A longstanding stigma toward hospitality jobs in the Caribbean needs to end soon if the region expects to thrive in tourism on a global level.

This was the sentiment shared by the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA) representatives TravelPulse sat down with this past weekend during coverage of the fourth Caribbean Hospitality Industry Exchange Forum (CHIEF) at the Hyatt Regency Miami.

Karolin Troubetzkoy, the outgoing CHTA president and said she has advised Patricia Affonso-Dass, who was officially elected president of the CHTA earlier this month, to go back to focusing on the association’s core values if unforseen circumstances don’t get in the way.

But Troubetzkoy, the executive director of Anse Chastanet and Jade Mountain resorts in St. Lucia, knows outside variables sometime get in the way of a president’s planned agenda.

“When you first come into this role as president, you think you can write your own script, but the script is written for you already,” said Troubetzkoy, who had to deal with such obstacles to the region as the rise of Airbnb, the Zika virus scare and last year’s horrific hurricane season during her tenure as president.

“I told Patricia to focus, if she can, on the core of the organization and the real core issues that are important,” said Troubetzkoy.

And Troubetzkoy said getting Caribbean locals to view entry level hospitality jobs as stepping stones to entrepreneurial opportunities in tourism is right at the top of those core issues.

“We need to lose that stigma of these jobs being jobs of servitude,” said Troubetzkoy. “These are jobs of service, but not servitude. These are jobs that can lead to a very successful career and we just think a lot of locals don’t look beyond the first stage of the career. They don’t look far enough in the future at what they can eventually be in this industry.”

And Affonso-Dass agreed with her predecessor.

“Tourism is key and we need to broadcast that message, we need to explain and educate people on all of the opportunities that can come from jobs in tourism," she said. "There is a tremendous sense of pride in the locals and they feel like it’s servitude. It’s how they view tourism. Locals don’t see the job [beyond entry level positions]. They don’t see the opportunity in a future in that career.”

In order to change that, Affonso-Dass told TravelPulse education on the broad range of possibilities the hospitality industry could afford begins in the schools.

“We need people more willing and excited to take jobs in tourism and not treat them as a last resort,” said Affonso-Dass. “We need this to start in the schools. We need schools to start putting tourism on the curriculum.

“We need them to realize jobs of service, such as food and beverage service, is where you can begin to build a career that can eventually make you an entrepreneur in the tourism industry.”

So, what are the CHTA’s other top priorities for the immediate future?

The CHTA officials we spoke with point to continuing successful regional marketing campaigns and integrating local vendors and independent businesses into the region’s official tourism offerings.

Regional Marketing Success Needs to Continue

“One of my main goals is I want to continue to build the ‘OneCaribbean’ campaign because we have had success as a region when we speak with one voice,” said Affonso-Dass. “There’s been missed opportunities in the past that I’ve seen since I’m in this industry.”

Troubetzkoy said the success in recent years of islands banning together as a region was especially important during last year’s hurricane seasons when the smaller islands that were devastated by both Hurricane Maria and Hurricane Irma relied on the larger islands for aid.

And the island’s that were not affected by the hurricanes relied on everyone in the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) and the CHTA to get that message across a traveling public that was often confused as to which islands escaped damage.

“During the hurricanes, the region showed the benefits of how we can all work together, but I should note these efforts, the desire to work as one, was something we have been working hard on way before the hurricane,” said Troubetzkoy. “The hurricanes just brought to the forefront why this approach could work. It showed how strong we can be when we work as one region.”

Include More Locals in Official Tourism Offerings

Matt Cooper, chief marketing officer for the CHTA, said one way to get locals excited about the hospitality industry is by getting local vendors and business owners more involved in the region’s official tourism offerings.

“The Caribbean is losing marketshare on a global level,” said Cooper. “So, never before has there been a want and a need to show the economic value of the tourism industry for people who live on these islands.

“There are two goals we need to be focused on to make this happen. One is we need to offer local, integrated experiences that are run by a local,” continued Cooper. “Two, we need linkages to related local industries to the island’s overall tourism industry.”

One person Affonso-Dass, who also serves as the group general manager at Ocean Hotels in Barbados, pointed out as an example of this was a gardener in Barbados who runs fishing tours on his off days for free. Affonso-Dass said his passion for the island usually inspires his guests to offer him more in gratuities than he would have made if he charged a fee.

“These people are entrepreneurs,” said Affonso-Dass. “They have to realize that. And we need to encourage more of this. People like him offer that real authentic experience.”

Looking Ahead to Caribbean Travel Marketplace

Affonso-Dass also noted the topic of promoting locals in the tourism insutry will be a hot topic at January's Caribbean Travel Marketplace in Jamaica. In fact, she said a full day of the planned agenda is slated to focus on small and medium-sized businesses.