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HEAVY
HITTERS ANNOUNCED FOR CMEx PUERTO RICO
Date Posted: March 26, 2008.
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico - An influential Minister of Tourism,
an enlightened Executive Director of Tourism, an expert in
Caribbean Diaspora relations, a specialist in branding small
hotels, a renowned American journalist, and an expert in the
faith tourism market are among the headliners of the 12th
full edition of Counterpart International's Caribbean Media
Exchange on Sustainable Tourism (CMEx) set for the Holiday
Inn San Juan in Isla Verde, Puerto Rico, from May 15 to 19,
2008.
Organisers confirmed that Senator Allen Chastanet, St.
Lucia's Minister of Tourism and Civil Aviation who doubles
as the chairman of the Caribbean Tourism Organisation, will
join the award-winning Terestella González Denton, Executive
Director of the Puerto Rico Tourism Company to lead a
line-up of reporters, editors, young people, development
specialists and industry experts as they explore the theme
"Embracing the Diaspora, Connecting Communities."
"Puerto Rico is set to host one of the most exciting
meetings we have had in under seven years," said Lelei
LeLaulu, president of Counterpart International, who said
the exchange will also hear from Irwine Clare, managing
director of the New York-based Caribbean Immigrant Services;
Caribbean-American brand specialist Caroline Racine of
Choice Hotels International; journalist and author Andria
Hall of SpeakEasy M.E.D.I.A.; and Kevin Wright, President of
the World Religious Travel Association.
Recognising the increasing demand from media and youth
fellowships to attend the meeting, LeLaulu noted the
competition had been extremely keen and a number of new and
seasoned delegates are set to meet in San Juan this Spring.
"In Puerto Rico, we will examine how tourism can improve the
health, wealth, environment and culture of destinations,"
noted LeLaulu, who announced that participants from Anguilla,
Antigua & Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, the British Virgin
Islands, Canada, Cayman Islands, Dominica, Haiti, Jamaica,
Martinique, Nicaragua, St. Kitts & Nevis, St. Lucia, St.
Maarten, St. Vincent and Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad &
Tobago, the United Kingdom, the United States and the host
country are confirmed.
The huge but often ignored buying power of African-Americans
will be discussed by Michael Deflorimonte, a marketing
professional with more than 20 years of marketing and
business development experience having served as a Vice
President of Charles Schwab and Co. where he developed and
directed their nationwide African American Investor Services
group.
"The buying power of African-Americans is expected to exceed
a trillion dollars over the next several years. This
projection along with an affinity for the Caribbean make
African-Americans prime candidates for Caribbean tourism
efforts," said Deflorimonte, whose parents are from the
CARICOM nation of Guyana.
The similarly overlooked economic heft of the upwardly
mobile and influential Hispanic American market will be
addressed by highly respected Puerto Rican public relations
executive Nelly Cruz.
The upcoming CMEx meeting, produced by Counterpart
International, is supported by Almond Resorts, Association
of Caribbean Media Workers, The Barbara Pyle Foundation, Bay
Gardens Resorts, Black Entertainment Television (BET J),
Caribbean Broadcasting Union, Caribbean Tourism Development
Company (CTDC), Caribbean World News Network, Choice Hotels
International, Coco Resorts, Counterpart Caribbean, Jamaica
Tourist Board, Puerto Rico Tourism Company, Ruder Finn and
SpeakEasy M.E.D.I.A.
