CHTA President Reflects on Tenure

When Nicola Madden-Greig took over the reins of the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA), the industry was reeling from unprecedented challenges brought on by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Under her leadership, Caribbean tourism not only recovered but flourished, becoming the fastest growing region in global tourism.

The CHTA President, who also serves as Group Director of Marketing and Sales at Courtleigh Hospitality Group, tells JIS News that she is very proud of the work done throughout her tenure, noting that advocacy played a very important role.

“The level of advocacy that we had to put in place during the pandemic [and] after the pandemic and continue to do today, to ensure that some of the barriers to our success have been removed, just cannot be understated,” says Mrs. Madden-Greig.

Her efforts involved lobbying governments, working with international partners, and addressing travel advisories.

“Now you can pick up the phone and call any Minister of Tourism, any of our regional bodies, share information and move forward in unison. I feel proud to have been part of that movement and continue to push for that level of collaboration and partnership, because it’s one Caribbean and we can achieve so much more if we do it together,” she tells JIS News.

Mrs. Madden-Greig, who is the first Jamaican-born President of the CHTA and first female representative from Jamaica, describes her tenure as “a time of pivoting and change”.

Despite the challenges, she finds immense satisfaction in seeing the positive impact of her work, noting that “we were able, as a region, to reopen tourism – helping each other, sharing data [and] best practices”.

“The Caribbean was the fastest region to recover and has been the number-one region in terms of tourism growth over 2019,” she adds.

During the pandemic, the global travel industry was severely affected as many countries closed their borders.

Mrs. Madden-Greig’s success as CHTA President is also evident through the number of initiatives that she has been instrumental in implementing.

“When I came into the seat, I observed that there was a strong recognition, especially during COVID, of the importance of technology and data, and being able to have data, but also to embed technology in our decision-making processes and so I established a Technology Task Force in order for us to really and truly embed the new technology into Caribbean tourism moving forward in a more significant way,” she says.

The President informs that the Technology Task Force has been doing “very well” and has executed initiatives with partners, such as hospitality, finance and technology professionals, as well as various local hotel associations.

“It’s an ongoing and continuing advocacy effort around the area of technology,” Mrs. Madden-Greig emphasises.

Another pioneering initiative during her Presidency was implementation of the Caribbean Travel Forum.

The Caribbean Travel Forum, which had its third staging this year in Jamaica, focuses on the business of tourism in the Caribbean and brings to the table international and regional thought leaders.

It provides an opportunity for stakeholders to look at how they can imagine Caribbean tourism and take advantage of all the opportunities that it presents, not only for persons who are investors or international investors but also for local entrepreneurs and for small, micro and medium-sized tourism enterprises.

The Caribbean Travel Forum is a stand-alone event immediately preceding the Caribbean Travel Marketplace.

Through initiatives like the Technology Task Force and the Caribbean Travel Forum, Mrs. Madden-Greig has fostered regional collaboration and promoted the Caribbean as a multifaceted travel destination.

Her work also involves promoting regional tourism through multi-destination marketing.

Mrs. Madden Greig tells JIS News that five specially invited members of the media participated in the first ever multi-destination media familiarisation trip, which was a key feature of this year’s CHTA Caribbean Travel Marketplace.

“We are really trying to push regional tourism and let the world know that when you come to the Caribbean it’s not just one place you visit and say you have visited the Caribbean. There are so many destinations to discover with such diversity that you really have to visit so many more and indulge in all of the culture, cuisine and the beauty of the Caribbean,” says the CHTA President.

Her leadership has also led to the establishment of the President’s Award for Excellence in Caribbean Tourism and the Destination Resilience Award.

She indicates that the introduction of the Destination Resilience Award celebrates the collaborative efforts between public and private sectors in recovering from the pandemic.

This award recognises both small and large destinations that have shown exemplary resilience.

On the other hand, the President’s Award for Excellence in Caribbean Tourism, first awarded to Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, for his contributions to tourism, recognises public-sector entities and individuals who partner with the private sector in moving Caribbean tourism forward.

Mrs. Madden-Greig’s work in the position of President began prior to the official start in October 2021, making her the longest-serving CHTA President.

The maximum duration of a CHTA President is usually two years.

As Mrs. Madden-Greig prepares to end her tenure later this year, she has expressed gratitude to her team for the work done over the years.

She further encourages her successor to “listen, pay attention and put all your efforts behind [the industry], because it’s an important industry”.

“It impacts so many lives throughout the region and if we do it right, it can really continue to make tremendous change and allow the least of us in the Caribbean to become something fantastic,” she says.

Founded in 1962, the CHTA is the leading association representing hotels and businesses dedicated to tourism and hospitality in the Caribbean.