|
|
|
21/06/07 -
Barbados Big Winner in Tourism Awards |
The Anguilla Hotel
and Tourism Association, the Barbados Hotel and Tourism Association, and
the St Vincent and the Grenadines Hotel and Tourism Association,
were recognized by their peers during the 2007 Leadership Conference of the
Caribbean Society of Hotel Association Executives (CSHAE), held May 18-19,
2007 in Barbados, with the 2007 Newsworthy Awards for Excellence in Hotel
Association Communications.
The honour, presented by the Caribbean Hotel Association (CHA) and CSHAE, is
awarded every year in recognition of outstanding communications efforts to
advance awareness about the Caribbean hotel and tourism industry.
Alec Sanguinetti, CHA Director General and CEO; Trudy Nixon, Association
Executive, Anguilla Hotel and Tourism Association and Sue Springer,
Executive Vice President of the Barbados Hotel and Tourism Association and
CSHAE President
The Newsworthy Award for Excellence in Membership Communications was given
to the Anguilla Hotel and Tourism Association (AHTA) for its Membership
News, a straightforward, no fuss electronic newsletter (easily read even by
smart phones and PDA’s) that contains information on local events and
openings, promotes local members’ businesses, includes tourism-related
articles and trends, gives information on conferences and CHA news, and
requests information for destination publicity purposes.
Anguilla’s Association Executive, Trudy Nixon, mentioned the importance of
editing information received before forwarding, in order to render it more
relevant to the members at the local level.
“In a recent membership survey, the newsletter received the highest AHTA
membership service satisfaction ranking, with 66% of respondents stating
they were ‘very satisfied’ with it; 29% saying they were satisfied; and only
5% indicating they were dissatisfied,” said Nixon.
Meanwhile, Dawn W. Smith, from the St Vincent and the Grenadines Hotel &
Tourism Association, received the Newsworthy Award for Excellence in Tourism
Awareness, in recognition of her association’s work to demonstrate that
"what's good for the tourism and hospitality industry is good for the
country and the people."
To raise awareness among the future leaders of St Vincent and the
Grenadines, the national hotel association teamed up with the St Vincent
Girls High School for a Tourism Internship Program, to introduce high school
students to the world of travel and hospitality - and to highlight the
career opportunities and career paths available in the sector.
In addition, the Ministry of Tourism and the national hotel association
formed a joint private and public sector team for a tour of school visits
and a joint booth display at local career fairs.
“To reach the wider community, the Association focused on media relations,”
said Smith, explaining that the Association collaborates with a local radio
station to produce “Tourism Chit Chat,” a weekly radio commentary program
prepared and hosted by members of the Association; this initiative will soon
be complemented with a twice-monthly newspaper column.
Lastly, the Barbados Hotel and Tourism Association received an Award for
Excellence in Special Event Communications, an area never recognised before,
but is increasingly more important in the field of communications, where
specialization is the single most powerful driving force.
With an electronic single-page document, ‘The Wicket Keeper,’ produced from
March 1st to April 26, 2007, the association highlighted useful information
maintained its membership up to date on all things related to the ICC
Cricket World Cup. The newsletter included special rules and regulations
that were in effect for Barbados while the island hosted the event, as well
as the match schedule and a local calendar of functions taking place
on-island at the time.
Moreover, the bulletin provided members, especially in the accommodation
category, with useful tips on addressing the special needs and requirements
of persons from different ethnic backgrounds.
“‘The Wicket Keeper’ is an excellent example of an effective communications
strategy to serve the membership as it relates to a special project,” said
Alec Sanguinetti, director general and CEO of CHA.
Leadership Conference is a professional development meeting that focuses on
association management in the Caribbean hotel and tourism industry. Members
of CSHAE, comprised of national hotel association executives from 35
Caribbean countries, participated in an intensive, interactive program
focusing on improving the financial sustainability of national hotel
associations in the region.
The two-day business development program was supported by the Caribbean
Regional Sustainable Tourism Programme (CRSTDP) funded by the European
Commission, and CHA.
|
|
Click here to search for Barbados
property... |
|
|
|
|
Home
- Site Map -
Contact us