By Robert Andre Emmanuel
On Wednesday night, Antigua and Barbuda officially launched the Tourism Health Program, with the aim of integrating public health measures with tourism operations across the nation.
The Healthier Safer Tourism Program was started by Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) in 2014, focusing on “promoting health and safety standards across the region through systems of monitoring, early warning response, and capacity building.”
During the launch at Casa Palmadita, Permanent Secretary for Primary Health Care within the Ministry of Health, Stacey Gregg-Payne explained that the framework for this initiative began in May 2021.
“The government made an historic and forward-looking commitment by formally joining the tourism and health program under the auspices of the Caribbean Public Health Agency.
“This milestone decision affirmed our government’s recognition of the urgent need to integrate health-conscious tourism policies into our national agenda,” Gregg-Payne said.
Minister of Tourism Charles Fernandez highlighted how the program will address the immediate health challenges facing the region.
“We have to be prepared. The world is getting smaller in terms of travel. We see bird flu, avian flu – these are all threats. We have to work in partnership with health officials to address these challenges collectively,” he told Observer media.
According to the Acting Chief Medical Officer, Dr Kamaria De Castro, CARPHA conducted training on April 15-19, focusing on health surveillance systems, laboratory protocols, and food safety measures.
The sessions involved government officials, healthcare workers, and tourism stakeholders.
Director of Policy and Planning in the Ministry of Tourism, St Clair Soleyn and CEO of the Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority (ABTA) Colin James spoke on the impact that this program will have on the tourism industry.
“Tourism and health may seem like distant relatives at first but are in fact inseparable partners. What is the perfect destination if the vacation leaves the traveller gasping for breath for all the wrong reasons?” James remarked.
As Soleyn added, “These [health] challenges do not recognize geographical boundaries. A small island nation like Antigua and Barbuda must be ready not only to safeguard our citizens but also to protect the very foundation of our economy, which is deeply intertwined with tourism.”
Observer media spoke with Dr Lisa Indar, the Interim Executive Director of CARPHA and head of its Tourism and Health Program who outlined the verification process, and the value of the program to the hotel and tourism sector.
“The tourism award is given to facilities implementing ground training and utilizing monitoring systems…[and] because it’s a confidential system, they can identify issues quickly and respond before they escalate.”
“You get the award if you use it and monitor and go through the training. If you’re not using it, we take it back. We want this award to be advertised globally so visitors can identify healthier, safer destinations.”
Dr Indar highlighted that beginning next year, CARPHA will introduce tiers to this award.
“This is the classic award and if you start implementing operational standards, it goes up to silver. Additional compliance measures can lead to gold standard certification.” Dr Indar added.
