Extensive exposure for the region at Caribbean Week in New York

The Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) secured massive exposure for its member countries during Caribbean Week in New York this

month. Whether it was Good Day New York on Fox 5, or Fox & Friends on the Fox News Channel, WPIX morning news, or the world’s largest Spanish-language television network, Univision, whether it was print, broadcast or online, the Caribbean was all over the New York media during the 1-8 June event. And the PR value is immeasurable.For the first time ever, CTO member countries received extensive coverage on Fox & Friends. Over a million and a quarter people watched the Caribbean at its cultural, creative, culinary and energetic best on the popular cable channel morning show. The conservative estimated value of the coverage to CTO member countries is in the

JUNE 2013 ISSUE:

Today's Highlights:

- Caribbean Week in New York

-Rum & Rhythm  

-Monroe College Colloquium champs

-CTO recognises best travel media

-Online presence grows

- Toronto, here we come

-Redesigned OneCaribbean a hit

Caribbean meets Russia

-Meet Faye Gill

  CTO TV Caribbean Week in New York generated much media buzz, with extensive coverage on local

and national television. Below are links to some of this coverage by AOL, WPIX, Fox 5, Fox &

region US$200,000 with the public relations value of Caribbean Week coverage estimated to be well over US$1 million. There were several other “first” this year, including a level of star power that

hadn’t been seen in the past. The TV & film star Tamara Tunie (Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, As the World Turns, etc)  was an enthusiastic spokesman for Caribbean Week; the international supermodel Georgie joined appeared at the  Gospel Celebration and wore the creation of Caribbean fashion designers at Caribbean Fashion Tourism; and the celebrity wedding planner and TV personality Samantha Goldberg (Whose wedding is it anyway?) – and the former NBA player, Rick Fox, helped create a buzz at the Romance Pavilion and One Caribbean Vacation Mart.The Caribbean American Chamber of Commerce and Industry collaborated in producing a very useful Diaspora Forum, and, for the first time ever, the CTO took Caribbean Week to potentially millions of people via a Caribbean Week mobile app. There was also “live” streaming of the Students Colloquium, with over 450 people watching via the mobile app.“These news activities and events demonstrate that Caribbean Week in New York is dynamitic,” said the CTO chairman, Beverly Nicholson-Doty.There’s also evidence that Caribbean Week has become a quality international celebration of the Caribbean spirit with the premier Italian wine brand, VOGA, offering to  be a sponsor.

In addition the new events, there are some staples that add to the magic and attractiveness of Caribbean Week, including the lighting

of the Empire State Building in Caribbean colours, the ever popular Media Marketplace , the energetic Gospel Celebration and the Avalon Partners Invest Caribbean Now, organized by Hard Beat Communications, in conjunction with CTO.

Friends (FNC), Arise, and more.  Click below to view: WPIX coverage on AOL

 Click below for Fox & Friends' After the Show

"Best Caribbean Cocktails" on Fox & Friends  

View Tamara Tunie on WPIX

View beach workout on Fox & Friends

View Antigua's chef Shawnee Bragg on Good Day New York on Fox 5

From the Gospel Celebration in Brooklyn through to Rum & Rhythm, including the mixture of public events and high-level tourism and business sessions, Caribbean Week in New York accomplished its goal of getting the region extensive and invaluable media coverage, great public attention and exposure to the corporate world and government.You may view some of the television coverage on the right panel of this newsletter. For a sampling of the print coverage, see the "Other News" section in the lower right panel. For photographs, click here.

Rain can't stop the Rum & Rhythm (Reprinted from LocalBozo) http://www.localbozo.com/2013/06/rum-rhythm-benefit-heats-up-tribeca-360/)

How do you turn a rainy night in New York City into a gigantic celebration? Well, just add rum of course! Caribbean Week in New York

came to a spectacular conclusion on Friday evening at the sprawling venue that is Tribeca 360. LocalBozo.com was proud to be the sole media sponsor for an evening that took us on a culinary and cultural tour of the Caribbean without leaving the warm confines of our fair city. Enter the “Rum & Rhythm Benefit & Auction,” an evening of eats, drinks, music, and people celebrating all things Caribbean. From Barbados to the US Virgin Islands, no conch shell was left unturned. If you have never been to any of these breath taking destinations, Friday night’s festivities delivered a complimentary stamp on your passport through a variety of different represented countries. As if the evening alone didn’t leave you yearning for a trip to sunny paradise, perhaps you had better check yourself for a pulse.

