Grenada has become the 13th Caribbean country to launch the Regional Tourism and Health Programme (THP), an initiative of the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) aimed at strengthening the resilience, sustainability, and competitiveness of the region’s tourism sector through enhanced health security.
The programme was officially launched at the Radisson Grenada Beach Resort on Thursday, 28 May 2026. It will strengthen Grenada’s capacity to monitor and respond to tourism-related public health events through improved surveillance, early warning systems, and coordinated response mechanisms.
Minister for Health Hon. Philip Telesford, who officially launched the programme, described it as a forward-looking initiative that represents both a strategic investment in Grenada’s economy and a commitment to safeguarding public health. “Tourism contributes more than 25% of Grenada’s GDP and remains a major source of employment. This surveillance system serves as our watchman, ensuring that we can detect any threat to public health at an early stage. This programme is more than a health intervention; it is a strategic measure to strengthen our destination’s appeal, resilience, and preparedness,” Minister Telesford said.
Minister for Tourism, the Creative Economy and Culture Hon. Adrian Thomas said the programme forms part of a broader national strategy to build a healthier, safer, and more resilient tourism destination. He commended CARPHA and the many national and regional partners whose continued collaboration is helping Grenada strengthen health and safety standards across the tourism sector.
Minister Thomas noted that the Covid-19 pandemic underscored the critical link between public health and tourism performance. “Health, safety, and food security concerns can impact border confidence, investor confidence, cruise itineraries, employment, and national revenue. We must remain committed to training our tourism workers, strengthening hotel and visitor surveillance systems, improving food safety and environmental health standards, supporting our sports tourism ambitions with reliable health response planning, and ensuring that Grenada’s tourism brand remains trusted, competitive, and resilient,” he said.
Chief Medical Officer Dr Shawn Charles, welcomed the introduction of the programme, emphasising the importance of timely detection and response to public health threats. “The capacity to quickly detect, respond to, and report health-related incidents is critical to limiting disease transmission, preventing escalation, and safeguarding our communities. The Ministry of Health welcomes the sharing of data on health-related events occurring within the tourism sector and stands ready to guide and support the implementation of appropriate control measures,” Dr Charles stated.
The launch ceremony also featured remarks from CARPHA’s Visitor-Based Surveillance Coordinator Keston Daniel, as well as Chief Executive Officers of the Grenada Tourism Authority (GTA) and the Grenada Hotel and Tourism Association (GHTA), Stacey Liburd and Arlene Friday. Both highlighted the significance of the programme in strengthening confidence in Grenada’s tourism industry and enhancing the destination’s reputation for safety and preparedness.
During an in-country mission conducted from 25–29 May, the CARPHA delegation visited eight tourism facilities to introduce the Tourism Health Information System (THiS), a web-based early reporting and monitoring surveillance platform designed specifically for tourism properties.
Six of the facilities visited have since been registered on the system, bringing the total number of tourism entities registered in Grenada to nineteen.
The delegation also met with surveillance and environmental health officers from the Ministry of Health to discuss the implementation and rollout of the Caribbean Vessel Surveillance System and the Tourism and Mass Gathering Surveillance System, both of which will further strengthen Grenada’s public health surveillance capacity.
Ministry of Tourism
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