November 30, 2024

Giving thanks this holiday season

As the Year Winds Down, We Give Thanks and Look Ahead

Thanksgiving Day has come and gone, and with it, we shift into full holiday mode – a season of joy, reflection, and connection. It’s hard to believe another year is almost behind us. As we wrap up 2024, we pause to express our deepest gratitude to you, our readers, for your continued support, engagement, and inspiration. Your presence in our community fuels our commitment to deliver stories that matter, and we are honored to have you with us for this journey.

While we embrace the festive spirit, we also remember those facing challenges during this season. Whether through acts of kindness, charitable giving, or simply offering a listening ear, there’s no greater gift than lifting someone’s spirits.

We wish you a joyful and peaceful holiday season filled with love, gratitude, and compassion. Here’s to making the close of this year as memorable as the months that led us here!

Anguilla shines at World Travel Market

Chantelle Richardson, Deputy Director, Anguilla Tourist Board

For Video Click HERE

Chantelle Richardson, Deputy Director of the Anguilla Tourist Board, shared exciting insights about Anguilla’s unique appeal and successful tourism growth this year. 

At World Travel Market, she engaged with media, trade partners, and travel advisors, discussing how Anguilla captivates the UK and European markets with its beaches, barefoot luxury, and growing soft adventure offerings. 

Watch the video to hear more about what makes Anguilla truly unforgettable. Caribbean Tourism Month concludes

Caribbean Tourism Month concludes

Carlos James, Minister of Tourism, St. Vincent and the Grenadines

For video click HERE

Caribbean Tourism Month, which wraps up today, featured a successful campaign led by the Caribbean Tourism Organization.

Today, we’re shining a well-deserved spotlight on St. Vincent and the Grenadines. In this video, Minister of Tourism Carlos James reaffirms the nation’s unwavering commitment to sustainable tourism, emphasizing the importance of resilience in shaping the industry’s future.

Meet CMEx 2024 honorees

Tracy Berkeley, CEO of the Bermuda Tourism Authority (left) and Ambassador Victor Fernandes of Barbados

The 2024 Caribbean Media Exchange (CMEx) Leadership Awards and Fundraiser, taking place for Sunday, December 8, 2024, at the Loews Coral Gables Hotel in Miami, is almost here!

In the spotlight today are two of this year’s distinguished honorees.

Tracy Berkeley

Tracy Berkeley was appointed Chief Executive Officer of the Bermuda Tourism Authority (BTA) in March 2023, becoming the first female leader of the organization. Prior to this, she served as interim CEO for nine months, during which she implemented a strategic plan to help Bermuda rebound post-COVID and re-establish its competitive edge as a premier destination. 

With over four years at the BTA and extensive experience across various industries, including insurance, reinsurance, and health care, Berkeley has been instrumental in leading the organization through recovery and initiating its transformation into a forward-thinking, future-ready entity. Her leadership has not only focused on growth but also on nurturing the best Bermudian talent and fostering a high-performance culture.

A results-driven executive, Berkeley is known for her ability to lead complex organizations and deliver sustainable success. She excels at building strong teams, overseeing financial and business planning, and leveraging her diverse professional background to enhance Bermuda’s appeal in the global market.  

In addition to her professional role, she serves on multiple public and private boards, as a part of her commitment to community service. She is also a proud mother of three children, Aarin, Adriene, and Brianna. 

Ambassador Victor Fernandes

With over 50 years in the media industry, Ambassador Victor Fernandes is a BBC-trained broadcaster and media executive with expertise in radio, television broadcasting, and leadership. His career began in radio at the Caribbean Broadcasting Corporation, where he quickly advanced to manage both radio and television.

In 1987, Fernandes moved to Barbados Rediffusion Service Ltd, where he led transformative initiatives, launching three radio stations and introducing DIRECTV to Barbados. As CEO of One Caribbean Media Network, he pioneered the first pan-Caribbean Radio Network, the Caribbean Super Station, expanding its reach across multiple countries.

Ambassador Fernandes has been the longest-serving president of the Caribbean Broadcasting Union (CBU) and the inaugural chairman of the Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC), playing a pivotal role in achieving significant industry milestones. Among his achievements are securing multi-million dollar grants from Germany’s Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES) and the European Union to support CBU’s training and development programs for member systems. In 2024, he was appointed Permanent Representative of Barbados to both the Organization of American States and the Government of the United States.

