The Tourism and Health Program- Safeguarding the Health and Safety of the Caribbean People and its Visitors during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

The Caribbean is heavily dependent on tourism and as such, the longevity, vitality and resilience of Caribbean economies are intertwined with its travel and tourism industry. Accelerated by travel, the SARS-2-CoV virus (COVID-19), rapidly spread throughout the region concurrently crippling tourism sectors, impacting economies and threatening regional health security. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated the critical necessity for health in tourism. The Caribbean Public Health Agency’s Tourism and Health Program is a novel innovative program that aims to strengthen regional and national health systems and enhance the health of visitor and resident populations in addressing the health, safety, and environmental sanitation threats to tourism. This versatile program adopts a multi-faceted, multisectoral approach for implementation via surveillance and response, guidelines, capacity building, standards, policy, advocacy and partnerships, a travellers health award and mobile app. Since the advent of COVID-19, the program quickly expanded and realigned its public health tools for more rapid and relevant response to the pandemic. Implementing countries have enhanced capacity to mitigate against COVID-19 and other HSE threats to sustainable tourism. The THP is elevating Caribbean tourism by building traveller’s confidence and reinstating healthier, safer travel to the Caribbean, especially during COVID-19. This integrated program, first of its kind, continues to pioneer in setting an international precedent for improving sustainable tourism and health security