This Week at the SLHTA, January 3rd, 2014

Friday, January 3rd, 2014   In This Week’s Edition LIAT Committed to assisting St Lucia Benefit concert featuring St Lucia’s leading Artists Jade Mountain/Anse Chastanet Relief for Anse La Raye & Canaries Courts Donates to people affected by the Trough on Christmas Eve Caribbean Hotelier of the Year trophy leaves Saint Lucia Les Brown is coming to Saint Lucia Note to SLHTA Members WASCO Update # 7 – January 2nd 2014 Quick Links… SLHTA Website SLTB Website Creative Industries Visitor Channel St. Lucia’s Sexy Appeal 8th Wonder of the World World Travel Awards CHTA Website CTO Website Caribbean360 CaribbeanTravel UNWTO LIAT Committed to assisting St Lucia through Red Cross Relief Effort The Caribbean Airline is working with the Barbados Red Cross Society to send cases of canned goods, bottled water, baby pampers, milk, formula and cereal, toiletries and other needed emergency supplies to the people affected by severe flooding in St. Lucia last week. “Whatever it takes, we will do it to get urgent relief to our brothers and sisters in St. Lucia,” stated Jean Holder, Chairman of the Board of Directors of LIAT, who has asked airline staff to help provide emergency assistance for those afflicted in Dominica, St. Lucia and St. Vincent. Director General of the Barbados Red Cross Society Edmond Bradshaw said his organisation is “very grateful for the support of LIAT, its chairman and staff for the excellent support they have given us to help the victims of the floods in St. Lucia.” He added: “LIAT has always exhibited goodwill to the Red Cross and to the people of the Caribbean and we compliment them on another valiant effort to help those affected in St. Lucia.” Source: www.sknvibes.com 10 Ways Air Travel Will Change in 2014   A few years of airline mega-mergers and consolidation (including the recent American and US Airways merger) have vastly changed the industry landscape. There’s some good news in all this for fliers, as airlines turn their attention to modernizing their fleets and adding more inflight amenities. But fewer airlines could put more consumers at the mercy of just a couple of behemoth airlines. So what’s in store for airline travelers in 2014? Read Full Article Here… SAVE THE DATE!! A benefit concert featuring St Lucia’s leading artists is being organized to provide relief to those most severely affected by the floods this Christmas.  The event is scheduled to take place on Feb 1 2014 at Samaans Park.  The event will be celebration of St Lucian resilience and culture that aims to help those most impacted through the Red Cross.   We are pleased to report that all of the artists contacted to date have expressed their willingness to support the event by way of free performances including Boo Hinkson, Teddyson John, Invader, Ras Africa, Herb Black, Richard Payne (Blue Mango), Arthur and many others.  We are working hard on firming up the details quickly so that we can enlist your assistance in spreading the word.  Please stay tuned in the following weeks for more details as they are firmed up. Please contact Chris Bak (284 6563, stlucia@bak.ca) or the Red Cross  (452-5582, sluredcross@candw.lc) should you wish to contribute to the event in any way including sponsorship or support for the event including planning, communications, promotions, etc. We count on your support and thank you in advance. Healthy Living Tips for 2014 That fruits are the best medicine is a wellknown fact. We also know that a cup of fruit juice a day is sure to guarantee a clear complexion. How about a massage with a fruit pulp or a fruit facial? Fruit facials have been there for at least a decade now. But with people getting more wary of effect of chemicals on the skin, a majority of them are now resorting to using something from their own kitchen. What better way to pamper your skin than with pure stuff which is free of toxins and not harmful to your skin? Besides the fact that they hydrate and rejuvenate your skin, the very smell of a fruit on your face is quite de-stressing. Unlike the chemical beauty treatments, fruits are cost-effective, natural and also bring a visible difference. Here are a few fruits and their properties, choose what suits you best…Read More Jade Mountain/Anse Chastanet Relief for Anse La Raye & Canaries Members of the Saint Lucia Hotel and Tourism Association (SLHTA) are providing support to the relief efforts dedicated to the quick recovery of areas most affected the Christmas Eve Trough.   Jade Mountain/Anse Chastanet has committed to providing assistance to the people of Anse La Raye and Canaries with much needed supplies in the aftermath of the storm.   