For the third consecutive year, the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO), will bring championship volleyball to the Caribbean, showcasing the skills of Olympic and pro players and coaches during GObeachfest 2009. Organized by Volleyball Vacations, GObeachfest will take place at Club Med Turkoise located in Providenciales, Turks & Caicos, from November 7-21. The star-studded matches will feature Olympic champions including 2008 Olympic Gold Medalist Phil Dalhausser and 2008 Olympian Sean Rosenthal.
“Beach volleyball is a popular sport in the Caribbean and we are ecstatic to host such high calibre volleyball players in our Region,” said Sylma Brown, Director of Marketing (Ag.) of the Caribbean Tourism Organization. “The sports tourism industry has been a driving factor in boosting arrivals to the Caribbean, so we’d like to continue to host key events such as this to support the interests of these travelers.”
GObeachfest is designed as a full athletic retreat and destination vacation targeting sports enthusiasts who want to train and network with pro athletes. The event will offer all of the amenities of a beach resort vacation with the addition of world-class athletic training and socializing with people of similar interests. Pro athletes from many disciplines and backgrounds will offer daily training sessions to attendees in addition to participating in the volleyball tournaments.
“The goal is to provide our participants with the opportunity to meet new friends from all over the world in a beautiful setting,” said Albert Hannemann, founder and CEO of Volleyball Vacations and GObeachfest. “This itinerary is not just for volleyball enthusiasts, but also for anyone who wants to learn sports from the best coaches in the world and enjoy theme parties, world class DJ's and listen to live bands during the action-packed nightly entertainment.”
The 2009 GObeachfest will feature the following pro athletes and trainers:
Albert Hannemann - Director of the 2009 AVP VIP Fan Experience, Director of the AVP Juniors Camps and Clinics, Olympic Festival Gold Medalist and founder and CEO of Volleyball Vacations and GObeachfest
Kim Lyons – Celebrity Trainer, Fitness Pro, Celebrity Trainer on NBC’s “The Biggest Loser,” Author Your Body, Your Life
Matt Olson – Association of Volleyball Professionals (AVP) Pro, winner of the 2008 Belmar, NJ AVP Open, 2x National Club Champion at UofA, Ranked 4th on the AVP tour
Sean Rosenthal, 2008 Olympian - AVP Tour Champion, AVP Best Defensive Player, FIVB Top Rookie, AVP Best Server
Gunter Schlierkamp – Mr. Universe, Bodybuilding Pro, Professional bodybuilder, Actor and Fitness Celebrity
Francisco Escudero - Sky Banditz Kite-boarding Pro, Founder SkyBAnditz Kite-boarding Center, Florida Kitesurfing Association North Miami Beach
Eric ‘T-Bones’ Masson – Beach Volleyball Pro, Level 3 Certified Coach in Canada, Level 2-3 Master Leaning Facilitation, Olympic team Canada Coach on the FIVB World Tour
Sin Jin Smith – AVP Legend, Beach Volleyball Pro, original “King of the Beach”, 11 international & World Championships, 1st Player to reach 100 career open victories, 1st US team to qualify for the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, UCLA Sports Hall of Fame
Tarin Keith - Association of Volleyball Professionals (AVP) Pro, Owner of Visionary Essence
TY Loomis - Association of Volleyball Professionals (AVP) Pro, 2009 AVP Crocs Tour Champion, Australian Pro Tour Champion
Friday, November 13, 2009
Allen Chastenet wins Caribbean Travel Personality of the Year
Saint Lucia's Minister of Tourism and Civil Aviation, Senator Allen Chastanet, has been named the Caribbean Travel Personality of the Year.
Senator Chastanet won the honor at the prestigious 2009 World Travel Awards in London, England over the weekend.
The World Travel Awards acknowledge, reward and celebrate excellence across all sectors of the global travel and tourism industry.
"It's with great humility that I accept this award on behalf of the Government and people of Saint Lucia," said the Senator, who saluted his fellow Saint Lucian nationals for their commitment to excellence across the hospitality industry.
