Gleaner travel writer to speak at Caribbean tourism conference

Businesswoman, journalist and coordinator of The Gleaner's Hospitality Jamaica publication, Janet Silvera, has been invited to participate in the State of the Tourism Industry Conference (SOTIC), which is scheduled to take place from October 1-5 at Atlantis Paradise Island in The Bahamas. Silvera will speak as part of the conference's Stakeholders Speak Out Panel, which closes the regional four-day conference hosted by the Caribbean Tourism Organisation (CTO).

According the CTO's promotional material on the conference, this session gives stakeholders a voice, allowing them to share their unique experiences and offer critical recommendations on how to rejuvenate, recreate, reconnect, and set new directions for Caribbean tourism.

UNITING EXPERTS

The CTO's State of the Tourism Industry Conference brings together a wide range of leading experts who share examples of successful practices in the industry. It also encourages participation by industry stakeholders, including hotel workers, travel writers, taxi drivers, restaurateurs, farmers, bankers, salon or spa workers and the general public.

"These are the people who are in direct contact with the visitor, who hear their concerns and who leave the most lasting impression of the Caribbean," the CTO said.

PANEL SPEAKERS

Other speakers on the panel will include Anna Bancroft, general manager of Tru Bahamian Food Tours; Joy Jibrilu, director general of The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism; Russell Miller, senior vice-president and general manager of Bahamian tourism attraction Cove and Reef, Atlantis; and Jacqueline Johnson, president, Global Bridal Group. The session will be moderated by businessman Jerome Sawyer, chief executive officer of Sawyer and Associates.

"The tourism industry is vital for the economies of the Caribbean, and as stakeholders we all have critical roles to play in ensuring its survival and growth," Silvera said of her participation in the conference. "As journalists who cover so much of what happen in the sector - positive and negative - it is important that our insights and perspectives be shared for the benefit of other industry stakeholders and policymakers," she added.