View Tamara Tunie on Arise

View videos on Bahamas' Tourism Today

During the Caribbean Diaspora Forum at Caribbean Week in New York, the Caribbean

American Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CACCI) presented the CTO chairman, Beverly

Nicholson-Doty, and the secretary general, Hugh Riley, with CACCI’s Distinguished

Medals. The presentations were made by by Dr. Roy Hastick, the CACCI founder and president.

CTO reciprocated by presenting its Branded Cross pens to CACCI.

Shortly after 6:30pm we headed into the large event space with three hundred and sixty degree views of our picturesque city (always breathtaking even in spite of the rain) and after receiving a rum cocktail once exiting the elevator we realized it was time to kick back and celebrate. As we walked around the spacious venue and sipped our drinks, a calm rolled over, releasing us from the rigors of a long work week. From that point on it was time to soak up the culture and enjoy the wide array of culinary delights. Before digging into the massive evening of choice eats we checked out the silent auction items, which directly benefit the Caribbean Tourism Organization’s programs. From JetBlue Airline tickets to iPhone accessories, a bevy of items and experiences lined the tables, giving guests plenty to bid on. At this point our stomachs began to rumble and our first stop was to the Barbados tables, where Chef Creig Greenidge was carefully and beautifully preparing a local specialty. Once the prep was complete we were handed a stunning plate of grilled Barbadian spiced beef. Tastefully served over a coconut bay leaf rice and peas and doused in a spiced rum curry sauce, the dish was mouthwatering to look at and also provided a flavor profile which was simply off the charts. The perfectly cooked meat was slathered in a spicy rub that yielded delicious heat with each bite. With such complex flavors, more drinks were in order. Fortunately, the space was loaded with bars serving up a variety of rum cocktails and beers. On this particular trip to the bar we opted for bottles of Carib, a premium Caribbean lager. The bartender popped slices of lime into the ice cold bottles, handing them to us to be gulped down in short work. Carib is comparable to that of a Corona but with a sweeter edge.

 

"Quote, Unquote"“On behalf of Success Catering Inc and Ahkeel and Dehnique Steel Pan Performers I would like to say thanks for the opportunity to participate in

this year’s Caribbean Week.  It was truly a pleasure and a delight for us.  We anticipate participating in future events that positively

promote the Caribbean. If there is anything we can do for you in the future please reach out to

us.”Franz deFreitas

~HOT DATES~

Caribbean Week in Toronto26 & 27 June, 2013

State of the Industry Conference- Martinique15-18 October, 2013

Caribbean Month (UK) - September

Caribbean Tourism Month - November 2013

As the DJ spun local Caribbean favorites we floated through the venue with drinks in hand to each island themed station. The next stop was to the island of Grenada with Chef Willon Gibbs at the helm. Chef Gibbs brings over twenty five years of culinary experience to the event and his layout of delicious dishes boldly translated his experience to our palettes. Nutmeg rubbed chicken bites were our first tasting and were placed on skewers for easy consumption. Each bite showed off how nutmeg could be used for so much more than just desserts while the spicy rum shrimp and codfish salad with banana that truly showed off Chefs Gibbs’ expertise when it comes to taking seafood and translating it into a culinary work of art. After filling up on a few bites it was time to get down on some more rum. This time around we wanted to drink our rum as a dessert and our wish was instantly granted by the good people at El Dorado Rum Cream Liquor who were pouring their sweet drink into edible chocolate shot glasses. Each richly decadent sip made us return for repeat tastings. We could see we were not alone in imbibing these sweet alcohol confections when we spotted Law & Order: SVU star Tamara Tunie sipping on them with her friends nearby, enjoying the festivities of the evening.

Other News:

- Festivities ring with the sweet sound of success (NY Daily News)

- Caribbean Week in New York City

- McKie please with Caribbean Week in New York

Quick Links:-Latest Tourism Statistics

-Join CTO

About CTO...The Caribbean Tourism Organization's exists to

increase significantly the inclusion of the Caribbean region in the set of destinations being

considered by travellers. CTO's envisions the global recognition of the Caribbean as a growing

set of places and experiences that people feel compelled to enjoy in their lifetime. 