At the Awards, Saint Lucia once again copped the Caribbean's and World's Leading Honeymoon Destination designations, while the Caribbean's Leading Spa Resort went to The Body Holiday LeSport. The Caribbean's Leading Hotel Brand and the World's Leading All-Inclusive Company went to Sandals Resorts.
"As a Saint Lucian, I am deeply honored to witness such a small destination create a big bang on the world stage," said Saint Lucia's Director of Tourism Louis Lewis, who acknowledged that the weekend awards were additional stimulus for the Saint Lucia Tourist Board to continue striving to improve in today's competitive travel and tourism environment.
Senator Chastanet, who is credited with starting the world acclaimed Saint Lucia Jazz festival, was Vice President of Sales and Marketing with Windjammer Landing in Saint Lucia before being appointed the island's Director of Tourism in the early 1990s.
He became Director of Sales and Marketing at Island Outpost in the mid-90s before serving as Director, then Vice President of Worldwide Sales and Marketing at Air Jamaica for eight years.
In 2001, Travel Agent magazine named Senator Chastanet "Caribbean Destination Person of the Year," and in 2003 he returned to his native Saint Lucia to open Coco Resorts in Rodney Bay Village.
He was appointed to the Saint Lucia cabinet in 2006 and assumed the chairmanship of the Caribbean Tourism Organization.
Senator Allen Chastanet holds a B.A. in Economics and Political Science from Bishop's University in Quebec, Canada as well as an M.Sc. in Development Banking from American University in Washington D.C.
Monday, November 9, 2009
Opening Speech by Fiona Jeffrey at World Travel Market
Baroness Morris of Bolton, President of World Travel Market’s Advisory Council, Boris Johnson, Mayor of London, Distinguished Guests and Friends.
30 years ago when World Travel Market took its first tentative steps, it was a very different world. All of us felt privileged to be involved in an industry that was, without a shadow of a doubt, going places.
Yes, inevitably, there were vast mountains to climb - but in those early years, it was exciting and invigorating.
True, the pace of change was swift and as the industry was changing, so were our customers.
They were demanding new thrills and experiences; they wanted cheap flights and an ever growing array of choice and budget options. Weekends away, holidays in far flung places, luxury, special interest breaks, gap years, adventure, extreme sports, remote islands.
Even the over 50s, fitter and more active then ever before, were choosing trips to Antarctica and journeys around-the-world.
There was an unquenchable thirst for everything new and different.
As the right to travel became almost a fundamental principle to millions across the world - regardless of background, class, creed or culture - World Travel Market played a crucial role. The event became the ever growing backdrop for increasing co-operation and integration between destinations and operators, conducting business and showcasing a widening range of services and products to a global marketplace. We wanted to create an atmosphere that generated dynamism and energy while at the same time fostering flexibility, understanding and above all, trust.
We embraced the immense opportunities of travel technology, the biggest revolution since the days when Thomas Cook first organised package holiday tours. A development that completely re-engineered distribution strategies, bringing new entrants to the travel industry and increasing competition.
As an industry we’ve faced pandemics, natural disasters, escalating fuel prices and of course 9/11.
It triggered a new, challenging era; the industry momentarily lost confidence; people, fearful of their lives and that of their staff and customers, even questioned whether World Travel Market should go ahead.
But it was also a time of extraordinary strength, a remarkable illustration of the industry coming together for the common good.
We united that year in a way that we’ve never done before or since, proving to ourselves as much as the rest of the world, that whatever was thrown at the industry we would remain steadfast.
As I remember that terrible time, it makes me realise that World Travel Market’s ability to mirror the industry in its many moods, is perhaps one of its greatest strengths. In times of difficulty, its good to have a focus that binds the industry while at the same time, delivers business and an opportunity to talk and debate.
However, it’s over these past two years, amidst the worst global economic downturn in living memory, that World Travel Market has strived even more to help the industry with a different mountain to conquer.
There’s an old saying here in the UK that every cloud has a silver lining and I hope we‘ve assisted business to ride out the storm more effectively by stressing the need to improve efficiency, introduce new skills, new markets and encourage creativity, innovation and, above all, supreme customer value.
