Yahneake Sterling, Staff Reporter
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico
THE EIGHTH Caribbean Media Exchange conference got under way in San Juan, Puerto Rico Saturday, under the theme, 'Sustainable Development - A Balancing Act'. The conference, which seeks to address tourism in the Caribbean and small states, features journalists and tourism interests from the Caribbean and the United States.
Nineteen-year-old Kenrick Quashie of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, started off the list of speakers and sought to address 'Restoring the balance destroyed by grown-ups' as it relates to sustainable development.
According to Quashie, in order for tourism to be sustainable it must be continuous.
"Sustainable tourism, in its purest sense, is an industry which attempts to have a low impact on the environment and local culture while helping to generate income, employment and the conservation of local ecosystems," he said.
He added that, in order to have balanced sustainable tourism, such factors must be taken into consideration.
Quashie said the reasons for imbalance in the past included little population growth, lack of interest in the sector and lack of proper promotion of our resources.
He said agriculture was the main focus of the past, but added that the sector was depleting.
He said natural resources, including "our beautiful sceneries and our culture" must therefore be used to the fullest.
THE TOURISM SECTOR
Quashie said that, for development to take place, there must be accessibility to infrastructure and public education about the importance of the tourist sector.
He said the solution to this was to "encourage restrictions on the use of certain areas (resources that can be depleted), encourage regional bodies to meet to discuss issues relating to these problems and training for individuals in various fields".
The young prime-ministerial hopeful stressed that community tourism also plays an important role in sustainable development.
