(CASTRIES, Saint Lucia – Wednesday, August 31st, 2022) – The Saint Lucia Hospitality & Tourism Association’s (SLHTA) Tourism Enhancement Fund on August 25th, 2022, disbursed eleven more grants to incoming Form One students through the Eileen Paul Secondary School Scholarship Fund. The Fund was established in 2021 to provide financial support to secondary school students, whose parents work in the hospitality industry. The bursary will go towards school supplies, uniforms, books and transportation to attend school.
At a cheque handover ceremony during the SLHTA’s annual general meeting, the successful applicants received EC$2000.00 for the upcoming academic year in September. Once a student maintains a grade point average of at least 70%, they will receive EC$2000.00 at the start of each academic year of their secondary school journey.
(Monday, October 11th 2021)- The SLHTA’s Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF) is pleased to announce the launch of the Eileen Paul Scholarship Fund on Monday 11 th October 2021. Named after their longest serving employee, the Eileen Paul Scholarship Fund will seek to bestow a grant to ten (10) Form 1 secondary school students of hospitality workers, for a five-year period. This will essentially cover their tuition for five years while at secondary school, once they continue to meet the criteria outlined under the program.
CEO Noorani Azeez, reflecting on the work of the tourism legend explains, “Eileen was a dependable, trusted and loved advisor to every Executive at the Secretariat during her tenure. She was the “heart and soul” of the SLHTA. She joined the Association in 1973 and was the lone employee for fourteen (14) years. For over forty (40) years she provided administrative oversight of the Secretariat representing the fledgling organization at various overseas promotions, training programmes and leadership conferences. We could not have found a more worthy name under which to title this scholarship fund.”
Daughter of Eileen Paul, Ms. Virginia Paul lauds the timely scholarship effort, commenting that “The launching of SLHTA’s Eileen Paul scholarship is a fitting tribute to the legacy of Eileen Paul who was committed to the personal development and growth of Saint Lucian nationals working in the tourism and hospitality sector. She dedicated many hours whilst at the SLHTA to managing the Association’s scholarship programme to ensure that the children of workers in the industry would get the opportunity to receive a secondary education. I would like to thank the SHTA for honouring my mother’s memory through the establishment of the Eileen Paul Scholarship Programme and wish the management and staff every success.”
The Royal Saint Lucia Police Force (RSLPF) added six more bicycles to its Bicycle Patrol Unit on Monday 26th April 2021, courtesy of the SLHTA’s Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF).
The new Fuji SR Suntour bicycles will be used in the Gros Islet district and compliment a previous donation of bicycles to the RSLPF by the Saint Lucia Air and Sea Ports Authority (SLASPA) after the Bicycle Patrol Unit was piloted nearly three years ago.
The official handover ceremony was held at Police Headquarters at Chesterfield on Bridge Street, Castries, on Monday this week. TEF Programme Coordinator, Donette Ismael, said the donation was not only timely, but also a moment to celebrate the positives the police force has been recording even during a challenging COVID-19 pandemic era.
Ismael noted that the TEF, the Performance Management and Delivery Unit (PMDU) in the Office of the Prime Minister, and the Royal Saint Lucia Police Force (RSLPF) have been in dialogue for over a year now on ways to better serve the community. The three organizations have collaborated on initiatives such as delivering hampers to various communities and providing support to the Gros Islet Police Station. “Today, the TEF continues to show its support with a donation of bicycles to help the police in their patrol duties as they serve and protect our citizens,” Ismael said.
(CASTRIES, Saint Lucia – Monday 12 th April, 2021) – Following the hosting of its 56 th Annual General Meeting (AGM) held virtually on Friday 9 th April 2021, a new Executive Committee has been appointed to serve on the Board of Directors of the Saint Lucia Hospitality & Tourism Association (SLHTA).
On Monday 1 st March 2021, nominations were invited for the posts of President, First Vice-President and Second Vice-President given that the Executive had reached the end of their term. Karolin Troubetzkoy, who served as SLHTA President from March 2010 to January 2016, and again from July 2018 to April 2021, did not seek re-election.
During Friday’s elections, Paul Collymore was elected unopposed to the post of SLHTA President. Collymore, who is General Manager at The Landings Resort and Spa, has a wealth of experience in the hospitality sector having overseen the general management of the Ocean Two Resort and Residences in Barbados.
Other members of the Executive elected at Friday’s AGM were First Vice-President John Mathurin and Second Vice-President Erwin Louisy. Noorani Azeez remains Chief Executive Officer (CEO) while outgoing Past President Karolin Troubetzkoy will lend support to the Committee.
The SLHTA’s 56 th AGM comes at a crucial time for the local tourism sector, which has virtually lost most of its business due to the economic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic. Nevertheless, the Association says its commitment to bringing the sector back to prosperity is unwavering.
