Can tourism and hospitality businesses in the Caribbean survive the global economic downturn?

This is a roundtable discussion comprised of members of the tourism and hospitality industry in the Caribbean.  It seeks to discuss not only the state of Caribbean tourism within the current economic climate but to go beyond this to discuss creative strategies and ways of thinking that have been/might be used by Caribbean business managers and leaders to survive during the current global recession.  Issues to be discussed here include, but are not limited to, different approaches to marketing, financial management, human resource management, environmental management and collaborative arrangements. 

INDUSTRY PANELLIST

THE HONOURABLE GLEN BEACHE
Minister of Tourism
St. Vincent & The Grenadines

The Honourable Glen Beache is the Minister of Tourism in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, a position he has held since 2005.  Prior to this, he was the Senator and Junior Minister of the Ministry of Transport, Works and Housing from 2003 to 2005.  From 2002 to 2003, he was the Marketing Manager of the Ministry of Tourism.  Glen also worked as a Junior Political Consultant for the KMT political party of Taiwan in the 2000 elections, and as a Junior Political Consultant with the Al Gore Presidential Campaign.  In 1998, he worked with Lazlo and Associates in Washington, DC.

Glen possesses excellent communication skills, and has great presence.  He is honest, loyal, and is an excellent team player, who remains focused on his objectives. As a former national athlete, he was able to draw on his expertise and discipline to provide effective leadership as Minister of Youth and Sports when it was part of the portfolio of the Ministry of Tourism.

As the Minister of Tourism, Glen has played the leading role in the establishment of the Tourism Authority, a significant initiative that has enhanced the role of Tourism as a critical sector of the country’s economy.

Glen holds a Degree in Public Relations, with a minor in Marketing from Humber College and York University.  He also holds a Degree in Political Science, with a minor in Mass Communications from Carleton University in Ottawa.  He obtained his Masters in Public Policy and Administration, specializing in Health and Educational Policy from the University of London.  He also holds a Certificate in Mandarin from the University of Taipei.

MRS. SANDRA C. HUSBANDS-NURUBAKARI
HR Consultant

Mrs. Sandra Husbands-Nurubakari is a Human Resources Development Consultant with a blend of experience in the business community that makes her services an invaluable asset to her clients. With experience spanning six fields of business endeavour, namely Broadcasting, Sales, Market Research, Tourism, Public Relations and Total Quality Management, she brings to human development the background experience which makes training relevant. It also empowers her to understand the critical needs of the sector and develop approaches that meet diverse requirements.

Over the past decade she has devised training material that has impacted greatly on the work attitudes and work effectiveness of all staff layers in an organisation. This life changing material is designed around the complexity of the Caribbean person and addresses the underlying psycho-cultural issues that impact on productivity and efficiency within organisations. The response of participants has been gratifying. The result has been that she has built a large clientele both here and in the region servicing all sectors – private and public.

Sandra holds a degree in Sociology and Law and a Masters in International Trade Policy as well as in Business Process Management. She has pursued further training in Advanced Leadership in Singapore, Facilitation Training in the U.S.A., Training of Trainers, Technology of Participation for Adult Learners, Techniques for Enhancing Adult Learning, Total Quality Management, Public Relations, and the Hermann Model on Brain Theory.

Sandra held the position of President of the Executive Council of the Barbados Small Business Association, currently vice president of SBA (BSBA), Chairman of SBA Enterprises Inc, (SBAEI); President of the Caribbean Association of the Small and Medium Enterprises (CASME); First Vice President of the National Organisation of Women; former Chairman of National Council of Substance Abuse;

Mrs. Husbands-Nurubakari was appointed to the Senate of Barbados in June 2003, and was appointed as a Board member of FIPA (Inter-Parliamentary Forum of the Americas). As a Human Resource consultant by profession and as the President of the Barbados Small Business Association (BSBA), Ms. Husbands is keenly aware of the impact of HIV/AIDS on the productive sectors and the capabilities of the Caribbean labour force to make a valuable contribution to the economy. She is also attentive to the discrimination experienced by this group, which ultimately results in poverty due to lack of employment prospects. She works extensively in the community coordinating community programmes to promote community tourism, to help small businesses, and to implement development programmes for the youth and women.

