CHA Top Executive Calls for More Private Sector Support for the Media and Tourism

Berthia Parle, President of the Caribbean Hotel Association (CHA), says that Caribbean media houses and the regional private sector need to recognize more the important role that tourism plays in the development of Caribbean economies.

However, she added that she was heartened to hear Sir Dwight Venner, Governor of the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB) recently underscore tourism´s key contribution to the region´s economic growth.

She hopes more private sector entities, especially those which benefited greatly from the industry, would repay that boost from tourism by investing some of their profits in events like the Caribbean Media Exchange which is geared to educate journalists about the true value of the industry.

Parle contended if more regional journalists recognize the importance of tourism to the economies of the Caribbean, they could then be in a position to convince many more people through their reporting that this is the key industry for the region´s economic survival.

Parle said that CHA, and the producers of CMEx – Counterpart International and Counterpart Caribbean – were playing their part in bringing more information to Caribbean journalists through CMEx and CHA´s three annual conferences..