The Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO), the primary Caribbean tourism marketing body, will close its New York office on December 31 and its United Kingdom office by January 31, 2020, organization officials said in a statement issued Tuesday.

CTO will also undertake a "comprehensive audit of the Barbados office," where the organization is based. "This restructuring exercise is expected to significantly reduce the operational expenditures of CTO," said officials, "giving it more capacity to undertake its key functions of regional marketing, statistics and research, and product development."

In the statement, CTO officials indicate its leaders have decided on a change in the group's approach. "Over the past two decades, there has been much discussion surrounding the promotion and development of tourism in the Caribbean," the statement reads.

"While there have been many visions, plans, papers written and philosophies espoused, there has been widespread acceptance that much improvement is needed to elevate tourism development in the region."

CTO officials have considered strategies including "marketing the Caribbean as a single brand, more in-depth research, and a greater uniformed approach to policy formulation and product development," according to the statement, and "therefore recognizes that [CTO] plays a most essential role in the changes required to achieve the long-held view to enhance tourism's role as a tool for sustainable development among member states."

Officials noted "this exercise will lead to some displacement," but "[firmly] believe it represents a strong revitalization of the organization. This is a necessary process to ensure tourism plays its most vital role as a means to bring about opportunity and prosperity for the people of the Caribbean."

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