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ORANJESTAD, St Eustatius -- The St Eustatius Tourism Development Foundation (STDF) will be hosting a sustainable development conference and exhibition from September 25 to 27, 2012. The theme of the conference is “Powering Sustainable Development”.

“I am so excited now that the date for this conference is soon approaching I am strongly looking forward to this conference. This is the first of its kind which will be held here on the island and I do hope all Statians are taking it seriously”, said office assistant, Sharmine Turner. “This conference is very important for all Statians and I do hope that everyone is embracing the initiatives to be a part of the conference, for it will be beneficial for all Statians”.

The two keynote speakers for the conference: Haydn Hughes, the State Minister of Tourism and Finance, will establish the principles underlying the conference theme when he addresses delegates on the first working day of the conference, and Annemie Burger, the director general of Nature and Region at the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Agriculture and Innovation, will speak on the subject “Sustainability Policy from the Dutch Perspective,” on the second morning of the conference.

“Sustainability is the long term maintenance of responsibility and this conference is expected to shed light in the community. To ensure good sustainable practices we have to make good use of our natural environment,” said public relations officer Teena Lopes. “I have learned to be more conscious and I appreciate my beautiful island even more. I am extremely happy to be part of the sustainable conference and in my opinion the entire island should prosper.”

“This sustainable conference is an eye opener for the entire population of Statia. We need to become more pro-active in making Statia a more sustainable destination for future generations,” said product development and research manager, Maya-Leon Pandt. “It is time to take action.”

The conference is designed to challenge tourism planners, policymakers, stakeholders and the general public to develop and implement strategies and practices that can sustain Statia’s limited resources.

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