JA's ByronLee and the Dragonaires to
Perform at CTO's Caribbean State Ball
Robert 'Bob'Soto
The internationally-renowned Jamaican band,and no stranger to the Cayman scene which shot to prominence backingup Harry Belafonte and rose to fame thanks to the James Bond movie"Dr. No," will take its infectious Caribbean rhythmsto the Caribbean Tourism Organization's (CTO) 29th Annual Governmentsof the Caribbean State Ball next month.
Byron Lee and the Dragonaires, a householdname among Caribbean music aficionados around the world, willprovide the musical entertainment at the ball which is also thevenue for the CTO special 50th Anniversary Awards Ceremony. This"golden celebration" will take place on Friday, May31 at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York.
In celebration of its 50th anniversary,CTO will honour 50 individuals for their contributions to Caribbeantourism at a special commemorative ceremony that will take placeat the Ball. The Ball will cap a series of events during CaribbeanWeek, May 28 - 31, 2002 in New York City, including the CTO Boardof Directors meeting, CTO Council of Ministers meeting and a MediaMarketplace.
Of the 50 honorees, 33 were selected byCTO member countries for their superior achievements in theirown nations. These individuals are from the public and privatesectors and have been involved in various areas of the tourismindustry.
A panel of distinguished persons from CTO'smembership and respected regional and international institutionsselected an additional 17 individuals who have made special contributionsto the cause of regional tourism.
Cayman's own Robert 'Bob' Soto will be amongthe honorees as the "Father of diving", solely responsiblefor the Cayman Islands world-wide recognition as the birthplaceof recreational diving.
During the ceremony, CTO will also presentLifetime Achievement Awards to Michael Youngman, former directorof marketing, Caribbean Tourism Organization; John Bell, CEO anddirector general, Caribbean Hotel Association; James Pepperdine,executive vice president of Yesawich, Pepperdine & Brown;and posthumously to Erick "Willy" Rotin, past chairmanof the Caribbean Tourism Association (predecessor of CTO) andco-founder of the Hotel Association of Guadeloupe.
CTO will welcome back Brenda Blackmon, anotable television news anchor for WWOR's UPN 9 News, to hostthe famed gala for the second consecutive year.