Gay Nagle Myers
When Karolin Troubetzkoy took the reins as president of the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA) two years ago, she had no way of knowing what lay ahead.
During a brief lull between calls, meetings and memos, Troubetzkoy, who also is executive director of the Jade Mountain and Anse Chastanet resorts in St. Lucia, reflected on the challenges, opportunities and achievements of the past two years, even as she warned that "there is still much work to be done."
"It's been anything but business as usual," she said.
Right after Troubetzkoy took office, the first reports began coming out on Zika. That was followed by the summer of the unprecedented influx of sargassum that blanketed many of hotel beaches, which she said kept guests away and revenues down. Then there was Brexit, which impacted the tourist arrival market from the U.K.
"These crises took a toll on our team in terms of added work hours doing research and communications," she said.
However, nothing had prepared the CHTA or the region for the hurricanes last September, which unleashed record-breaking damage and destruction on several Caribbean islands.
Karolin Troubetzkoy
Charged with heading the messaging effort for a region battered by Irma and Maria, Troubetzkoy's team launched www.caribbeantravelupdate.com within 48 hours, using it as the site for communications and daily updates.
"The hurricanes showed us what we were made of and the need to communicate status reports, relief efforts and, later, voluntourism programs," she said.
Months later, standing in Miami airport, a hotelier that she knew only slightly came up to her to thank her for the CHTA's work and communications efforts regarding the hurricanes.
"He told me that our work had not gone unnoticed," Troubetzkoy said. "That peer recognition went a long way with me."
One silver lining from the storms was the emergence of properties built to be more resilient and sustainable, according to Troubetzkoy.
"We're not as resilient as we would like to be," she said. "Right now as the hurricane season approaches, many of the hotels and destinations are reviewing their plans. One suggestion is that we pinpoint the outlying communities that could be cut off from communications when a storm comes."
She suggested stockpiling emergency supplies and containers ahead of time in those areas until help could arrive.
Troubetzkoy is pleased that the long-talked about regional marketing plan for the region was presented to the heads of state at three recent Caricom meetings.
"This plan requires private and public sector cooperation and sustained funding, but I feel confident that we are moving ahead with this," she said.
It is imperative to create a desire on the part of travelers to visit the destinations of the Caribbean, she added. "We have so much more than just sand, sun and sea, and we must emphasize what makes us unique.
"I see a lot of interest in developing new activities for our visitors. I think we are just beginning to scratch this surface."
Troubetzkoy views the current state of the hospitality industry as "exciting."
"I see major efforts by hotel brands to create better training programs for their staffs, upgrade their customer service standards, bring in more jobs and engage more in the local communities."
One aspect left undone, although Troubetzkoy sees it as an opportunity, is to erase the traditional separation of cruise tourism versus land-based tourism. "We must unite," she said. "We have shared responsibilities to make the region desirable for years to come. I would like to see the cruise lines, organizations and officials sit with us at a table to collaborate on working together on a shared plan so that everyone benefits.
"Tourism is not a bubble," she said. "It is an integral part of the social framework of this region, and it takes all of us working together to assure its livelihood."
Troubetzkoy will pass the CHTA baton in June to Patricia Affonso-Dass, general manager at Ocean Hotels in Barbados, although she will retain the title of chairperson.