President Collymore stated in his inaugural remarks that, “Tackling those challenges will require a collective approach and support by all in order to achieve our common objectives. We need to equalize the tourism landscape, enabling communities and small and medium businesses to tap greater benefits from this industry that feeds over 15k workers and their families, annually… Now more than ever, we need retention and participation of our members.”
He assured the membership that he plans to meet the challenges of this important leadership role.
“From us, you can expect a consensual and collaborative approach and effort to engage the full membership – including Past Presidents – on the existing strategic plan in light of the current emerging local, global and environmental challenges, the COVID-19 pandemic, La Soufriere volcano and climate change,” he said.
(CASTRIES, Saint Lucia – Friday, March 26, 2021) – Two local public healthcare institutions were the beneficiaries of much-needed equipment recently, thanks to the generosity of the SLHTA’s Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF) which donated a total of EC$38,000 to their cause.
On Thursday, March 25, the TEF donated EC$28,000 towards the purchase of a 100-pound industrial washing machine for the Respiratory Hospital and EC$10,000 to the Lions Club of Saint Lucia for the purchase of three pieces of important equipment.
The presentations were made at the Finance Administrative Centre at Pointe Seraphine.
Donette Ismael, Programme Manager, Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF), said frontline workers have been tireless and dedicated in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic and deserve all the support they can get.
“It is for this reason that the TEF is making a donation to the Respiratory Hospital to help the employees carry out their duties in a more effective manner and for the staff at the Pediatric Ward of the Owen King EU Hospital to provide effective care to our children.”
(CASTRIES, Saint
Lucia – Tuesday, December 22, 2020) – The SLHTA Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF)
is spreading the Christmas cheer in a big way this season by rewarding its
members with much-needed assistance.
Four hundred
displaced employees who were severely impacted by the economic fallout of the
COVID-19 pandemic will be gifted food vouchers by the TEF. These employees will
hale from the non-accommodation enterprises which are still experiencing look
warm economic activity.
The generous
gesture will cost the TEF approximately $80,000. However, the TEF believes that
those who are the driving force of the tourism and hospitality sector deserve
every assistance at this crucial juncture.
Within weeks of a
partial shutdown in March this year following the COVID-19 outbreak, more than
15,000 employees within the local tourism and hospitality sector were laid off
after the partial or total closure of many businesses. Some employees were
forced to opt for either rotation or reduced pay. Despite a relaxing of the
national shutdown since June and some employees returning to work, many are
still off the job and without an income.
On December 3, the TEF made a whopping
$150,000. contribution to the Recover Saint Lucia initiative aimed at
resuscitating the local economy. During that handover ceremony held at Bay
Gardens Hotel, Chairman of the TEF, Winston Anderson, said any effort to
resuscitate the local economy deserves every bit of support. He added that the
tourism and hospitality sector bears a key responsibility for facilitating such
an overall recovery.
“Tourism is a very key player in the
recovery of the economy and has been badly affected,” he said. “We all know
that this industry impacts the lives of so many sectors and the livelihoods of
thousands of Saint Lucians, many of whom are yet to restart.”
The SLHTA’s Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF) signaled its strong support of the recently-launched Recover Saint Lucia initiative by donating $150,000 towards the new organization’s efforts.
A check handover ceremony was held on Thursday, December 3, in the Bay Gardens Hotel Conference Room and was attended by members of the Steering Committee for Recover Saint Lucia, the media and other partners of Recover Saint Lucia.
Chairman of the TEF, Winston Anderson, said any effort to resuscitate the local economy is deserving of support, noting that the tourism sector has a responsibility for and stands to gain from such a recovery.
“Tourism is a very keen player in the recovery of the economy and has been badly affected,” Anderson said. “We all know that this industry impacts the lives of so many sectors and the livelihoods of thousands of Saint Lucians, most of whom are yet to restart.” Anderson said that during recent TEF meeting, the trustees voted unanimously to support the Recover Saint Lucia initiative. Although Recovery Saint Lucia’s mission far exceeds last Thursday’s donation, Anderson said every bit helps, urging others in the private sector to join the cause.
(CASTRIES, Saint
Lucia – Monday, December 7, 2020) – The SLHTA’s Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF)
signaled its strong support of the recently-launched Recover Saint Lucia
initiative by donating $150,000 towards the new organization’s efforts.
A check handover
ceremony was held on Thursday, December 3, in the Bay Gardens Hotel Conference
Room and was attended by members of the Steering Committee for Recover Saint
Lucia, the media and other partners of Recover Saint Lucia.
Chairman of the TEF, Winston Anderson, said any effort to resuscitate the local economy is deserving of support, noting that the tourism sector has a responsibility for and stands to gain from such a recovery.
“Tourism is a
very keen player in the recovery of the economy and has been badly affected,”
Anderson said. “We all know that this industry impacts the lives of so many
sectors and the livelihoods of thousands of Saint Lucians, most of whom are yet
to restart.”
Anderson said
that during recent TEF meeting, the trustees voted unanimously to support the
Recover Saint Lucia initiative. Although Recovery Saint Lucia’s mission far
exceeds last Thursday’s donation, Anderson said every bit helps, urging others
in the private sector to join the cause.
