CASTRIES, St. Lucia – Air Jamaica has reaffirmed its support of the Caribbean Media Exchange on Sustainable Tourism (CMEx) which looks at the sustained growth of the airline industry, among other things.
The 14th CMEx in five years to be held in St. Lucia, October 12 to 16, 2006, will examine the enhancement of sustainable tourism development through the lens of “Chic Communications Concepts”, discussing culinary, cultural, health, sports, and village tourism linkages over four days in Castries.
Linking the award-winning airline to the innovative media exchange, senior Air Jamaica executive George deMercado said the regional carrier, one of the companies that helped launch CMEx five years ago, is providing “significant” support to the conference which attracts hospitality officials and media workers from across the Caribbean, North America and Europe.
“Air Jamaica is without question more than an airline,” responded Lelei LeLaulu, president of CMEx organisers, Counterpart International. “This Caribbean carrier, in spite of the vagaries of the international aviation climate, recognizes its value as a development tool. It promotes the continuing education of Caribbean journalists who in turn have communicated to the public the wide positive impact of sustainable tourism development,” he said.
“Supporting the media is of paramount importance to us,” said deMercado who sees in CMEx a unique forum that fosters dialogue between media practitioners from the Caribbean region and major markets served by the airline. “It is refreshing to see the fruit of our support through the years – from career development and job opportunities for Caribbean writers in the US to teenage education on HIV/AIDS in the Caribbean,” said deMercado.
CMEx St. Lucia, produced by Counterpart International, is sponsored and/or supported by Air Jamaica, Almond Resorts, Association of Caribbean Media Workers, Bay Gardens Hotel, Black Entertainment Television (BET J), Caribbean Alliance for Sustainable Tourism, Caribbean Broadcasting Union, Caribbean Hotel Association, Caribbean Tourism Organisation, Caribbean World News Network, Coco Resorts, Counterpart Caribbean, Destiny Group of Companies, Ruder Finn, Scotiabank, St. Lucia Tourist Board, St. Lucia Ministry of Tourism, the Tourism Development Company of Trinidad and Tobago and the United Nations Development Programme.
