Delegates attending the 14th Annual Caribbean Tourism Organization Sustainable Tourism Conference (STC-14), will get to explore some of Trinidad and Tobago’s most exotic and historic sites as part of the conference experience.

A full day of  study tours has been planned to reveal the diversity of the host country and the various sustainability models being employed there. Approximately 95 percent of delegates who attended STC-13 in Guyana last year rated the Study Tours as excellent or good.

“These Study Tours provide an opportunity for delegates to experience firsthand some of the very issues that we discuss during the plenary sessions and workshops, and are a powerful learning tool,” said Gail Henry, CTO’s sustainable tourism product specialist. “In addition, they take delegates away from the confines of the walls of the conference site to see community tourism from a very practical perspective.”

A number of options are available to delegates attending STC-14, including the Grande Riviere – one of the villages that make up the Turtle Village Trust (TVT) which comprises communities that have come together to conserve turtles; Salybia Beach where delegates can hike to the Matura Waterfall and plunge into a pool of pristine mountain water, take the Red Howler Monkey Tour in an ancient Mora-filled forest or go kayaking on the Salybia River; and the Tobago Heritage Park for a lesson in the history of cocoa in Tobago and rum and chocolate tasting sessions.

As a third-time STC host, Trinidad and Tobago will showcase its many wonders. The growth of the tourism sector there is being guided by the principles of sustainable tourism where there is a balance between the use of environmental resources and the cultural and socio-economic benefits derived by host communities.

Sustainable Tourism Conference (STC-14),  www.caribbeanstc.com