COVID-19 protection for tourism to the Caribbean

Coronavirus advices or prevention concept. Top view of a COVID-19 prevention check list and safety equipment

The Caribbean health and tourism authorities’ COVID-19 Caribbean Tourism Task Force has issued new health and safety guidelines to help safeguard the health of tourists to the islands.

The health and safety guidelines are supported by a training schedule aimed at reaching the region’s tourism employees in the coming months.

The guidelines include checklists backed by training for tourism industry sectors, including ground transport, accommodation providers, food and beverage, and attractions.

General health safety protocols have also been created and will be supported with training by the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA).

Companies that participate in the training will be recognised.

Accommodation providers that join the health agency’s online Tourism Health Information System will be eligible to receive a Caribbean Travel Health Assurance stamp.

The Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO), the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA), and the CARPHA initially formed the COVID-19 Caribbean Tourism Task Force. They have been joined by the Jamaica-based Global Tourism Resiliency and Crisis Management Centre (GTRCMC) and the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States Commission (OECSC).

The new guidelines are not intended to replace specific national and territorial guidelines, or those being put in place by specific hotels and the industry. The procedures instead serve to reinforce and complement existing policies which have been drawn up to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.

The initiative has also been put in place to provide support particularly for the independent hotels, tourism-related businesses, and smaller destinations that lack the expertise or resources to develop their own.