Services: Overview

Providing direct contributions to GDP and job creation as well as other important inputs for the rest of the economy, CARICOM’s Services Sector, particularly its transportation and tourism sectors continue to make significant economic contributions.

The Caribbean Community, however, has started the process of establishing a single economic space for this sector which would allow it to respond to the rapidly changing global economy. In this context, its Strategic Plan has identified the Services Sector as a key economic growth driver to build the economic resilience of CARICOM; selecting the following sub-sectors for priority attention:

Education Services
Cultural Services
Financial
Health and Wellness
Information and Communication Technology Services
Professional Services
Sporting Services
Tourism Services

The CARICOM Secretariat, particularly its Services Programme has been fully engaged with Member States and a number of regional and international partners in designing, implementing and executing, policies, programmes and projects to accelerate the development of this sector.

Major areas for focus in 2016

In pursuit of the development of a regional marketing and quality infrastructure that is responsive to private and public sectors priorities, the Services programme will advance the development of Strategic Plan for the Services Sector. In this regard, regional strategic and national action plans for the referenced sub-sectors will be finalized, adopted and implemented.

Revised 26 January 2016