St. George’s, Grenada. June 1, 2026. The Ministry of Health, Wellness and Religious Affairs and the Ministry of Tourism, Creative Economy and Culture, in collaboration with the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA), officially launched Grenada’s Tourism and Health Program (THP) on Thursday, May 28, 2026, at the Radisson Grenada Beach Resort.
The launch formed a part of a three-day in-country mission led by CARPHA team members, Dr. Lisa Indar, Executive Director, Mr. Keston Daniel, Visitor-Based Surveillance Coordinator, Ms. Samantha Llanos, Epidemiologist and Ms. Frieda Mohammed, Training and Standards Officer from May 26–28, 2026. The mission aimed to strengthen tourism and public health collaboration while enhancing Grenada’s technical capacity for visitor-based surveillance. Key activities included hotel accommodation and vessel surveillance, visitor-based surveillance training and infectious disease prevention and control all geared towards enhancing health security within the tourism sector.
Field visits to tourism facilities to promote registration and awareness of the Tourism and Health Information System (THiS) were conducted on May 26. A total of eight properties were visited, with six registering on the THiS for the first time and one property being updated based on prior registration. On May 27, meetings and additional training was held with the national surveillance and environmental health teams to strengthen land-based tourism and vessel surveillance. Ms. Samantha Llanos led this discussion by highlighting the importance of vessel surveillance, noting Grenada’s growing cruise tourism and included a demonstration on the various functions of the system.
Mr. Keston Daniel spoke on implementing the Mass Gathering Surveillance System with Ministry of Health and integration of the THiS into national surveillance. For both the CVSS and MGSS meetings, a total of six persons attended these sessions including environmental health officers and surveillance staff.
On May 28, the team conducted training in Infectious Disease Prevention and Control for the hospitality sector including hotels, restaurants and other tourism stakeholders. A total of 19 persons attended. The training was conducted by Mr. Keston Daniel, Ms. Frieda Mohammed and Ms. Samantha Llanos of CARPHA at the Radisson Grenada Beach Resort.
Prior to the official launch, Dr. Lisa Indar, Executive Director of CARPHA, led a high-level meeting with key health and tourism stakeholders to discuss strengthening tourism health and safety in Grenada. Discussions focused on establishing a national Tourism and Health Steering Committee and leveraging CARPHA’s surveillance tools, including THiS, CVSS and MGSS, to support the early detection and response to public health threats in various tourism-based settings. Participants also explored ways to strengthen collaboration between the health and tourism sectors to better protect visitors, tourism workers and local communities.
A key highlight of the mission was the official THP launch ceremony and media engagement on May 28, which showcased Grenada’s commitment to building a safer, healthier and more resilient tourism sector. Dr. Indar highlighted the importance of the THP, stating that “the THP is critically important in today’s rapidly shifting geopolitical and public health landscape, where diseases can cross borders faster than ever before through global travel and trade. In the Caribbean, this is even more critical with highly interconnected and sometimes porous borders”. The Honourable Philip Telesford, Minister for Health, Wellness and Religious Affairs indicated during his featured address, “this program is more than just a health intervention; it is a strategic lever to enhance our destination’s appeal and resilience. By placing health at the core of our tourism strategy, we are protecting lives, enhancing visitor confidence and future-proofing our economy”.
While in Grenada, Dr. Indar paid a courtesy visit to St. George’s University (SGU) on May 28, where she met with President Dr. Marios Loukas and faculty members from the Department of Public Health. The visit provided an opportunity to strengthen collaboration between CARPHA and SGU in advancing public health education, research and regional health security initiatives.
During the visit, Dr. Indar toured the university’s state-of-the-art facilities and engaged in discussions on opportunities for partnership in areas such as public health training, research, surveillance and capacity building. She also held preparatory meetings with the SGU team regarding the planning and coordination of the 71st Annual Health Research Conference, which will be hosted in Grenada. Discussions focused on conference logistics, stakeholder engagement and showcasing Grenada as a destination for regional and international health professionals and researchers.
This mission was made possible through World Bank Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Project and the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention.
About CARPHA-THP
CARPHA’s THP is a novel multifaceted programme, that pioneer work for improving sustainable Caribbean tourism and health security, whilst engaging and collaborating with CARPHA Member States. The THP adopts a multisectoral approach for improving the resilience of the tourism industry and by extension, the health sector of each participating country through surveillance, response, guidelines, capacity building, standards, policy, advocacy and partnerships, and a travellers’ health award and app. The THP strengthens regional and national health systems and enhances the health of visitor and resident populations by seeking to address the health, safety, and environmental sanitation threats to tourism. The programme has built capacity and equipped countries with regional tools that supports preparedness and response to public health threats.
https://carpha.org/THP/Background
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Photo Caption: Launch of the Regional Tourism and Health Program in Grenada. (L-R): Ms Samanatha Llanos, Epidemiologist, CARPHA, Ms Miklembly Bridgeman, Tourism Officer Ministry of Tourism, Creative Economy and Culture, Dr Shawn Charles, Chief Medical Officer, Ministry of Health, Wellness and Religious Affairs, Senator the Honourable Adrian Thomas, Minister of Tourism, Creative Economy and Culture, Ms Stacey Liburd, Chief Executive Officer, Grenada Tourism Authority, Ms Arlene Friday, Chief Executive Officer, Grenada Hotel and Tourism Association, Dr Lisa Indar, Executive Director, CARPHA, the Honourable Philip Telesford, Minister of Health, Wellness and Religious Affairs, Ms Rhonda Jones, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health, Wellness and Religious Affairs, Ms Frieda Mohammed, Training and Standards Officer, CARPHA and Mr Keston Daniel, Visitor-Based Surveillance Coordinator, CARPHA.
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Photo Caption: (L-R) Dr. Lisa Indar, Executive Director-CARPHA, the Honourable Philip Telesford, Minister of Health, Wellness and Religious Affairs, Senator the Honourable Adrian Thomas, Minister of Tourism, Creative Economy and Culture, Dr Shawn Charles, Chief Medical Officer, Ministry of Health, Wellness and Religious Affairs, Ms Stacey Liburd, Chief Executive Officer, Grenada Tourism Authority, Ms Arlene Friday, Chief Executive Officer, Grenada Hotel and Tourism Association and Mr. Keston Daniel, Visitor-Based Surveillance Coordinator, CARPHA.