CHTA, TOURISM CARES DEPLOY HURRICANE RECOVERY RESOURCES TO SPUR CARIBBEAN TOURISM

THE CARIBBEAN Tourism Recovery Fund, established by the non-profit organisation Tourism Cares and the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA), has collected more than US$275,000 in charitable donations to build long-term recovery and enhance the ability of hurricane impacted destinations.

The money is expected to assist the region to rebound as quickly as possible.

In a joint statement, CHTA Director General and CEO Frank Comito and Paula Vlamings, CEO of Tourism Cares, outlined the success of the collaborative fundraising venture and report that assistance has gone to Caribbean nations and territories for training and education, restoring destination capacity, the physical restoration of tourismrelated infrastructure, social enterprise development, job creation, hotel training, voluntourism, marketing and public relations support, and the environment.

“With another hurricane season in full swing, we are so grateful for the way all sectors of the travel industry came together to invest in the vulnerable people and places we depend on,” the statement read, as both organisations thanked the many donors for their support during last year’s unprecedented hurricane season.

“Because of the generosity of our donors, tourism infrastructure is being repaired, the workforce will receive new training and opportunities, and more communities will benefit from tourism dollars. Together, we’re empowering destinations to build resilience,” the statement read. “As an industry, we have the powerful opportunity to use our business to benefit the local communities and fragile ecosystems that are the pillars of our businesses.”

Highlighting CHTA immediate past president Karolin Troubetzkoy’s role in the launch of the ‘One Caribbean Family’ initiative, a special marketing programme which spurred CHTA member support for the Recovery Fund, the tourism leaders thanked the St Lucian hotelier for her leadership.

Inspired by Troubetzkoy, CHTA challenged its members to participate in the One Caribbean Family marketing campaign, and dozens of hotel and travel companies doing business in areas of the Caribbean not directly impacted by the hurricanes contributed a portion of booking revenue to the fund.

Companies and individuals in airlines, destinations, meetings/academia, media/PR, travel industry associations, financial/professional services, travel agencies, online travel agencies, lodging, hospitality, cruise, and attractions were fired up by the power of giving and, through their donations, are helping to accelerate recovery and bring stability to the affected areas.

After the relief agencies met immediate needs and moved on, the recovery phase began. This process is typically long, difficult and underfunded. Through Tourism Cares and CHTA, the industry has united to help destinations “build back better” by investing in recovery.

Some 15 grants have been approved and more than half of the total funds raised have been passed on. “As we continue to assess the needs of the people and the industry, the remainder will be allocated in the final phase of distribution this summer,” Comito and Vlamings reported.

This first phase has funded the strengthening of local hotel and tourism associations in Anguilla, British Virgin Islands, Dominica, St. Maarten, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands. It also helped participants attend 2018 Caribbean Travel Marketplace, allowing them to meet with travel partners and the travel trade media to brief them on recovery efforts and generate business in the aftermath of the hurricanes.