The Grenada Hotel and Tourism Association elected its new Board of Directors on January 21^st, 2021 at its 58^th Annual General Meeting.

Heading the Association for the next term is Hotelier of the Year, Leo Garbutt, MBE of Calabash Luxury Boutique Hotel. Other elected directors include: Kendra Hopkin of Blue Horizons Garden Resort, Brian Hardy of Spice Island Beach Resort, Aaron Sylvester of Tri-Island Chocolate, Mandoo Seales of Mandoo Tours, and Marie Fielden of CMS. They join the remaining board members which includes: Peter Fraser, Lotten Haagman, Christine Finney, and Immediate Past President, Jerry Rappaport.

Outgoing President, Jerry Rappaport  who served in the role for the past five years thanked the Board for their service.

“Any leader of any organization or business is only as good as the people that he or she surrounds themselves with. I have been very fortunate to have had an excellent Board of Directors to work with and I thank each and every one of you for your devotion to the GHTA and for what each of you individually brought to the equation,” Rappaport said.

Jerry Rappaport added, “The Pure Grenada brand was developed not merely as a marketing brand. It was also a call to all to embrace a truly sustainable agenda that would ensure that the future development of Grenada respected and protected our beautiful natural environment while benefiting all sectors of our society. It was that ethos that motivated the drive spearheaded by the GHTA to enact the ban on Styrofoam and subsequently, the ban on single use plastic bags.” The GHTA commends Mr. Rappaport for his years of dedicated service towards the sustainable development of tourism in Grenada and his commitment to the GHTA.

This AGM was a unique one for the Association as it had to occur virtually. Through technology, the Association was able to meet and share the it’s achievements, financial status as well as the path forward. The CEO, Arlene Friday stated, “Moving forward, our members can expect our increased presence and decisive voice as we move to proactively deliver constructive and collaborative public policy statements in their best interest and in the interest of the overall private sector in Grenada.”  She added, “It has been 58 years since the birth of this organization and while much about the industry has changed, our vision remains the same.”

Also attending and delivering the keynote address was Minister of Tourism & Civil Aviation Hon. Minister Modeste- Curwen who praised the Association for all of its hard work and for their partnership. She highlighted some of the government’s priorities as well as major challenges facing the industry.

Two virtual presentations were also conducted. The Association commemorated the loss of tourism stalwarts and their impact to the Association and also highlighted Mr. Jerry Rappaport’s years of service.

 The Grenada Hotel & Tourism Association is a non-governmental, membership -based organization that represents the private sector. For those who are interested in joining, please contact: info@ghta.org