TourismToday

Bahamian journalist Inderia Saunders was among a group of journalists honoured at the 19th Caribbean Media Exchange CMEx on Sustainable Tourism.
CMEx ended on a high note in Jamaica’s capital city, Kingston, on Sunday, October 3 at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel with Bermuda’s Premier Dr. Ewart Brown receiving the 2010 World Leadership Award and Jamaica’s Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett accepting the 2010 Exemplar Award. The closing dinner also saw a number of journalists being recognized for their excellent coverage of tourism throughout the region.
Inderia Saunders of the Nassau Guardian was one of the journalists accepting awards. Ms. Saunders is a robust contributor to the paper’s Business Section. Other journalists accepting awards were: Ingrid Brown of the Jamaica Observer; Dennis Morrison, Jamaican Columnist and New York-based photojournalist, Margot Jordan.
The four-day conference, which was held under the theme “Tourism: Linkages for Growth,” saw a number of interesting panel discussions exploring the linkages between tourism and various sectors including culture, agriculture and education.
Tourism Director John Lynch in issuing his charge to delegates and declaring CMEx XIX open, said there is no denying the importance of travel and tourism to the Caribbean, and added that much more needs to be done to ensure that the region is able to realize its full potential to grow the industry despite the threats posed by a volatile global economy.
“Many citizens in our various islands feel disconnected from the industry, not realizing that we all benefit from tourism in some way as a result of its contribution to the national economy; and each has a role to play in ensuring its continued success. Our livelihood in the region and our ultimate survival are inextricably linked to travel and tourism. It is up to us to communicate that effectively to the wider population, and to promote an understanding that we all benefit from tourism, either directly or indirectly,” noted Lynch.
Organizers of this popular regional media and tourism gathering have reported that CMEx XIX, which attracted more than 100 delegates from the Caribbean, North America and Europe, was a resounding success.
“The exciting and innovative CMEx recommendations reflect the commitment of participants to use their collective brain-power to contribute meaningfully to sustainable tourism development in the Caribbean,” said Bevan Springer, President of the Caribbean Media Exchange. “From using tourism to boost farmer incomes while increasing local food in hotels through enhancing faith tourism to greater collaboration with the Caribbean Diaspora, and newly formed linkages to African American media professionals, our Kingston meeting has produced some strong outcomes.”
Another Kingston CMEx highlight, he noted, occurred when participants contributed educational supplies to two impressive community service projects – the Maxfield Park Children’s Home and the Kintyre Basic School.
Since 2001, CMEx has produced 19 conferences and symposia throughout the Caribbean and North America to underscore the value of the region’s largest industry, tourism, in improving the health, education, culture, environment and wealth of Caribbean communities, at home and abroad, in a sustainable fashion.