Grenada has marked a major milestone for its critical tourism sector, becoming the 13th Caribbean nation to adopt the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA)-led Regional Tourism and Health Programme (THP). This region-wide initiative is designed to reinforce the long-term resilience, environmental sustainability, and global competitiveness of Caribbean tourism through targeted investments in cross-sector health security. The official launch of the programme took place on 28 May 2026 at Grenada’s Radisson Grenada Beach Resort, kicking off local implementation that will upgrade the island nation’s ability to track and address public health risks tied to travel and tourism. Through upgraded surveillance infrastructure, early threat detection systems, and coordinated multi-agency response protocols, THP will equip Grenada to respond faster to emerging public health events that could disrupt its tourism economy. Speaking at the launch ceremony, Minister of Health Hon. Philip Telesford, who officially inaugurated the programme, framed the initiative as both a critical public health safeguard and a high-impact strategic investment in Grenada’s economic future. “Tourism accounts for more than a quarter of Grenada’s gross domestic product and is one of our largest employers,” Telesford noted. “This new surveillance system acts as a persistent watchman, enabling us to identify potential public health threats at their earliest, most manageable stage. This effort is far more than a standard public health intervention: it is a strategic step to boost Grenada’s appeal as a travel destination, strengthen our industry’s ability to withstand shocks, and improve our overall preparedness.” Minister Adrian Thomas, who holds portfolios for Tourism, the Creative Economy and Culture, added that THP forms a core component of a broader national strategy to develop a healthier, safer, and more shock-resistant tourism sector. He extended recognition to CARPHA and the wide network of national and regional collaborating partners whose ongoing work has supported Grenada’s efforts to raise health and safety standards across every segment of its tourism industry. Thomas emphasized that the global COVID-19 pandemic laid bare the deep, inseparable connection between public health outcomes and tourism sector performance. “Uncertainty around health, safety, and food security can erode traveler confidence, deter cross-border travel, undermine investor trust, alter cruise line itineraries, threaten local jobs, and cut national revenue,” he explained. “We must maintain our commitment to training frontline tourism workers, strengthening surveillance systems for hotels and visitor sites, upgrading food safety and environmental health standards, integrating reliable health response planning to support our growing sports tourism goals, and ensure the Grenada tourism brand retains its reputation as a trusted, competitive, and resilient global destination.” Grenada’s Chief Medical Officer Dr. Shawn Charles also welcomed the launch of THP, stressing that timely detection and rapid response are non-negotiable for mitigating public health threats. “The ability to quickly detect, respond to, and report health-related incidents is critical to limiting disease transmission, stopping outbreaks from escalating, and protecting local communities,” Dr. Charles stated. “The Ministry of Health welcomes the standardized sharing of real-time data on health events across the tourism sector, and we are fully prepared to guide and support the rollout of evidence-based control measures as needed.” The launch ceremony also included addresses from Keston Daniel, CARPHA’s Visitor-Based Surveillance Coordinator, as well as Stacey Liburd, Chief Executive Officer of the Grenada Tourism Authority (GTA), and Arlene Friday, Chief Executive Officer of the Grenada Hotel and Tourism Association (GHTA). All three stakeholder leaders emphasized that the programme will play a key role in strengthening domestic and international confidence in Grenada’s tourism industry, and enhancing the destination’s long-standing reputation for safety and proactive preparedness. Parallel to the launch ceremony, a CARPHA delegation conducted an in-country working mission from 25 to 29 May 2026. During the mission, the team visited eight local tourism facilities to roll out training and introduce the Tourism Health Information System (THiS), a custom-built web-based platform that enables early reporting and real-time monitoring of public health events specifically for tourism properties. Six of the eight visited facilities have already completed registration on the THiS platform, bringing the total number of registered tourism entities across Grenada to 19. In addition to onboarding facilities to the new surveillance platform, the CARPHA delegation held working sessions with surveillance and environmental health officers from Grenada’s Ministry of Health to discuss the upcoming implementation and national rollout of two additional regional surveillance systems: the Caribbean Vessel Surveillance System and the Tourism and Mass Gathering Surveillance System. Both systems will further expand Grenada’s national public health surveillance capacity, creating a more robust, interconnected network of safeguards to protect both visitors and local communities.