– Warns against complacency

-by Jordan Alkins

President Dr. Irfaan Ali is urging the Caribbean to “scale up” its tourism thinking, warning that complacency could see the region lose ground in the global tourism market.

Delivering the keynote address at the official opening of the State of the Tourism Industry Conference (SOTIC) 2026, President Ali challenged governments, investors and tourism stakeholders to think bigger about the industry’s future.

He said the Caribbean cannot afford to become complacent because of its natural tourism advantages.

President Ali pointed to West Indies cricket as a cautionary example, noting that a once-dominant global brand now struggles to attract major sponsorship.

“We need to very clearly articulate that for tourism to succeed, compete and stay alive in this region we have to scale up our thinking, scale up our infrastructure, scale up our commitment and for people within the region we need to scale up our approach,” he said.

Ali says competition is intensifying from the Middle East and Latin America, where billions are being invested in luxury resorts, entertainment, transport and new tourism experiences.

While the Caribbean cannot match that spending, he says greater cooperation can help the region compete, including a push to attract at least 10 major global events by 2035.

The President also called for stronger disaster preparedness, diversified supply chains and greater integration of Caribbean farmers into tourism, while urging joint regional strategies on artificial intelligence and cybersecurity.

“If you ask a young child in the Caribbean to tell you places of the world they want to see, they will give you their interpretation through what they get on social media, on the devices, and also through what AI is demonstrating to them. So we have to leverage, and we are too small to leverage individually,” President Ali explained.
The Guyanese leader questioned why brands like Disney have not expanded into the Caribbean, while proposing a world-class tropical forest night safari for Guyana. 

He urged the CTO to develop a 2035 tourism vision to keep the region globally competitive.