CTO gets new chairman
Phillip Pierre, minister of commerce, tourism, investment and consumer affairs for St. Lucia, was named the new chairman of the Caribbean Tourism Organization for term of two years. Pierre succeeds Pamela Richards, former CTO chairman and current commissioner of tourism for the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Pierre’s appointment was announced at the opening ceremony of the 29th annual Caribbean Tourism Conference taking place at the Westin and Sheraton Grand Bahama Island Our Lucaya Resorts on Oct. 22 by outgoing chairman Richards. In his keynote address at the opening ceremony, Bahamian Prime Minister Perry Christie exhorted CTO delegates to “come together and speak with one voice” to resolve the passport initiative set to take effect Jan. 8 whereby all those entering or returning to the U.S. by air will be required to present a valid passport. “We must persuade the Dept. of Homeland Security to extend the deadline for passports to June 2009, the same date as for cruise passengers. We must persuade the U.S. to delay implementation for air travel until that date to level the playing field,” Christie said.
He admitted that although “it is late in the game, we must make contingency plans. It is not too late to encourage more U.S. citizens to get passports now and to lobby for the U.S. to waive expediting fees so that U.S. citizens can obtain passports in days rather than weeks.”
Chitra Mogul
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
Turkish tourism stalls due to soaring prices for accommodation and food
CCS Insight: eSIMs ready to take the travel world by storm
Germany new European Entry/Exit System limited to a single airport on October 12, 2025
Airlines suspend Madagascar services following unrest and army revolt
Qatar Airways offers flexible payment options for European travellers