Mexican-born Gutierrez Niebla, up to now at the helm of the CONPEHT gathering 70 institutions in 21 countries, warned about the shortage of resources in tourism education due to the lack of trained teachers. Roughly 80% of tourism-related professors in Latin America are honorary people who come and go teaching on techniques and giving topic updates on the sector, yet they don’t have a methodological formation.

Angel Miolan is considered the father of tourism in the Dominican Republic, a man who’s devoted a considerable chunk of his life to his country’s tourist development. An opponent to General Trujillo, he traveled through different countries during the regime’s 27-year tenure. He came back to the Dominican Republic in 1961 and then he started eyeing tourism as a key player in his nation’s economic development. The Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) has wanted to acknowledge both his work and professional career in the world of tourism within the framework of the New York City’s Caribbean Week, with one of the fifty honorary awards whereby the association has prized the endeavor and dedication of several personalities in the leisure industry.

Mr. Martinez Marrero is Barceló Hotels’ director-general of marketing for Latin America and the Caribbean. In this interview, he talks about plans, projects and main activities his department is embarked on in Latin America.

In the course of the recently concluded Havana Convention, Caribbean News interviewed Gianpaolo Bellomunno, corporate director of sales and marketing in Latin America for Barceló Hotels. His professional career in the world of tourism got its big break in the aviation sector, working for Alitalia airline, then taking responsibilities in the hotel sector and finally getting hired by Barceló Hotels a couple of years ago.