MIAMI – The leadership of the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA) has extended its congratulations to the new President-elect of the United States of America, Donald J. Trump.
“Tourism is a common thread which binds the Caribbean and the United States, generating employment, entrepreneurial activity and foreign exchange for our region while contributing significantly to U.S. exports and economic activity,” said CHTA President Karolin Troubetzkoy and CEO Frank Comito in a joint communiqué to the President-elect.
Tourism has become the world’s predominant and fastest growth industry, contributing 9.8 percent to global GDP and one in 11 jobs, according to the World Travel and Tourism Council. In the Caribbean, CHTA posits, the impact is even greater, with 13.3 percent of employment due to tourism and a total impact on GDP as high as 90 percent for some countries.
Through tourism, the region’s public and private sectors have collaborated on a range of matters, including security, transportation, the lifting of the U.S.-Cuba trade embargo, energy efficiency, correspondent banking and disaster readiness and response, an area of tremendous vulnerability for the industry.
“The Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association is committed to working with the United States government, Caribbean governments, our public sector counterpart the Caribbean Tourism Organization and U.S., regional and global travel industry stakeholders to advance policy priorities, initiatives and an environment which stimulates tourism,” the tourism officials stated, asserting that tourism holds the key to uniting people and businesses globally.
“We wish you great success in your presidency and look forward to working with the United States government towards making tourism a far greater force to the benefit of our industry and the people of the Caribbean and the United States of America,” Troubetzkoy and Comito stated.
