The Caribbean Tourism Organization is marking World Tourism Day 2026 by urging the region to adopt technology in ways that strengthen tourism while keeping people, communities and culture at the centre of the industry.
This year's theme, «Digital Agenda and Artificial Intelligence to Redesign Tourism», reflects the growing influence of technology on how travellers plan and book trips, discover destinations and share their experiences, as well as how tourism businesses and organisations operate. The CTO's World Tourism Day activities are focused on helping the region translate those changes into practical benefits for the sector.
«For the Caribbean, the question is not simply how quickly we adopt new technology,» said Dona Regis-Prosper, secretary-general and CEO of the CTO. «It is how we use it in ways that make tourism work better for our destinations, our businesses, our communities and our people.»
The organisation's approach is closely aligned with its Reimagine Plan 2025–2027, which is built around six strategic pillars: Advocacy, Market Competitiveness, Tourism Intelligence, Sustainable and Regenerative Tourism, People Development, and Operational Excellence.
«Technology touches every part of that agenda,» Regis-Prosper said. «It can give us better information, help destinations understand what travellers want, support stronger planning, help us manage tourism more responsibly, strengthen the skills of our people and allow our organisations and businesses to work more effectively.»
She stressed that the Caribbean must remain focused on what makes the region distinctive. «Tourism in the Caribbean is built on human connection. It is our hospitality, our culture, our communities, our stories and our sense of place that make this region special. Technology should support those strengths, not take their place.»
The CTO is putting that philosophy into practice through its World Tourism Day AI Tourism Bootcamp, designed to give tourism professionals hands-on experience using digital tools in their everyday work. The programme follows a «Learn. Build. Share. Implement.» approach, with participants expected to leave with a practical tourism product or asset that can be further developed and used within their organisations.
The bootcamp is aimed at ministries and tourism departments, community tourism organisations, small and medium-sized tourism enterprises, young tourism professionals, students and entrepreneurs.
Regis-Prosper said access and skills development will be especially important as the industry changes. «We have to make sure progress is shared. Smaller destinations, small businesses, young people and communities must have access to the knowledge and tools they need to participate fully in the changing tourism landscape.»
The conversation will continue in Guyana at the CTO's State of the Tourism Industry Conference, scheduled for October 5 to 9 under the theme «Tourism Futures: Smart, Sustainable and Inclusive». The conference will examine several issues shaping the future of Caribbean tourism, including technology, research, talent, sustainability, connectivity and competitiveness.
«World Tourism Day is not only about celebrating tourism. It is an opportunity to ask how we make it stronger, fairer and more valuable to the people who depend on it,» Regis-Prosper said. «The future of Caribbean tourism will not be shaped by technology alone. It will be shaped by how wisely we use it, how well we prepare our people and how clearly we remain focused on creating lasting benefits for the Caribbean.»
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