New York To Wake Up To Caribbean Wellness During Enhanced Caribbean Week 2018 From 2-8 June

NEW YORK, NY (26 March 2018) – Caribbean Week New York (#CWNY18) will have a special feel this year as the city of over 8.5 million people gets a taste of the re-energising and rejuvenating power of Caribbean wellness.

During the weeklong event the wellness theme will be incorporated into many of the bespoke activities, including a trade show and educational forum for travel agents on Tuesday 5 June to better prepare them to sell the Caribbean as a wellness and rejuvenation destination.

Caribbean Week New York is the largest regional tourism activity in the New York area. Artistes, performers, celebrity chefs, investors and other strategic partners join government officials and the media as all converge on the Big Apple for a week of festivities designed to raise awareness for the Caribbean’s diverse tourism industry and provide opportunities for member destinations to promote their individual products and services.

Ministers, directors of tourism, national tourist office representatives and other tourism and hospitality officials will participate in meetings, seminars and other business development events to further enhance the Caribbean brand and provide necessary updates and critical support to the travel agents and press who influence key traveler demographics.

One of the key changes this year is the “Getting up Close & Personal with Top Journalists”, event, Caribbean Media Marketplace which is set to be even more effective with a refreshing morning schedule on Thursday, 7 June. The media will have an additional opportunity to network with tourism officials and industry executives later that evening with the expanded, Jamaica co-sponsored Caribbean Tourism Industry Awards Dinner. In addition to the traditional media categories, this year’s programme will recognize excellence and innovation in digital marketing and social media news coverage.

Caribbean Week New York culminates with a star-studded cultural celebration at the iconic Capitale in New York City for the annual Rum & RhythmTM Benefit – the Ultimate Food and Rum Experience in New York City – where the region’s top food and beverage talents will serve as flavour ambassadors for Caribbean gastronomy and mixology on Friday 8 June.

The week-long agenda of consumer and trade events includes:

Celebrity Chefs Programme
Multiple locations

The Caribbean is well known for its culinary diversity with a variety of gastronomic influences. Throughout the week, Caribbean celebrity chefs will prepare authentic Caribbean dishes at highly visible, upscale locations whose customers match the profile of Caribbean vacationers.

Tourism Industry Workshop: 9:00 a.m. – noon on Monday, 4 June

Wyndham New Yorker Hotel, 481 Eighth Avenue, New York City

NTOs and other government and industry representatives will receive valuable insights on “Employing Successful Sales Strategies” to increase confidence and performance.

Caribbean Diaspora Forum: 5:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. on Monday, 4 June

Wyndham New Yorker, 481 Eighth Avenue, New York City

The Caribbean Diaspora Forum engages New York’s vibrant Caribbean-American community as unofficial brand ambassadors and gives it a powerful voice via stimulating dialogue between members of the Caribbean Diaspora, regional tourism officials and other industry and civic leaders.

Trade Show and Educational Forum for Travel Agents: 5:30 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. on Tuesday, 5 June

Wyndham New Yorker, 481 Eighth Avenue, New York City

Provides travel retail professionals with tools and information to keep the Caribbean’s diverse product at the forefront of the warm weather vacation industry with a focus on wellness and rejuvenation to aid in the planning of travel experiences that soothe the mind, body and spirit.

Caribbean Students Colloquium: 5:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. on Wednesday, 6 June

Wyndham New Yorker, 481 Eighth Avenue, New York City

Co-sponsored by Academy Engraving with a focus on Sustainable Tourism Development, the Caribbean Students Colloquium will see “Students Taking Centre Stage” in a programme designed to serve as a catalyst for creativity while engaging future tourism leaders of the Caribbean.

Caribbean Marketing Conference: 8:00 a.m. – noon on Wednesday, 6 June
Wyndham New Yorker, 481 Eighth Avenue, New York City
Scott Wiseman, President of Travel Impressions, will return to join other experts offering insights on cutting-edge trends and best practices for innovatively developing and marketing niche tourism sectors with an emphasis on wellness travel.

