We begin the wrap-up of another successful week at the Saint Lucia Hospitality and Tourism Association (SLHTA) by placing the spotlight on Sanovnik Destang, the Executive Director of Bay Gardens Resorts. Destang on November 25, 2022 was elected as the 1st Vice President of the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA), during the agency’s Annual General Meeting. The CHTA is a federation of thirty-two national Hotel Associations, with more than six hundred hotel members and three hundred allied members.
He is no stranger to the regional organisation, having previously served as its 3rd Vice President and as a Regional Vice President. SLHTA President Paul Collymore has lauded the hotelier on this latest achievement: “Sanovnik is an outstanding hospitality professional and his commitment to Saint Lucia and the region in volunteer leadership is exemplary. The CHTA and the region will continue to be in capable and committed leadership with Mr. Destang. We at the SLHTA congratulate Mr. Destang on his new appointment and he has our full support.”
A Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA) and Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA), Destang spent four years working in Toronto, Canada, at KPMG, in the fields of Audit & Transaction Advisory before returning to Saint Lucia in 2008 to lead the family-owned business founded by Joyce and Desmond Destang in 1995.
The Resorts’ extensive portfolio includes Bay Gardens Beach Resort & Spa, Bay Gardens Inn, Bay Gardens Marina Haven, Bay Gardens Hotel and Waters Edge Villas— representing 233 rooms, two luxury villas, seven conference rooms, and five restaurants in Saint Lucia’s entertainment capital, Rodney Bay.
In 2016 at the age of thirty-five, Destang became the youngest person to serve as President of the SLHTA. During his tenure, he led advocacy efforts on several pressing matters such as the Sharing Economy, Taxation and Alternative Energy.
He will serve as 1st Vice President of the CHTA until 2024.
More training opportunities
The Tourism Enhancement Fund and St. Lucia Divers Association have teamed up to provide training opportunities for the youth.
The Divers Association has noted that Saint Lucia is experiencing a shortage of dive professionals, dive masters and dive instructors, and estimates that 60% of the current dive professionals will leave the industry by ‘the next decade or earlier.’ The partnership is aimed at remedying the situation, whilst providing individuals with opportunities for growth and employment. A fruitful meeting was held last week with representatives of both parties, during which a financing agreement was reached.
As a result, eight young Saint Lucians will soon commence training to become dive professionals with the Professional Association of Diving Instructors— the world’s largest ocean exploration and diver organisation. Stay tuned to the SLHTA for more on this initiative.
The Gimies
Last week the Ministry of Tourism, the Saint Lucia Tourism Authority and the SLHTA unveiled the inaugural Saint Lucia Tourism Awards ‘The Gimies’. Named after Mount Gimie— the highest peak in the country standing at an elevation of 3,120 ft— The Gimies is synonymous with reaching new heights and the pinnacle of excellence.
The tri-agency Awards Ceremony is slated for February 25, 2023, to recognise the best in the industry. SLHTA CEO Noorani Azeez notes: “We are beaming at the incredulous levels of service which our people have afforded to the numerous guests who grace our shores every year. Their contributions are the reasons why, as a destination, Saint Lucia has been so successful in achieving accolade after accolade.”
The tourism industry is a quintessential economy driver for the country, as such, aligning the accolades which will be bestowed upon the nation’s best with the highest peak symbolises achievement at the highest level.
The Gimies will reward employees and organisations in three categories:
-Individual Awards
-Organisational Awards
-People’s Choice Awards
For more on the Gimies, visit: https://slutourism.govt.lc/