In these difficult times, the private sector needs resolute public sector support, investment, forward thinking leadership and direction, cementing a fundamental relationship between business and government and introducing greater understanding and strong co-operation.
Tomorrow is the UNWTO Ministers’ Summit, hosted by World Travel Market, when more than one hundred Ministers and senior aides will face the challenges of the Road to Recovery and addressing issues such as climate change and poverty reduction as part of that pathway.
The idea of an annual summit for Ministers came from our determination to get to the heart of the matter, regardless of its complexities, embracing every level of decision making - from boardroom to government mandate.
We’ve spoken out too on the hot topics of the day. Responsible Tourism is one of those areas which targets the core of our industry and our 3 day programme at World Travel Market reflects this belief.
This is not a new issue for World Travel Market – we started this particular lobby in 1994, born from a simple belief that we have a responsibility to protect the very product we seek to promote.
WTM World Responsible Tourism Day is now in its third year, bringing together destinations and operators in what we hope is an inspiring way, educating and spurring the industry on to positive action.
Spotlight, World Travel Market’s colour magazine, champions what’s new and innovative in responsible tourism, revealing inspiring stories to preserve and protect the world, making better places for people to visit and better places for people to live.
Only you can judge whether we’ve achieved our aim to support industry business in every way we can, but at the same time, we’ve tried to keep World Travel Market fresh, productive and enjoyable.
Now we must look to the future - not the past.
Confront it and relish it.
Take a look at this….
(30TH ANNIVERSARY FILM)
As you see from our film, the future and the next 30 years are there for the taking.
There’s no shortage of ideas, no lack of vision for the long term forecast of travel and tourism.
But there’s a noticeable difference in the thinking behind the industry now compared to even a few years ago.
Consumers are becoming more caring, thoughtful and considerate. It may be the credit crunch, of course, and the need for everyone to ‘tighten their belts’. It might just be a universal response to such pressing issues as climate change or pictures of the sickening tide of third world poverty that floods into our living rooms and offices every day of the week that’s triggering a quiet revolution.
There’s a growing realisation that sustainability is absolutely integral to the industry’s future success. I make no apologies for sounding over dramatic when I say that the industry will not have a future at all unless it takes responsible tourism as seriously as customer service, value for money and comfy beds.
World Travel Market is also trying to put its house in order.
Let me say right away that we do not pretend to be perfect! But like thousands of others in this industry, we’re doing our level best to make positive change happen.
With the support and encouragement of Reed Exhibitions and our parent company Reed Elsevier, we’ve committed to a more sustainable event management system by being certified for BS8901, the internationally recognised British Standard for Sustainable Event Management.
Our commitment to support local communities close to ExCeL with The Richard House Hospice, providing care for terminally ill children, is complemented by our work with the international water-aid charity Just a Drop, launched by World Travel Market 11 years ago, and is now, helping more than one million children and their families in 28 countries.
Just a Drop could never have achieved this much without the help of so many companies and individuals, especially my own organisation Reed Exhibitions who have encouraged and supported us over the years with resource, office back-up and wise counsel.
Now as we look to the future to identify new opportunities, it’s apparent that sports tourism is one of the industry’s fastest growing sectors and this year, for the first time, World Travel Market is highlighting the business potential that sports tourism offers the industry.
Our guest of honour this morning is Boris Johnson, Mayor of London and when Boris memorably invited the world in Beijing to come to London for the 2012 Olympics, he was referring to what will possibly be the most frequented sports tourism event the world has ever known.
And right here at ExCeL London, you can already get a glimpse of what the London Olympics will look like. The £168m expansion of ExCeL will not only be the first stadia completed as part of the Games, but also forms part of World Travel Market’s spectacular ‘new’ home in November 2010.
The newly completed London ICC ExCeL increases space by 50%, including a 5,000 seat convention centre, and will become a focus for spectators around the world who watch the 2012 Olympics either on television or in person.
The prospect is a compelling one and World Travel Market has many exciting plans to lift the event into a dynamic and innovative era reflective of further industry progress.
