On the heels of her appointment as President of the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA), Nicola Madden-Greig has her eyes set on building a stronger regional tourism product.
It is an undertaking which the veteran hotelier has given at a time when the regional tourism industry is faced with what many regard as possibly the most demanding period in its history.
“As we move forward we are focused on how we continue to build and develop brand Caribbean. There is a marketing component which is being discussed in the initial stages on how we will continue to progress as a region in terms of marketing the Caribbean brand,” Madden-Grieg was quoted as saying to the Jamaica Gleaner early last week.
Currently serving as Group Marketing Director of the Jamaica-based Courtleigh Hospitality Group, the incoming CHTA president comes to the job amidst a still rampaging COVID-19 pandemic that has ravaged the regional tourism industry as a whole, targeting regional airlines, resorts and the hotel and hospitality sectors, particularly.
In her interview with the Jamaica Gleaner the new CHTA Head reportedly placed particular emphasis on her intention to steer the industry in the direction of enhanced application of technology. She cited technology as a key area of focus to be given priority attention during her tenure as she urged players in the sector to utilize it to help deliver new experiences to visitors to the region.
“We have just designated a technology task force; we will be announcing the chair and members of that task force shortly. With all the elements that technology has to offer tourism, we will be seeking to provide our membership with educational and training opportunities as well as access, with increased focus on our small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs),” Madden-Grieg was quoted as saying.
She also alluded to the role that e-commerce has played in supporting regional small businesses, asserting that the CHTA will be seeking “to build on those efforts and provide access to our members through those channels.”
It will doubtless please the CHTA president that the advent of the pandemic and its impact on regional tourism infrastructure have not reduced the level of popularity of the region as a favoured tourism haven. Tourism destinations in the region, heavily dependent as they are on North American and European traffic have received high marks for the speed with which many of them have recovered from the immediate impact of COVID-19, even though their economies are still smarting from job losses arising out of the temporary, and, in some instances, permanent closure of tourism-dependent businesses.
International tourist arrivals to the Caribbean during the first half of the year reportedly reached 6.6 million owing to a strong second-quarter rise, following easing of some travel restrictions and increased airlifts.
Data reportedly released by the Caribbean Tourism Organization recently showed Caribbean tourism outperforming the rest of the world during the first half of this year, a significant accomplishment given the impact which the earliest waves of the pandemic has had on tourist traffic between North America and Europe, particularly, and the Caribbean.
Madden-Greig’s reported disclosure that under her stewardship the CHTA will be “doubling down” on diversification of the tourism product to embrace nature tourism, adventure travels and the use of gastronomy, history and culture, offers an exciting challenge for Guyana, which has attracted increased visitor attention on account of continually rising investor interest in the economic prospects of its oil and gas sector.
Madden-Grieg said that the sector was aiming for a “full recovery to where we were in 2019” and examining how the Caribbean can “look more at regional tourism and how we can travel between destinations to promote our own space as we enjoy the beauty, culture, nature and excitement of the Caribbean.”
