About the Congress

The XXII Inter-American Congress of Ministers and High-Level Authorities of Tourism, held in Bridgetown, Barbados, on September 3-4, 2014 focused on the topic: “Tourism Competitiveness: An Essential Component of Sustainability”. Other important issues addressed in this Congress where: measuring competitiveness: price versus non-price factors in Tourism, importance of tourism infrastructure, tourism and inter-sectoral linkages and sustainable destination management.
                                           
The Inter-American Congress of Ministers and High-Level Authorities of Tourism was established in 1939 and is the principal hemispheric forum for dialogue and policy development in this sector. It predates the creation of the Organization of American States, which occurred in 1948, and the entry into force of the Charter of the OAS, in December 1951. The Congress was designed to promote sustainable development of tourism in the Americas, through the organization of a series of meetings to address relevant technical hemispheric issues and to develop inter-American cooperation in tourism.

The Congress serves as an important platform for the exchange of experiences and best practices, and provides a mechanism to support technical studies, strengthen communication between government agencies and the private sector, consider technical cooperation proposals, and support member states in their efforts to develop the tourism sector. The Inter-American Congress of Ministers and High-Level Authorities of Tourism promotes the adoption of formal agreements among governments in relation to the tourism industry, encourages comparative studies and technical projects focusing on responsible tourism development, and coordinates activities of intergovernmental and private organizations in the area of tourism development.