ST. JOHN'S, Antigua — AS he prepares to leave office amid ongoing global challenges affecting the Caribbean tourism industry, President of the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA), Sanovnik Destang, says he is pleased with the progress the regional body has made during his tenure.
Over the past two years, the association has embraced technology, introduced changes to its meetings and events, and adopted a more inclusive approach to engaging its wider membership.
Speaking with SKNVibes on the sidelines of the recently held Caribbean Travel Marketplace in Antigua and Barbuda, Destang reflected on the accomplishments achieved during his presidency, emphasizing that the successes were the result of a collective effort.
“I don't think that there's any one accomplishment that I had. It's a team effort,” he said. “Some of the things that I'm really proud of is how we've embraced technology.”
According to Destang, the association established a Technology Task Force, which he chaired before becoming president. The group has since produced two artificial intelligence guidebooks and is currently working on a third.
The upcoming publication focuses on artificial intelligence and its impact on employment within the tourism industry. Destang explained that the guidebook will provide principles and strategies for using AI to enhance, rather than replace, the workforce.
With his term set to conclude later this year, Destang also highlighted efforts to help hotels better integrate technology into their operations, increase direct bookings, and reduce dependence on third-party booking platforms.
He pointed to the strong participation and engagement at the association's Direct Booking Summit as one example of those efforts.
“And some of the things we've done from an advocacy perspective as well that we accomplished. We have an advocacy repository, which has been released - at least the first section of it has been released - focused on the short-term rental sector. It's been one of those emerging issues in Caribbean tourism and global tourism, and I'm very proud that we were able to come up with a very balanced approach to how we deal with the short-term accommodation sector, our short-term rental sector, that doesn't try to regulate them out of business, that helps them to grow in a responsible and sustainable way.”
Destang noted that the association has also been involved in discussions surrounding taxation and ways to support the growth of the short-term rental sector by encouraging greater professionalism and improved standards.
“The reality is that 30 to 40 percent of people who come to the Caribbean now are staying in short-term rentals,” he noted. “So, I'm very proud that we've been able to accomplish some of these things, and happy that our board has been willing to embrace new ideas and new ways of doing things with how we embrace technology, how we embrace our people.”
Another initiative that stood out during his tenure was the work of the association's Linkages Committee.
“...Our linkages committee was also something that I was extremely proud of, and there's going to be some good work that we'll be doing with CTO to ensure that the economic benefits of tourism are felt beyond just the hotel sector, but we have good linkages with agriculture, manufacturing, and others.
"So those are some of the things that we accomplished, but again, I keep saying we, because at the end of the day, I can have all of the best ideas. If I don't have a team behind me and around me who are supporting these ideas, they don't go anywhere. So, that's what I would say, and these are things that I know are going to be continued by my successor.”
When his tenure ends later this year, Destang will be succeeded by Dominican hotelier Gregor Nassief, who is expected to face a number of challenges as he takes over leadership of the regional tourism body.
