Bahamas Hosts Regional Workshop on Promoting CSR among SMEs in Caribbean Tourism Industry
NASSAU, BAHAMAS – Tourism stakeholders from the Bahamas, Belize, Haiti and Jamaica participated in a three-day workshop titled Promoting Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in the Caribbean Tourism Industry in Nassau, Bahamas November 16-18, 2009.
The objectives of the workshop were to create awareness of CSR and its relevance to the Caribbean tourism industry, build capacity in hoteliers and other operators of small and medium enterprises in the tourism sector and public sector representatives of the tourism industry, support and promote the integration of socially responsible practices among public and private sector tourism stakeholders and provide tools/resources to enable participants to educate other industry stakeholders.
The workshop was developed by the Executive Secretariat for Integral Development (SEDI) of the Organization of American States (OAS) with support from the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA). The Young Americas Business Trust (YABT), a not-for-profit organization working in cooperation with the OAS, and the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (UN-ECLAC) also collaborated on the workshop. The workshop was preceded by a regional workshop in Rodney Bay, Saint Lucia in September that was attended by tourism stakeholders from 14 OAS Caribbean Member States.
Following the three-day workshop, participating hoteliers are expected to initiate action plans for implementing CSR in their properties’ business strategies. Public sector stakeholders are also expected to engage others in the industry to promote and support the realization of the economic, social and environmental benefits of a socially responsible approach to the region’s tourism sector.
The workshop was opened by the Honorable Earl Deveaux, Minister of the Environment of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas. Presenters included Vernice Walkine, Director General of the Ministry of Tourism; Frank Comito, Executive Vice-President of the Bahamas Hotel Association; Khaalis Rolle, President of the Bahamas Chamber of Commerce; Edison Key, Executive Chairman of the Bahamas Agricultural and Industrial Corporation; and Bart Van Hoof, an expert from UNECLAC.
Topics covered in the modules and presentations included an introduction to the core components and concepts of CSR, the relationship between CSR and sustainable tourism, stakeholder engagement, CSR assessments, a presentation of CSR management tools and indicators, CSR in the supply chain and incorporating CSR in small and medium enterprises.
For more information about the CSR program, contact Zakaria El Goumiri at zelgoumiri@oas.org.
For more information about tourism at the OAS, contact Richard Campbell at rcampbell@oas.org or 202 458 6226.
For more information about YABT and activities aimed at supporting and providing opportunities for entrepreneurs in Latin America and the Caribbean, contact Luis Viguria at lviguria@oas.org or 202 458 6452.
