Caribbean Leaders Convene in New York to Chart Bold New Direction for Regional Tourism

By Dee Burrowes and David Cumberbatch

The Caribbean tourism industry came together in spectacular fashion this June as Caribbean Week in New York 2025 concluded with resounding success, bringing together over 200 regional leaders, tourism executives, cultural ambassadors, and industry professionals under one ambitious vision. Centered on the powerful theme “Caribbean Resilience: Crafting Tomorrow’s Tourism,” the week-long event represented far more than a typical industry gathering. It was a strategic summit that showcased the Caribbean’s determination to control its own narrative, drive sustainable growth, and position itself as a global tourism powerhouse through collaborative innovation and forward-thinking leadership.

For those of us watching the evolution of Caribbean tourism closely, this year’s Caribbean Week marked a significant milestone. The event brought together ministers, tourism directors, and senior officials from destinations spanning Barbados, Jamaica, Saint Lucia, the Bahamas, Grenada, and numerous other territories, demonstrating unprecedented regional unity. The sheer diversity of representation underscored an essential truth about our region: when Caribbean nations work together, pooling resources, insights, and strategic vision, the potential for transformative growth becomes limitless.

Chairman’s Vision: A New Era for Caribbean Tourism Organization

Minister Ian Gooding-Edghill, serving as Chairman of the Caribbean Tourism Organization and Barbados’ Minister of Tourism and International Transport, couldn’t contain his enthusiasm about the event’s success. Experiencing his first Caribbean Week as CTO Chairman, Gooding-Edghill emphasized that the overwhelming participation and positive feedback confirmed the organization is moving in exactly the right direction. With over 200 registered participants engaging in dynamic forums, interactive workshops, and strategic networking sessions, the week proved that appetite for meaningful collaboration within Caribbean tourism has never been stronger.

The Chairman’s leadership was particularly evident during the Council of Ministers and Commissioners Meeting, which ran for more than four hours, testament to the substantive contributions and critical discussions taking place. These weren’t surface-level conversations or photo opportunities. Caribbean tourism leaders were diving deep into the challenges and opportunities facing the region, laying out concrete action items for the CTO to undertake on behalf of member nations. Andrea Franklin, CEO of Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc., presided over the Board of Directors meeting as Chairman of the CTO Board, further highlighting Barbados’ pivotal role in steering regional tourism strategy.

The Reimagine Plan: Charting Caribbean Tourism’s Future Through 2027

Perhaps the most significant announcement to emerge from Caribbean Week 2025 was the official unveiling of the CTO’s comprehensive Reimagine Plan for 2025 to 2027. This isn’t just another strategic document gathering dust on a shelf. The Reimagine Plan represents a bold, actionable roadmap structured around five foundational pillars that address the most pressing needs facing Caribbean tourism today: advocacy, enhancing market competitiveness, advancing tourism intelligence, promoting sustainable and regenerative tourism practices, and investing in talent development across the sector.

Chairman Gooding-Edghill articulated the philosophy behind this ambitious initiative with clarity and passion. Organizations must periodically pause, reflect on their current position, and chart where they want to go, he explained. The Reimagine Plan embodies exactly this kind of strategic introspection and forward planning. For Caribbean tourism professionals, this means the CTO isn’t simply reacting to industry trends but proactively shaping them. The focus on sustainability and regenerative tourism particularly resonates in an era where travelers increasingly demand authentic, environmentally conscious experiences. The Caribbean, with its natural beauty and cultural richness, is uniquely positioned to lead in this space, but only if we develop the right frameworks, training programs, and industry standards.

Data-Driven Decision Making for Strategic Growth

One critical element emphasized throughout Caribbean Week was the essential role of comprehensive data and research in effective tourism planning. Chairman Gooding-Edghill highlighted that continuous improvement in data collection and analysis isn’t optional anymore; it’s fundamental to strategic growth. Caribbean destinations need refined metrics and deeper insights to better align regional efforts and strengthen the region’s global tourism position. This means moving beyond basic arrival statistics to understand traveler behavior, spending patterns, emerging market segments, and the effectiveness of different marketing strategies.

For tourism stakeholders, this data-driven approach represents a maturation of the industry. Rather than relying on gut feelings or outdated assumptions, decisions will be grounded in solid evidence and market intelligence. This is particularly important as the Caribbean competes globally with other tropical destinations. Understanding exactly what drives traveler choice, what experiences resonate most powerfully, and where untapped opportunities exist can mean the difference between marginal growth and explosive expansion.

Addressing Critical Connectivity Challenges in Caribbean Tourism

No honest conversation about Caribbean tourism can avoid the elephant in the room: intra-regional connectivity. Chairman Gooding-Edghill tackled this issue head-on, acknowledging both the progress made and the substantial work still ahead. Connectivity within the Caribbean continues to present challenges, and improving it remains a priority. The CTO Airlift Committee has been specifically tasked with not only identifying solutions but making concrete recommendations to advance greater connectivity throughout the region.

