ANTIGUA & BARBUDA TOURISM AUTHORITY

 

Cassandra Vital, Antigua and Barbuda’s Junior Minister of Tourism, 2011/2012, placed third in the CTO Youth Congress held at the Caribbean Tourism Organisation’s (CTO) First State of the Industry Conference in St. Martin, last week, and for her achievement, received a computer laptop and a cash award.
 

The 15 year old, fifth form student of the Christ the King High School and member of the Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Cadet Corps, was chosen to represent Antigua and Barbuda, after a selectionxx process culminating with the Junior Minister of Tourism run-off held on September 8^th. Cassandra won the title of Junior Minister of Tourism of Antigua Barbuda from a field of six young persons.  

During the Youth Congress, Cassandra joined 10 other regional “Junior Ministers of Tourism” in a session which mimic a Board Meeting of CTO Ministers and Commissioners of Tourism.  Unlike previous years, when the participating youths addressed one topic, the Junior Ministers had the opportunity to select a topic from three themes presented: ICT and its impact on Tourism, Community Tourism and Regional Tourism Marketing. Cassandra addressed the theme of Community Tourism in her three minute presentation. She shared her ideas on how to get local communities to benefit from Tourism and how to allow tourists to benefit from what the local communities have to offer.
 

This year, the mystery question posed to the students, asked them to state in two minutes how they would promote their destination to the family market. Cynthia Simon, Manager for the Tourism Education Training and Awareness Programme said “She was excellent in her main presentation; lots of substance and innovative ideas”. Simon said that the Ministry of Tourism was pleased to have had the opportunity to expose two of our students to this event. It not only allows young people to meet key persons involved in the Caribbean Tourism Industry but it also gives them the opportunity to interact with their regional counterparts, to share their thinking and knowledge of Tourism, to experience the Tourism product of another Caribbean country and to make new friends. Cassandra was joined by Aliah Ephraim, 16 yr. old fifth former of the Antigua Girls’ High School, who performed commendably in the local Junior Minister of Tourism run-off.
 

For the successful implementation of the Junior Minister of Tourism project, the Ministry of Tourism extends appreciation and gratitude to the Government of Antigua & Barbuda particularly the Ministry of Finance as well as the hotel sector in particular prize donors: Blue Waters Antigua, Carlisle Bay Resort, Curtain Bluff Resort, Halcyon Cove by Rex Resorts, Jolly Beach Resort & Spa and Verandah Resort & Spa. Appreciation is also extended to the West Indies Oil Company for its monetary contribution, ABHTI, Technical Officers in the Ministry of Tourism in the areas of Community/Sustainable Tourism, Marketing and Product Development and to our judges for the local competition — Neil Forrester, Sherene Bird and Kimberley Bowers.