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The MPE Caribbean Report Newsletter offers travel, tourism, Caribbean and global news weekly. To share stories, information or intelligence, contact us at info@marketplaceexcellence.com.

AUGUST 15, 2022

Caribbean mourns tourism leader

Warren Solomon

The Caribbean tourism community was saddened last week upon learning of the sudden passing of regional tourism leader Warren Solomon. 

The Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) extended condolences to the family and friends of Solomon, a long-time friend of the organization and champion of tourism across the Caribbean.

Solomon enjoyed a stellar career in the industry, spanning product development, marketing, hospitality and sales, making his contribution to the region as far-reaching as it was influential. 

He served with distinction in various management positions at tourism entities across the Caribbean, including the Cayman Islands, Montserrat and his native Trinidad & Tobago. 

Solomon also served as a CTO board member, sharing his love for the Caribbean and his commitment to its sustainable growth through tourism.

Disney Cruise Line names Nassau son HR Manager

Leslie Lopez

Disney Cruise Line has hired Leslie Lopez as a human resources manager to support its employment efforts in The Bahamas. 

In his new role, Lopez, a long-time HR professional, will build relationships with key business partners and recruit Bahamians for positions both on board the cruise line’s ships and at its premier destinations in the country. 

“Disney Cruise Line is committed to employing a majority Bahamian workforce at Castaway Cay in Abaco and our forthcoming experience at Lighthouse Point in Eleuthera. Leslie’s global HR experience and his deep understanding of Bahamian culture will be instrumental in achieving our goal,” said Michael Almeida, Director, Human Resources, Disney Cruise Line. 

Lopez said, “I am most excited to showcase the diverse talents and abilities of the Bahamian people and introduce them to a variety of quality jobs with Disney Cruise Line. I am confident that Disney’s commitment to building and supporting career paths for people throughout the Bahamas – including but not limited to Abaco and Eleuthera – will have a positive long-term effect throughout the islands.”

St. Lucia hotel rebrands

StolenTime by Rendezvous

Contributed

One of St. Lucia’s leading all-inclusive boutique resorts, Rendezvous, is relaunching as StolenTime by Rendezvous this month. 

The property has long been lauded for its StolenTime concept, a personal experience designed to help guests reconnect away from the pressures of everyday life, where they struggle to find quality time to invest in their relationships. 

For decades, the resort has been a leading all-inclusive couples-only property, with one of the highest return guest ratings for the island.

However, with humanity’s need for connection being ever more obvious in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the resort is expanding StolenTime so that all adults, couples or otherwise, can benefit from the rejuvenating vacation experience.

Digital Digest

Snapchat was launched in 2011 and has set multiple examples for many mainstream platforms. Snapchat accounts for more young audiences than any other platform on social media. Here’s a guide on how businesses can use Snapchat. 

Strategy: A Snapchat strategy involves creating youth-oriented content that focuses on creating user-generated content along with targeted engagement ads and location-based engagement activities. Snapchat delivers high performance campaigns, therefore every execution should be tied with a hard objective and ROI.

Content: The Snapchat business manager presents detailed insights on target audiences and behaviors. Brands are highlighted under the “Discover” section on the application. Whether the audience engages with them or not depends on the creative execution and communications insight. Snapchat provides an amazing opportunity for brands to connect with unique audiences, if planned correctly.

Influencers: Similar to TikTok, Snapchat also offers a “Creator Marketplace” for brands to connect with top influencers in a particular region. A multiplatform influencer campaign, coupled with custom filters, can generate great engagement on Snapchat. Behind-the-scene and backstage coverage are also strong executions to consider for influencer marketing.

Competition: The platform provides a great opportunity to keep a watch on your competition. The real challenge is being unique, and studying your competition to understand what your brand can do differently. Snapchat is the place to provide a fun impression for your brand; the audience responds well to originality.

Medical Moment

Measles is a highly contagious, serious disease caused by a virus. 

According to the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), the number of reported worldwide measles cases increased by 79 percent in the first two months of 2022 compared to the same period last year. 

The World Health Organization (WHO) warned that in the region of the Americas and the rest of the world, vaccination was dropping rapidly because of various effects precipitated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Prevention by routine measles vaccination for children, combined with mass immunization campaigns in countries with high case and death rates, are key public health strategies to reduce global measles deaths. During 2000-2018, measles vaccination prevented an estimated 23.2 million deaths.

Measles is spread by coughing and sneezing, close personal contact, or direct contact with infected nasal or throat secretions. The virus infects the respiratory tract, then spreads throughout the body.

A runny nose, a cough, red and watery eyes, and small white spots inside the cheeks can develop in the initial stage. After several days, a rash erupts, usually on the face and upper neck. 

No specific antiviral treatment exists for the measles virus.

Severe complications from measles can be reduced through supportive care that ensures good nutrition, adequate fluid intake, and treatment of dehydration with the WHO-recommended oral rehydration solution. 

Antibiotics should be prescribed to treat eye and ear infections, and pneumonia. 

All children diagnosed with measles should receive two doses of Vitamin A supplements, given 24 hours apart.

Jamaica, Cayman talk tourism

Jamaica Minister of Tourism Edmund Bartlett (left) with his Cayman Islands counterpart Minister of Tourism and Transport Kenneth Bryan in Jamaica last week.

Contributed

Leveraging the strong historical ties and synergies between both nations, Jamaica and the Cayman Islands have initiated discussions to facilitate tourism collaboration.

Multi-destination tourism, airlift, enhancing border protocols, rationalizing airspace and resilience building are among the areas being examined for cooperation.

Jamaica Minister of Tourism Edmund Bartlett recently met with members of a special delegation from the Cayman Islands, led by Deputy Premier Christopher Saunders, and Kenneth Bryan, Minister of Tourism & Transport. 

Follow-up discussions will be held in the Cayman Islands next month during Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) meetings and a special IATA-hosted Caribbean Aviation Day, and during the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association’s Caribbean Travel Marketplace in San Juan, Puerto Rico in October.

MPE Caribbean Report

MPE Caribbean Report takes a look at the upcoming Caribbean tourism and aviation meetings set for the Cayman Islands.



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