- THOMAS, USVI (17 September, 2014) – Barbados has been elected Chair of the Caribbean Tourism
Organization (CTO), with the election as Minister of Tourism and International Transport, Richard Seay.
The election took place on 17 September in St. Thomas, USVI during the CTO’s Annual General Meeting.
Reacting to the announcement, Mr. Sealy stated, “I look forward to putting my very best foot forward and working along with all of the other entities in the region to deal with some of the vexing problems that we have right now with tourism. And of course to continue the good work that has been done by this organization recently.”
Minister Sealy succeeds USVI Commissioner of Tourism, Beverly Nicholson-Doty and will serve a two-year term..
The Barbados minister will shortly name his appointee for the post of Chairman of the CTO Board of Directors, since, according to the CTO Constitution, the Board Chairman and the Chairman of the Council of Ministers and Commissioners of Tourism must come from the same Member Country. Five vice chairs were also elected to serve on the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors. They are the USVI representing the US territories; St. Eustatius, representing the Dutch Caribbean; Martinique representing the French Caribbean; Guyana and Trinidad & Tobago, representing the Independent CARICOM countries and the Turks & Caicos Islands representing the British Overseas Territories. Each of these Member Countries will form the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors, which will be completed with representatives from the private sector.
Today’s vote was in keeping with the CTO constitution which mandates that elections must be held every two years.
