Caribbean tourism leaders warned at ITB Berlin that island destinations urgently need climate adaptation funding, saying plans alone cannot protect tourism-dependent economies from climate change.
Berlin, Germany — Caribbean tourism leaders issued a blunt warning to the global travel industry at ITB Berlin: climate adaptation plans are useless if destinations cannot access the funding needed to implement them.
Representatives of the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) said that while global discussions about climate resilience continue to multiply, many tourism-dependent island destinations remain dangerously exposed to extreme weather and environmental damage.
Speaking during a session titled “The Climate Adaptation Gap in Tourism: From Risk to Resilience,” CTO Secretary-General and CEO Dona Regis-Prosper said Caribbean nations are no longer discussing climate change as a theoretical issue.
“There is no teacher as great as practical experience,” she said, recalling the destructive hurricanes that have repeatedly battered the region.
For Caribbean destinations where tourism drives economies, the stakes are especially high. Storm damage, beach erosion, coral reef degradation and rising sea levels are already affecting the visitor experience and threatening livelihoods.
Caribbean Feeling Climate Impacts First
According to Narendra Ramgulam, the Caribbean is effectively a testing ground for the global tourism industry’s ability to adapt to climate change.
“When you talk about climate risk, we see it, and we feel it more than others,” he said during another ITB session titled “These Ideas Will Transform Tourism.”
But the region’s biggest obstacle is not a lack of ideas.
“Across the Caribbean, there’s no shortage of climate risk information or project ideas,” Ramgulam said. “What we consistently struggle with is turning those priorities into finance-ready projects that can actually move forward.”
For small island developing states with limited financial and technical resources, climate adaptation often remains stuck between research reports and funding barriers.
Tourism Industry Partnerships Step In
Amid these concerns, the CTO announced a renewed partnership with The Travel Foundation aimed at strengthening climate resilience and community-centered tourism across the region.
The updated Memorandum of Understanding was signed by Regis-Prosper and Travel Foundation CEO Jeremy Sampson during ITB Berlin.
Sampson said Caribbean destinations are not only vulnerable but also emerging as innovation leaders in sustainable tourism.
“The Caribbean is on the frontlines of climate change, but it is also at the forefront of innovation,” he said.
He added that the partnership will focus on aligning climate action, destination stewardship and funding pathways so tourism can continue to benefit local communities while adapting to growing environmental risks.
Regis-Prosper noted that the collaboration supports the CTO’s broader regional strategy.
“This partnership aligns with the CTO Reimagine Plan and reinforces our commitment to leading sustainable tourism across the Caribbean,” she said.
A United Caribbean Presence
Throughout the three-day convention, CTO representatives maintained a strong presence under a unified Caribbean banner, holding bilateral meetings aimed at building partnerships around resilience, regenerative tourism and sustainable destination management.
But the message coming out of Berlin was clear: without faster access to climate financing, the global tourism industry risks leaving some of its most iconic destinations exposed to the very climate threats that tourism itself must now confront.