CHTA/CAST & CTO  Sign Memorandum Of Understanding on Renewable Energy

(BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, March 30, 2009) – The Caribbean tourism sector has taken a major step towards energy efficiency within the hotel industry.

The region's public and private sector tourism groupings, the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) and the Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Association (CHTA) – through its environmental arm, the Caribbean Alliance for Sustainable Tourism (CAST) - have launched a 24-month project to help the Caribbean hotel sector move towards energy efficiency.

The US$2 million Caribbean Hotel Energy Efficiency Action Programme (CHENACT) is meant to drive the Caribbean hotels to implement energy efficient practices and to generate their own renewable energy. This, in turn, is expected to improve their competitiveness through improved energy use.

One of the main components is the design and preparation of the energy efficiency programme and institutional strengthening. Using Barbados as a case study, this component involves performing detailed energy audits and understanding energy consumption patterns among Caribbean hotels.

Other key components include support for the preparation of policy in energy efficiency for the tourism sector; assessing Caribbean energy service companies and their potential to service the tourism sector; and energy consumption surveys.
The CHENACT project was conceptualized by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), which is contributing US$1 million to the budget, with the remainder coming from a number of participating agencies and the government of Barbados.

The CTO will be the executing agency, while CAST will implement the project.
“It's an honour to be involved in such a programme which speaks so completely to the mission of the CTO. We hope as a result (of the project) the region will encourage everyone to increase the use of renewable energy, reduce the use of fossil fuel and increase our competitiveness,”  Hugh Riley, the CTO's Acting Secretary General stated at a signing ceremony at the Barbados Hilton on 24th March, 2009 to launch the project.

“It is an excellent example of public and private sector cooperation. I believe the CHENACT will lead to other collaborative projects. It's the beginning of a journey which will lead us to reduce our carbon foot prints,” he added.

The chairman of CAST, Sir Royston Hopkin described the project as an answer to the region's high energy costs.

“I am proud to be part of the project, the end result of which will be a solution to the cost of energy,” Sir Royston said. “Both organisations are working together to ensure that the project goes down as a model for us in the region. It will benefit all of us in the region.”

In seeking its goal of achieving higher energy efficiency, the project will also explore the possibilities of obtaining carbon credits for reduced carbon dioxide emissions through the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) of the United Nations Framework Convention for Climate Change (UNFCCC).

Synergies have also been constructed within the CHENACT project with the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP), ensuring compliance among the participants to both the Kyoto Protocol by reducing carbon emissions, and the Montreal Protocol, in relation to the phasing out of ozone depleting substances (ODS) in air conditioning and refrigeration equipment.

The ultimate goal of this project is to make the CHENACT participants eligible for the Climate Investment Fund (CIF) managed by the World Bank and regional banks such as the IDB for very soft for programs that can show transformation towards a low carbon foot print. This fund (approximately US$5 billion) could be used for the financing and final implementation of relevant projects.

Other  international agencies collaborating with CHTA and CTO on this initiative include:

• The German Technical Cooperation (GTZ).
• The Centre for Development Enterprise (CDE) based in Brussels.
• The Inter American Development Bank (IDB) through the Sustainable Energy and Climate Change Initiative (SECCI).
• The United Nations Environment Programme (UNDP).

For more information on CHENACT, contact Natalie de Caires at 246-435-0847 or natalie@caribbeanhotelandtourism.com.

Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Association

The Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Association (CHTA) aims to facilitate the full potential of the Caribbean hotel and tourism industry by serving members' needs and building partnerships in a socially responsible and sustainable manner.  CHTA was founded in 1962; it is the voice of the Caribbean hospitality industry for the development of the region in the highly competitive and sophisticated environment of international tourism. Today, tourism is widely recognized as a pivotal industry in the economy of the region – and CHTA functions as the common denominator for this industry in a region of diverse nationalities, languages and styles, identifying mutual problems and marshalling the resources of the active and allied members to devise solutions. CHTA represents all facets of the hospitality industry with more than 800 member hotels and 750 allied members.

For more information, visit http://www.caribbeanhotelandtourism.com

The Caribbean Tourism Organization

The Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO), with headquarters in Barbados and marketing operations in New York, London and Toronto, is the Caribbean's tourism development agency and comprises membership of over 30 member governments and a myriad of private sector entities.

The CTO's mission is to provide to and through its members, the services and information needed for the development of sustainable tourism for the economic and social benefit of the Caribbean people.  The organization provides specialized support and technical assistance to member countries in the areas of marketing, human resource development, research and statistics, information technology and sustainable tourism development.  The CTO disseminates information on behalf of its member governments to consumers and the travel trade.

CTO's New York office is located at 80 Broad Street, 32nd Floor, New York, NY 10004, USA; Tel: (212) 635-9530; Fax: (212) 635-9511; E-mail: ctony@caribtourism.com.  CTO's London office is located at 22 The Quadrant, Richmond, Surrey TW9 1BP, England. Tel: 011 44 208 948 0057; Fax: 011 44 208 948 0067; E-mail: ctolondon@caribtourism.com; CTO 2 Bloor Street West, Suite 2601, Toronto, Ont. M4W 3E2, Canada. Tel: (416) 935 0767; Fax: (416) 935-0939; E-mail: ctotoronto@caribtourism.com. CTO Headquarters is located at One Financial Place, Collymore Rock, St. Michael, Barbados; Tel: (246) 427-5242; Fax: (246) 429-3065; E-mail: ctobarbados@caribtourism.com.  For more information, please visit www.caribbeantravel.com or www.onecaribbean.org.