The Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) says it will introduce the inaugural Caribbean Tourism Research Forum as part of this year’s State of the Tourism Industry Conference (SOTIC) to be held in Guyana in October.
SOTIC will be held under the theme ‘Tourism Futures: Smart, Sustainable, and Inclusive’.
CTO said that the three-hour forum will take place on October 6 creating a dedicated platform to advance research, innovation and evidence-based decision-making across the region’s tourism sector.
Designed as an accessible and engaging research exchange rather than a conventional academic conference, the forum will bring together academics, researchers, tourism practitioners, destination representatives, development partners, students and other interested delegates to share recent findings and explore practical solutions to the Caribbean’s most pressing tourism challenges.
‘The Caribbean Tourism Research Forum reflects CTO’s commitment to ensuring that the future of Caribbean tourism is informed by credible research, regional collaboration and practical application,’ said Aliyyah Shakeer, CTO’s director of research.
‘By creating stronger connections between researchers, policymakers and industry leaders, we can better equip our destinations to make informed decisions that support a smarter, more sustainable and more inclusive tourism industry.’
The CTO said that the programme will feature two research showcase sessions, the first being ‘Emerging Research from Caribbean Universities,’ which will highlight recent or ongoing work from universities and research institutions, while the second ‘Research in Practice: Applied and Destination Insights,’ will focus on studies addressing specific policy, planning, market or destination-management challenges.
It said presentations may examine topics including visitor behavior and changing travel patterns, tourism demand and forecasting, sustainable and regenerative tourism, climate resilience, community-based tourism, workforce development, artificial intelligence and digital transformation, destination competitiveness, market intelligence, economic impact and product development.
The CTO said that the forum aims to raise the visibility of tourism research conducted across the Caribbean, demonstrate how applied research addresses real destination and industry challenges, and identify opportunities for collaboration among universities, tourism organizations, governments, development partners and the private sector. It reinforces the importance of evidence-based tourism planning and decision-making.