Our virtual airplane touched down moments later in Tinidad and Tobago for what was one of our favorite samplings of the evening. Their curry crab and dumpling soup was other levels exciting. The very friendly server poured heaping amounts of broth, dumplings and of course crabs in a bowl. Once we dipped our spoon in for the first tasting we knew we had arrived in flavor town. The savory yet spicy broth was loaded with hot pepper sauce, parsley, ginger, curry, thyme and coconut milk and pleasantly, these opposing flavors combined into a divine creation. The fluffy dumplings and crab sections soaked up all the broth, allowing them to explode with deliciousness. We continued this love of heat a few steps away at the island of Jamaica’s station. The popular nation was represented by New York City favorite Golden Krust serving up Jamaican jerk wings and an indigenous rice blend. Our outlet loves wings, but to cake them with Jerk sauce makes us rethink our devotion to the Buffalo variety. The hearty rice loaded with beans brilliantly complimented the wings since the sauce works well on a number of salty foods.

As the evening wore on, we paced ourselves despite delicious tastes of distinctive rums from the likes of Appleton Estate, Mount Gay, and Cruzan,

served both neat or with punches indicative to each country. The Benefit eventually turned into an all out dance party as the house DJ spun some Caribbean inspired anthems and island music to the delight of a room filled with energetic guests. Filled up from the delectable fare and truthfully, too many drinks to recall the day after, we headed back into the rainy streets of New York, reminiscing and today, yearning, for the few hours we so thoroughly enjoyed with our brief taste in the Caribbean.(Editor's Note! Rum & Rhythm is a benefit for the CTO Scholarship Foundation, which provides scholarships and grants to Caribbean nationals pursuing tourism related studies. The Foundation has awarded nearly 200 scholarships and grants to

READ MORE..  

 

the tune of around US$800,000 since its founding in 1997.

Monroe College repeat as Colloquium champs

Monroe College emerged winners of the CTO's Student Colloquium during Caribbean Week in New York, successfully defending the title they

won last year. The team of Ezra Bailey,  Norrell Joseph, Rhea-Ann Buckmire, Vanesa Ramirez led their school to victory over six other tertiary institutions from the Caribbean and the US. They presented on the topic, “Create a sustainable business concept specific to a community in the Caribbean an Adventure Tourism Niche.”The College of the Bahamas, represented by Adrianna Knowles, Kristie Russell, Tarran  Simms and Waylon McCardy  placed second, with the of Kevin White, Lauren Creary, Naomi Ramsay and Sanjay Buchanan of the Mona Campus of the University of the West Indies finishing third. They both were participating in this event for the first time. The other participating schools were the Turks and Caicos Islands Community College, the Trinidad & Tobago Hospitality and Tourism Institute; the University of Technology Jamaica and the University of the West Indies Centre for Hotel & Tourism Management in the Bahamas.The colloquium is a contest among the students who are challenged to present well-researched, practical and financially viable sustainable tourism projects. Dubbed “A Forum for Rising Stars in Caribbean Tourism,” it attracts students enrolled in tourism and hospitality programmes, as well as other university/college majors, who have a passion for the Caribbean and are desirous of making a contribution to the region’s development in a sustainable way.

Travel media recognised for excellent

coverage of the Caribbean

Sarah Greaves-Gabbadon emerged the big winner in the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO)’s Travel Media Awards at Caribbean Week in

New York. Sarah won the “Been There, Wrote That” award for Best Feature Article In A Consumer Magazine  as well as the Best of the Best award. Both of these awards were for her feature article on Trinidad & Tobago carnival entitled, “The Greatest Show On Earth: Starring You” in Caribbean Travel + Life.Eight awards were presented at a special luncheon co-sponsored by Trinidad & Tobago. Patti Nickell won the “I Couldn’t Have Written Better Myself” award for Best Feature In A Consumer Newspaper. Her feature article on Dominica entitled, “Beautifully Kept Secret” in the Lexington Herald-Leader, earned her the recognition.   The veteran travel writer Gay Nagle Myers, who has vast experience covering the Caribbean, the “Inner Circle Queen” award, the Best Feature Article In A Trade Publication for her story on St, Kitts & Nevis entitled, “Sweet Retreat on St. Kitts and Nevis” in Travel Weekly.

