CHTA, Tourism Care Engage in Hurricane-Recovery Fundraiser

The Caribbean Tourism Recovery Fund, established by the nonprofit organization Tourism Cares and the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association, has collected more than $275,000 in charitable donations to build long-term recovery and enhance the ability of hurricane-impacted destinations to rebound as quickly as possible.

In a joint statement, CHTA Director General and CEO Frank Comito and Paula Vlamings, CEO of Tourism Cares, outlined the success of the collaborative fundraising venture and report that assistance has gone to Caribbean nations and territories for training and education, restoring destination capacity, the physical restoration of tourism-related infrastructure, social enterprise development, job creation, hotel training, volunteer-tourism, marketing and public relations support, and the environment.

Inspired by CHTA immediate past president Troubetzkoy, CHTA challenged its members to participate in the One Caribbean Family marketing campaign, and dozens of hotel and travel companies doing business in areas of the Caribbean not directly impacted by the hurricanes contributed a portion of booking revenue to the fund.

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Companies and individuals in airlines, destinations, academia, media, public relations, travel industry associations, financial and professional services, travel agencies, online travel agencies, lodging, hospitality, cruise, and attractions, through their donations, are helping to accelerate recovery and bring stability to the affected areas.

This first phase has funded the strengthening of local hotel and tourism associations in Anguilla, British Virgin Islands, Dominica, St. Maarten, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. It also helped participants attend 2018 Caribbean Travel Marketplace, allowing them to meet with travel partners and the travel trade media to brief them on recovery efforts and generate business in the aftermath of the hurricanes.

The fund also provided several affected destinations in the region with training on how to establish an effective volunteer-tourism program, bringing visitors back to assist with recovery initiatives while spending much needed cash locally.

For skills training and employment opportunities, My Brother’s Marine Workshop in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, received a grant to support the creation of a marine trade school for at-risk youth that will help at least 25 students get jobs.

Seeds of Love in the British Virgin Islands, with the help of the initiative, bought 1,000 saplings and seedlings for the local community and travelers to replant the islands’ indigenous trees and vegetation, much of which was wiped out in the storms. The project helps to prevent erosion, protect the ecosystem, and support tourism.

Other projects targeted for support include the Kalinago Heritage on St. Maarten Center in Dominica, Kidz at Sea, Environmental Protection in the Caribbean, Local Area Management Authority Yacht Moorings in Dominica, The Marine Center for Innovation Grupo Puntacana Fundación, the Puerto Rico Agriculture and Culinary Linkages Project and more.

Source: The Virgin Islands Daily News