The Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) will engage regional experts in discussions regarding the development of an inter-regional maritime passenger transportation system, which will encourage the maximum utilization of the region’s ample available maritime resource.
The Caribbean embraces large maritime space, yet this resource remains vastly under-utilized. Opportunities exist for it to be developed for economic and other benefits for the region.
The possibilities for developing a regional maritime transport system will be addressed when ECLAC’s subregional headquarters for the Caribbean convenes a meeting on Thursday 21 May 2015, in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago. The meeting will bring together representatives of port authorities, ferry operators, maritime consultants, economists and development partners, to consider a demand model for maritime passenger transportation in the Caribbean.
The meeting is intended to promote regional integration by facilitating movement of persons using the available maritime resource, and will also explore the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of maritime passenger transport.
To this end, ECLAC’s study entitled “Towards a demand model for maritime passenger transportation in the Caribbean” will be presented for discussion. While there have been numerous studies about cargo transport, and movement of goods and people coming into the region, this study unique in that it concentrates on movement of persons within the region.