Ladies and gentlemen, please give a warm travel industry welcome to Boris Johnson, Mayor of London.
30 years ago when World Travel Market took its first tentative steps, it was a very different world. All of us felt privileged to be involved in an industry that was, without a shadow of a doubt, going places.
Yes, inevitably, there were vast mountains to climb - but in those early years, it was exciting and invigorating.
True, the pace of change was swift and as the industry was changing, so were our customers.
They were demanding new thrills and experiences; they wanted cheap flights and an ever growing array of choice and budget options. Weekends away, holidays in far flung places, luxury, special interest breaks, gap years, adventure, extreme sports, remote islands.
Even the over 50s, fitter and more active then ever before, were choosing trips to Antarctica and journeys around-the-world.
There was an unquenchable thirst for everything new and different.
As the right to travel became almost a fundamental principle to millions across the world - regardless of background, class, creed or culture - World Travel Market played a crucial role. The event became the ever growing backdrop for increasing co-operation and integration between destinations and operators, conducting business and showcasing a widening range of services and products to a global marketplace. We wanted to create an atmosphere that generated dynamism and energy while at the same time fostering flexibility, understanding and above all, trust.
We embraced the immense opportunities of travel technology, the biggest revolution since the days when Thomas Cook first organised package holiday tours. A development that completely re-engineered distribution strategies, bringing new entrants to the travel industry and increasing competition.
As an industry we’ve faced pandemics, natural disasters, escalating fuel prices and of course 9/11.
It triggered a new, challenging era; the industry momentarily lost confidence; people, fearful of their lives and that of their staff and customers, even questioned whether World Travel Market should go ahead.
But it was also a time of extraordinary strength, a remarkable illustration of the industry coming together for the common good.
We united that year in a way that we’ve never done before or since, proving to ourselves as much as the rest of the world, that whatever was thrown at the industry we would remain steadfast.
As I remember that terrible time, it makes me realise that World Travel Market’s ability to mirror the industry in its many moods, is perhaps one of its greatest strengths. In times of difficulty, its good to have a focus that binds the industry while at the same time, delivers business and an opportunity to talk and debate.
However, it’s over these past two years, amidst the worst global economic downturn in living memory, that World Travel Market has strived even more to help the industry with a different mountain to conquer.
There’s an old saying here in the UK that every cloud has a silver lining and I hope we‘ve assisted business to ride out the storm more effectively by stressing the need to improve efficiency, introduce new skills, new markets and encourage creativity, innovation and, above all, supreme customer value.
In these difficult times, the private sector needs resolute public sector support, investment, forward thinking leadership and direction, cementing a fundamental relationship between business and government and introducing greater understanding and strong co-operation.
Tomorrow is the UNWTO Ministers’ Summit, hosted by World Travel Market, when more than one hundred Ministers and senior aides will face the challenges of the Road to Recovery and addressing issues such as climate change and poverty reduction as part of that pathway.
The idea of an annual summit for Ministers came from our determination to get to the heart of the matter, regardless of its complexities, embracing every level of decision making - from boardroom to government mandate.
We’ve spoken out too on the hot topics of the day. Responsible Tourism is one of those areas which targets the core of our industry and our 3 day programme at World Travel Market reflects this belief.
This is not a new issue for World Travel Market – we started this particular lobby in 1994, born from a simple belief that we have a responsibility to protect the very product we seek to promote.
WTM World Responsible Tourism Day is now in its third year, bringing together destinations and operators in what we hope is an inspiring way, educating and spurring the industry on to positive action.
Spotlight, World Travel Market’s colour magazine, champions what’s new and innovative in responsible tourism, revealing inspiring stories to preserve and protect the world, making better places for people to visit and better places for people to live.
Only you can judge whether we’ve achieved our aim to support industry business in every way we can, but at the same time, we’ve tried to keep World Travel Market fresh, productive and enjoyable.
Now we must look to the future - not the past.
Confront it and relish it.
Take a look at this….
