Caribbean postal administrators will be on the Island next week when Bermuda hosts a conference examining the sustainability of the service.

And the four-day Annual Caribbean Postal Union conference could also kick-start major changes in the Island’s postal service, according to Postmaster General Wayne Smith.

According to a Government spokesman, the theme of the conference is ‘sustainability in the 21st Century’ and will “examine the global challenges emanating from the electronic age in which Bermuda and Caribbean postal administrations operate, consider potential solutions to mitigate these challenges and provide options for repositioning Bermuda and Caribbean postal administrations for sustained future growth”.

Mr Smith added: “It is anticipated that the 17th Annual Caribbean Postal Union conference will not only generate visitor revenue for the Island, it will help be the catalyst, for substantive change in the postal sector in Bermuda, throughout the Caribbean region and globally.

“The decision to host this conference demonstrates that the Bermuda Post Office is thinking strategically and introducing initiatives with benefits to Bermuda far beyond mail delivery.

“Although the conference presents professional development opportunities for post office staff, the conference will also provide an influx of business travellers at a time when visitor arrivals traditionally decline, as well as a huge cash injection that our economy so desperately needs.”

The theme for this year’s conference and its location has attracted not only interest from postal administrations in the Caribbean but also generated interest in the postal sector in the US, the European Community and the Universal Postal Union, according to the spokesman.

The conference starts on Monday and will be held at the Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute.