Barbados Hosts Caribbean Tourism Organization Youth Congress At Sotic 2025 To Empower The Next Generation Of Tourism Leaders

Published on September 9, 2025

The Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) Youth Congress is group to make a triumphant return arsenic a signature arena during nan State of nan Tourism Industry Conference (SOTIC) successful Barbados successful October 2025. Emerging tourism leaders from each area of nan Caribbean will converge to coming their cutting-edge concepts and prosecute successful substantive speech astir nan pathway up for nan region’s tourism sector.

The event, supported by nan Barbados Ministry of Tourism and International Transport and Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc., will stitchery students aged 14 to 17 from 16 Caribbean countries and territories. These students, each acting arsenic a Junior Minister/Commissioner of Tourism, will coming their investigation and imagination for nan early of tourism successful nan Caribbean. The Youth Congress is designed to nurture captious thinking, promote public speaking, and springiness a sound to nan adjacent procreation of tourism advocates.

Empowering nan Next Generation of Caribbean Tourism Leaders

The Youth Congress provides a valuable opportunity for young group to power nan early of Caribbean tourism by proposing innovative solutions and ideas. Participants will stock their perspectives connected topics specified arsenic sustainable tourism, community engagement, and digital transformation successful nan industry.

Sharon Banfield-Bovell, Director of Resource Mobilization and Development astatine nan CTO, highlighted that this inaugural goes beyond a elemental competition. She explained that nan legislature intends to create early tourism leaders who will style nan trajectory of Caribbean tourism for years to come.

In summation to their presentations, participants will besides prosecute successful wider discussions astatine SOTIC 2025. They will be a Tourism Youth Congress Master Class, led by Ed Limon, nan CEO of Winged Whale Media, a workplace renowned for its immersive media and virtual tourism innovations. The students will besides participate successful a Level Up: A Teen Career Launchpad Workshop designed to animate and hole them for early roles successful tourism and leadership.

Countries Represented astatine nan 2025 Youth Congress

This year’s Youth Congress will characteristic students from nan pursuing Caribbean nations: Anguilla, Antigua & Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Dominica, Grenada, Jamaica, Nevis, Saint Lucia, St. Eustatius, St. Kitts, St. Vincent & nan Grenadines, Tobago, and nan U.S. Virgin Islands. This wide practice of Caribbean countries will guarantee a rich | speech of ideas and experiences, fostering collaboration among nan region’s early leaders.

The legislature is not only a learning acquisition but besides a chance for participants to summation valuable insights into nan region’s tourism industry. Through their involvement, they tin power nan guidance of Caribbean tourism successful a post-pandemic world, wherever sustainability and taste preservation are becoming cardinal to recreation decisions.

A Platform for Youth Innovation successful Caribbean Tourism

The return of nan Youth Congress astatine SOTIC 2025 is portion of a broader effort to prosecute young group successful tourism leadership. The Caribbean has agelong been known for its breathtaking landscapes, rich | culture, and vibrant communities. Now, pinch nan engagement of nan region’s youth, tourism successful nan Caribbean is group to clasp much innovative, inclusive, and sustainable practices that will use some section communities and nan tourism industry.

The insights provided by nan students during nan legislature are expected to spark caller approaches to sustainable tourism and eco-friendly travel successful nan region. Many of nan participating countries person already made strides toward sustainable tourism practices, and nan contributions of young group astatine SOTIC will proceed to fortify these efforts.

Shaping nan Future of Caribbean Tourism

The CTO Youth Congress astatine SOTIC 2025 is not conscionable an event, it’s a pivotal infinitesimal for nan early of Caribbean tourism. The legislature offers young leaders nan chance to showcase their innovative ideas and solutions for creating a much sustainable and inclusive tourism manufacture successful nan Caribbean. As nan region faces caller challenges and opportunities, nan engagement of young group will guarantee that tourism continues to germinate successful a measurement that benefits some visitors and nan section communities.

While a tourist-driven Caribbean will progressively thin connected integer devices and greenish practices, nan Youth Congress reaffirms nan region’s vow to empower tomorrow’s determination makers. The summit becomes a level wherever rising voices sculpt nan tourism horizon, shaping a way toward integer creativity, equitable advancement, and responsible stewardship. Their proposals transportation nan committedness to steer nationalist hospitality economies, not conscionable toward profit, but toward a early wherever nan land, nan culture, and nan activity of Caribbean people are cherished, preserved, and expanded.