Voice, One Caribbean” , designed to reshape and advance the long-term success of Caribbean tourism for the benefit of all citizens and future generations.

“The plan is fully aligned with this year's SOTIC theme. It calls on us to build a Caribbean tourism sector that is not just profitable, but purpose-driven. Across the region, we are moving beyond simply counting visitors to ensuring that tourism delivers meaningful value. We must deconstruct and reconstruct the sector for efficiency through its tourism development incentive mandate, sports tourism policies, visitor spend task force, and national linkages policies, to mention a few. These are strategic moves to enhance economic impact and connect tourism more deeply with local agriculture and the creative sectors,” minister Gooding-Edghill explained.

To help implement this reshaping of the sector, he disclosed that during yesterday's Council of Ministers and Commissioners of Tourism meeting, members agreed to establish a sub-committee on the supply side of tourism, covering intersectoral linkages with agriculture, transportation, education, manufacturing, and the creative economy. Jamaica has invited the sub-committee to hold its first meeting later this year.

Minister Gooding-Edghill urged delegates to embrace the opportunity for collaboration and transformation.“Your presence is a testament to the strength of our unity and the shared determination to build a better future for Caribbean tourism. Let us not leave this conference inspired but unchanged. Let us leave with a renewed sense of purpose, ready to implement, ready to innovate and ready to reimagine. Let us move forward, grounded in research guided by relevance, and also focus on the road ahead, one sea, one voice, one Caribbean,” he emphasised.

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