(30TH ANNIVERSARY FILM)
As you see from our film, the future and the next 30 years are there for the taking.
There’s no shortage of ideas, no lack of vision for the long term forecast of travel and tourism.
But there’s a noticeable difference in the thinking behind the industry now compared to even a few years ago.
Consumers are becoming more caring, thoughtful and considerate. It may be the credit crunch, of course, and the need for everyone to ‘tighten their belts’. It might just be a universal response to such pressing issues as climate change or pictures of the sickening tide of third world poverty that floods into our living rooms and offices every day of the week that’s triggering a quiet revolution.
There’s a growing realisation that sustainability is absolutely integral to the industry’s future success. I make no apologies for sounding over dramatic when I say that the industry will not have a future at all unless it takes responsible tourism as seriously as customer service, value for money and comfy beds.
World Travel Market is also trying to put its house in order.
Let me say right away that we do not pretend to be perfect! But like thousands of others in this industry, we’re doing our level best to make positive change happen.
With the support and encouragement of Reed Exhibitions and our parent company Reed Elsevier, we’ve committed to a more sustainable event management system by being certified for BS8901, the internationally recognised British Standard for Sustainable Event Management.
Our commitment to support local communities close to ExCeL with The Richard House Hospice, providing care for terminally ill children, is complemented by our work with the international water-aid charity Just a Drop, launched by World Travel Market 11 years ago, and is now, helping more than one million children and their families in 28 countries.
Just a Drop could never have achieved this much without the help of so many companies and individuals, especially my own organisation Reed Exhibitions who have encouraged and supported us over the years with resource, office back-up and wise counsel.
Now as we look to the future to identify new opportunities, it’s apparent that sports tourism is one of the industry’s fastest growing sectors and this year, for the first time, World Travel Market is highlighting the business potential that sports tourism offers the industry.
Our guest of honour this morning is Boris Johnson, Mayor of London and when Boris memorably invited the world in Beijing to come to London for the 2012 Olympics, he was referring to what will possibly be the most frequented sports tourism event the world has ever known.
And right here at ExCeL London, you can already get a glimpse of what the London Olympics will look like. The £168m expansion of ExCeL will not only be the first stadia completed as part of the Games, but also forms part of World Travel Market’s spectacular ‘new’ home in November 2010.
The newly completed London ICC ExCeL increases space by 50%, including a 5,000 seat convention centre, and will become a focus for spectators around the world who watch the 2012 Olympics either on television or in person.
The prospect is a compelling one and World Travel Market has many exciting plans to lift the event into a dynamic and innovative era reflective of further industry progress.
Ladies and gentlemen, please give a warm travel industry welcome to Boris Johnson, Mayor of London.
Is tourism a priority for Trinidad and Tobago?
That's a question that I've been mulling for some time and I am not convinced that tourism is a priority in the oil and gas rich twin-island state.
For a while I was encouraged to believe T&T was getting serious about its tourism product. I was encouraged by the appearance of a draft tourism policy (yet another) and public consultations on said document, the boosting of room stock with the construction of the Hyatt Regency, Carlton Savannah and other hotels to come, and the hosting of two mega conferences, the Summit of the Americas and the Commonwealth Heads of Government Conference. For a while I believed the Government was finally getting serious and putting an effort into exploiting the country as a major player in the regional tourism industry.
Then came the budget and the biggest item under tourism was the multimillion dollar redevelopment of Maracas Bay, the most popular beach on the island. No mention of money to fund the new policy, no talk of money to market the country, nothing. I was confused; tourism is a labour intensive industry and with all the Prime Minister's talk about diversification of the economy, one would think developing the tourism industry would be a priority given the number of jobs that could be created within the industry.
This week I saw two articles that supports my view on where the country is headed as far as tourism is concerned. The first was a column in the Business Guardian from the Trinidad Hotels, Restaurants and Tourism Association.
In the column entitled Trinidad as a tourism product, the association basically said while the country has all the ingredients for a good tourism product, they do not constitute a reason for tourists to visit.
