The Prime Minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Dr. Ralph Gonsalves will be the feature speaker at this yearå‘s 26th Annual Caribbean Tourism Conference (CTC-26) which opened on the Caribbean island of St. Thomas last Thursday.

The Caribbean Tourism Organisation (CTO), has announced that Dr. Gonsalves will address hundreds of delegates at a special luncheon on Saturday, October 18th, the final day of the conference, on the theme Recovery and Growth in a Fiercely Competitive Environment.

“We are excited that Prime Minister Gonsalves has agreed to address us. His presence is a demonstration of his commitment to participate in the region’s efforts to strengthen the tourism industry,” said Jean Holder, secretary general of CTO.

Dr. Gonsalves is a former lecturer in the Department of Government at the University of the West Indies and past Visiting Professor at Queen`s College, City University of New York. From 1981 to 2001 he was Barrister-at-Law and Solicitor at the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court and was elected Prime Minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines in 2001.

“Dr. Gonsalves is a compelling and impressive speaker with a direct and no-nonsense approach and he is expected to bring the CTC-26 theme to life as he delves into some of the most important issues facing our industry today,” added Karen Ford-Warner, CTO’s deputy secretary general.

CTC-26 opened on Thursday, Oct. 18th with a ceremony at the University of the Virgin Islands (UVI) Sports and Fitness Centre. Gov. Charles W. Turnbull, USVI governor; Jean Holder, CTO’s secretary general and Pamela Richards, USVI Commissioner of Tourism will address this ceremony. Prof. Rex Nettleford, vice chancellor of the University of the West Indies, will deliver the keynote address.

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