St. Lucia has been elected as Chairman of the Caribbean Tourism Organisation (CTO), the Hon. Philip J. Pierre, Minister of Tourism for St. Lucia, the first Vice-Chairman of CTO since October 2004, was elected at the 46th meeting of the CTO Board of Directors during the annual Caribbean Tourism Conference (CTC), recently.

The Hon. Pamela C. Richards, Commissioner of Tourism for the U.S. Virgin Islands, and CTO Chairman for the past two years, turned the gavel over on Sunday, October 22, to Minister Pierre to conclude the Board of Directors meeting.

As Minister Pierre accepted the chairman position from Commissioner Richards he stated, "Her example will be hard to follow, but with the help of the Board of Directors I will do my best to carry on the traditions and ensure that CTO works diligently for the improvement of the quality of life for the citizens of this region."

other elected officials

Four other officials were elected to positions of vice-chairman for the 2007-08 period including:

First vice-chairman: The Hon. Harold Lovell, Antigua & Barbuda Minister of Tourism and Civil Aviation.

Second vice-chairman: The Hon. Aloun N'dombet Assamba, Jamaica Minister of Tourism, Entertainment and Culture.

Third vice-chairman: The Hon. Richard Skerritt, St. Kitts & Nevis, Minister of State for Tourism, Sports, and Culture.

Fourth vice-chairman: The Hon. Brenda Hood, Grenada, Minister of Tourism, Civil Aviation and Performing Arts.

The executive committee will be completed with representatives from the private sector, following internal elections. This executive committee will serve for the 2006 to 2008 term.

The vote was in keeping with the organisation's constitution, which mandates that elections for a new committee must take place every two years.

Meantime, the Board of Directors also recognised the efforts of the outgoing chairman, Pamela C. Richards, Commissioner of Tourism of the U.S. Virgin Islands whose two-year term ended on Sunday.

CTC-29, which took place from October 22-25, at the Westin and Sheraton Grand Bahama Island, Our Lucaya Resort on Grand Bahama Island, in the Bahamas. CTC-29 provided the opportunity for delegates to participate in the evolution and development of the new 'Caribbean' brand, and also demonstrated the benefits to be derived.

Meetings of the ministers and commissioners of tourism, the Board of Directors and various CTO committees preceded the conference.

The theme for this year's conference was 'Cooperation, Innovation, Rejuvenation: Creating a Brand New Caribbean'.