"The real problem lies in the fact that despite having dedicated Ministry of Tourism, complete with its own state agency for implementation, there is no c politically agreed strategic plan through which to understand consumer needs and develop that product accordingly. Despite all the talk of economic diversification, until tourism becomes a political priority, this won't happen," the association wrote.
The association called for a strategic retreat to assess the country's competitive potential and shape a plan for its development. I don't think that suggestion will be heeded and here's why.
In his Sunday Guardian column, Lennox Grant compared T&T's tourism efforts with that of Barbados.
"That tourism is the business of Barbados remains obvious on an island where projected climate-change effects on sea levels and temperatures were making banner headlines last week. That tourism is also Tobago’s business more and more attains the status of an inconvenient truth, on the way to becoming outdated. At the Cove complex opening, last month, Prime Minister Patrick Manning advertised Tobago’s future as an exporter of natural gas. THA spokesmen painted a high-wage, energy-industry picture, implying Tobago’s eventual adoption of that familiar Trinidad indifference to tourism."
With crime in Tobago, especially against foreigners, increasing, one has to wonder if the plan is indeed to diversify the sister isle away from its dependence on tourism.
It's no secret the Government of Trinidad and Tobago is all about promoting the energy sector and developing downstream industries. That's their idea of diversification. In the meantime the Tourism Development Company will continue to urge Trinis "to stay to get away". After all, if the country is not willing to do what is necessary to attract people to the island, then it's better to get the locals to fill up those fancy hotels...right?
For a while I was encouraged to believe T&T was getting serious about its tourism product. I was encouraged by the appearance of a draft tourism policy (yet another) and public consultations on said document, the boosting of room stock with the construction of the Hyatt Regency, Carlton Savannah and other hotels to come, and the hosting of two mega conferences, the Summit of the Americas and the Commonwealth Heads of Government Conference. For a while I believed the Government was finally getting serious and putting an effort into exploiting the country as a major player in the regional tourism industry.
Then came the budget and the biggest item under tourism was the multimillion dollar redevelopment of Maracas Bay, the most popular beach on the island. No mention of money to fund the new policy, no talk of money to market the country, nothing. I was confused; tourism is a labour intensive industry and with all the Prime Minister's talk about diversification of the economy, one would think developing the tourism industry would be a priority given the number of jobs that could be created within the industry.
This week I saw two articles that supports my view on where the country is headed as far as tourism is concerned. The first was a column in the Business Guardian from the Trinidad Hotels, Restaurants and Tourism Association.
In the column entitled Trinidad as a tourism product, the association basically said while the country has all the ingredients for a good tourism product, they do not constitute a reason for tourists to visit.
"The real problem lies in the fact that despite having dedicated Ministry of Tourism, complete with its own state agency for implementation, there is no c politically agreed strategic plan through which to understand consumer needs and develop that product accordingly. Despite all the talk of economic diversification, until tourism becomes a political priority, this won't happen," the association wrote.
The association called for a strategic retreat to assess the country's competitive potential and shape a plan for its development. I don't think that suggestion will be heeded and here's why.
In his Sunday Guardian column, Lennox Grant compared T&T's tourism efforts with that of Barbados.
"That tourism is the business of Barbados remains obvious on an island where projected climate-change effects on sea levels and temperatures were making banner headlines last week. That tourism is also Tobago’s business more and more attains the status of an inconvenient truth, on the way to becoming outdated. At the Cove complex opening, last month, Prime Minister Patrick Manning advertised Tobago’s future as an exporter of natural gas. THA spokesmen painted a high-wage, energy-industry picture, implying Tobago’s eventual adoption of that familiar Trinidad indifference to tourism."
With crime in Tobago, especially against foreigners, increasing, one has to wonder if the plan is indeed to diversify the sister isle away from its dependence on tourism.
It's no secret the Government of Trinidad and Tobago is all about promoting the energy sector and developing downstream industries. That's their idea of diversification. In the meantime the Tourism Development Company will continue to urge Trinis "to stay to get away". After all, if the country is not willing to do what is necessary to attract people to the island, then it's better to get the locals to fill up those fancy hotels...right?
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