In April of 2010, the OECS Council of Ministers of Tourism agreed to the development of an integrated system for hospitality training and education in the region. The Council of Ministers mandated the OECS Commission to establish a Network of Excellence for Tourism and Hospitality Training and Education.

NETHTE then gave birth to the Eastern Caribbean Institute of Tourism (ECIT) comprising Centres of Excellence in nine (9) OECS Member States, each offering an area of specialisation in tourism and hospitality training and education. Establishment of ECIT is made possible with grant funding support from the European Union to the tune of Euro 4 million and is part of a wider 10^th EDF Economic Integration and Trade of the OECS Region project.  With an imminent project end date in 2018, ECIT will become operational through the respective Partner Institutions in Member States and be a permanent feature of the integration architecture of the region.

The primary purpose of ECIT is to harmonise and enhance the Tourism and Hospitality Sector in the OECS through continued improvements in human resource development and knowledge management, and in so doing, to support the OECS Economic Union as a single financial and economic space.