THE CARIBBEAN HONOURS CANADIAN MEDIA DURING CARIBBEAN WEEK TORONTO

TORONTO, Canada, August 25, 2008 – The Caribbean Tourism Development Company (CTDC) will host an inaugural awards ceremony to honour Canadian media for their exemplary editorial coverage of the region as part of Caribbean Week Toronto 2008 (www.caribbeanweek.ca) September 24-26, 2008.

The awards will be announced on Thursday, September 25 during the Media Marketplace and Caribbean Awards Luncheon at the Westin Harbour Castle Hotel in Toronto honoring the best of the best print, Web and broadcast stories and photography from Canadian-based media that have truly captured the essence of the Caribbean in their storytelling. Media Award categories include: Best Feature Article in a Consumer Newspaper; Best Feature Article in a Consumer Magazine; Best Feature Article in a Trade Publication; Best Online Feature; Best Feature Broadcast; and Best Photograph in Conjunction with a Feature Article.

“The continued demand for Caribbean vacations is in no small part due to the beautifully written and insightful journalism that captures the Caribbean spirit, hospitality, and natural landscape for the audience,” said Hugh Riley, co-chief operating officer for CTDC. “It is an honour to recognize those journalists and simply tell them how grateful we are that they share our passion for this region.”

Nominations for the Media Awards will be submitted by National Tourist Offices however, media individuals are welcome to submit their work directly. A panel of judges from the hospitality, literary and media fields will judge each submission based on the following criteria:

· Submissions will be accepted by Canadian-based media who contribute to Canadian media outlets

· Both English and French language submissions are welcome

· Publication of the work must have been between the dates of January 1, 2007 – August 29, 2008

· Maximum of two entries per person, per award

· All entries must be submitted by Friday, August 29, 2008 at 5:00 p.m. EST

· Media submissions should showcase creativity and thoughtful knowledge of the Caribbean region with a provocative story angle

Caribbean Week Toronto 2008, themed Secrets of the Caribbean, brings together the most influential policy makers, financial leaders, marketing professionals and tourism industry officials to interact and discuss both tourism and investment opportunities in the region. It also serves to provide a taste of the region to consumers to inspire travel and showcase its diversity. In addition to the Awards Luncheon, a variety of distinctive events highlighting the Caribbean experience will take place including a Caribbean Travel Conference, Town Hall Meetings, a Media Marketplace, Caribbean Fair and Rum & Rhythm Festival.

For more information about Caribbean Week Toronto 2008, to register for all events and to purchase tickets, visit: www.caribbeanweek.ca or call 416-935-0767 to speak to a representative from the Caribbean Tourism Development Company.



SPONSORS



Sponsors of this year’s Caribbean Week Toronto include Anguilla, Antigua & Barbuda, Aruba, the Bahamas, the Cayman Islands, Discover Dominica, Dreamscapes, InPulse Magazine, Jamaica, Occidental Hotels, ScotiaBank, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Vincent and Grenadines, Toronto Star, TravelWeek, Trinidad & Tobago, Turks & Caicos and the U.S. Virgin Islands.



All CTDC events are supported by American Express, Puerto Rico and Travelocity.



The Caribbean Tourism Development Company

The Caribbean Tourism Development Company (CTDC) is a marketing and business development unit, owned equally by the Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Association (CHTA) and the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO). Its mission is to own, promote, protect, advance and enhance the Caribbean brand. The CTDC combines the resources of the Caribbean region’s destinations, accommodations and service providers to create a viable, cohesive, business unit that is able to identify commercial opportunities and allow the members of CHTA and CTO to benefit collectively from those opportunities in ways that individually they could not. In all its endeavors the company engages only in activities that honor the Caribbean brand.



Media Contact

Terence Gallagher/Anna Lagos

Lou Hammond & Associates

(212) 308-8880

terryg@lhammond.com / annal@lhammond.com

Cashing in on Olympic success

Cuba may lead the Caribbean in the Olympic medal tally but it is Jamaica which is enjoying the international spotlight, thanks mainly to one man, Usain Bolt.

Today, the sprint sensation scored his second goal, and broke a 12-year-old record in the 200m, while doing so. He also became the second man since Carl Lewis in 1984, to cop both the 100m and 200m titles at the Olympics.

It's not just Bolt's winning ways, but the way in which he has won that has baffled the world. Before the 200 finals, Bolt barely, to echo the words of one write, sprained a sweat far less break one, in his previous races.

