[Fwd: CARIBBEAN: QTC to Participate in Safety Think Tank]

Mabel Sanabria wrote:
>
> Press Release
> FOR IMMEDIATE DISTRIBUTION
>
> CONTACT :
> Mabel Sanabria
> E-mail: msanabria@caribbeanhotels.org
> Telephone: 787-725-9139
>
> QTC To Participate in Regional Safety and Security Think Tank in
> Trinidad
>
> Guided by a vision of the Caribbean as the safest, happiest and
> healthiest of comparable destinations in the world, the Quality
> Tourism for the Caribbean (QTC) Project will participate in a
> Think Tank to be held at the Cascadia Hotel in Port of Spain, May
> 3rd and 4th. The initiative, sponsored by American Express and
> ANSAMcal Chemicals Trinidad, is the first in it's kind, and will
> bring together experts and leaders to identify the steps that
> should be taken to reduce the frequency of safety and security
> incidents in the Caribbean region.
>
> "Crimes occurring at tourist destinations, acts of terrorism,
> outbreaks of serious infectious diseases, the spread of
> water-borne diseases, natural disasters, and man-made hazards
> could adversely affect the well being of the tourism industry
> throughout our region and the world", stated CHA Executive
> Director, John Bell, in a letter of invitation to regional
> industry leaders, calling them to participate in the Think Tank
> to address these regional issues. The outcome of this Think
> Tank is the identification of important questions regarding the
> near and long-term impact of Safety & Security issues upon the
> industry. By identifying these questions, the Caribbean
> Epidemiology Center (CAREC), the Caribbean Hotel Association
> (CHA) and the International Hotel and Restaurant Association
> (IH&RA) together with hospitality businesses, governments and
> other bodies, will work towards seeking the answers.
> Potential solutions that can guide the actions of all members of
> the hospitality industry will also be developed during the
> two-day event.
>
> The workshop is an initial exercise that will be fine-tuned in
> June, at CHA's annual Caribbean Hospitality Industry Conference
> (CHIC). Regional industry leaders who have confirmed their
> participation in this first part of the process include hoteliers
> as well as Executive Directors of National Hotel Associations
> from Barbados, St. Lucia, Tobago and Curacao. Representatives
> from other prestigious regional organizations include the Pan
> American Health Organization (PAHO), The Caribbean
> Disaster Emergency Response Agency (CDERA), The Barbados'
> Association of Caribbean Commissioners of Police (ACCP), and
> security businesses such as Regional Security Systems. The
> recommended actions from the Think-Tank will be included in a
> report which will be widely circulated, and presented at CHA's
> annual Caribbean Hotel Industry Conference (CHIC)
> in Puerto Rico (June 10-13).
>
> Yvonne Roberts-White, the Project Manager, reported that QTC's
> participation in this meeting was "vital given the QTC Project's
> mandate to establish practical Health and Safety Standards for
> the Caribbean hotel industry, for the improvement of product
> quality in the industry". The QTC Project is a joint partnership
> between the Caribbean Alliance for Sustainable Tourism (CAST) the
> Caribbean Hotel Association's environmental arm, and the
> Caribbean Epidemiology Center (CAREC).
>
Received on Wed May 2 16:18:23 2001