Governments from the Caribbean's economic bloc, Caricom, will today begin three days working out a comprehensive plan to help the region's tourist industry recover following the September 11 terrorist attacks.

Financial help for hotels, airlines, and tourism wholesalers, improved marketing and better airline security will dominate the discussions being held in the huge Atlantis resort in Nassau in the Bahamas.

On Monday and Tuesday, ministers and board members of the 33-member Caribbean Tourism Organisation (CTO), to which Bermuda belongs, have been working outproposals to kick-start an industry which relies on the United States for 46 percent of its business.

Tourism Minister David Allen pulled out of the CTO meeting at the last minute because he was too busy preparing for a crucial meeting in New York today with 50 US wholesaler travel operators who prepare package holidays to the Island to sell to individual travel agents across America.

The CTO proposals will be thrashed out by Caricom heads of government, finance, tourism and transport ministers and a package of rescue proposals to entice worried Americans back into the air is expected to be announced on Friday.

Speaking to The Royal Gazette from his hotel in Nassau last night, CTO general secretary Jean Holder, said: "The idea was to come up with some immediate response programmes that would try to get people travelling again, and other proposals about security."

Mr. Holder said he did not want to go into details about the proposals under discussion, but said announcements on help for airlines, hotels, tourism retailers, and improved airline security would be made on Friday. Bermuda is not a member of Caricom.

He said destinations which relied heavily on the US had been heaviest hit since the suicide hijackings, and there was a recognition that Britain and Europe could provide extra business.

The region was also looking to capitalise on transfer business from places like the Middle East, which have become more dangerous in the wake of the recent US attacks on Afghanistan.