Former Giant to motivate tourism rising stars during debate on Sustainability

The tourism industry’s rising stars will seek to prove that they can make a valuable contribution to tourism’s sustainability and development through creative programmes.
Six teams of Caribbean students from five participating Caribbean and United States universities square off in a Student Colloquium at which they challenge each other on tourism sustainability issues in a free-style presentation format.
For the second straight year, a youth component targeting the “Rising Stars in the Tourism Industry” has been included in the programme for Caribbean Week in New York. The colloquium aims to attract students enrolled in tourism and hospitality programmes, as well as other university/college majors who have a passion for the region and are desirous of making a contribution to its development in a sustainable way.
“We are organizing the Colloquium focused on sustainable tourism development that will seek to promote the exchange of ideas and knowledge among students,” said Sylma Brown, the CTO’s New York-based director of marketing for the Americas who oversees the Caribbean Week programme.
The event is being organized by CTO interns who were enrolled at Universities in the Caribbean and the United States to catalyze creativity through competitiveness and scholastic research; inform decision makers about practical projects that can be implemented in the Caribbean that will assist in spurring economic activity; enhance in-class learning among students by heightening awareness of and sensitivity to the sustainable efforts of the Caribbean region; and provide a platform for promoting the Caribbean as the premier warm weather travel destination.
Setting the stage for the contest is the former National Football League (NFL) running back with the New York Giants, Billy Taylor. The former running back, who led the Giants in rushing two of the four years he spent with them, has over 20 years experience as a corporate trainer and motivational speaker. He has created a series of diverse programmes for destinations, corporations, and hotels specializing in the training of procedures, customer service, and facilitating presentations domestically and internationally, resulting in a significant reduction of company lawsuits, increasing positive customer reviews and increasing sales.
Taylor’s favorite subject to train is “The Positive Approach to Managing People”, which aims to get employees to reach a higher level of performance through establishing working relationships with every employee making them feel a part of the team.
The Colloquium takes place on Tuesday 5 June, 2012 from 2:30pm-5:00pm at the Marriott Marquis in Time Square, New York. The participating teams are last year’s winners, the University of New Haven; and Monroe College-Bronx Campus from the United States, as well as the Trinidad & Tobago Hospitality and Tourism Institute; the University of Technology in Jamaica, which is fielding two teams, and the Turks & Caicos Islands Community College.
Caribbean Week in New York is supported by: Aimbridge Hospitality – Jewel Resorts, American Airlines, Anguilla, the Bahamas, Barbados, Brides magazine, British Virgin Islands, Bermuda, Carib Beer, Caribbean Airlines, Caribbean American Chamber of Commerce, Caribbean Tales, Cayman Islands, Chef Shorne, Cititech Solutions, Clergy Authors Network & Radio Ministry Works, Corporate Courier inc, Curacao, David Williams Funeral Home, Delta Vacations, Denizen Rum, Discover Dominica Authority, El Dorado Rum, Elite Island Resorts, Empire State Building, Face of Fashion, Fine Fare Supermarket (233rd Street, Bronx), The Flamboyant Hotel & Villas, Global Bridal Weddings, Garvey Lundy Laundry, Golden Krust, Grace Foods, Grand Lucaya Bahamas, Grenada Board of Tourism, Guyana Tourism Authority, Haiti, Hard Beat Communications, Hilton Ponce Golf & Casino Resort, Invest Barbados, Jamaica, Jet Blue, Jewels Dunns River Resort & Spa, Kalinago Beach Resort, Kantours the Destination Specialists, La Source, Laura Davidson PR, Marry Caribbean, Martinique Promotion Bureau, Ministry of Rum, Montserrat, Moxons Beach Club, The New York Times, One Caribbean Television, Opusseven, Puerto Rico Tourism Company, The Rosalie Bay Resort, St. Kitts Marriott & Royal Beach Casino, Saint Lucia, St. Maarten Promotional Bureau, St. Martin Chamber of Commerce, Tobago House of Assembly, Trinidad & Tobago, Turks & Caicos Islands, the United States Virgin Islands, The Wall Street Journal, and World Travel Market, World Travel Market Latin America.

The Caribbean Tourism Organization
The Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO), with headquarters in Barbados and marketing operations in New York, London and Toronto, is the Caribbean’s tourism development agency and comprises membership of over 30 member governments and a myriad of private sector entities.
The CTO’s mission is to provide to and through its members, the services and information needed for the development of sustainable tourism for the economic and social benefit of the Caribbean people. The organization provides specialized support and technical assistance to member countries in the areas of marketing, human resource development, research and statistics, information technology and sustainable tourism development. The CTO disseminates information on behalf of its member governments to consumers and the travel trade.