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Moms think they know best.
And, you know what? We agree.

Source: Hotel News Resource

In addition to reminding us to clean our rooms, comb our hair, and be nice to our teachers, Moms love to shower us with sage advice and thoughtful quips to get us through any situation. And, it turns out that their advice is directly relevant to our work as hotel marketers as well.

First there were pillow menus, or maybe those came later, I can't be certain.

Then, someone thought of leaving some minty chocolates on those pillows.
No sooner that was done and you would come back to the room at 6pm to find your bed neatly tucked in. Two slippers sit symmetrically positioned by the bedside, ready for you to strut your stuff in front of the 400 channel TV as you wait for that $40 salad to arrive . OK, there's no toothbrush within a mile of the bathroom, but those high-end brand conditioners sure take the frizz out of my hair, so dental hygiene be damned. That's just the beginning.

Breakfast offers a decadent spread of food, with enough variety to have made an ancient Roman food orgy look bland. The orange juice is so smooth, it was probably squeezed by the delicate fingers of a concert pianist. Don't get me started on the carefully orchestrated and smile-infused table service. My serviette (because at this level it's not a napkin, please) gently draped over my lap, coffee ground just minutes ago and served in designer porcelain, only the spoonfeeding is lacking, lest I regress into a toddler I suppose. 

I love it. See, that is luxury. All of it.

By Diana McIntyre-Pike

As a tribute to the pioneering work of Diana McIntyre-Pike in Community Tourism, the IIPT Caribbean and Countrystyle Community Tourism Network/Villages as Businesses (CCTN/VAB) have created an Academy for Community Tourism.  The Academy honours its President/Founder Diana McIntyre-Pike who is also President of the first chapter of the International Institute for Peace through Tourism (IIPT) outside the USA and Co-coordinator of the IIPT International Community Tourism Network.

The purpose of the Academy of Community Tourism (ACT) is to support CCTN/VAB's mission to lift up and energize communities through participation in tourism and contribute to peace and harmony among the peoples of the world.  The Academy is thus a core tool for implementing the philosophy of Community Tourism, empowering individuals through tourism and tourism-related skills and entrepreneurship and growing small and medium enterprises, the lifeblood of every economy.

In creating the Academy, the IIPT Caribbean and CountryStyle/Villages as Businesses have partnered with Etalon Global Solutions (EGS), an approved Pearson EDEXCEL Training and Certification Centre founded by Dr. Carolyn Hayle, former Executive Director of Jamaica’s National Training Agency.

(Flight Centre Award) NEW YORK, NY; April 7, 2016: Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett (3rd right), was presented with a Telly Award by Brennan Quesnele, Flight Centre USA Inc’s  Operations Director eCommerce (3rd left), during a recent meeting at Flight Centre. The Telly Awards honour the finest film and video productions, web and TV commercials and was awarded to GOGO Vacations for their online video “Paradise Found – Jamaica”. The video featured Carey Dennis, member of the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB) and Jamaica’s top attractions including the Rose Hall Great House, Green Grotto Caves, Martha Brae, Scotchies, Chukka Horseback Ride N’ Swim, Dolphin Cove. Minister Bartlett, who is visiting New York City to meet with strategic tourism partners to discuss his plans to drive new markets and forge new partnerships to grow Jamaica’s tourism, is accompanied by (from left) Christopher Dobson, JTB’s Business Development Manager; Donnie Dawson, Deputy Director of Tourism at JTB; Paul Pennicook, Director of Tourism; and Francine Carter Henry, JTB’s Tour Operators and Airlines Manager.

ContactL Alyssa Taffe
Public Relations Officer
Ministry of Tourism
64 Knutsford Boulevard
Kingston 5
Tel: 920-4926-30, ext: 5989

DALLAS, TX - The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) is pleased to announce the Winners of the 2016 Tourism for Tomorrow Awards. The Awards, which were presented at a special ceremony during the 16th WTTC Global Summit in Dallas, Texas, USA showcase business leadership in sustainable tourism, celebrating ground breaking and inspiring initiatives across five categories.

The 2016 Winners are: Community Award: Expediciones Sierra Norte, Mexico Destination Award: Parkstad Limburg, Netherlands Environment Award: The Botswana Rhino Conservation Project by Wilderness Safaris, Botswana Innovation Award: Carmacal Carbon Calculator by ANVR - The Netherlands Travel Trade Association, Netherlands People Award: Youth Career Initiative, United Kingdom & worldwide Each year a group of independent judges from the private sector, academic institutions, non-profit organisations and government come together to select the Finalists and Winners of the Awards. The three-stage judging process is extremely rigorous and includes thorough on-site evaluations of all finalists.

