ANTIGUA & BARBUDA TOURISM AUTHORITY

The Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation extends an invitation to youths between the ages of 14-17 years to be engaged in its plans for participation at the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) Youth Congress in October 2013. Interested students are therefore requested to attend a meeting at the Multi-Purpose Cultural Centre on Friday, August 9, at 2:30 p.m.

The mission of the Youth Congress is to introduce students to the fundamental role of tourism in the economic development of their countries, to spark dreams and ambitions of a career in Tourism and to begin to create strong leadership for the tourism industry, among their generation.

The selected island representative to the Tourism Youth Congress is designated the Junior Minister of Tourism or Commissioner of Tourism and will engage in discussions on topics on select tourism issues to be researched beforehand. This year (2013), the research topics will focus on the themes: Multigenerational Travel and Caribbean Agritourism.

A communiqué from CTO notes that over the years, some very vibrant, articulate and intelligent young persons have emerged winners and runners-up of the Tourism Youth Congress. Antigua & Barbuda has been numbered among these and our Junior Minister s who have gained 2nd runners-up placement were Andrena Athill (2006), Kaieron Saunders (2008) and after a break in the competition for two years - 2009 and 2010, Cassandra Vital (2011). Antigua & Barbuda’s Junior Minister of Tourism 2012 who represented us in the Congress held at Marriott Resort, St. Kitts, was Jenelle Attidore of the Antigua Girls’ High School.

The 2013 Youth Congress is scheduled to take place in Martinique, 16-19 October.