CHTA, Tourism Cares Deploy Recovery Resources
The Caribbean Tourism Recovery Fund, established by the non-profit organization Tourism Cares and the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA), has collected more than US$275,000 in charitable donations to build long-term recovery and enhance the ability of hurricane impacted destinations to rebound as quickly as possible.
In a joint statement, CHTA director general and CEO Frank Comito and Paula Vlamings, CEO of Tourism Cares, outline the success of the collaborative fundraising venture and report that assistance has gone to Caribbean nations and territories for training and education, restoring destination capacity, the physical restoration of tourism-related infrastructure, social enterprise development, job creation, hotel training, voluntourism, marketing and public relations support and the environment.
“With another hurricane season in full swing, we are so grateful for the way all sectors of the travel industry came together to invest in the vulnerable people and places we depend on.
“Because of the generosity of our donors, tourism infrastructure is being repaired, the workforce will receive new training and opportunities, and more communities will benefit from tourism dollars. Together, we’re empowering destinations to build resilience. As an industry, we have the powerful opportunity to use our business to benefit the local communities and fragile ecosystems that are the pillars of our businesses.”
Among many other projects, funding has helped strengthen local hotel and tourism associations in Anguilla, British Virgin Islands, Dominica, St. Maarten, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