Overall, the Jamaicans, probably spurred by Bolt's success, have been dominating the marquis events normally dominated by the Americans. Jamaican women swept the 100m women's race, and another broke the Olympic record today in the 400m hurdles.

Now the world is wondering, what's in the jerk pork? And bet your bottom dollar, they will be trekking to the island to find out.

Interestingly Edmund Bartlett, a Jamaican minister is said to be in Beijing promoting the island as a sports tourism venue. No doubt, the Jamaicans' success at the games will make his job easier.

I bet, come next year, when Jamaica holds its annual track and field meet, there will be a substantial increase in the attendance of international athletes all wanting to size up the competition for the 2012 games in London.

Jamaica has always been a track and field powerhouse in the English-speaking Caribbean, with Olympic champions such as Don Quarrie and Merlene Ottey.

They have invested in their athletes, developing a programme at tertiary level that is more advanced than in any other island. Interestingly too, this crop of Jamaica successes are homegrown, not talent that was processed and refined in American universities. In an interview I did with Bolt for Caribbean Beat magazine, he stated plainly that he will never leave Jamaica, he did not have need to.

An editorial in the Jamaica Gleaner entitled "Leveraging Beijing" supports any move to capitalise on Jamaica's Olympic success with recommendations for the establishment of a Centre of Excellence, and deals with international sporting companies to assist in the development of athletes.

Any improvement to its current facilities and programmes can only augur well for the island, and the time to start is now, while the world is still curious about how a small island could take on the mighty America in events it once owned.

STATEMENT FROM THE CARIBBEAN TOURISM ORGANIZATION ON THE PASSING OF INTERIM SECRETARY GENERAL ARLEY SOBERS

It is with the greatest sadness that the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) has been advised of the sudden, unfortunate and untimely passing of Interim Secretary General and Director of Information Management and Research, Mr. Arley Sobers. Mr. Sobers was on overseas mission when he passed away in New York on Thursday, August 14.

According to CTO Chairman Allen Chastanet, “Arley was a hard working, dedicated and committed member of the CTO family, selflessly giving over 20 years of his life to the organization. His passion for research and information management was unparalleled and his work on the development of an information management system for tourism in the Caribbean was revolutionary at the time. Quiet by nature, his work spoke volumes for itself.

“Arley was never shy to do whatever was necessary for the good of CTO and the Caribbean region on a whole. He always answered the call whenever the organization and/or the region’s tourism sector needed him. Nothing exemplifies his dedication like his willingness to lead the organization on an interim basis on two occasions in the past three years or so, while we sought a Secretary General.

“His passing is a tremendous loss, not just to the Caribbean Tourism Organization, but to the entire Caribbean region. Our prayers and best wishes go out to his wife, Margaret and immediate family, as well as the Caribbean tourism family that he adopted in his more than decades of service,” concluded Chastanet.

Former CTO Secretary General and current Minister of Tourism for the Bahamas Vincent Vanderpool-Wallace said, “We in the CTO family have lost our heart and the Caribbean has lost a brilliant, passionate and compassionate friend in the passing of Arley Sobers. He was my sounding board, my confidant, my advisor and my great friend during my years at CTO and long before. He helped to establish and solidified CTO's global reputation as a source of information on the Caribbean. Few people are irreplaceable but Arley comes as close as any. We all consider ourselves a part of Arley's family and mourn our great loss with Margaret and all of Arley's family and friends.”

Details on funeral services are not yet available.

The Caribbean Tourism Organization

The Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO), with headquarters in Barbados and marketing operations in New York, London and Toronto, is the Caribbean’s tourism development agency and comprises membership of over 30 governments and a myriad of private sector entities.

The CTO’s mission is to provide to and through its members, the services and information needed for the development of sustainable tourism for the economic and social benefit of the Caribbean people.

The organization provides specialized support and technical assistance to member countries in the areas of marketing, human resource development, research and statistics, information technology and sustainable tourism development. The CTO disseminates information on behalf of its member governments to consumers and the travel trade.

CTO’s New York office is located at 80 Broad Street, 32nd Floor, New York, NY 10004, USA; Tel: (212) 635-9530; Fax: (212) 635-9511; E-mail: ctony@caribtourism.com. CTO’s London office is located at 22 The Quadrant, Richmond, Surrey TW9 1BP, England. Tel: 011 44 208 948 0057; Fax: 011 44 208 948 0067; E-mail: ctolondon@caribtourism.com; CTO Canada is located at 2 Bloor Street West, Suite 2601, Toronto, Ontario M4W 3E2, Canada. Tel: (416) 935 0767; Fax: (416) 935 0939. E-mail ctotoronto@caribtourism.com. CTO Headquarters is located at One Financial Place, Collymore Rock, St. Michael, Barbados; Tel: (246) 427-5242; Fax: (246) 429-3065; E-mail: ctobarbados@caribtourism.com. For more information, please visit www.doitcaribbean.com or www.onecaribbean.org.

