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ttention to the bottom line appears to be the focus of the new
executive team at the Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Association
(CHTA) — the bottom line of its member base, that is.
Emil Lee, the organization’s president, introduced the new slate at
the Caribbean Travel Marketplace earlier in 2015, along with several ini-
tiatives and a promise of a status shakeup. “As leaders in the region,” he
said, referring to CHTA and the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO),
“we have a tremendous responsibility to be visionary, provocative, and
even disruptive.” He continued, “On behalf of the region, the CHTA must
be bold and unafraid to challenge the status quo.”
Frank Comito, who stepped into the role of CEO and director general
in March 2015, says he wants to drive the organization to become more
relevant to members by helping them to “make money, save money, and
improve and protect their business.” Comito, Matt Cooper — in the
newly created position of chief marketing officer — and Vanessa
Ledesma-Berrios, who was promoted to chief operating officer in 2013,
have embraced their task, outlining changes that anyone attending
the organization’s signature and partnered events this year will imme-
diately experience.
New Leadership
The new leadership are all seasoned Caribbean industry professionals:
Comito, with more than 30 years in Caribbean tourism and hospitality,
has most recently served as the executive vice president of the
Bahamas Hotel and Tourism Association, and volunteer president of
Caribbean Society of Hotel Association Executives. He was instrumen-
tal in the revitalization of downtown Nassau and the US$410 million
redevelopment of Nassau’s international airport.
Matt Cooper, with more than two decades in marketing and
public relations in the Caribbean, began his career at Sandals
Resorts and has developed innovative marketing promotions for
destinations and hotels. An allied member of CHTA for more than
By Betsy Sheldon
CARIBBEAN
RESORTDEVELOPER.COM
vacation industry review
JULY – SEPTEMBER 2015
18
New Faces,
The Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Association
Aims to Help Members Make Money, Save
Money, and Improve Business