MR. ANSELM DOPSON RICHARDS
Coordinator of Operations, Citizen Security Programme, Tobago

Mr. Richards worked as a Library Assistant in the government library services in Tobago from 1987-1990. In 1990, he enlisted in the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service and graduated at the top of his batch in 1991. During his tour of duty as police officer, Mr. Richards worked in a number of the elite units of the Police Service. His last assignment covered the period 1993-2000 and was with the Organized Crime and Narcotics Units. During this posting, Mr. Richards benefitted from a number of international high-profile training programmes from organizations such as the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Canadian Royal Mounted Police.

Between 1993 and 2000, Mr. Richards read for two degrees from the University of the West Indies. In 1997, he completed the Bachelor of Science (BSc) in Economics and in 2000, he graduated with the Master of Science (MSc) in Economics. He was the first student of the university to specialize in the “economics of crime”.

In 2000, Mr. Richards was granted special leave from the Police Service to join the Policy Research and Development Institute (PRDI) of the Tobago House of Assembly as a socio-economic analyst. By 2002, he had risen to the position of Coordinator of the PRDI. In this position, he functioned as chief policy advisor to the Chief Secretary and the Executive Council of Tobago House of Assembly. He also functioned as security advisor to the Chief Secretary and the link between the THA and the Police Service.

Mr. Richards did a number of research papers on the issues of crime and tourism development, the economics of marijuana production, distribution and consumption in Trinidad and Tobago, and tourism development and transnational crime in the Caribbean experience, which were presented at local, regional, and international conferences.

In addition, he has written the following documents:

• Proposal informing the establishment of the “Police Bicycle Unit” in Tobago;
• The Tobago Security Policy Document, 1999;
• The Security Policy for the Tobago Tourism Rolling Plan;
• The Regional Security Action Plan for the Caribbean; and
• The Action Plan for the National Anti-drug plan.
• An Integrated Framework for Sustainable Crime Management and Control in Trinidad and Tobago.

Relatedly, Mr. Richards was one of the chief architects of the public safety strategies for Vision 2020, in his capacity as a member of the sub-committee for public safety and national security. Further, he was the chairman of the committee appointed by the Chief Secretary of the Tobago House of Assembly to develop the “Tobago Community Safety Programme”.

On December 1st, 2007, Mr. Richards resigned from PRDI and joined the Citizen Security Programme as Coordinator of operations in Tobago. In this capacity, he almost single-handedly developed and implemented the Programme in Tobago to the level where it is now – poised for effective and efficient delivery of services to our partner communities.

MR. RALPH WENDAL TAYLOR
President & CEO, Almond Resort Inc.

Mr. Ralph Taylor is responsible for introducing the all-inclusive concept to Barbados in 1991. Since then, he has spearheaded the successful expansion of Almond’s product, from one hotel to five hotels with over 1,600 rooms in both Barbados and St. Lucia.

Mr. Taylor began his hospitality career in the area of accounting and finance. Educated in Barbados and England, Mr. Taylor earned an MBA from Bradford University. He is a member of the Hotel Catering Institute Management Association, and holds the designation of Certified Hotel Administrator from the American Hotel and Motel School.

In 2003, Mr. Taylor was recognized as the “Caribbean Tourism Media Personality of the Year” by the Caribbean Media Exchange on Sustainable Tourism and in 2006 he was awarded the inaugural Barbados Minister of Tourism's Lifetime Achievement Award.

Mr. Taylor is currently the Chairman of the Barbados Tourism Authority and a past President of the Caribbean Hotel Association. He has served on several local boards including Chairman of the Tourism Development Corporation, President of the Barbados Hotel Association and Chairman of the Advisory Council of the Minister of Tourism.
Ralph Taylor is a former cricketer and an avid golfer.

MS. NICOLE ALLEYNE
Programme Coordinator
Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA)

Ms. Nicole Alleyne is the Programme Coordinator for the Austrian Development Agency (ADA) financed “Mainstreaming Climate Change into Disaster Risk Management for the Caribbean Region project which is executed by CDEMA.

She was awarded an Organization of American States Scholarship in August 2003 and further to completing her Masters in Geographic Information Science for Development and Environment at Clark University where she focused on flood risk management, she joined CDEMA in 2006.

