(FP)

Secondary school students are invited to participate in the Barbados Tourism Product Authority’s (BTPA) Barbados Tourism Youth Congress.

Formerly known as the Annual Speech Competition, the Youth Congress will take the same format as the speech competition in that the students will verbally present their ideas on selected tourism topics. This year’s topics are: Sustainable Tourism Development; Signature Tourism Products; and Adventure Tourism.

Participants are expected to present their own views on the various topics to be discussed. They are reminded that it is not a debating competition but rather, it is a discussion among the young people of Barbados to generate practical ideas that can be implemented at the national level.

To enter, students must submit their entries through their school, with signed permission slips, to the BTPA, 1st Floor Warrens Complex, Warrens, St. Michael, no later than, Friday, March 17.

The competition is open to all public and private secondary school students aged 14 to 17. No participant should be past his or her 17th birthday by September 1, 2017. The competition is divided into two stages, the first of which will take the form of a simulated Caribbean Tourism Organisation Board of Directors meeting chaired by Junior Minister of Tourism 2016, Rashana Jones.

The second stage of the competition is the “Mystery Tourism Topic” segment, in which each participant will be required to randomly select his or her topic from a box or bag containing three mystery topics. Participants are required to answer a question based on their general knowledge about Barbados and its tourism product offerings.

The winning student will receive a laptop, a BDS $500 gift certificate, a staycation and a one-month summer internship within the tourism industry, while the first and second runners-up will each receive cash prizes, an industry prize and an internship.

Students are encouraged to use several approaches in the research and preparation of their topics. Interested persons are also encouraged to view previous videos of the Caribbean Tourism Organisation (CTO) Regional Tourism Youth Congress on YouTube to gain an understanding of the approaches to the local and regional competitions.

The complete guidelines for the Tourism Youth Congress as well as the participant form and permission slip may be found on the ‘Downloads Page‘ under the heading ‘General Information’.

jamal.weekes@barbados.gov.bb

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