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.
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