Caribbean tourism, by carbon neutral footprint
The Caribbean Hotel Association and the Caribbean Tourism Organization have presented a joint paper on the regional industry's position on climate change – with a primary motivation being to achieve a carbon neutral footprint. Caribbean tourism relies heavily on the sustainability of its natural and environmental assets – and Caribbean countries should not be at a disadvantage, or their development efforts undermined, as a result of the mitigation efforts of industrialized and developed countries to reduce their own negative impacts on the environment. The joint position of the CHA and the CTO further concedes that while the effective implementation of taxes plays a role in the widespread way in which the issue of reducing carbon monoxide emissions is addressed, there is a need to apply such schemes to all transport sectors, not just aviation. In their joint statement, the CHA and CTO underlined the potential consequences of transport services passing on the cost of carbon credits to passengers, which could discourage long-haul travel to the region.