This year it involved 36 judges and over 60 days of work in the field. David Scowsill, President and CEO, WTTC, says: “The 2016 winners of the Tourism for Tomorrow Awards are truly inspirational examples of tourism that has a long term vision. In a world of shrinking resources, with increasing pressure on cultural heritage and local traditions, these organisations are living proof that Travel & Tourism can be a force for good. These companies are showing clear leadership in the industry.”

NEW YORK, NY - JetBlue today announced further expansion of Mint, its award-winning take on the premium experience, to two new Caribbean destinations – St. Lucia and St. Maarten – and on additional new routes.

The expansion brings Mint customers to more destinations than ever:

• New seasonal service between New York and St. Lucia

Negril, Jamaica, W.I. January 18, 2016. Over thirteen years ago, Garry Sowerby, a four-time world record holder, long-distance driving, columnist and global adventurer, set out on an odyssey. On Friday 13th of November, 2002 hedrove from Whitehorse, in Canada's Yukon Territory, in pursuit of Dawson City's 'sourtoe cocktail'.  “The 'sourtoe cocktail' is an obscure rite of passage in the Yukon and I wanted to do it,” Garry said. But bad luck prevailed that Friday the 13th in 2002, so we tried it again looking for good luck,” Garry said.

Thirteen years later, Friday, November the 13th, he set out to do the drive again with his wife and editor, Lisa Calvi, to launch his book “Driven Mind”. It was the first of seven pop-up global launches planned for the next eleven months in places of significance chronicled in the book.  This ambitious goal was well-within reach of a man known in his industry as an adventurous trailblazer and holder of four world records for long distance driving, while circumnavigating the world, crossing 75 countries.

During an interview with the epic world traveler, Sowerby revealed that in 2015 he decided on an unconventional approach to launching Driven Mind by using the next six (6) locations to stage events that are inspired by stories in the book.  

ATLANTA (January 11, 2016) – In a bold, unprecedented move, today Bronner Brothers, Inc. (BB) announced it has assembled a preeminent group of celebrity stylists, beauty schools and motivators for its 69th Annual Bronner Bros. International Beauty Show. Billed “The Trilogy,” three platforms will combine to offer access to top level educators, trendsetting artists and inspiring leaders in the multi-cultural beauty industry. Approximately 30,000 licensed professionals and students are expected to attend the three-day convention, which takes place February 20-22, 2016 at the Georgia World Congress Center (GWCC) in Atlanta, GA. 

Widely regarded as the largest multi-cultural beauty show in the world, the Bronner Bros. International Beauty Show includes a highly anticipated 2016 Summer Trend Release featuring the celebrity stylists behind some of today’s most iconic looks.  A-list participants include Neal Farina (Beyoncé, Mary J. Blige), Sam Fine (Tyra Banks, Vanessa Williams, Patti LaBelle, Iman), Takisha Sturdivant-Drew (Kerry Washington, Sanaa Lathan, Amber Riley), Andre Walker (Oprah, Halle Berry) and Johnny Wright (First Lady Michelle Obama).   

In addition to trend presentations, attendees can learn from an all-star panel of Men’s barbering, skin, shave and hair masters at the “Pass the Mic” Barber Forum moderated by James Wealthy. The Ultimate Beauty Competition will showcase the work of students at Aveda, Empire, Paul Mitchell and Pro Way Hair Schools. This friendly display of school pride will challenge students to innovate by pushing the boundaries of traditional concepts. Closing out February’s trilogy experience is a “Power Session “with renowned motivational speaker Dr. Les Brown and co-founder of PriceLine, Jeff Hoffman.   

The long-standing friction between hoteliers and OTAs was kicked up a notch last week as the trade associations representing each of those groups engaged in a war of words and data over “rogue” OTA websites.

The hallmark of such sites, according to the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AH&LA), is that they trick consumers into believing that they are booking directly on a hotel’s website. The Travel Technology Association (Travel Tech), the OTAs’ trade group, meanwhile, defended the trustworthiness of the distribution channel it represents.

The AH&LA said that U.S. consumers book as many as 15 million hotel rooms each year, totaling more than $1.3 billion in revenue, through “rogue” OTAs. And, citing a study compiled for it by GfK Custom Research, the trade group said such bookings often resulted in corrupted, inaccurate or nonexistent bookings.

A total of 10 spa therapy professionals recently graduated with their diploma in holistic massage from the Ocho Rios-based, Personal Body Health Care (PBHC) Clinic and School of Holistic Therapies, becoming the school's first ever graduating class.

