Annual TourismConference Wednesday
Dr. JamesHepple, Mr. Alan Chastanet
The Cayman Islands Departmentof Tourism will be holding its annual Tourism Conference Wednesday,28 November, at the newly opened Governor's Ballroom at the WestinCasuarina Resort from 9:00am to 5:00pm.
The theme for this year's Tourism Conference,formerly referred to as the Department's AGM, is "Changingto Meet the Challenges," which underscores the current globaland local agenda for travel and tourism.
Each year the Department of Tourism's headoffice in Grand Cayman hosts this meeting as a reporting sessionwith its operations overseas, local tourism partners and governmentofficials. The Conference this year will incorporate presentationsand discussions that are pertinent to today's tourism environment,providing an open forum for reporting and dialogue amongst alltourism stakeholders.
"Caribbean tourism has evolved overthe past decade and there are many challenges and obstacles fordestinations like ours, that depend upon tourism as a pillar ofthe economy. We felt that it was important that we review CaymanIslands tourism not on its own, but in the context of what ishappening globally, and particularly in our region," remarkedMinister for Tourism, the Honourable W. McKeeva Bush.
The keynote speakers for the conferencewill address two fundamental issues in regional tourism: IntegratedRecovery in the Tourism Industry and the role of national or regionalairlines in our tourism economies.
Dr. James Hepple will address the tourismindustry in the Cayman Islands with a presentation entitled 'TourismRecovery: Learning from the Bahamas Experience.' Dr. Hepple hasextensive international experience in the tourism industry withdirect experience in England and Canada. Dr. Hepple served inthe Bahamas Ministry of Tourism from 1993 to 2001, he is now theExecutive Director for the Curacao Tourism Development Bureau.
The second speaker is Mr. Alan Chastanet,VP Marketing for Air Jamaica will address the conference on therole that regional carriers play in tourism. Mr. Chastanet isresponsible for the direction of all marketing and sales effortsin North America, Jamaica and the Eastern Caribbean. One of hisprevious positions was the Director of Tourism for St. Lucia andwith his combined professional tours he brings over 10 years ofexperience in the Caribbean tourism industry to Air Jamaica.
The afternoon sessions will see presentationsand reporting from the Department's regional offices includingthe USA, Canada and Europe.
Concluding the day will be the private sector tourism industrypartners reporting on their year 2001, outlining their challengesand plans for 2002 the scheduled presentations include theSister Islands Tourism Association, the Cayman Islands TourismAssociation, the National Watersports Operators Association andthe North Coast Tourism Council.
"At the Dept. of Tourism, we have beenand will continue to change to meet the challenges," saidPilar Bush, Interim Director for the Department of Tourism. "Asa result of our restructuring efforts, the local and internationalDOT teams will be better prepared than ever to succeed in re-establishingthe Cayman Islands as the premier Caribbean vacation destinationstarting in 2002. In many ways, our work is just beginning butthe people at the Department of Tourism are used to a demandingpace; we are excited and ready to go."
To register for the Conference or for moredetails please contact Michele Mogg at 244-1263 or mmogg@caymanislands.kyor Ishwar Persad at 244-1256 or ipersad@caymanislands.ky