ST. JOHN'S, Antigua: Many Islands, One Sea – the idea of marketing the Caribbean region as a single destination for Yachting, is a vision dear to the hearts of many. This vision is one step closer, following a 3-day workshop for officials of marine trades associations and public sector officials from 12 Caribbean nations held in Trinidad from Feb.22-24. The initiative came from the Yacht Services Association of Trinidad & Tobago (YSATT) spearheaded by General Manager, Jacqueline Clarke. The Antigua Marine Trades Association (AMTA), the Marine and Yachting Association of Grenada (MAYAG), and the Marine Industries Association of St. Lucia (MIASL) partnered YSATT, and with assistance from the Trinidad based Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), obtained a grant of 47,176 euros from EU funding agency PROINVEST in mid-2004 to finance the setup of the CMA. Other national marine trades associations and public sector partners from across the region were then invited to participate. The importance of this event was underscored by the speakers at the opening ceremony, comprising the President of YSATT, Mr. Christopher Marshall; Mr. Neil Pierre, Director ECLAC; Mr. Anthony Smallwood, Charge d’Affaires, European Union Delegation, and Ms. Christine Sookram, deputizing for the Minister of Tourism of Trinidad & Tobago. The Caribbean Marine Association will place the Yachting Sector in the region on the same footing as the Caribbean Hotel Association, especially in forums such as the Caribbean Tourism Organisation (CTO), thereby giving Yachting a seat at the highest levels of decision making bodies in the Tourism Sector for the first time. The workshop hammered out a work programme, but referred the finalization of the constitution to a steering committee which will report within 90 days, so that the formal launching of the Association can be undertaken. The committee will also examine the ramifications of the devastation caused by Hurricane Ivan on Marine Insurance rates in the Region. The twenty-three participants came from Antigua, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, British Virgin Islands, Curacao, Dominica, Grenada, Jamaica, St. Lucia, St. Vincent & The Grenadines, Trinidad & Tobago. In addition to the National Marine Trade Associations, representatives came from the CTO, the OECS, Ministries of Tourism, and National Development Corporations. Antigua and Barbuda was represented by George Clarke, a Director of the Antigua Marine Trades Association and Lorraine Headley, Director of Product Development at the Ministry of Tourism. Mr. Clarke, a keen advocate for the development of yachting in Antigua and Barbuda, cited the progress made in Antigua and Barbuda due to close collaboration between the private sector and public sector. “We are continuing to make strides as a yachting destination; however, it is important for all stakeholders to recognize that the “Caribbean” is the destination for yachtsmen and not the individual islands. There is more scope for us as a region if we take an integrated approach to marketing, immigration and customs, disaster management and protecting the quality of our waters”. Miss Headley noted that yachting is taking a more prominent role in the tourism industry with even the cruise sector embracing the importance of super yachts, which has experienced growth at 6% per annum worldwide over the last decade, doubling the global fleet. Miss Headley indicated that “The Seatrade Cruise Shipping Convention next month will have for the first time an International Superyacht component in which the Ministry of Tourism in conjunction with the National Parks Authority and the Antigua Marine Trades Association will be participating. The growth in the size of the mega yachts has blurred the differentiation between large yachts and small cruise ships. In essence, much of the facilities and infrastructure required for both mega yachts and cruise ships are similar, hence, the move towards greater collaboration between these two sub-sectors.” Reprinted from Caribbean Net News caribbeannetnews.com