Olympic Gold!

I’ve blogged on Sports tourism before (“Sustain Sport, Sustain Tourism”) and mentioned some of the benefits of these international sporting attractions - marketing of countries, regions and cities as tourist destinations; to attract business and investment; or the use of events for economic, environmental and social regeneration and revitalization.

But there is no doubt in my mind that the “Olympic” brand is one of the oldest and most established sporting symbols in the world and is arguably the champion of all sporting events. Unfortunately, gone are the days of naked Greek athletes running around on Mount Olympus competing for wreathes, ribbons and to impress the goddess Nike. Well, maybe things haven’t changed that much…a Nike endorsement can catapult an athlete’s position to super-stardom… But, let’s get back on track… no pun intended.

The Olympic games can bring about tremendous benefits to the host country. And, this time around, unless you’re hiding under a big rock in the Himalayas, you know it’s in China. In 2007 3.2 million overseas tourists visited Beijing, up 12.6 per cent from 2006. Within this figure were 440,000 Americans, a rise of 19.4 per cent year-on-year. Even the traditional animosity from other Asian countries such as Japan, Korea and Taiwan has not stopped travelers from these areas flocking to Beijing to experience the Chinese culture pre-Olympic boom. Certainly, the Chinese began to reap the benefits of the Olympics torch even prior to the start of the games. However, It has been said “the Olympics are bringing fresh attention to China at a time when some investors might prefer to forget about it”. As a result, the Chinese have taken these games very seriously, investing approximately $40 billion in construction, which has generated over $13.2 billion in economic activity between the years of 2004 to 2008. As we've seen with China and will see with London, the real benefit of hosting the Olympic games is the regeneration of the area in which it is held. Ken Livingston, the current Mayor of London hopes that the 2012 games will transform East London, as massive new investment will create local jobs, improve skills and help get thousands of people into work. Additionally, it will create housing as there will be “9,000 high quality homes on the Olympic park site, plus 30,000 homes will be built in the surrounding area providing more affordable accommodation”. Keep in mind this is all before the official launch of the games, we haven't touched the tourist package as yet. But speaking of which, the Chinese government is expecting approximately 5 million foreign visitors and 120 million domestic tourists to Beijing for the duration of the games.

Viewer figures for the Beijing games are estimated to be 3.2 billion people, up from the then record breaking 203 million figures recorded for the 2004 Athens games. So it’s no wonder that top Olympic sponsors, the likes of Coca Cola, Kodak, Johnson & Johnson and Mc Donald’s, have spent an average of $1 billion to be associated with the event. In fact, the Olympic Partner Programme (TOP) created in 1985 claims the “Olympic Games are one of the most effective international marketing platforms in the world, reaching billions of people in over 200 countries and territories throughout the world”.

But, let’s focus on the real issue. How can the Caribbean benefit from the Olympic brand? I think it’s fair to say that we currently don’t have the facilities to host the games in the near future, even though I can think of many areas within our region that could benefit from a regeneration scheme. Could we perhaps become an official sponsor? Vancouver will be the spot for the 2010 Winter Olympic games and personally I think this would be a great fit for the “One Caribbean” brand. Imagine it…you’re a professional athlete, you’ve just won a medal in your chosen sport and you’ve been training intensely in sub-zero temperatures for months now. Why not celebrate and unwind with an all-expense paid trip to the Caribbean region? An athlete who has just won gold at the Olympics has enough disposable income to travel regularly and if they really enjoyed themselves maybe they’ll come back and bring friends next time. But that’s just the athletes, what about the general public watching the games? Well, because of the nature of the sports exhibited, I’m going to hazard a guess and say that the majority of the Winter Olympic viewers come from temperate and arctic climates. Don’t quote me; it’s just an assumption. But, surely these are the non-traditional markets that Allan Chastenet keeps talking about…Russia, Sweden, Ukraine, Poland China, Korea and even our regulars plan to make an appearance – USA, Canada, UK, Italy – the whole gang’s going to be there. So maybe we should go to. Ok, ok, it might be an expensive ticket – but maybe not. According to the Vancouver Winter Olympic games site, there are three sponsorship levels – National Partner, Official Supporter and Official Supplier. Current sponsors or suppliers include the likes of Wrigley’s Canada, who is “freshening-up” the 2010 games by supplying confectionary products. Couldn’t we supply our product too? I’m sure there’s scope for the “One Caribbean” brand, but it will probably require further investigation. But nothing sells a product faster than giving it away to the right individuals. I would know, I work in the media.

