The Saint Lucia Hotel and Tourism Association (SLHTA), the largest private sector organization on the island, held its 51st Annual General Meeting (AGM) and Tourism Linkages Tradeshow on Friday, May 29, under the theme “Engage, Educate, Empower.”

The meeting took place at the Bay Gardens Hotel with over 100 members and invited guests in attendance.

The closed session, which was attended exclusively by SLHTA members, witnessed the presentation of the President’s report and the tabling and approval of the Association’s audited financial statements for the previous financial year.

The highlight of the closed session was the election of a new Board of Directors for the 2015- 2017 term.

Mrs. Karolin Troubetzkoy, Director of Marketing & Operations of Anse Chastanet /Jade Mountain, was unanimously re-elected President of the SLHTA.

Other newly elected members of the SLHTA’s Board of Directors were: Sanovnik Destang, 1st Vice President; Daniel Belizaire, 2nd Vice President; Mark Ozawa, Representative for Luxury Villas and Vacation Rentals; Kashmi Ali, Representative for Large Hotels; Ross Stevenson, Representative for High-end boutiques, Hotels and Luxury Villas; Cheryl Skeete, Representative for Small Hotels and Guesthouses; Erwin Louisy, Representative for Airlines, Travel Consultants, and Destination Management Companies; Corey Devaux, Representative for Ground Transportation, Cruise Sub-sectors and Tour Service Providers (Automobile Rentals, National Taxi Union, TourismTaxis & Cruise related business); Sean Devaux, Representative for the Yachting and Maritime subsector; Roger Joseph, Representative for Utility Companies and Statutory Corporations; Bob Hathaway, Representative At Large for Banks, Professionals, Educational/Training Institutions and other Allied Members; Louis Lewis, Director of Tourism; and Noorani Azeez; SLHTA Chief Executive Officer.

The SLHTA is a private non-profit membership organization responsible for facilitating tourism sector development and management. It currently comprises over 220 members, covering a wide segment of the economic spectrum of St. Lucia including tourism, retail and wholesale distribution, agriculture and other services sectors. The SLHTA's mission is "to be the leading catalyst for developing St. Lucia as the best island destination in the world.”