GUYANA – The Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) has officially honored two distinguished researchers with its inaugural Caribbean Tourism Intelligence Award, marking a significant milestone in the organization’s push to prioritize data-driven policy across the region.
The award, presented during the 2026 State of the Tourism Industry Conference (SOTIC) in Guyana, was bestowed upon Dr. Dalano DaSouza and Dr. Dennis Mc Call Jr. The pair received the recognition for their collaborative research paper, “Decline of the Regional Traveler? Investigating New Factors Driving Substitution of Intra-Caribbean Tourism with International Travel.”
Dr. DaSouza, an economist from St. Vincent and the Grenadines currently serving as the director of research, statistics, and data analytics at the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank, accepted the award alongside Dr. Mc Call Jr., a senior lecturer at the U.K.’s Teesside University, who hails from St. Kitts and Nevis.
The duo’s winning study provides a critical analysis of a growing trend: Caribbean citizens increasingly choosing to vacation outside the region rather than visiting neighboring islands. By analyzing survey responses from 1,103 individuals across 23 jurisdictions, the researchers identified a complex interplay of barriers, including high travel costs, limited flight connectivity, visa hurdles, and shifting migration patterns. The study further concludes that demographic variables such as age, income, and education significantly alter how individual travelers navigate these obstacles.
For the CTO, this research is more than academic; it is a vital tool for reform. Aliyyah Shakeer, the organization’s director of research, emphasized that the award is designed to highlight findings that are “grounded in our destinations, our communities and our particular challenges.”
“We need research that can inform policy, planning, investment and decision-making across our tourism sector,” Shakeer noted. “The goal is to provide evidence-based recommendations that help governments and airlines strengthen regional connectivity and ensure that tourism spending remains within our shores.”
The award was established as part of the CTO’s broader “Reimagine Plan,” an initiative launched by Secretary-General and CEO Dona Regis-Prosper to transform the organization into a robust center for regional tourism intelligence. To ensure complete impartiality, the selection process was managed by the Caribbean Tourism Researchers Network, with four independent evaluators assessing submissions without knowing the authors’ identities.
The announcement coincided with the launch of the new Caribbean Tourism Research Forum at SOTIC 2026, a platform designed to bridge the gap between academic theory and industry practice. As the CTO looks toward the future, officials expressed hope that the award will foster a more collaborative community of researchers, providing the data necessary to build a more resilient, sustainable, and competitive tourism industry for the entire Caribbean basin.
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