This diploma is certified under the International Training and Examination Council (ITEC), which is a specialist examination board, renowned for providing certification in beauty and spa therapy, hairdressing, complementary therapies, sports and fitness training and customer service.

The graduation ceremony took place last Saturday night at the Sunset Beach Resort, Spa and Water Park in Montego Bay, with graduates being feted to a lavish dinner party by the hotel's management. The graduates who all achieved distinctions included, Sharon Parris-Chambers, Verona Warburton, Lance Rose, Audrey Bennett, Charisse Pink, Janice McLoud, Samantha McLeggon, Shawnette Montaque, Marry Daley and Dudley Malcolm, who currently works as a spa therapist at the resort.

Montego Bay, Jamaica, W.I. (March 22, 2015) Patricia Berry-Greenidge has crisscrossed the Atlantic and Caribbean Seas in her quest to bring ITEC (International Therapy Examination Council) standards to the Caribbean. She began blazing trails as the Principal of Personal Body Healthcare Clinic and School of Holistic Therapies Inc., which is accredited by ITEC and IFPA (International Federation of Professional Aromatherapists).  The first graduating class of PBHC Jamaica, comprising of ten graduates, received their ITEC Holistic Massage diplomas on March 14, 2015 at Sunset Beach Resort & Waterpark, Montego Bay.

Prior to establishing the Clinic & School in 2007, Patricia was a university lecturer,  professional therapist and Spa Consultant in Barbados, teaching Holistic Massage Therapy, Business Professionalism, Reiki and Alternative and Complementary Therapies, to name a few. Having travelled the world, she possesses intimate knowledge of exotic and indigenous spa and wellness therapies and products. She is the mother to a son who is a practicing lawyer, and a grandmother to three boys.

Montego Bay, Jamaica: March 4, 2015: The Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB) has thrown its full support behind the upcoming MoBay City Run, describing the charity event as an asset to the development of sports tourism and the education of young Jamaicans.

Speaking at the event’s launch yesterday at the Holiday Inn SunSpree Resort, JTB Chairman, Dennis Morrison said the event fitted admirably into the growing niche market of sports tourism which can be of tremendous benefit to the country’s tourism earnings and education.

The event, now in its second year, takes place on Sunday, May 3, 2015. It encompasses both a 5k and 10k road race throughout downtown Montego Bay to raise funds for youth education in Jamaica. Chairman of MoBay City Run, Janet Silvera, said the target is $5 million. The proceeds will support students attending institutions such as the University of the West Indies and University of Technology western campuses, Sam Sharpe Teachers’ College and the Montego Bay Community College. Over 4,000 sport enthusiasts, including 20 travel agents from Canada, are expected to participate in this year’s event. 

Knutsford Express is pleased to announce some long-awaited news about new schedules, as well as, new stations.

Knutsford Express has included a stop at Gutters (at the end of Spur Tree Hill) along the South Coast route to Savanna La Mar and Montego Bay.  They have also incorporatedFalmouth and Ocho Rios to and from Mandeville.  Please see the attached schedules and fares for both the South Coast and the North Coast.

Here is even more fantastic good news!  Knutsford Express has rolled back all one way fares by as much as fifty dollars ($50.00).  This is reflected in the rates which can be viewed on the following website - www.knutsfordexpress.com

MONTEGO BAY, JAMAICA –Minister of Tourism and Entertainment, the Hon. Dr. Wykeham McNeill (shown right in the photo) explains plans to use Jamaica’s entertainment and culture to drive visitor arrivals to the island under the ministry’s new "Jamrock Summer- 90 days, 90 ways” initiative.

Also pictured are international journalists Mike Benhaim of the Metro Newspaper, Canada (left) and Pedro Irigoyen of the Clarin, Argentina (center), as they enjoyed Sumfest 2014.

Basseterre, St. Kitts (July 10, 2014) – The mix of musical talents and genres that was showcased on stage at the 18th annual St. Kitts Music Festival held June 26-28, 2014 led to patrons and visiting media alike hailing the event as “the best ever.”

“I am extremely pleased with the high quality of delivery of the Festival this year,” said Senator Ricky Skerritt, Minister of Tourism & International Transport.  “I have received nothing but positive feedback from numerous visitors and locals who could sense that St. Kitts has now established a truly world-class event.” Skerritt pointed to the high-energy on-stage performances, combined top-quality event management and an excellent overall Caribbean experience as the main reasons for the large and appreciative crowds.