Head of Recover
Saint Lucia’s Resource Mobilization Committee, Sanovnik Destang, said over
$400,000 worth of projects have already been identified by his committee since
the official launch on November 20, 2020. Nevertheless, he remains optimistic
that these goals are reachable.
Private sector
agencies and business leaders launched the special national initiative aimed at
speeding up the recovery of Saint Lucia’s ailing economy by rallying the
support of the government and citizens in applying innovative and adaptive
responses to overcome the pandemic-induced economic crisis.
Spearheading
these efforts are the new organization’s key members: Karen Peter
(Chairperson), Dr. Stephen King (Health & Best Practice), Goretti Paul
(Economic Opportunity), Noorani Azeez (Food Security), Sanovnik Destang
(Resource Mobilization), and Adrian Augier (Communications).
“I would like to
thank all those businesses who jumped on board without batting an eye,” said
Recover Saint Lucia’s Chairperson, Karen Peter. “They jumped on board without
even thinking, case in point, the Tourism Enhancement Fund. I believe that the
minute we launched that initiative,
within two days
I got a call from Noorani Azeez (SLHTA’s Chief Executive Officer) that the
Tourism Enhancement Fund was willing to put in a seed donation.”
Jamecob’s
Quality Construction Ltd. also handed over a check for $5,000 to Recover Saint
Lucia’s efforts at last Thursday’s ceremony.
SLHTA’s Goodwill Ambassador and 2016 Olympic
Games finalist, Levern Spencer, is keen on competing in the 2021 Olympic Games
in Tokyo, Japan. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Games, which were
scheduled for 2020, were postponed amid public health safety concerns.
In her quest to
represent Saint Lucia at the Games, Spencer will need a considerable amount of
sponsorship to offset her expenses related to preparation and participation in
the world-class event. The world-ranked high jumper reached out to the SLHTA
and, based on the existing relationship the Association shares with Spencer,
her request for financial assistance was granted unanimously by the Trustees of
the SLHTA’s Tourism Enhancement Fund
The SLHTA believes that Spencer’s representation at the international level not only showcases the island as a sporting destination, but also a tourism destination worthy of visiting. That was the underlying reason why Spencer was honoured as a Goodwill Ambassador at the SLHTA’s Annual General Meeting in August 2019.
In October 2019,
fresh from her Pan American Games where she won a gold medal in high jump,
Spencer returned home to a hero’s welcome at the VIP Lounge at the Hewanorra
International Airport. The event was organized by the SLHTA.
The SLHTA will
continue to support Spencer, who has been voted Sportswoman of the Year
multiple times in Saint Lucia, because she sets a positive example to
especially our youth, many of whom have taken up sports based on her
inspiration.
The “Eat What We
Grow” campaign, which was started by the Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF),
stemmed from the Virtual Agricultural Clearing House (VACH), a programme
established by the Saint Lucia Hospitality & Tourism Association (SLHTA) in
April 2016.
As organizations representing various entities in the local
tourism sector, the SLHTA and TEF place a great deal of importance on
strengthening the existing linkages between agriculture and tourism. So strong
are these linkages that hundreds of farmers depend on the hospitality sector
which purchases a fair share of their produce.
Since 2016, the SLHTA has made a significant impact in
bridging the growing divide between tourism and agriculture. The WhatsApp
platform on which the VACH operates provides an avenue for hundreds of farmers
to upload information on agricultural produce available for sale and allows
nearly two dozen hotels and two large food and beverage companies to upload
demand information.
In response to the COVID-19 outbreak, the SLHTA and TEF felt that, especially during these trying times, people needed to eat healthy and nutritious foods, primarily agricultural produce grown locally. Therefore, the “Eat What We Grow” campaign was a timely initiative.
The “Eat What We
Grow” campaign was launched in July 2020 at the SLHTA Secretariat in Rodney
Heights. Among those in attendance were acclaimed musician and Goodwill
Ambassador Ronald “Boo” Hinkson, local farmer Moses Renee, and SLHTA’s Chief
Executive Officer Noorani Azeez, all of whom spoke to the need for healthy
eating and supporting the local economy.
Hinkson also
created a jingle for the “Eat What We Grow” campaign, and media house All Biz,
which did a video for the jingle showcasing farms and local chefs.
Subsequently,
when the “Recover Saint Lucia” initiative was launched and Azeez was chosen to
spearhead the Food and Safety Committee, the “Eat What We Grow” campaign video
was edited to include “Recover Saint Lucia” as a key partner, especially since
both initiatives dovetailed in many ways.
The “Eat What We
Grow” campaign also aims to create awareness about the wholesomeness of
locally-produced foods and the need to support our local farmers, chefs and
others whose livelihoods depend on the agricultural sector. Another aim of the
campaign was the importance of starting small kitchen gardens to reduce on the
food bill.