The “Virtual Visitor Award” for Best Online Feature went to Alexander Britell of Caribbean Journal for a piece about turtles in Nevis entitled, “Sea

Turtles – A Special Kind of Tourist at the Four Seasons Nevis,” Rickisha St. Louis of Grenada Broadcasting Network won the “No Anansi Story!” award for Best Feature By A Caribbean Journalist for an excellent feature on St. Eustatius entitled, “Eustatius: The Caribbean's Hidden Treasure” broadcast on the Caribbean Media Corporation’s Carib Vision , while The “Golden Mic” award for  Best Broadcast Feature went to

Art Fennell for his feature entitled, “Art Fennell Visits Martinique” on Art Fennell Reports on NBC/Comcast. The “From Infinity…And Abroad” award for Best International-based Feature in a U.S. Medium was won by Katsuyoshi Tanaka for his story entitled, “Martinique: Diverse Culture in the French Caribbean” in Phoenix International.

Caribbean Week online presence grows 

The Caribbean Week online community experienced  impressive growth during Caribbean Week in New York, with nearly two million Twitter impressions, while the Twitter reach was some one-and-three-quarter million targeted users.  There were over 400 Re-tweets and 2000+ Caribbean Week mentions by third parties.The Facebook community included nearly 1500 active members, while the top Facebook posts average reach was over 2000. The most shared Facebook post, 'I love Caribbean Week,' was received nearly 100 shares and was viewed by 17,656 people.Meanwhile, Caribbean Week brand influence rank increased by a score of 10 to record a Klout Score of 53. Sentiment analysis continues to show only positive and neutral opinions towards Caribbean Week online, with no negative opinions.

Here we come, TorontoThe Caribbean will get the undivided attention of the trade and media in the Greater Toronto Area this week as the CTO takes Caribbean Week to Canada’s

largest city. A programme of activities has been planned to bring CTO member countries in direct

contact with top travel agents and leading Canadian media.A main attraction is the Travel Industry Luncheon at which persons with an interest in Caribbean tourism get to meet and interact with representatives of the national tourist offices, travel industry partners and friends of the Caribbean, in a Business to Business Networking Forum. The premier of the Turks and Caicos Islands, Dr. Rufus Ewing and Hugh Riley, the CTO’s secretary general and CEO, will make special presentation at this luncheon.  This event takes place on Wednesday 26 June.

Participating destinations and suppliers will have access to some of the area’s most professional and top producing travel agents during the Travel Agents Educational Programme which includes a trade show and round table presentations. This event, which takes place from 5:30 P.M. on Thursday 27 June, brings participants face to face with 100 of the GTA’s top selling travel agents.  At this event, Jacqueline Johnson, CEO of www.MarryCaribbean.comand an expert on the weddings and honeymoons market, will share insights into how travel professionals can increase their Caribbean business by tapping into this lucrative niche. NTOs will also have the opportunity to make presentations to, and interact with, the travel professionals to share with them new and exciting information of interest to the agents’ clients.Media Marketplace is yet another avenue for CTO members to get their messages out to Canadians. Journalists, travel writers, bloggers, photographers, radio and TV producers and hosts have been invited to this event.  Caribbean tourism representatives and suppliers to the Caribbean tourism industry will get to share valuable product and destination information with these media practitioners at this event. Media Marketplace precedes the CTO Travel Media Awards luncheon on Thursday 27 June.In addition to these trade and media events, the CTO’s communications specialist, Johnson JohnRose will conduct a workshop for NTO representatives. The workshop, “Preparing and

Delivering Your Message Like A Pro,” will be held from 9:00 A.M. to noon on Wednesday 26 June.All events will be held at The Boulevard Club, 1491 Lake Shore Boulevard West, Toronto.  

Redesign of OneCaribbean generates excitement

If you’ve visited the CTO corporate website atwww.onecaribbean.org since May 31, 2013, you’ll notice a completely revamped, clean, modern design. CTO’s intranet administrator, Sharon Coward, led the redevelopment of the site; a process that started in January this year.Working with two Barbados based interns and the CTO’s hosting company, Partnerpedia in Canada, the team worked to have the new site up and running for Caribbean Week. The first stage completed, the site has seen significant increases in the number of visitors, the length of time those visitors are spending on the site and the number of page views.On average, the former designed site saw approximately 5,000 visits per month (1,250 per

week).  In the two weeks since the new design went live, the site has attracted over 4,500 visits – more than double the normal figure.“We’re very happy with what the metrics are showing so far. We’re up across all the major categories – usually visitors would spend about two and a quarter minutes on the site. That’s up to almost 4 mins now. Pageviews are up from 6,000 weekly to almost 10,000.” Ms. Coward commented.There is more functionality to be built into the design over the next few months: a new job board and a personalized statistics database for example.