CTO Press Conference: 8:30 a.m. – 9:30 a.m. on Thursday, 7 June

Wyndham New Yorker, 481 Eighth Avenue, New York City

Members of the press will learn about the latest developments originating from the CTO Board of Directors meeting along with Caribbean tourism performance data and forecasts predicting future growth in the region.

Caribbean Media Marketplace: 9:30 a.m. – noon on Thursday, 7 June – NEW TIME

Wyndham New Yorker, 481 Eighth Avenue, New York City

A broad section of television, radio, print and digital media will gather to network with top representatives from CTO-member governments and the private tourism sector, including high-level tourism officials and industry executives who will be on-hand to showcase their respective brands and influence the media narrative on the regional tourism industry.

Caribbean Tourism Industry Awards Dinner: 6:30 p.m. – 10:00 p.m. on Thursday, 7 June

Wyndham New Yorker, 481 Eighth Avenue, New York City

An expanded awards programme will feature a more prestigious dinner presentation honoring journalists and influencers who have made an impact on Caribbean tourism. With digital media radically altering the way information is shared on social platforms, this expanded event will recognize journalists who utilize innovative ways to communicate the allure of the Caribbean as well as destinations that develop successful campaigns to attract visitors to the region.

Rum & RhythmTM Benefit: 6:30 p.m. – 11 p.m. on Friday, 8 June

Capitale, 130 Bowery Street, New York City

The CTO Foundation will celebrate the diverse sights, sounds and flavours of the Caribbean at the 7th annual Rum & RhythmTM Benefit – “The Ultimate Food and Rum Experience in New York City” – and the signature flagship event of Caribbean Week New York open to the public with tickets on sale at the early bird rate of $80 until 31 March 3l.  Participants will enjoy authentic Caribbean entertainment as they sample the region’s cuisine in support of a scholarship program for Caribbean nationals pursuing studies in tourism, hospitality and language training. Click here for more information or to purchase tickets.

For more information on Caribbean Week events contact the Caribbean Tourism Organization at 212-635-9530. Registration details for all events can be found at http://www.onecaribbean.org/events-calendar/cwny-2018/

Sponsorship opportunities are available. For more information on exhibiting at any of the Caribbean Week events or to learn about sponsorship opportunities, click here or contact the Caribbean Tourism Organization at 212-635-9530.

For more information on the Caribbean Tourism Organization, please visit www.OneCaribbean.org and follow CTO on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn to be part of the conversation.

 

Posted in: 2018 News, Blog, Caribbean Week

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CTO Looks To Double The Number of Hospitality Assured Caribbean Businesses With Support From CDB

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (21 March, 2018) – The Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) is looking to double the number of businesses recognised as Hospitality Assured (HA), the certification programme that promotes business and service excellence.

At present, 33 of the 80 tourism and hospitality businesses involved in the programme have been certified as Hospitality Assured, according to Sharon Banfield-Bovell, the regional human resource development consultant with the CTO, who along with Janice Smith-Kipps, an experienced HA assessor and trainer of HA assessors, recently conducted a regional HA programme assessor training workshop at the Ocean Terrace Inn in St. Kitts and Nevis.

“The aim is to raise the number of certified business this year by 30,” Ms. Banfield-Bovell said.

The assessor training workshop, the third of its kind, is being funded by the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB), which has approved over USD$223,000 in support of the HA (Caribbean) certification programme, and which, through its Caribbean Technological Consultancy Services (CTCS) Network, has been  promoting the HA programme as a key means to support the development of tourism quality, business excellence and customer service delivery in micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs), especially owner-managed businesses in the tourism sector.

“The CDB’s injection of funding support will allow for 30 micro, small or medium tourism enterprises in specific CDB borrowing member countries – Belize, Guyana, Jamaica, St. Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, and St. Vincent and The Grenadines – to participate in the HA certification programme and to achieve one of our strategic goals of strengthening the business performance and overall competitiveness of the tourism sector in the Caribbean,” Ms. Banfield-Bovell stressed.

