AHTA Newsletter 18th June 2015

Newsletter 30 -

18th June 2015

Photo: courtesy Carlisle Bay

Antiguan Dream

With lush views and clear water, Antigua is a prototypical island paradise. However, it also has a unique culture all its own

- See more at: http://www.lipulse.com/trends/article/antiguan-dream#sthash.jmTT3ekQ.dpuf

AHTA News

AHTA Annual General Meeting Tuesday June 30th at 8.30am

The Annual General Meeting of the Antigua Hotels & Tourist Association will take place at 8.30am on Tuesday June 30th in the new Conference facility at the Sugar Ridge Hotel.

At this meeting a new Board of Directors will be elected. We encourage you to attend and show your support for the Association. To vote in the elections you must be financially up to date.

Emil Lee, President of the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association will be joining us on this occasion to give the feature address

At the conclusion of the AGM we will be presenting certificates to the successful awardees of the CHTA Education Foundation Scholarships

CHTA Education Foundation awards record US$141,800 in scholarships to 36 Caribbean Nationals, Five Antiguan students receive funding

Recipients Pursuing Higher Education, Professional Development in Hospitality & Tourism
The Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association Education Foundation (CHTAEF) has awarded a record number of scholarships to 36 Caribbean-based students for a total of US$141,800 in funding to enable Caribbean nationals to pursue a higher education in hospitality and tourism fields.
The five Antigua students receiving scholarships are: Latoya Gonsalves, to Culinary Institute of America for Culinary; Tiffany Gordon, to University of Technology for Culinary; Kempton McCalmont, to University of the West Indies for Hospitality Management; Nadia Robinson, to Monroe College for Hospitality Management; Gabrielle Thomas, to Johnson & Wales Rhode Island for Culinary.
“This year’s applicant pool was so strong that the Board of Trustees had a difficult time in choosing who to provide funding for scholarships," said Richard S. Kahn, chairman of CHTAEF. "Most of the 85-plus applicants deserved to receive funds towards their education so they may become productive individuals working in the vital Caribbean hospitality industry,” Kahn said, adding:
“We are only limited by the funds we’ve been able to generate from corporate donors such as Interval International and Virgin Holidays as well as The New York Times Travel Show auction where hotel stays are donated from across the Caribbean and purchased by consumers thereby providing funds for scholarships.
Full story here

Postponement of National Tourism Awards Gala

It is with much regret that we have been obliged to make the decision to postpone the National Tourism Awards Gala. Unfortunately the level of participation after the extended deadline fell far short of the level needed for us to successfully organize this Gala event.

Our priority is to preserve the credibility of these awards and we did not feel that it would be fair to any of the nominees to designate the awards on a much reduced participation.

We will now review the situation with the Board of the AHTA and decide how and when to proceed.

We thank for your understanding and apologize for any disappointment caused to your employees.

Statistics
Since our last newsletter the following have been added to the statistics page of our website.

1) Hotel Occupancy statistics for May 2015

Introducing the new “All-Inclusive Plus” Program at St. James's Club & Villas

Elite Island Resorts announces the newest offering at its flagship resort in Antigua

Elite Island Resorts is excited to announce the brand new All-Inclusive PLUS program for the Royal Suites at St. James’s Club & Villas, Antigua!

When guests book a seven night or longer stay in a Royal Suite at St. James’s Club between June 15 - December 24, 2015, they will be entitled to complimentary All-Inclusive PLUS benefits including: a catamaran cruise for two, two 45-minute spa massages, dinner for two at Piccolo Mondo restaurant, free in-room WiFi, and a bottle of sparkling wine in their Suite upon arrival. These fantastic value-added benefits enhance and add a bit of romance and adventure to an already fabulous all-inclusive Caribbean vacation.
Full story here

National News

North America TV Game Show Opportunity

This is an opportunity to showcase your property to millions of viewers.
If you are interested in submitting your property for pitching, the following requirements must be submitted to the Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority North America Office.

The REQUIREMENTS are:
1) Three (3) 6 night packages;
2) Some meals and excursions;
3) Must be Valid for one year from day of air date;
4) Must include Applicable blackout dates that may apply;
5) 6-8 photos;
6) Logo;
7) Copy points;
8) Each trip must have a minimum value of US$3K.
Please note that Wheel Of Fortune requires the elements stated above with the following caveats - - no photos - - but a 20-30 second video, without audio.

Please submit the above requirements no later than June 22nd, 2015 to Shermain Jeremy at: sjeremy@abgov.org

Regional News

CHTA selects Karolin Troubetzkoy, St Lucia as President-Elect 2016-2018

The Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Association at the Annual General Meeting has elected Karolin Troubetzkoy president-elect for the 2016-18 biennium. She will spend the next year working closely with current President Emil Lee before taking office in June 2016. Troubetzkoy currently is First Vice President of CHTA, President of the St. Lucia Hotel and Tourism Association and Executive Director, Marketing and Operations of Anse Chastanet and Jade Mountain Resorts in St. Lucia.
Full Story here

CHTA - Annual General Meeting

On June 11th, CHTA held its Annual General Meeting and Board of Directors Meeting at the Hyatt Regency in Miami. All meetings were productive and very engaging as a result of the prior distribution of reports on the agenda items presented at the meetings.

We would like to share with you the documents below that were presented at the meeting. These documents provide a recap of activities carried out in 2014 and an overview of the projects and areas of development that your CHTA staff has been working on for the past six months.

We are excited about the new direction our association is taking and we welcome you to join in on the growth of CHTA.

Frank J. Comito

CHTA, CEO and Director General

The Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association cordially invites you to highly stimulating and informative four-day workshop that will showcase Singapore’s model for tourism product development, hosted by The Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO), in partnership with the Barbados Hotel & Tourism Association. This workshop takes place from 13-16 July 2015 at the Radisson Aquatica Resort Barbados, Barbados.

Singapore offers one of the best business environments in the world and is fast emerging as a choice destination for the development of iconic tourist attractions. The Singapore Tourism Experience is a half-day tourism forum aimed at providing regional businesses with an opportunity to learn first-hand about one of the world’s fastest growing economies and to gain insights into Singapore’s approach to tourism development. Click here for more information.

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Our mailing address is:
Island House. Newgate Street
PO Box 454
St John's
Antigua
Tel: (268) 462.0374 Fax: (268) 462.3702
E-mail: ahta@candw.ag

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