Sustainable tourism.

• Position: Latin American tourist industry

The beaches of Central America and the Caribbean not only provide vacationers an opportunity to bathe and bronze, but also generate a quick cash flow for the host country. In Costa Rica, for example, tourism is the second largest source of revenues. Yet, the tourism industry depends upon a complex network of support systems: hotels, restaurants, sanitation, etc. Within this matrix, the OAS is playing an ever more active role through its Committee on Tourism established in 1975. Their goal is to implement specific programs which develop tourism, while maintaining sustainable growth and protecting the environment. Over the last decade, the OAS has devoted more than US$17 million to tourism development, which includes marketing, training, analytic studies, the creation and restoration of tourist sites and environmental protection.

Last month, the OAS Tourism Committee passed a resolution that urged OAS member states not to import toxic wastes and other refuses into their countries. The motion is a move towards protecting the health and economy of Latin American and Caribbean countries and safeguarding the burgeoning tourist industry. Approved by the Permanent Executive Committee of the Inter-American Travel Congress in Washington, the proposal was accepted by virtually all of the member states.

At the Eleventh Meeting of the Caribbean Group for the Cooperation in...