After months of intense voting featuring more than 2,000 organizations, the nominees have been whittled down to the elite few who will vie for prime places in the World Travel Awards (WTA) VIP ceremony in Montego Bay, Jamaica, on October 19, 2011.

The WTA awards program, hailed as the “Oscars of the travel industry” by the global media, highlights how Caribbean destinations such as Jamaica are experiencing a growth in tourism arrivals despite the on-going austerity challenges of key source markets in Europe and North America.

The ceremony, which takes place at Sandals Royal Caribbean Resort & Private Island, is set to attract the top decision-makers and thought-leaders from across the Americas and Caribbean as they compete for the most influential accolades in travel.

Read more: http://bit.ly/pLBrBr 

Barbados and several Eastern Caribbean countries will benefit from the almost US$9 million from the World Bank to protect 100,000 hectares of fragile marine ecosystems.

The World Bank has approved a US$8.75 million grant from the Global Environment Facility (GEF) to ensure the long-term conservation and sustainable management of fragile marine ecosystems in the Eastern Caribbean, including the protection of over 100,000 hectares of marine habitat.

The Sustainable Financing and Management of Eastern Caribbean Marine Ecosystem Project will benefit Antigua and Barbuda, Grenada, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

Read more: http://bit.ly/p8az38 

Sandals Emerald Bay Exuma

Sandals Resorts International (SRI ), a hotel chain spanning seven Caribbean countries, has announced expansion plans that include a new ‘Suites of Sandals’ luxury product and at least US$180 million (J$15.5 billion) of near-term investment in St Lucia.

SRI has just completed the refurbishing of Sandals Riviera in Ocho Rios at a cost of US$19 million (J$1.6b), said CEO Adam Stewart, and has already introduced the product there and at Sandals Grande St Lucia at a price of US$650 per night.

Stewart unveiled the ‘Suites’ at a weekend celebration of SRI’s 30th anniversary held at Sandals Riviera, which feature 1,250 square feet of room space, butler service and other luxuries.

Read more: http://bit.ly/pIKKmI 

BASED ON U.S. TRAVEL ASSOCIATION STUDY

           THE CARIBBEAN (July 15, 2011) — A recent study by the U.S. Travel Association shows the “Impact of Tourism Marketing” and reveals that when states and municipalities cut back on marketing themselves as attractive places to visit, business drops. Marketing campaigns more than pay for themselves by the business they generate, according to the study, with a 12-to-1 return on marketing dollars.  Research conducted by Longwoods International and commissioned by the U.S. Travel Association found that marketing programs increase visitation, which in turn generates tax dollars and helps creates jobs.

Examples of successful marketing programs researched by Longwoods International include:

Pure Michigan state promotion, which went national in 2009 stimulated 7.2 million trips to Michigan by out-of-state visitors who spent $2 billion at Michigan businesses, a 71-to-1 return on investment, and generated $138 million in new tax revenue. In 2010, the campaign’s second year, spending by out-of-state leisure visitors jumped 21 percent from 2009, to $6.4 billion and Michigan tourism-related employment rose by 10,000 jobs.

Hawaii doubled its tourism budget to $60 million after the legislature threatened to cut funding back to zero.  After intense scrutiny, it was determined that after Hawaii invested $10 million in just the U.S. and Japan, the islands attracted nearly 700,000 people who spent $1.1 billion in Hawaii, a 110-to-1 return on investmentthat generated $78 million in tax revenues.

With Love, Philadelphia XOXO promotion had a budget of $4.3 million in 2009-10 and generated 3.7 million incremental trips to the Philadelphia region, andsaw 10-to-1 return on investment with the injection of $432 million in visitor spending and $24 million in new state tax revenue and $22 million to local governments.  The marketing program also generated over 7,000 additional jobs for Greater Philadelphia at a reasonable cost of $600 in advertising for each job created.

