The Caribbean Tourism Group (CTO) celebrated the achievements of outstanding ladies throughout the area’s tourism panorama throughout its second annual Caribbean Ladies in Tourism Management Awards on Monday, June 1, the opening evening of Caribbean Week in New York.
An initiative of CTO Secretary-Basic Dona Regis-Prosper, the elegant, invitation-only dinner was held at The Westin New York at Occasions Sq. underneath the theme “Magnificence and Excellence.”
With background leisure by St. Lucian vocalist Michel Aubertin and The Legendary Supreme Group and speeches by a number of trade leaders, CTO mentioned it was “a night of tribute, empowerment, and sisterhood.”
CTO mentioned the occasion unfolded with toasts, storytelling, and a stirring keynote from Carnival Cruise Line President Christine Duffy, who chronicled her journey from journey agent to cruise line.
“My mantra has at all times been ‘aspire to encourage.’ We actually can’t encourage others. That’s as much as every particular person, whether or not they really feel or are impressed. However we are able to all aspire to try this,” she mentioned.
CTO mentioned the evening’s emotional middle got here in the course of the awards presentation to 5 standout leaders, “whose remarks peeled again the curtain on the private price and collective energy of girls in tourism.”
The awardees have been: Minister of Tourism Award: Marsha Henderson, Minister of Tourism, St. Kitts and Nevis; Director of Tourism Award: Rosa Harris, Director of Tourism, Cayman Islands; Secretary-Basic’s Distinguished Service Award: Karolin Troubetzkoy, Govt Director of Anse Chastanet and Jade Mountain Resorts, St. Lucia; Legacy Award for Contribution to Caribbean Tourism: Thea LaFond, 2024 Olympic triple leap gold medalist, Dominica; and Recognition for Service: Petra Roach, Outgoing CEO, Grenada Tourism Authority.
“Management generally will be lonely — particularly as a girl,” mentioned Henderson.
An attorney-at-law, Henderson spoke candidly in regards to the expectations and biases she’s navigated in her political ascent.
Harris, who not too long ago served because the chairman of the CTO Board of Administrators, delivered a deeply private speech reflecting the twin roles ladies steadiness in management and life, based on CTO.
It mentioned she mirrored on her experiences caring for her household, striving for excellence at house and work, and exhibiting up with confidence and goal.
CTO mentioned a poignant second got here when Troubetzkoy, the second feminine president of the Caribbean Resort and Tourism Affiliation, accepted the Secretary-Basic’s Distinguished Service Award.
Battling a latest private loss—her husband and enterprise associate, Nick—she stood on the podium with unwavering resolve, the CTO mentioned.
“It’s not shallow phrases after I say I’m not solely flattered — I’m actually deeply humbled that you simply discovered me worthy,” she mentioned. “It was onerous work, and I’m my harshest critic.”
Troubetzkoy, a 45-year veteran of Caribbean tourism, used her second to replicate on shifting her vitality towards biodiversity and conservation.
“Now that I’m surrounded by so many great ladies, I knew for the previous couple of years that Caribbean tourism was in wonderful arms,” she mentioned.
The awards ceremony additionally acknowledged Roach, outgoing CEO of the Grenada Tourism Authority, and Olympic gold medalist Thea LaFond, who accepted the Legacy Award for her international ambassadorship of Caribbean excellence.
“Every thing that I am, all the pieces I used to be raised on was off the backs and off the prototypes and off the trial and errors of the ladies in my life — particularly the Caribbean ladies,” LaFond mentioned.
Past the honorees, the CTO mentioned the evening supplied its share of sharp commentary and celebratory laughter.
Colin James, CEO of the Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority, set the tone early with a mix of humor and homage.
“You girls are gathered … to do what Caribbean ladies do finest — shine, assist, and slay in that precise order,” he mentioned. “The world could also be 70 % water, however tonight, it’s 100 % ladies making waves.”
CTO mentioned Antigua and Barbuda’s Minister of Tourism, Charles “Max” Fernandez, struck a reflective chord as he spoke in regards to the financial good points of gender-inclusive management.
“Tonight is greater than a celebration; it’s an announcement — and this can be a regional win,” he mentioned.
CTO mentioned the occasion additionally marked the official launch of its inaugural ladies’s management journal, From the Sea Suite. The journal “spotlights greater than 40 exceptional ladies in Caribbean tourism, created to honor the ladies who’ve lengthy been the trade’s quiet engine—and now, more and more, its seen power.”
Valérie Damaseau, Commissioner of Tourism and Tradition of Saint-Martin, who was featured on the journal’s cowl, spoke of overcoming inside doubts and exterior expectations throughout her remarks.
CTO mentioned she mirrored on her journey from humble beginnings — raised by a single mom of eight — to turning into a pacesetter in Caribbean tourism, emphasizing the facility of self-trust, breaking obstacles, and defying the notion that management belongs to males.
“Don’t ever let the worry of the unknown cease you from accessing your subsequent chapter,” Damaseau urged.
