by Brian Major
Last updated: 1:20 PM ET, Wed September 25, 2024
Sanovik Destang, CHTA’s new president. (Photo courtesy of the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association.
The Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA) named Sanovnik
Destang, executive director of Saint Lucia’s Bay Gardens Resorts, its president
this week, succeeding Nicola Madden-Greig following the end of her two-year
term.
Destang is “ready to lead [CHTA] into a new chapter,
focusing on people and technology [and] creating stronger linkages with other
sectors of the Caribbean economy,” said CHTA officials in a statement.
“Being CHTA’s first president born in the 1980s, I fully
understand the responsibility ahead of me,” said Destang. “My focus areas will
be people, technology and linkages to other sectors of our economies and
communities,” which is “aimed at attracting more members to [CHTA], bolstering
our collective voice and impact.”
Joining Destang is a newly elected slate of executive
officers, who along with CHTA regional vice presidents, committee chairs and
other committee members will work with Destang over the next two years.
The executive officers are Karen Whitt of the Turks & Caicos’ The Hartling Group; Craig
Marshall of Antigua & Barbuda’s Blue Diamond Resorts; Clifton Reader of Jamaica’s
Palace Resorts; Kendra Hopkin Stewart of Grenada’s Blue Horizons Garden Resort;
Bill Clegg of BW Hotels and Jim Hepple of Aruba’s Tourism Analytics.
Additional committee members will be announced shortly, said
CHTA.
Meanwhile, outgoing president Madden-Greig praised the Caribbean’s
resilience as it emerged as the fastest-recovering international tourism region the
aftermath of coronavirus-driven closures and travel restrictions.
Under her leadership, CHTA partnered with international
stakeholders to implement recovery measures and initiatives that included
Caribbean entry portals and Caribbean Public Health Agency initiatives.
“Nothing has given me more joy than having headed the
hard-working team that led the Caribbean to be the fastest recovering region in
the world,” said Madden-Greig, “coming out of a once-in-a-century pandemic.”
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