SAINT LUCIA BECOMES FIRST OECS STATE TO ROLL OUT TOURISM HEALTH PROGRAM

The COVID-19 pandemic remains a threat to the island’s mainstay earner – tourism. However, a Regional Tourism Health Policy Framework drafted in 2014 is set for a timely roll out on September 18 in Saint Lucia. Officials from the Caribbean Public Health Agency [CARPHA] and OECS Commission are set to engage with the island’s Tourism and Health Ministries to implement the Tourism Health Program [THP] designed to strengthen Saint Lucia’s capacity to respond to public health threats, improve the health and safety standards and enhance tourism resilience policy in the hospitality sector. Discussions between CARPHA and the OECS in 2017 set the pace for the THP, which was later endorsed by the OECS. To date, Saint Lucia is one of four (4) participating countries and the first to officially launch the program. The CARPHA team will also facilitate a three (3) day Advanced Food Safety Training and Certification Workshop from Tuesday 21st September – Thursday 23rd September for environmental health officers, hoteliers and restaurateurs, a re-sensitization of industry operators in the Tourism Health Information System (THiS) on Monday 20th September and a stakeholder consultation on cruise ship surveillance assessment on Thursday 23rd September. It is anticipated that the various consultations will engender a greater level of understanding on the importance and benefits of the Tourism Health Program (THP) and the Tourism Health Information System (THiS). The agencies will also identify a clear roadmap for strategic marketing to allow for a healthier, safer and more sustainable tourism industry.