Honored with the National Honors, Silver Crown of Merit, and induction into the Caribbean Broadcasting Hall of Fame, Ambassador Fernandes is driven by passion for innovation, leadership, and community engagement.

The 2024 CMEx Leadership Awards, which promises to be an extraordinary celebration of the achievements of Caribbean leaders in travel, tourism and communications, is powered by The Islands of The Bahamas (Bahamas Ministry of Tourism, Investments and Aviation).

The event is also being supported by:

• Anse Chastanet and Jade Mountain, St. Lucia
• Blue Horizons Garden Resort, Grenada
• Brion City Hotel, BW Signature Collection, Curaçao
• Bucuti & Tara Beach Resort, Aruba
• Calabash Cove Resort & Spa, St. Lucia
• Carnival Corporation & plc
• Coco Palm Resort, St. Lucia
• Comfort Suites Paradise Island, Bahamas
• Fort Young Hotel and Dive Resort, Dominica
• Gallows Point Resort, St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands
• Golden Rock Dive & Nature Resort, St. Eustatius
• Ladera Resort, St. Lucia
• Little Good Harbour & The Atlantis Historic Inn, Barbados
• Montpelier Plantation & Beach, Nevis
• Mount Cinnamon Hotel & Beach Club, Grenada
• Park Hyatt St. Kitts Christophe Harbour, St. Kitts
• Radisson Aquatica Resort Barbados, Barbados
• Rodman Marketing Guru
• The Buccaneer Beach & Golf Resort, St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands
• The Courtleigh Hotel & Suites, Jamaica
• The Hamilton Beach Villas & Spa, Nevis
• The Hartling Group, Turks and Caicos
• The Jamaica Pegasus Hotel, Jamaica
• The Palms Turks and Caicos, Turks and Caicos
• Ti Bananne West Indian Bistro & Bar
• Tropical Attractions
• Tropical Shipping
• Wyndham Grand Barbados, Sam Lord’s Castle All-Inclusive Resort
• Marketplace Excellence Corporation
• Vanessa James Media

For tickets and information, visit https://bit.ly/cmexawards2024.

Remembering Nick Troubetzkoy

The Caribbean tourism industry mourns the loss of hotelier, developer, and architectural visionary Nick Troubetzkoy, who passed away this week while visiting London.

Troubetzkoy’s remarkable journey began in Western Canada and led him to St. Lucia in the 1970s, an island he called home and cherished deeply. His visionary spirit and fearless approach to architectural innovation were first realized in the creation of Anse Chastanet, a resort that exemplified his commitment to harmonizing with nature. This project paved the way for his crowning achievement, Jade Mountain, a globally celebrated masterpiece and a testament to his enduring love for St. Lucia and its people.

A passionate advocate for sustainability and community development, Troubetzkoy, the husband of renowned Caribbean hotelier Karolin Troubetzkoy, infused these principles into every project he undertook during his decades in Soufrière. His contributions earned him the Saint Lucia Cross and the Saint Lucia Medal of Honor, reflecting the profound impact he had on the island and its people.

Fellow St. Lucian hotelier and Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA) President Sanovnik Destang paid tribute, stating: “He was an industry giant who will be missed. He left a legacy on tourism in St. Lucia and in the Caribbean. Not only by dreaming big and creating a world-class product that stretched the boundaries of what we imagined possible but also his impact on the community and on championing sustainable tourism development.”

Quotable Caribbean

“We will not regard any great power as necessarily right in a given dispute unless we are convinced of this, yet at the same time we will not view the great powers with perennial suspicion merely on account of their size, their wealth, or their nuclear potential. We will be friends of all, satellites of none.” – Errol Walton Barrow, First Prime Minister of Barbados

Medical Moment

World AIDS Day, observed on December 1, 2024, underscores the progress made in advancing human rights within the global HIV response.

This year’s theme, Take the Rights Path, places human rights at the heart of efforts to end AIDS as a public health threat by 2030, with communities playing a pivotal role in driving change. 

The day also serves as a powerful call to action, emphasizing that safeguarding health begins with protecting rights. Adding to its significance, the annual World AIDS Day report will be released, offering critical insights into the state of the global HIV response.

Marketplace Excellence Corporation (MPE) is a global public relations, marketing and media company.