American Media Star Tamara Tunie Partners with CTO for Caribbean Week in New York

Leading television and film star Tamara Tunie has partnered with the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) as the celebrity spokesperson for the CTO's 40th celebration of Caribbean Week in New York.

Perhaps best known as "Medical Examiner, Melinda Warner" on NBC's long-running top-rated series, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, and more recently in Paramount's Oscar nominated, Flight, with co-star Denzel Washington, Ms. Tunie will engage the media in America's most populous city as the official spokesperson for the June 1 - 8, 2013 event.

"I am thrilled to work with the Caribbean Tourism Organization taking the Caribbean's wonderful message across New York during this exciting week of celebration of the region's vibrancy and diversity," said Ms. Tunie.

Her partnership was secured through the efforts of Marie Walker, the chief executive officer and president of the CTO New York affiliate, Turnstyle Marketing, working with the head of the CTO New York office, Sylma Brown.

Ms. Tunie recently guest starred on The Good Wife and Fall to Rise, produced by Spirit Award nominee, Gil Holland.  Her other memorable television roles include the longstanding character Jessica Griffin on the CBS Daytime Drama, As The World Turns, for which she received two NAACP Image Award nominations and two Soap Opera Digest award nominations. She also appeared in the highly visible role of the villainous Alberta Green in first season of the hit series, 24, as well as guest appearances on Law and Order, Sex and the City, and NYPD Blue.

In film, she has worked with some of the most respected directors of the screen, including Taylor Hackford, Brian De Palma, Mimi Leder, Harold Becker and Oliver Stone.  Ms. Tunie also appeared alongside the legendary Al Pacino as the possessed wife of a partner in his law firm in the hit film The Devil's Advocate, and as his press secretary in City Hall.  She also worked with famed director Kasi Lemmons and Samuel L. Jackson on both Eve's Bayou and The Caveman's Valentine, for which she was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award.

Among the rousing activities on the Caribbean Week in New York calendar is the OneCaribbean Vacation Mart and Romance Pavilion/Bonanza Sale where specially priced Caribbean holidays will be available along with an ideal Bahamian getaway at the Caribbean Romance Pavilion which will be part of the Vacation Mart.

The OneCaribbean Vacation Mart takes place on Wednesday, June 5 from 5 - 10 pm at the New Yorker Hotel on 8th Avenue, New York.

The week also features the fascinating Students' Colloquium at which Caribbean students studying at the tertiary level present sustainable tourism projects that are practical and can provide a sustainable source of income for Caribbean nationals; the Caribbean Diaspora Forum, developed in collaboration with the Caribbean American Chamber of Commerce and Industry; Caribbean Media Marketplace where CTO member governments and private sector exhibitors interact with leading journalists from trade and consumer press; the Media Awards Luncheon where the organization honors journalists for their award-winning features on the Caribbean; and the Caribbean Marketing Conference & Awards Luncheon - organized by the CTO Allied members, where the latest cutting-edge marketing trends are presented and people who have made significant contributions to the region's tourism development are recognized.

Caribbean Week in New York is supported by the Association of Travel Marketing Executives (ATME), the Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Caribbean American Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CACCI), Cayman Islands, Dominica, the Empire State Building, Face of Fashion, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Haiti, Hardbeat Communications, Jamaica, Jewel Resorts, Martinique, Puerto Rico, St Eustatius,  St. Kitts & Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Martin/St. Maarten, St. Vincent & the Grenadines; Trinidad & Tobago, Turks & Caicos Islands and the United States Virgin Islands.