NEW YORK — The Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB), in association with the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO), has honoured two distinguished travel industry individuals, General Manager of WVCG Radio in Miami, Winsome Charlton, and deputy editor of Caribbean Travel & Life, Sarah Greaves-Gabbadon, for marketing the Caribbean as a premier travel destination in the U.S.
The presentations were made at the CTO’s Allied Awards Luncheon, at The New York Marriott Marquis, Friday June 10, as part of activities to mark Caribbean Week in New York.
The Marcia Vickery-Wallace and Marcella Martinez awards honour significant achievements by individuals whose works have shared the Caribbean experience with the world. Established in 2004, the Marcella Martinez Award is presented annually for unparalleled achievement in the design and implementation of successful programmes to strengthen and support Caribbean tourism. It is named in honour of Jamaican Marcella Martinez, who dedicated her extraordinary career as a public relations professional, to the promotion of tourism to the Caribbean.
Minister of Tourism, the Hon. Edmund Bartlett, presented the Marcella Martinez Award to Miss Charlton.
“Like Marcella Martinez, Miss Charlton is equally passionate in her endeavours to share the extraordinary individuality of the region. She expresses this through her ardent love of Caribbean music,” he noted.
Miss Charlton’s eagerness to draw increased awareness to the distinctive music of the Caribbean, led to her creation of the Reggae Soca Music Awards in 1994, an event she believes could aptly be described as the “Caribbean Grammies.”
She became the first Caribbean woman to head a radio station in the U.S., when she was appointed General Manager of WVGC Radio. She demonstrated her commitment to the region by introducing a music format that appealed to all sectors of the Caribbean-American community.
Despite her busy schedule, Miss Charlton has been an avid supporter of the Caribbean Heartmenders Association for nearly two decades. The association helps provide life-saving surgery for children in need, as well as train medical professionals in the region.