The project will come to end in June this year and the CTO is encouraging tourism businesses to get onboard and fill the remaining 18 available spaces and seek to put in place an effective service quality management system, with the support of the programme’s key personnel, the business advisors and assessors.

At the opening of the St. Kitts workshop, Michel Thomas, the CBD’s operations officer, noted: “CDB fully supports the programme, as the Bank recognises the importance of enhancing the competitiveness of MSMEs in the tourism sector, which plays an integral role in the social and economic development of a number of CDB Borrowing Member Countries”.

Twenty-one participants from 13 CTO member countries – Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Belize, the British Virgin Islands, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Montserrat, St. Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and Turks and Caicos Islands – participated in the five-day workshop, which was aimed at providing the necessary training to equip participants with the knowledge and performance requirements of HA assessors.

The assessors’ role includes evaluation of businesses, while maintaining commercial confidentiality; ensuring that assessments are undertaken in accordance with certification requirements; providing clear information to businesses in respect of areas for improvement; and clearly identifying best practice, which would benefit these businesses.

Permanent Secretary in the St. Kits Ministry of Tourism Carlene Henry-Morton reminded workshop participants that the initiative “is a service and business excellence programme designed to promote a culture of quality, service excellence and continuous improvement through the use of a business improvement tool and framework that is internationally recognised.”

“Some of the real benefits of this designation are service excellence, customer loyalty and referrals, continuous improvement and international branding,” she said.

Hospitality Assured is a service quality management certification owned by the Institute of Hospitality in the United Kingdom, managed and operated by the Hospitality Limited, U.K. and developed specifically for the tourism sector, to promote and reward the highest levels of service and business excellence. Hospitality Assured in the Caribbean is managed and promoted by the CTO. Any hospitality, leisure, tourism or service-oriented organization is eligible for Hospitality Assured certification, be they large or small, single or multi-operational.

Posted in: 2018 News, Corporate News, Hospitality Assured

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CTO and Caribbean Development Bank Partner with Ministry of Tourism, St Kitts to Stage Successful Climate Smart Tourism Forum

 

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (19 December, 2017) – The Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) in collaboration with the St. Kitts Ministry of Tourism hosted the Climate Smart Sustainable Tourism Forum, as the first regional activity related to implementation of the Supporting a Climate Smart and Sustainable Caribbean Tourism Industry  (CSSCTI) project, funded by the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB).  The landmark event, in observance of the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development was held in Basseterre, St. Kitts from December 12-14, 2017.

The Forum brought together local, regional, and international representatives from public and private sector tourism entities, as well as development agencies for three days of dynamic and interactive engagements. It examined climate change adaptation, mitigation, and opportunities for sound management of Caribbean destinations. Key Forum Sessions included: Tourism Resiliency through Climate Change Adaptation & Mitigation; Innovative Models & Best Practices in Sustainable Tourism; S.M.A.R.T Destinations: Using Climate as an Opportunity; The Tourism Recovery Roundtable; and Roadmap to Disaster Management. The keynote presentation was delivered by Mr. Greg McKenzie, senior news presenter, producer and television broadcaster from the BBC, London U.K, who explained that as more Caribbean countries developed their tourism industry, it would produce significant impacts on their natural resources, consumption patterns, as well as ecological and social systems. He therefore argued that sustainable and responsible planning and management was imperative for the industry to survive. “A balance has to be found between limits and usage so that [we] continuously change monitoring and planning [to] ensure that tourism can be managed. More importantly, sustaining development must include the interests of all stakeholders, including indigenous people, local communities, visitors, industries and of course more importantly, government united in the effort to mitigate and combat global climate change and its related impacts” Greg McKenzie, BBC.

