The Caribbean Hotel Foundation (CHF) of the Caribbean Hotel Association (CHA) is making a call to Caribbean hospitality employees, educators, and students wishing to pursue studies in the field to apply for its 2006 Scholarship Program. In 2006, several corporate scholarships will be up for grabs: a scholarship of $10,000 a year during three years from Virgin Holidays; two $7,000 Interval International scholarships; two $7,000 scholarships supported by the Cruise Industry, one of those for environmental studies.

Sales and marketing professionals in the Caribbean will take away a wealth of information and resources pertaining to the hottest topics, issues and trends that are invaluable for growing their business when the first Caribbean Hotel Sales and Marketing Strategy Conference convenes in Miami, on December 1 and 2, 2005. Presented by the Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International (HSMAI) and the Caribbean Hotel Association (CHA), the conference will take place at the Hyatt Regency in Miami.

The European Union is being urged to raise the profile of tourism in any plans to provide economic aid to overseas countries. The call came from Berthia Parle, president of the Caribbean Hotel Association (CHA). Speaking at a public hearing of the European Parliament´s Development Committee in Brussels, Mrs. Parle said tourism was rarely considered in depth by governments or the European Commission in the policy dialogue with countries of the Africa, Caribbean and Pacific countries, and made an impassioned plea for the economic importance of tourism to be recognized more fully.

The Caribbean Hotel Association (CHA) has recently released a five-page white paper that proposes operational integration as the way forward for a viable solution to the regional air services problem. The document has been distributed to CARICOM Heads of State, Ministers and Directors of Tourism, Ministers and Directors of Aviation, and the CARICOM Secretariat. The proposed solution calls for the airlines to retain their individual operating units and strong brand identities under common ownership in an “Airlines of the Caribbean Group” operating an integrated schedule.

Anguilla´s hotelier Eustace Guishard, General Manager of the exclusive Cap Juluca Resort in that Caribbean island, received the highest honors of the Caribbean tourism industry as he was presented with the Golden Conch Award as the Caribbean Hotelier of the Year. The 2005 Caribbean Hotelier of the Year joins the ranks of outstanding executives, whose accomplishments and leadership have created a new standard in resort hospitality within the region.

The Caribbean region stands to lose more than 188,000 jobs and $2.6 billion in visitor export earnings if an extension to the proposed U.S. passport initiative, set to take effect Dec. 31 in the region, is not granted. Caribbean Hotel Association (CHA) president Berthia Parle, speaking at the annual Caribbean Hotel Industry Conference in Miami, reported on the findings of a recent study commissioned by the World Travel and Tourism Council, which measured the impact of the proposed regulations on travel by U.S. visitors to the Caribbean.