NEW YORK, NY (August 6th, 2013) – Martinique will host the 2013 Tourism Youth Congress, held during the Caribbean Tourism Organization’s State of the Industry Conference from October 16-18 2013. Students between 14 and 17 years old from CTO-member countries are invited to participate, debate and share about various topics related to tourism.
It is the first time that Martinique will host this event, and it is also the first time that the island has a Junior Commissioner represented in the contest. On this occasion, Déborah Plancel will represent the Island of Flowers, competing against 32 other participants. She has been designated the Junior Commissioner of Tourism for 2013 after the DJAM Contest (Devenir un Jeune Ambassadeur de la Martinique). From February to June 2013, 6 contestants competed for this appointment. The final step of this contest was an interview by a jury composed of Hon. Karine Roy-Camille, Commissioner of the Martinique Tourism Authority, and representatives from the French Board of Education, the hotel industry, the restaurant industry and local media. “We are proud of Deborah Plancel’s dedication to the tourism industry of Martinique. Such commitment from the next generation is very promising.” says Karine Roy-Camille, Commissioner of the Martinique Tourism Authority.
It was at the end of this contest that Déborah Plancel, just 15 years old, differentiated herself from the others. The next step for Déborah is to succeed in this 2013 Tourism Youth Congress. And according to her: “ I will focus on traditional trades like fishing, basketry, trades of art and of craftsmanship. Then, I will motivate the youth to discover their island so that they can share it with others. I hope this initiation will awaken their consciousness about their culture and provoke their desire to pass on their knowledge to future generations.”