Colorado Tourism Office cut its tourism marketing program to zero in 1993 which translated into a loss of more than 30 percent of its share of domestic visitors and more than $2 billion annually in visitor spending.  In 2000 a new Tourism Office was formed with an annual budget of $5 million and now the state treasury sees a 12-to-1 return on marketing investment, and trips to Colorado have rebounded to record levels.  According to the 2010 report, a record 55.1 million people visited Colorado, a 6.1 percent increase from 2009.  Visitors also spent a total $10.15 billion in the state (a 4.6 percent increase from 2009) and $3.3 billion (a 6.5 percent rise) in Denver.

“The findings by the U.S. Travel Association are further recognition of the importance of tourism on a destination’s economy through the infusion of increased revenues and the creation of jobs,” said Josef Forstmayr, president of the Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Association (CHTA).  ”CHTA, along with the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO), recently re-launched the marketing and business development unit, the Caribbean Tourism Development Company (CTDC), with the mission of owning, protecting, advancing and enhancing the Caribbean brand.

“We hope that both the private and public sectors throughout the Caribbean recognize the importance of funding a tourism marketing campaign via the CTDC to promote the Caribbean brand which will only serve to benefit all economies of the region,” noted Forstmayr.

To download the complete study, visit CHTA’s Tourism is Key websitewww.tourismiskey.com.

Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Association

The Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Association (CHTA) facilitates the full potential of the Caribbean hotel and tourism industry by serving members’ needs and building partnerships in a socially responsible and sustainable manner.  CHTA was founded in 1962; it is the voice of the Caribbean hospitality industry for the development of the region in the highly competitive and sophisticated environment of international tourism. Today, tourism is widely recognized as a pivotal industry in the economy of the region – and CHTA functions as the common denominator for this industry in a region of diverse nationalities, languages and styles, identifying mutual problems and marshaling the resources of the active and allied members to devise solutions. CHTA represents all facets of the hospitality industry with more than 725 member hotels and 525 allied members.

For more information, visit http://www.caribbeanhotelandtourism.com.  Follow CHTA on Facebook www.Facebook.com/CaribbeanHotelandTourismAssociation and Twitter www.Twitter.com/CHTAFeeds.

MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica (July 6, 2011) – The Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA) firmly rejects comments by Guyana’s President Bharrat Jagdeo describing as “absolute nonsense” that governments were taxing hotels out of existence.  He made those remarks at a press conference at the CARICOM summit held recently in St. Kitts.  The members of CHTA are most disappointed by the Guyana President’s unfortunate remarks related to the already tax-riddled industry, according to Josef Forstmayr, president of CHTA.

“With all due respect, the CHTA is of the view that President Jagdeo speaks from a misinformed position on taxation in the various islands throughout the region and with little or no knowledge of the tourism industry and the contribution it makes to Caribbean economies,” Forstmayr said.

It is exactly this reason why the CHTA delegation requested a place on this and any future CARICOM summit agenda.  ”It is quite obvious that our political leaders have a narrow and limited perspective on the far-reaching positive effects of tourism on our Caribbean economies,” he added.

According to CHTA, it is a well-known fact that the entire supply chain of the hotel industry bears too much of an increasing tax burden; workers are taxed, supplies are taxed, utilities are taxed and guests of hotels are taxed in several ways including at the hotel, on the airline and at the airport sometimes with both arrival and departure taxes.

Forstmayr added: “CHTA would like to extend an open invitation to President Jagdeo, and anyone else misinformed, to a discussion forum on tourism to explore the overwhelming, sometimes immeasurable but undeniable impact that tourism has on our Caribbean economies.”

Forstmayr reiterated that CHTA was very disappointed that tourism was not an agenda item at the CARICOM meetings going on in St. Kitts despite the fact that three years ago CARICOM heads decided to make tourism a regular agenda item at all CARICOM meetings.

In the November 29, 2010 Caribbean Trade and Investment Report, 2010: Strategies For Recovery, Renewal and Reform, CARICOM said “Caribbean Governments have an important role to play in revitalizing the tourism sector” and acknowledged its duty to “ensure that taxation cost (room tax, departure tax, corporate tax and service charge) does not have too adverse an effect on international competitiveness.”  Yet despite their acknowledgement, CARICOM has still not embraced tourism as the number one generator of jobs in the Caribbean.

