April 10, 2008 -- The 7th Meeting of the OECS Council of Tourism Ministers will convene on April 10th in St. John's, Antigua.

Tourism Ministers and Director Generals from the OECS, along with representatives of the Caribbean Hotel Association, The Eastern Caribbean Central Bank, The Regional Council of Martinique and The OECS Secretariat will gather to discuss issues related to travel and tourism in the region.

Issues highlighted on the agenda for discussion include the OECS Tourism Sector Work Programme for 2008-2009, the impact of climate change on the Caribbean Tourism Sector, the recent increases in intra-regional airfare, and the OECS preparation for the CARICOM Summit on Tourism in July.

Reporting will also take place on the first meeting of the Yachting Safety and Security Working Group, the OECS Cruise Tourism Business Development Committee, amongst others.

The 7th OECS Council of Tourism Ministers Meeting will be chaired by Antigua and Barbuda's Minister of Tourism, Civil Aviation, Culture & The Environment, The Honourable Harold Lovell.

The Technical Meeting of the OECS Directors of Tourism will take place on April 10th while the Ministers of Tourism will meet on the 11th.

The Nine countries that will be represented at the Meeting are: The Commonwealth of Dominica, Grenada, Montserrat, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, British Virgin Islands, Anguilla and host country Antigua and Barbuda.