The first two days of activities included presentations by experts showcasing best practices for a climate resilient sustainable tourism industry; the sharing of experiences and benchmark initiatives by country representatives; practical workshops to reinforce lessons learnt; and experiential field visits showcasing key initiatives in St. Kitts. Presentations were received from Dr. Ulric Trotz, Deputy Director, Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre, Mr. Hugh Riley, CTO’s Secretary General and CEO, Dr. Yves Robert Personna, Project Manager for the African Caribbean Pacific-European Union-Caribbean Development Bank- Natural Disaster Risk Management (ACP-EU-CDB NDRM) in CARIFORUM Countries programme, at the CDB, and Lieutenant General Russel L. Honoré, best known for serving as commander of the Joint Task Force Katrina responsible for coordinating military relief efforts post Hurricane Katrina in the United States, who presented on the topic, Lessons from Katrina.

On the third day a tourism sector strategic consultation workshop was held for the CSSCTI project, chaired by the CTO Sustainable Tourism Specialist and CSSCTI project Manager, Ms. Amanda Charles. Also presiding over the meeting was Dr. Yves Robert Personna, who delivered a presentation on the NDRM programme highlighting ongoing activities to include support given to countries.

“CBD has partnered with CTO to help incorporate climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction considerations into national and regional tourism policies, plans and operations. While the tourism industry is crucial to the economic growth and development of the Caribbean, one must also recognise that this sector is highly sensitive to the impacts of climate change and extreme weather events. These events have adversely affected the flow of environmental goods and services on which the sector is largely dependent. Therefore, it is essential to develop and implement sound initiatives to increase the tourism sector resilience to climate-related risks to ensure its sustainability”, said Dr. Personna.

The Climate Smart Sustainable Tourism Forum was an opportunity to share and exchange best practices, hear and learn from experts and engage in rich dialogue and networking with tourism industry stakeholders, as well as regional and international partners, in seeking to enhance climate resiliency and strengthen disaster risk management strategies in the Caribbean Tourism industry. “We are indebted to the CDB for their support of the Caribbean tourism sector in providing the financial and technical assistance for the implementation of the Supporting a Climate Smart and Sustainable Caribbean Tourism Industry project, which facilitated the convening of the Forum. The threats posed by global warming and climate change require a well-coordinated and urgent response, given the vulnerability of the Caribbean region and the tourism sector specifically.” Hugh Riley, Secretary General and CEO.

This CSSCTI project will support the mainstreaming of climate and disaster risk reduction considerations in tourism business operations and destination management, and through the delivery of training and tools, enhance regional competencies for climate change adaptation and disaster risk management.

Funding for the project and related activities is being provided under the African Caribbean Pacific-European Union-Caribbean Development Bank- Natural Disaster Risk Management in CARIFORUM Countries programme, which aims to reduce vulnerability to long-term impacts of natural hazards, including the potential impacts of climate change, thereby achieving national and regional sustainable development and poverty reduction goals in those countries.

For information and photos from the event please visit www.caribbeanstc.com

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About the Caribbean Development Bank

The Caribbean Development Bank is a regional financial institution established in 1970 for the purpose of contributing to the harmonious economic growth and development of its Borrowing Member Countries (BMCs). In addition to the 19 BMCs, CDB’s membership includes four regional non-borrowing members – Brazil, Colombia, Mexico and Venezuela and five non-regional, non-borrowing members; i.e., Canada, China, Germany, Italy, and the United Kingdom. CDB’s total assets as at December 31, 2016 are USD2.89 billion (bn). These include USD1.59bn of Ordinary Capital Resources and USD1.29bn of Special Funds. The Bank is rated Aa1 Stable with Moody’s and AA+ Stable with Standard and Poor’s and Fitch. Read more at caribank.org.

Contact:

Sueann Tannis

Head of Corporate Communications

Mobile: 246-826-3343

Office: 246-431-1882

Email: tanniss@caribank.org

 

Posted in: 2018 News, Blog, Climate Smart Forum

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