By Theresa M. Oakes From St. Maarten Islands Time

THE CARIBBEAN – One of the most highly anticipated panels of the Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Association’s (CHTA) upcoming Caribbean Hospitality Industry Exchange Forum (CHIEF) is “Cuba: Opportunity or Threat?” took place on the closing day of the conference (Sunday, Oct. 4) from 3:30 p.m. – 4:45 p.m.

“Cuba: Opportunity or Threat?”  delved into how the US-Cuba normalization affects Caribbean business and how hotels could minimize any potential downside impact. Additionally, it explored the positive opportunities Cuba may present to stimulate the region’s growth as a whole.

This highly-anticipated session was moderated by Anton Edmunds, Principal, The Edmunds Group International, and  featured the following panelists:

Vincent Vanderpool-Wallace, Principal Partner, BedfordBakerGroup

Marla Dukharan, Group Economist, Caribbean Banking, Royal Bank of Canada

Simon Suarez, President, ASONAHORES

Hugh Riley, CEO and Secretary General, Caribbean Tourism Organization before the session commenced said:

“The efforts towards the normalization of trade and travel between the United States and Cuba opens the door to a renewed focus on Caribbean tourism,” said Edmunds. “Whether this presents an opportunity or a threat depends in large measure upon the region’s stakeholders. We’ve put together an exceptional cross-sectoral group of panelists for an open and interactive discussion on the subject,” he added.

The panelists will expand upon points raised in a paper released by CHTA this summer titled: “Cuba: The Great Disruption for the Good of the Caribbean.” The paper sparked debate within the region about the impact which the lifting of the US trade and travel embargo would have on the industry. While the general consensus was to embrace full normalization, numerous concerns surfaced. There is a consensus within CHTA and the region’s private sector that the Caribbean must do a better job at embracing tourism as its primary economic development and employment generation tool and a means to reduce the mounting debt of many jurisdictions. According to Edmunds, “the session promises to be lively, enlightening and engaging.”

CHIEF, took place Oct. 2-4, 2015 at El Conquistador Resort, A Waldorf Astoria Resort in Puerto Rico, offered a variety of educational tracks lead by experts from a variety of travel, tourism and hospitality industry segments featuring panels with one-on-one discussions in Sales & Marketing, Operations and Sustainability.

“Our aim is to raise awareness about both the challenges and the opportunities to the region following the removal of travel barriers to Cuba,” said Emil Lee, president of CHTA. “Now that the issue has had a few months to marinate, we have a clearer vision and look forward to sharing insider insight with attendees,” Lee added before the event.

CHIEF offers peer-to-peer exchange sessions in Operations, Sales & Marketing and Sustainability, which are focused on helping businesses generate revenue, reduce costs and increase efficiency. Hoteliers will walk away with practical business tips and best practices for tackling operational and marketing challenges. The educational tracks were led by experts from a variety of travel, tourism and hospitality industry segments featuring roundtable panels.

As part of the CHIEF program, an awards luncheon was held where CHTA honoured the “Stars of the Caribbean Hotel Industry” including Caribbean Hotelier of the Year, Association Executive of the Year, Supervisor of the Year, Employee of the Year and Allied Member of the Year as well as the winners of the new CHIEF Awards.A description of all winning entries can be found at http://chtachiefawards.weebly.com.

CHIEF was organized with the support of hosts Interval International and MasterCard; platinum sponsors Cable and Wireless, JetBlue Getaways, Travelzoo and TripAdvisor, gold sponsors Adara, Aireko, AskMe, Best Doctors, Bonnier Corp, CaribbeanJobs.com, Choice Hotels International, Expedia, JackRabbit Systems Inc., Lutron Electronics, MobiManage, OBMI, Oracle, Sojern, STR, The New York Times, travAlliancemedia and World Media.

IMAGE: CHTA'S 'Chief' to explore Cuba impact on Caribbean Tourism; taps industry experts for insight

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