June 7, 2024
The Hague – The Hotel School The Hague (HTH) and the Caribbean Tourism Organisation (CTO) have announced a partnership to promote sustainable practices and innovation across the global tourism industry. The collaboration will expand the reach of the Sustainable Hospitality Challenge (SHC) to the Caribbean region.
Donna Regis Prosper
Known globally for inspiring students to develop creative solutions to sustainability challenges in the hospitality industry, SHC will bring its impactful competition to the Caribbean. This expansion will leverage the region’s unique cultural diversity and perspectives to enrich the competition and spark new innovative solutions.
Through this collaboration, SHC aims to create an inclusive space where students from around the world can present their ideas and contribute to the dialogue on sustainable tourism. By combining SHC’s extensive network with CTO’s commitment to positioning the Caribbean as a top travel destination and dedication to leading sustainable tourism initiatives, the initiative provides a stage for Caribbean students to showcase their tourism expertise on a global scale.
This collaboration between HTH/SHC and CTO demonstrates both organizations’ shared dedication to driving innovation and sustainability in the hospitality industry, with the goal of empowering future leaders to drive positive change and build a sustainable legacy for future generations.
“We are excited to see the Sustainable Hospitality Challenge expand into the Caribbean,” said Paul Griep, Director of Alumni and Industry Relations at Hotel School Den Haag and Founder of SHC.
“Personally, I am excited for SHC to expand into a culturally rich and diverse region. At SHC, we firmly believe that the best innovations come from anyone, anywhere. We aim to provide an opportunity for all students from around the world to share their ideas. The Caribbean is rich in tourism knowledge and is an ideal environment to foster innovative solutions. We look forward to the contributions Caribbean students will bring,” he continued.
“Partnering on an initiative like this marks a major step forward for CTO and reinforces our ongoing commitment to developing the next generation of tourism leaders in the Caribbean,” said Donna Regis Prosper, CTO Executive Director and CEO. “Not only does this collaboration strengthen our efforts to engage future leaders in tourism-related activities;
“We will align with global and local sustainability efforts,” she continued.
CTO leaders said the organizations are poised to foster the development of innovative, resilient, equitable and sustainable tourism products that resonate regionally and globally.
This new initiative builds on CTO’s past and current youth development programs, such as the CTO Student Colloquium, which targets tertiary-level students from across the Caribbean, and the CTO Regional Youth Conference, which targets secondary school students ages 14-17.
Notably, for the first time a Caribbean country will be represented in the SHC with a team from The University of the West Indies, Mona Campus taking part in the semi-finals in Miami this week.
Photo caption:
Header: Paul Griep, Director of Alumni and Industry Relations at The Hague Hotel School and Founder of SHC
Insert 1: Donna Regis Prosper, Executive Director and CEO, Caribbean Tourism Organization
