Upcoming Webinar - New Guide for the Tourism Industry Explores How to Accelerate Coral Restoration in the Caribbean

Healthy coral reefs are critical for sustaining local economies and livelihoods, particularly through supporting tourism. In the Caribbean alone, reef-associated tourism—including both on-reef and reef-adjacent activities—brings in over $7.9 billion from the more than 11 million visitors engaging in these activities every year. Recent research also suggests that COVID-19 was a critical tipping point for travelers to seek more sustainable tourism options, presenting opportunity for the tourism industry to explore new, sustainable approaches and partnerships to support coral reef conservation. In response to this need, The Nature Conservancy (TNC), Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA), and United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) published A Guide to Coral Reef Restoration for the Tourism Sector: Partnering with Caribbean Tourism Leaders to Accelerate Coral Restoration—the first resource of its kind for the tourism industry. In this webinar, presenters will share the public opinion research underpinning these guidelines, best practices and resources for restoration implementation for tourism operators, and a look ahead to future work that will support greater public-private partnership to advance coral reef conservation and restoration in the Caribbean. Presenters include:

• Dr. Elizabeth Shaver, Coral Conservation Program Manager, The Nature Conservancy Caribbean
• Kyle Mais, General Manager, Jamaica Inn Hotel, and Chairperson for the Caribbean Alliance for Sustainable Tourism, Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association
• Dr. Margaux Hein, Lead Scientist and Founder, Marine Ecosystem Restoration Research and Consulting
• Frank Comito, Former CEO and Director, Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association, and Special Advisor for the Caribbean Alliance for Sustainable Tourism

This webinar is co-hosted by The Nature Conservancy’s Caribbean Division, Reef Resilience Network, the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association, and the Caribbean Alliance for Sustainable Tourism.

Date & Time
March 9, 2023
9:00 - 10:15 am EST
(UTC -5 hours)

5:00 pm EAT
(UTC +3 hours)

REGISTER HERE