This matters enormously for both tourism growth and regional integration. When traveling between Caribbean islands remains expensive, time-consuming, or logistically complicated, it limits the ability of tourists to experience multiple destinations on a single trip. It also restricts business travel, educational exchange, and cultural collaboration between our islands. Solving the connectivity puzzle could unlock significant economic value, enabling the creation of multi-destination tourism packages, facilitating easier business relationships between islands, and allowing Caribbean residents to more easily explore their own region.

Economic Linkages and Local Retention

Looking ahead to the 2025 State of the Tourism Industry Conference scheduled for Fall in Barbados, Chairman Gooding-Edghill signaled that connectivity, tourism growth, and economic linkages will dominate discussions. He articulated a clear growth strategy: tourism businesses can expand either by increasing per-visitor spending or by driving additional traffic to destinations. The CTO believes in pursuing both approaches simultaneously. But there’s another crucial element: ensuring strong linkages between tourism and other sectors like agriculture and manufacturing so the Caribbean retains more of the foreign exchange spent within the region.

This focus on economic linkages addresses a longstanding frustration in Caribbean tourism, where profits often flow out of the region to foreign-owned hotel chains, international airlines, and overseas suppliers. By strengthening connections between tourism and local agriculture, Caribbean destinations can ensure that hotels and restaurants source more food locally. By supporting local manufacturing, destinations can reduce reliance on imported goods. These aren’t just economic strategies; they’re about building genuine sustainability and ensuring tourism benefits flow broadly throughout Caribbean communities.

Allied Members and Industry Collaboration

The growing involvement of CTO Allied Members received special recognition during Caribbean Week 2025. These partners play vital roles in destination marketing and sector support, and their active participation in the special forum “Beyond Borders: Positioning the Caribbean Tourism Industry in a Shifting Travel Landscape” provided valuable insights and addressed key challenges facing the sector. The dialogue during this session demonstrated how public-private collaboration strengthens Caribbean tourism, bringing together government vision with private sector execution and innovation.

CTO Secretary-General and CEO Dona Regis-Prosper expressed deep gratitude for the leadership demonstrated throughout the week, particularly praising Minister Gooding-Edghill and CEO Andrea Franklin for their vision, energy, and commitment to advancing regional collaboration and sustainable growth. Their contributions were evident in every aspect of Caribbean Week 2025, from the substantive policy discussions to the networking opportunities that allowed industry professionals to forge new partnerships.

Generous Sponsorship Reflects Industry Commitment

The success of Caribbean Week 2025 was made possible through generous backing from a diverse group of sponsors committed to strengthening Caribbean tourism. Platinum partners Dominica and the U.S. Virgin Islands demonstrated top-tier support. Gold-level sponsorship came from Antigua and Barbuda, the Bahamas, Bermuda, Global Ports Holding, and Travel & Adventure Shows. Silver sponsorship was provided by Sandals Resorts International and St. Kitts. Bronze supporters included Adara, Anguilla, Barbados, Carnival Corporation, Saint Lucia, and TEMPO Networks. This broad sponsorship base reflects genuine industry-wide commitment to regional collaboration and collective advancement.

A Critical Perspective: Who Really Speaks for Caribbean Tourism?

The Caribbean Tourism Organisation’s gathering in New York offered yet another reminder of both the brilliance and the blind spots that shape our region’s global tourism footprint. While the event carried all the hallmarks of prestige, polished presentations, global sponsors, and well-scripted moments, one couldn’t ignore the underlying truth: the Caribbean voice is still being spoken about more than it is speaking for itself.

For an industry built on the essence of Caribbean culture, our people, our food, our rhythm, our warmth it was startling to see how few actual Caribbean professionals were positioned as thought leaders in the room. Too often, the expertise showcased came from expats, consultants, and foreign executives who profit from the Caribbean experience yet rarely live it. Our local innovators, educators, and young visionaries seem to remain on the sidelines — spectators in their own story.

While there were commendable efforts to spotlight young people, it felt more like a token gesture, a competition rather than a conversation.

Imagine the power of a youth-led panel, young hoteliers, digital creators, eco-tourism advocates and hospitality entrepreneurs sharing the future they envision for Caribbean tourism. That’s where the innovation lies, not in trophies but in transformation.

The Caribbean must evolve from being marketed to being represented. We must move beyond serving the experience to owning it. Our professionals are not simply the faces of hospitality; they are the strategists, the storytellers and the stewards of an industry that thrives because of our authenticity. The next CTO event and indeed every Caribbean tourism gathering should be less about optics and more about ownership. It should less be about outside voices and more about amplifying those who live the brand daily across our islands. Because if the Caribbean is truly to rise as a global tourism powerhouse, its people must sit at the head of the table, shaping the narrative, leading the strategy, and defining the future.

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