[Fwd: CAST Release: New Direction, Leadership for Caribbean Alliance for Sustainable Tourism]

Date: 23 Apr 2003 15:16:51 -0000
From: lortiz@caribbeanhotels.org
To: tourism-newswire@sidsnet.org

For Immediate Release
Photo of Deirdre Shurland available at
www.caribbeanhotels.org/images/Dshurland_CAST.jpg

Contact: Lorraine Ortiz-Valcárcel
T 787-725-9139 / E: lortiz@caribbeanhotels.org
new DIRECTION, leadership for CARIBBEAN ALLIANCE FOR SUSTAINABLE TOURISM

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (April 22, 2003) -- Royston O. Hopkin CMG,
Chairman of the Caribbean Alliance for Sustainable Tourism (CAST), has
announced the approval of a new strategic direction for the
organization. The CAST Business Plan 2003-2007, approved by the members
of the CAST Governing Council during the Council's 6th Annual Meeting,
held recently in Grenada, outlines a new approach to the issue of
sustainable tourism in the Caribbean. "We are not seeking to reinvent
the wheel," said CAST Chairman Royston Hopkin CMG, making reference to
the host of successful programs and initiatives that CAST has driven in
the region since its foundation in 1997, such as Green Globe 21 and Blue
Flag Caribbean, among many. "However, we felt it was important to
re-energize CAST's work with Caribbean hotels and tourism
establishments." The resulting plan calls for the creation of positive
impact through the implementation of an environmental improvement and
recognition system based on
 existing environmental programs that are already operational in the
industry.

It is expected that the new initiatives will be launched at the
Caribbean Hotel Industry Conference (CHIC) 2003 to be held June 22-25,
2003, in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic.

New Leadership:
The Governing Council also confirmed the appointment of Ms. Deirdre
Shurland as CAST Director, and Ms. Kelly Robinson as Vice Chairman of
the CAST Governing Council. Both positions remained vacant as the
Governing Council completed the reengineering process of the
organization over the past six months. "The Governing Council is
thrilled with the appointment of Deirdre and Kelly. They are true
professionals that have proven their commitment to the cause of
sustainable tourism in the region. They will be the driving engines in
this new phase of CAST's growth," concluded CAST Chairman Royston Hopkin
CMG.

Deirdre Shurland joined the CAST family in 2002 as Senior Environmental
Specialist, involved in the restructuring of the organization and its
management systems and in redesigning its tourism and environmental
management services. A national of Trinidad & Tobago, Deirdre has more
than thirteen years of experience in environmental management issues.
She has completed over 40 assignments in environmental audits,
assessment and management systems in the Caribbean region in the areas
of hotel/tourism and infrastructure development, parks and land use
planning, institutional development and the industrial/manufacturing
sectors. Ms. Shurland has a degree from the University of the West
Indies (Jamaica) in geology, with a master's degree in oceanography and
a Graduate Diploma in Marine Affairs from Dalhousie University in
Canada. She is an American Society for Quality (ASQ) Certified Quality
Manager.

Meanwhile, Kelly Robinson is well known in the Caribbean hospitality
industry as CAST's first executive director. In this capacity, she was
responsible for CAST's early success, having overseen all aspects of its
development and operations from 1997 until 2000, including strategic
planning, fundraising, program development, and project management for
the organization. Today, she is the Corporate Director of Environmental
& Social Affairs of Grupo Punta Cana, in the Dominican Republic.

The 6th Annual Meeting of the CAST Governing Council brought together
members from a range of prestigious organizations committed to social
and environmental responsibility in the Caribbean, such as American
Express, Texaco/Chevron, PA Consulting, Pan American Health Organization
(PAHO), the Caribbean Hotel Association (CHA), and the Caribbean Tourism
Organization (CTO).

****************************************************************
List Name: SIDSnet tourism-newswire
Posting address: tourism-newswire@sidsnet.org
To unsubscribe, email to majordomo@sidsnet.org with the message:
unsubscribe tourism-newswire
To subscribe, email to majordomo@sidsnet.org with the message:
subscribe tourism-newswire
No subjects required for either cases.

Brought to you by
the Small Island Developing States Network: http://www.sidsnet.org
Received on Wed Apr 23 12:49:38 2003