Building upon the Caribbean’s successful partnership between tourism and health, the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) has launched the first Caribbean Community (CARICOM)-approved health safety and environmental sanitation hospitality standards. Funded by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), these standards will focus on improving health, safety and environmental quality in the regional hospitality sector.
The standards—which include food safety and sanitation; energy management; water treatment and management; sewage treatment and management; solid waste management; integrated pest management; and environmental management systems—were unveiled by CARPHA at the Magdalena Grand Beach and Golf Resort in Tobago on November 14, with the support of senior officials of the Tobago government, the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO), and the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA).
Dr. Joy St. John, CARPHA’s executive director, who earlier this year signed an agreement with the CARICOM Regional Organization for Standards and Quality to further develop the standards, said these seven regional clean and green standards are a key component for providing assurance to travelers about company commitment to health and safety and towards avoiding or mitigating health threats to the Caribbean tourism product. Each of the standards is equipped with an assessment checklist to easily guide the industry through a process of recognizing and achieving the standards. Upon completion, after verification by CARPHA, the company will be eligible to receive CARPHA’s Tourism Health Program (THP) Healthier, Safer Tourism Award.
“There is now a verifiable way of having the suite of standards act as a crucial tool for establishing the quality of Caribbean tourism,” Dr. St. John said.
Health and tourism professionals throughout the Caribbean have placed a high priority on the well-being and health and safety of the industry’s employees and travelers. Through the intervention of a unique partnership with CTO and CHTA, established by CARPHA in 2014, the Caribbean was well positioned to respond strategically during the pandemic and now during its recovery.
In 2020 and 2021, CARPHA also trained 7,000 hospitality professionals in preventing and controlling COVID-19 in the tourism sector. This contributed to the Caribbean tourism product’s ability to rebound swiftly after the end of the lockdown phase of the pandemic. The standards are currently voluntary and certified properties that meet all seven standards will be eligible for a platinum distinction.
Dr. Lisa Indar, CARPHA’s director of the surveillance disease prevention and control division—who recently facilitated THP stakeholder training in preparation for the Tobago carnival last month—was congratulated by senior officials for her leadership and commitment to the process of standards development since 2018.
Neil Walters, acting CTO secretary general, believes the standards are another incremental step towards ensuring the future of the region’s tourism sector. Frank Comito, special advisor to CHTA—which has supported the health and safety awards program from its inception—said that the standards can uplift the tourism industry’s continued commitment to the health and safety of its employees and visitors.
For more information, visit www.carpha.org.
Related Stories
CHTA President Urges Flexible Approach to Levying Airline Taxes
How Jamaica Is Moving to Protect the Tourism Sector