Technology Changing Travel for the better...

An interesting article from the Bangkok Post:

"Advances in information and communications technologies (ICTs) that have facilitated the growth of global travel and tourism industry are set to play an increasing role in both reducing and managing the growth still to come.

Those same technologies that greatly assisted the development of reservation and payment systems that helped low-cost airlines shake the dominance of the established airlines are now set to be used to alleviate global warming and the impact of travel on climate change.

A number of sessions at the International Telecommunications Union Asia conference due to be held in Bangkok next month will focus on the ways ICTs can be deployed to reduce travel, not expand it.

One of numerous research reports to be presented at the conference has a clear message for companies with high levels of travel for business and conferences: "Increase productivity, save time and money while reducing your carbon footprint."

ICTs, the report says, can help create "a family of tools that promise to facilitate communication, collaboration and co-ordination - without the requirement of physical travel."

Says the report, "Although ICTs account for only around 2.5% of total greenhouse gas emissions, they have the potential to be used in reducing the other 97.5% of emissions in other sectors. They can do this primarily by creating opportunities for the abatement (or displacement) of existing applications that generate carbon dioxide (CO2).

"Probably the most obvious area for carbon abatement opportunities offered by ICTs is in reducing, or substituting for, travel requirements. The ICT industry offers a number of different tools and services that can theoretically replace travel, especially business travel, which range from the mundane (for example, e-mail, phone calls, text messaging) to the sophisticated (high-performance videoconferencing)."

Another report says that globally, 30% of business travel can be avoided through videoconferencing. As well, growing use of new technologies for peer-to-peer meetings allows organisers and participants to communicate with the help of audio, video and text, and jointly edit documents.

The ITU itself is using remote collaboration for some meetings of steering committees and study groups. At the same time, webinars (web seminars) are being often used for product presentations or the transmission of conferences and being made available online as webcasts.

Citing its own example, the ITU said most of its meetings take place in Geneva and involve participants from up to 191 countries. "This means many delegates must travel long distances to participate in meetings, even though they may sometimes only be interested in one brief part of a meeting. For example, nearly two-thirds of delegates travelled round trips of more than 10,000 km to participate in ITU-T meetings in 2007.

"Holding even a small number of those meetings online would have a significant impact on the ITU's carbon footprint, considering that air travel is the world's fastest growing source of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, which cause climate change.

"Furthermore, ITU workshops and tutorials held online can address a wider audience, notably in reaching participants from developing countries, and non-members. For developing countries, remote collaboration tools can thus be seen as a helpful instrument in overcoming the digital divide.

"Specific types of remote collaboration tools have also allowed more ITU meetings to be held away from the headquarters in Geneva."

The reports cited at least three other ways in which ICTs will affect travel and tourism, for better and worse:

- Reducing CO2 emissions by use of intelligent transport systems that are used in applications such as "eco-driving", congestion charging, as well as for traffic management and parking optimisation.

- "Dematerialisation", or the replacement of "atoms" with "bits", by reducing physical distribution of press kits, brochures, pre-recorded movies and music (such as DVDs and CDs) in favour of online delivery. That alone would be a huge saving, assuming that by 2020, seven billion DVDs and 10 billion CDs could be sold globally per year, using one kilogramme of CO2 emissions per CD/DVD.

- The use of ICTs for disaster relief and emergency services, such as in the event of tsunamis, earthquakes, flooding due to rising sea levels, or increased incidence of violent storms and hurricanes.

The report also notes how smart buildings, including hotels and airports, will help.

"A closer look at buildings in North America indicates that better building design, management and automation could save 15% of North America's buildings emissions. Globally, smart building technologies would enable 1.68 gigatonnes of CO2 emissions savings, worth 216 billion.

"The scale of emissions reductions that could be enabled by the smart integration of ICT into new ways of operating, living, working, learning and travelling makes the sector a key player in the fight against climate change, despite its own growing carbon footprint.

"No other sector can supply technology capabilities so integral to energy efficiency across such a range of other sectors or industries."