The Caribbean meets Russia

The CTO and seven of its members have returned from Moscow and St. Petersburg, where Caribbean roadshows were held to update the Russian market on what the

Caribbean has to offer and, in turn, increase Caribbean holiday bookings from Russia.The first roadshow, held in the popular National Hotel, situated in the heart of Moscow, was well attended by nearly 100 key tourism professionals from the Russian market. These included the Russian media, tour operators and travel agents.  The Caribbean exhibitors, which included three national tourist offices, two airlines and two hotel partners, were overwhelmed with interest in their destinations and products.The second roadshow was held in St. Petersburg.  This event was held at the centrally located Astoria Hotel and received over 50 attendees.The CTO members who participated in both shows were national tourist office, the Bahamas Tourist Office, Jamaica Tourist Board and Puerto Rico Tourist Office; hotel representatives ,   Advantage Management Group, which represents the Grand Lucayan Resort in the Bahamas and the Nassau Paradise Island Promotion Board, and Barcelo Hotels & Resorts; and Air France and Virgin Atlantic from the airline sector.

A prize draw was held at the end of each event, with prizes kindly contributed by the attending partners.  For the Moscow event, the grand prize was a holiday to the Caribbean, courtesy of Virgin Atlantic and Sunset Resorts, Jamaica.  In St. Petersburg, the grand prize was courtesy of Air France, and included a pair of flight tickets to Cuba.Both exhibitors and attendees interacted and networked throughout these events and many new business partnerships were formed.

Meet Faye GillFaye Gill joined the CTO family on 1 May as the director of membership services. She spoke to CTO intern, Ginelle Bell, about her vision.

The Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) has taken yet another step towards enhancing its work and contribution to the Caribbean’s regional tourism community primarily through its membership services.  In May 2013, the region’s tourism development agency graciously welcomed Ms. Faye Gill as its director of membership services.  With over ten years of prolific regional and international experience in areas such as

marketing and tele-communications, Ms. Gill brings a mature wealth of skills and knowledge from her close involvement with the private and public sectors.Ms. Gill holds a Bachelor’s of Science degree in communications from the University of the West Indies, Mona, and a Master’s degree in marketing from Bournemouth University, London.  Most of her professional time was spent in senior level marketing and accounting management positions. She successfully weaved her way through many diverse job arenas including journalism, accounting, consultancy, product development and public relations. She has operated throughout several countries such as Belize, Grenada, Trinidad and Tobago, Suriname, Haiti and the Pacific.Her position puts her on the forefront of maintaining relations between the CTO offices and its members. As a liaison and a catalyst for strong working relations, she seeks to remove all communication barriers in order to strengthen the connection between organization and its members. Aligning the needs of both the public sector and allied members is one of the principal tasks she performs.ObjectivesShort-term: “Establishing what members want at present is paramount”, she says. The need to match these expectations with those of the principal organization is also significant. Much attention will be placed on identifying the important needs which the members want the organization to meet. Her immediate aim is to ensure that each member is aware of the vision and mission of the organization and that this concept is consistently reinforced through face to face discussions.Long term: Ms. Gill expressed her strong desire to create a seamless link between CTO’s primary objectives and the needs of the member states. She is working towards assisting the CTO increase member satisfaction by delivering consistent value to its members and by achieving the expectations of responsibilities that the members have of the organization. Her ultimate goal is to achieve a substantial growth in the organization’s membership portfolio over the upcoming years.Ms. Gill foresees a greater involvement of

members in the organization’s annual workplan formulation.  The publication of biannual updates on the work of the CTO is also one of her visions. This, she believes, will add credibility to the work of the organization; thus, reassuring members that the organization is seeking out their best interest.What she does outside of her work?Travelling is her heartbeat. She loves it because it gives her a greater appreciation for home. Most of her spare time is spent browsing the internet, “liming” and reading documentaries, mainly on travel, culture and different environments.

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              Johnson JohnRose  |  Communications Specialist   |  Caribbean Tourism OrganizationGround Floor  |  Baobab Tower  |  Warrens   l  St. Michael  BB22026  |  BARBADOSTel:  (246) 427-5242 Ext 2229  |  Fax: (246) 429-3065  |  Skype: jjohnrose.ctoWebsites: www.OneCaribbean.org  |  www.CaribbeanTravel.comFacebook: www.facebook.com/CaribbeanTourismOrganization Twitter: www.twitter.com/CtoTourism  Leading Sustainable Tourism – One Sea, One Voice, One Caribbean!

 

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