Tourism Trailblazer keynotes CTO Sustainable Tourism Conference in Belize

Published on March 2, 2026

The Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) has announced that Dame Pania Tyson-Nathan DNZM, Chief Executive of New Zealand Māori Tourism (NZMT), will deliver the keynote address at the Caribbean Conference on Sustainable Tourism Development (STC 2026).

The conference, themed “Tourism in Full Color: Integrating Blue, Green, Orange and Beyond Economies,” will take place April 2730, 2026, in the coastal town of San Pedro on Ambergris Caye, Belize.

Dame Pania is internationally recognized for advancing indigenous-led tourism development.

Since 2009, she has championed a values-based investment model that places cultural identity, guardianship and community well-being at the center of economic success.

Her leadership has helped reshape Aotearoa New Zealand’s tourism landscape by embedding Māori values, including stewardship and intergenerational sustainability, into the national tourism framework.

Her participation at STC 2026 reflects a deepening connection between the Caribbean and Māori worldviews on tourism, both of which increasingly emphasize the “purple economy” — where cultural values, social cohesion and inclusive growth intersect.