WORKSHOP: THE IMPORTANCE OF LINKING ACADEMIA TO THE TOURISM SECTOR TO STRENGTHEN THE TOURISM SERVICE QUALITY IN THE GREATER CARIBBEAN REGION

The Association of Caribbean States (ACS), through the Directorate of Sustainable Tourism developed, July 8th 2016, the workshop entitled: Importance of linking academia to the tourism sector to strengthen the tourism service quality in the Greater Caribbean Region, in the framework of the XXVII Meeting of the Special Committee being held in Managua, Republic of Nicaragua. Presenting in the plenary sessions were eight (08) Regional Organizations including: United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), Inter-American Centre for Knowledge Development in Vocational Training (CINTERFOR, for its Spanish acronym), Spanish Association of Scientific Experts in Tourism (AECIT, for its Spanish acronym), Technical Institute of Nicaragua, Tourism Competitiveness Institute (ICTUR, for its acronym in Spanish), Secretariat for Tourism Integration of Central America (SITCA), Pan American Confederation of Schools of Hospitality, and Tourism and Tourism (CONPEHT),Ministry of Tourism of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela and George Washington University (GWU). Also in attendance were National Authorities of the Republic of Nicaragua, representatives of the private sector and members of the sixteen (16) Delegations of Member States and Associate Members of the ACS, headed by Mrs. Arlette Marenco, Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation Secretariat and the Chair of the Special Committee for Sustainable Tourism, Mrs. Anasha Campbell Lewis, Co-Director of Cooperation Affairs and Projects of the Nicaraguan Tourism Board (INTUR, for its Spanish acronym).