Ms. Alleyne has since facilitated the technical development of disaster mitigation projects for the region and has delivered several presentations at international and regional forums on behalf of CDEMA, related to risk management, climate change and regional disaster response.

For the last two years Ms. Alleyne has worked with regional and national partners on the IDB- financed Disaster Risk Management for Sustainable Tourism in the Caribbean project which developed a Tourism Disaster Risk Management Strategy and Plan of Action and Standards for Conducting Hazard Mapping, Vulnerability Assessment and Economic Valuation for Risk Assessment for the Caribbean tourism sector.

In 2008, she prepared and presented a Technical paper at the Third CDM Conference, on South to South Cooperation for a Resilient Tourism Sector: A Regional Disaster Management Framework, the outputs of which are being utilized to set the priorities for disaster management in the tourism sector.

MS. NATALLIE ROCHESTER-KING
Services Analyst
Caribbean Regional Negotiating Machinery (CRNM, Barbados)

Ms. Natallie Rochester-King has been the Services Analyst in the Barbados office Caribbean Regional Negotiating Machinery (CRNM) since mid-2005.

At the CRNM, Ms. Rochester-King actively consults with regional officials, the private sector and other stakeholders, conducts research on services trade and investment issues, and makes recommendations on Caribbean engagement in trade negotiations. These include the World Trade Organization (WTO), the recently concluded CARIFORUM-EC Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) and the upcoming CARICOM-Canada negotiations. Ms. Rochester-King has been appointed as CARICOM Alternate Negotiator for Trade in Services on the College of Negotiators for the CARICOM-Canada Trade and Development Agreement.

Prior to joining the CRNM she was employed at the Commonwealth Secretariat’s Economic Affairs Division as a Programme Officer where she conducted trade policy research and delivered technical assistance to Members, especially from the Africa, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Group, to increase their strategic participation in the WTO and EPA negotiations.

Ms. Rochester participated in the CRNM Professional Trainees Programme, during which she was posted to the Organisation of American States (OAS) Trade Unit, the CRNM Jamaica Office and the WTO Trade Policy Review Division. During the Trainees Programme she gained experience in assessing national compliance with multilateral trade obligations as well as in identifying the needs of small economies, particularly in the context of the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) negotiations.

Ms. Rochester-King has focused her efforts on trade policy research and analysis of developing country issues; the articulation of these issues in international trade negotiations; implementation of trade commitments, and; the design and execution of trade capacity building initiatives. She also leads training sessions and workshops, and provides academic advice to trade policy students, in order to increase public awareness of trade policy issues across the Caribbean.

She is a graduate of George Mason University with a Masters of Arts in International Trade Policy, preceded by completion of a double major at Barry University: a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations and a Bachelor of Science in International Business.

MS. HAZEL HIGHLAND

Hazel was a former CEO of a regional financial institution (CFSC) based in Barbados which acted as a catalyst for private sector development providing loan and equity financing to small and medium sized businesses in Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean. CFSC quickly established itself as a boutique lender to the tourism sector transforming many of these islands from agrarian to tourism based economies. Most of these hotels were start ups with many first time entrepreneurs. After 22 years with this organization she joined Consolidated Finance in October, 2007 and is responsible for Commercial Lending in the Merchant Bank Division. Her wealth of experience and established contacts with the business  communities in Barbados and the wider Caribbean region makes her eminently qualified to be part of this tourism panel to discuss matters pertaining to the financing and growth of this sector.

Hazel is a graduate of the University of the West Indies (Cave Hill Campus) and Long Island University where she gained her MBA in Finance and Accounting.

MICHAEL A. PHILLIPS, PG Dip., MBA

Mr. Phillips is the General Manager of the Crane Residential Resort and holds a Post Graduate Diploma and a Masters Degree in Business Administration from the Graduate School of Business, the Edinburgh Business School, Heriot-Watt University in Scotland.  He is an organisational development, marketing and strategic planning specialist with demonstrated accomplishments in research, decision enhancement and organisational renewal.   Mr. Phillips’ association with hotels stretches over two decades having filled various managerial roles at the former Heywoods, a Wyndham Resort and having worked subsequently as a consultant with many of Barbados’ leading hotels.   As Senior Sales and Marketing Manager with the Wyndham chain of hotels, he won Sales Manager of the Year Award - Resorts Division from 1990-1993 inclusive.