Forstmayr stated: “We in the Caribbean hotel industry recognize that the economic importance of travel and tourism to the Caribbean is indisputable.  However, there is still insufficient awareness and understanding of the industry’s economic contribution and how it permeates the depth and breadth of the general economy and overall fabric of Caribbean society.”

The CHTA Tourism is Key campaign highlights several important facts including:

• Travel & Tourismdirectly and indirectly employs more than 1.9 million people in the Caribbean (1 in every 9 jobs).
• Travel & Tourism accounts for 12.8% of the Caribbean’s economic activity (GDP) – more than in any other region in the world.

Forstmayr said: “This benefit of tourist spending impacting into the wider economy is the relevance that needs to be conveyed to our own people in the islands so that everyone understands the importance of these tourists and the dollars they bring to the economy.

“We need to continue to remind our own people that ‘tourism business means jobs’ not only in the hotels, but for the taxis, the restaurants and the farmers and fishermen that fill the restaurants with food.  It also means work for the seamstresses, crafts people, shopkeepers and manufacturers, including all their workers plus the deliverymen as well as the trash collectors.

BASSETERRE, St. Kitts, Monday July 4, 2011 – President of the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA) Josef Forstmayr has pleaded with CARICOM heads to fix the regional aviation crisis and facilitate ease of intra-regional travel, even as he expressed disappointment that tourism was not on the agenda of regional leaders who met over the weekend.

Read more: http://bit.ly/qiGsi5

SANDALS Royal Bahamian welcomed the first ever vacationers from the newly established Copa Airlines direct flight from Panama this past week – a couple from Brazil who will leave the Bahamas on Thursday with a glowing review of not only the resort, but our country as well.

Robson and Michelle Lima, a newly married couple from the Brazilian City of São Paulo chose to spend a week in New Providence for their honeymoon.

Through Sandals Royal Bahamian’s resident Portuguese speaker, Food and Beverage Manager Manuel Santos, Mr. Lima explained that the decision was made after a random search on the internet.

“For our honeymoon we wanted to spend time at a beautiful beach so we googled the words ‘paradise’ and ‘beach’. The first pictures to come up were ones from the Bahamas. So then it was just a matter of what resort to go to and we chose Sandals,” Mr Lima said.

The availability of a direct flight from a South American country assisted further in making the decision an easy one. The couple said that the flight was very good, comfortable and safe.

Mr Lima raved about the warm Bahamian weather saying they stepped off of their Copa Airlines flight dressed in winter coats and boots. Because it is below the Equator, winters in São Paulo run from 22nd June – 21st September.

The Limas even made a day trip to the Exumas on the Power Boat Adventures.

“The weather is beautiful, the country is beautiful, the people are beautiful we would recommend it to anyone back home,” Mr Lima said.

Good word of mouth in São Paulo could go a long way.  Not only is it the largest city in Brazil, São Paulo is the largest city in the southern hemisphere, and the world’s seventh largest city by population.

As a matter of fact, recommendations from persons traveling from any of the markets in South America are significant. Not only is it a fairly untapped region as far as the Bahamian tourism industry is concerned,  it is the home of a number of emerging economies.

In the past five years, South America has experienced great economic development, with Venezuela, Colombia, Argentina, Uruguay and Peru growing their economies by over 8 per cent – per annum.

Brazil, the nation from where the Limas hail, is the seventh largest economy in the world and the second largest in the Americas.

It leads South America in total amount of exports at $137.8 billion dollars

Sandals General Manager Patrick Drake once again highlighted the great opportunity the opening of these markets provides for the Bahamas.

“While continuing to provide excellent service to our North American guests we must not forget the special needs of visitors to the Bahamas from South America and Europe who are traveling great distances to be here,” Mr  Drake said.

CARIBBEAN HOTEL & TOURISM ASSOCIATION VOTES RICHARD J. DOUMENG, U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS, PRESIDENT-ELECT FOR 2012-2014

THE CARIBBEAN (June 29, 2011) – The Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Association (CHTA) has elected Richard J. Doumeng President-elect for 2012 – 2014.  Doumeng is past chairman, Board of Directors, U.S. Virgin Islands Hotel & Tourism Association and managing director at Bolongo Bay Beach Resort in St. Thomas.

