Oct. 16, 2004 – Some 15 Caribbean high school students will showcase their knowledge of tourism when they participate in this year's Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) Tourism Youth Congress, which will be held at the 27th annual Caribbean Tourism Conference (CTC-27) in Aruba next week.
This is the fourth year that Travel + Leisure magazine and the CTO have collaborated to create the Youth Congress. Leisure Golf will also be covered in the debate.
The "Junior Ministers of Tourism" will be challenged to discuss what the Caribbean should do to reap significant benefits from sports tourism and to suggest the types of facilities and event management capabilities the region needs to be successful in this niche market.
They will also debate and made recommendations on how Caribbean countries can do a better job at infusing the region's culture and heritage into the tourism product; the kinds of products that the region needs to develop to attract more of the youth and student travel market and a mystery topic which will test their general knowledge of tourism.
Ellen Asmodeo, VP/Publisher of Travel + Leisure magazine, says, As the world's leading travel magazine, Travel + Leisure is committed to promoting and supporting tourism around the globe. I believe that the more people travel, the better the world. In the Caribbean, the CTO/Travel + Leisure Youth Congress is a great example of the dedication to continued growth of tourism in the region.
We're proud of our partnership with the CTO, and of the progress that we've made. The CTO/Travel + Leisure Youth Congress helps students gain a greater understanding of the possibilities and challenges of tourism in the area and encourages youth to participate in the industry. It is a worthwhile initiative that we're thrilled to be a part of again this year."
The Annual CTO/Travel + Leisure Youth Congress takes the form of a simulated (CTO) board of directors meeting. The participants, who are the winners of national debates on tourism issues, will serve as spokespersons in their respective countries for the sector.
This Youth Congress helps to build a cadre of bright young people at the national and regional level, heightening their awareness of the challenges and opportunities involved in this dynamic tourism sector, stated Bonita Morgan, CTO's director of human resource.
This year's Youth Congress takes place at the Wyndham Aruba Resort and Casino. While in Aruba, the students will also participate in other conference sessions, share information about their countries as tourism destinations, discuss careers in tourism and get to experience some of the island's tourism sites and attractions.
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