REMARKS BY EMIL LEE, PRESIDENT, CARIBBEAN HOTEL & TOURISM ASSOCIATION AT CARIBBEAN TRAVEL MARKETPLACE OPENING 2015

Buenos noches. Bienvenidos Damas y Caballeros. CHTA tiene fuertes lazos con Puerto Rico. Muchos Gracia por su hospitalitad.

Goedenavond dames en heren

Bon Soir, Mesdames et Messieurs.

Good Evening Ladies and Gentleman.

“I have been very fortunate to have been able to travel to many of our Caribbean destinations and experience the rich diversity in language, culture, cuisine and geography. But this diversity presents the Caribbean with both an opportunity and a challenge.

“An opportunity because the variety that the Caribbean has to offer can entice visitors to return year after year.

“However, this diversity is also a challenge because sometimes we are so different, with different political systems, different priorities, and different cultures making cooperation complicated and cumbersome.

“This is where organizations like CHTA and CTO have such a critical role in the Caribbean. As leaders in the region, we have a tremendous responsibility to be visionary, provocative and even disruptive. Change is never easy. Even when change is good, it is often scary or uncomfortable.

“On behalf of the region, the CHTA must be bold and unafraid to challenge the status quo. There are regional issues that we all share such as the need for Improved political transparency and integrity, airlift development strategies, reducing our dependence on fossil fuels, strategies to mitigate the impacts of climate change, and addressing ever increasing costs of doing business.

“While these issues might not seem to be relevant to all of you, the reality is that everyone in this room has a vested interest in these issues. Ultimately, whether you are a tour operator selling Caribbean product, or an allied company selling your products to the Caribbean, or a Caribbean based business; We all benefit from a healthy and vibrant Caribbean.

“In this process of becoming bolder thought leaders and more disruptive, I have 3 initiatives I would like to share with you.

“Marketplace is in the process of evolving into an event focused on increasing revenue. So in addition to the traditional conference, we will be adding seminars aimed at helping hotels to supplement revenues by increasing direct bookings and yield management strategies.

“We will be sharing best practices how to optimize revenue from weddings and honeymoons.

“By leveraging our strategic partners and allied members to conduct generic seminars to help our members increase their revenues in the broadest sense of the word, Marketplace will become the conference to attend if you want to make more money.

“In October of this year, we will host the first Caribbean Hospitality Industry Education Forum (CHIEF) conference in Puerto Rico at the El Conquistador. CHIEF will draw on some of the most successful elements of CHIC and the small hotels retreat but it will also be adding educational seminars where our allied members will be teaching our hotels practical money saving tips and revenue generating strategies such as:

“How do I increase revenue through channel management, social media campaigns and yield management strategies.

“What does a practical energy saving/power generation program look like?

“How do we prepare for climate change?

“What are best practices for reducing costs and increasing efficiencies in our resorts?

“In short, we are building two events focused on helping members to make more money, increase efficiency and productivity while saving money, these will be events that you simply can’t afford to miss.

Executive Team

Pictured (l-r): The new executive team for the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA) Matt Cooper, Chief Marketing Officer, Vanessa Ledesma, Chief Operating Officer, Emil Lee, President, and Frank Comito, Chief Executive Officer.
“Last but not least, the best laid plans, without the right people in place to execute will never come to fruition. With that I would like to announce the new executive team for CHTA.

“Our new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) is no stranger to the Caribbean or Hospitality association management.

“We’ve created a new position of Chief Marketing Officer and our new CMO is also no stranger to the Caribbean, having working in media sales in the region for most of his adult life.

“And, finally, we have taken this opportunity to promote one of our own to the new position of Chief Operating Officer (COO).

“It is my pleasure to announce the new executive team to boldly lead the CHTA in the future.

“Our New CEO: Frank Comito. Our New CMO: Matt Cooper and our new COO Vanessa Ledesma. Together we will work to re-energize CHTA and our membership.”