CHTA President-elect Richard J. Doumeng

Doumeng was elected President-elect by acclamation at the Annual General Meeting of CHTA which was held on June 25, 2011 during the “Taste of The Caribbean” culinary competition which took place in Miami, FL.

Doumeng currently serves as First Vice President of CHTA and was voted Caribbean Hotelier of the Year in 2009.  Previously, he served as vice president, president and as a member of the board for the USVI Hotel & Tourism Association.  Doumeng is also a Trustee for the CHTA Education Foundation (CHTAEF), which provides scholarships and special assistance to Caribbean students and hotel industry personnel pursuing higher education courses and degrees for careers in tourism.

The President-elect position was created by CHTA to facilitate a smooth transition from one administration to another.  The officers who will work with Doumeng during his presidency will be elected at the Annual General Meeting in 2012.

About The Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Association

The Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Association (CHTA) facilitates the full potential of the Caribbean hotel and tourism industry by serving members’ needs and building partnerships in a socially responsible and sustainable manner.  CHTA was founded in 1962; it is the voice of the Caribbean hospitality industry for the development of the region in the highly competitive and sophisticated environment of international tourism. Today, tourism is widely recognized as a pivotal industry in the economy of the region – and CHTA functions as the common denominator for this industry in a region of diverse nationalities, languages and styles, identifying mutual problems and marshalling the resources of the active and allied members to devise solutions. CHTA represents all facets of the hospitality industry with more than 725 member hotels and 525 allied members.

For more information, visit http://www.caribbeanhotelandtourism.com.  Follow CHTA on Facebook www.Facebook.com/CaribbeanHotelandTourismAssociation and Twitter www.Twitter.com/CHTAFeeds.

Sandals Emerald Bay, …

Sandals Emerald Bay Exuma

During the Annual TravelAge West WAVE Awards ceremony held on Thursday, June 2^nd in Los Angeles, California, two Luxury Included® Sandals Resorts took home top honors. Sandals Emerald Bay, Great Exuma, Bahamas, the newest property in the resort portfolio, received the honor of “Best New Property or Major Renovation, Caribbean,” while Sandals Grande St. Lucian Spa & Beach Resort was awarded “Best All-Inclusive Resort, Caribbean.” Both properties represent the pinnacle of a romantic getaway, with unparalleled service framed by the cobalt-blue Caribbean Sea.

Sandals Emerald Bay recently celebrated its one year anniversary with an extensive renovation to its 18-hole Greg Norman-designed Sandals Emerald Reef Golf Club, the addition of 66 new rooms & suites and the expansion of its gourmet dining options. The luxurious property offers an unparalleled beachfront location; a choice of six gourmet dining options, from white-glove service to barefoot casual. Meanwhile, Sandals Grande St. Lucian is set on its own spectacular peninsula surrounded by the sea on both sides and features 300 luxuriously appointed rooms and suites, each with a view of the water. As with all Luxury Included® vacations, both award-winning properties feature premium brand wine and spirits, including an exclusive partnership with California’s legendary Beringer Vineyards; luxurious accommodations in a range of categories; unrivaled watersports including one of the Caribbean’s most comprehensive dive programs; Butler Service for truly indulgent pampering; Sandals Weddings by Martha Stewart^TM; and signature Red Lane® Spas, with services and treatments inspired by the region.

The TravelAge West WAVE Awards are given out annually to the best and brightest in the hospitality industry in a variety of categories.  Sandals Resorts has been included in the awards ceremony for several years running and are honored to be recognized by a leading travel trade publication.

PHOTO CAPTION: In honor of its 35th anniversary, Interval International was recognized by the Caribbean Tourism Organization during the recent Caribbean Week in New York City for ongoing contributions to its education foundation.  Pictured left to right is Neil Kolton, Interval’s director of resort sales and service for the Caribbean, receiving the award from Jacqueline Johnson, chairman of the foundation, and Hugh Riley, secretary general of CTO.