SLHTA President and Executive Director of Jade Mountain and Anse Chastanet Mrs Karolin Troubetzkoy, has been working closely with Mr. Gregory Deterville in Soufriere, and was able to dispatch a truck load of mattresses, towels, linen and a van full of water, cleaning materials and canned foods to Canaries on December 31st 2013. A second van load of supplies was also sent to Canaries on Thursday January 2nd.   The Management and staff of the two hotels were elated about the donations made to the communities and hope that it goes a long way.  Jade Mountain and Anse Chastanet hotel would like to encourage other hotels to do the same by providing necessities to people affected through their various Hotel charities as well as the forum offered by the SLHTASecretariat. Courts Donates to people affected by the  Trough on Christmas Eve The management of Unicomer (Saint Lucia) Limited, which trades as Courts St. Lucia, is providing support to those hardest hit in the Christmas Eve/Christmas Day disaster.   A Courts team, comprising the company’s marketing, sales and warehouse departments, visited residents of Bexon and Canaries on Friday in an effort to provide emergency relief supplies in the form of water, mattresses and food to over 40 persons recognised by Red Cross officials as in most dire need of assistance.   Friday’s visit also saw the handover of emergency supplies by Courts to the local resident NEMO official in an effort to provide comfort and aid to the men and women most severely affected by the torrential rains.   Courts has also donated food, 24 mattresses and 48 pillows through the respective NEMO officials in Canaries with plans to provide further support in the near future.   Courts OECS Managing Director Derek Luk Pat and the Courts OECS and local management teams will pioneer a project in the coming days that will aid in the relief of hundreds of flood victims in St. Lucia, Dominica and St. Vincent and the Grenadines.   Source: www.stlucianewsonline.com Caribbean Hotelier of the Year  trophy leaves Saint Lucia Saint Lucia is proud to have had 3 Caribbean Hotelier of the Year award recipients in the past 10 years , the most recent being Anse Chastanet and Jade Mountain’s Executive Director and SLHTA President Karolin Troubetzkoy who received the prestigious trophy in 2011 but was allowed to keep until now.   Today the trophy is being shipped to Jamaica where Caribbean Marketplace will take place from Jan 10-12 and where the next winner of the award will be announced.   Caribbean Hoteliers of the Year Saint Lucia 2003 – Senator Berthia Parle – Bay Gardens Beach Resort & Spa 2006 – Mr. Anthony Bowen 2011 – Mrs. Karolin Troubetzkoy – Jade Mountain/Anse Chastanet  Caribbean Travel Marketplace is open to companies that qualify under the following categories: Suppliers – Hotels (bed and breakfasts, chains, management companies, resorts, timeshares, villas), Attractions, Destination Management Companies, Restaurants, Tourist Boards and Transportation Companies (airlines,automobile rentals, motorcoach). Suppliers must be CHTA members in good standing. If your company is interested in attending and need to submit a membership application, you can contact the Membership Department at membership@caribbeanhotelandtourism.com or via phone at 305-443-3040. Buyers – senior staff members from tour operators and/or wholesalers. Buyer participation is by invitation only and new companies can request approval for registration. Media/marketing companies – Magazine advertisers, Website development and booking engines, Marketing representation, Distribution systems, Publishing companies, Media representation, Ad agencies, PR agencies, Reservation services, hotel franchises, marketing products and data collection. The Caribbean Travel Marketplace Governing Committee determines the type of companies allowed to register under the media/marketing registration option. Companies requesting registration under this type must be pre-approved before registration is confirmed. LES BROWN IS COMING TO SAINT LUCIA   Solar Tours and Travel has successfully planned and executed speaking engagements with renowned motivational speaker Johnny Wimbrey, with the most memorable being a session on behalf of a Government Minister who wanted to target the Country’s misdirected youth, based on Johnny’s book “From The Hood to Doing Good”.   Miss Carmelita Xavier, CEO of Solar Tours and Travel has expressed emotions over the seemingly disconsolate atmosphere that permeates St. Lucia presently.  She continues, “It is important for us, to collectively raise the consciousness of our people and uplift lives through motivation and inspiration.   Solar Tours and Travel has engaged the services of a dynamic and World Renowned Master Motivator, TV personality and Author LES BROWN to address the masses with the objective of bringing his speeches to Business Executives and members of the general public on the themes “Redefining Success in a Competitive Global Environment” and “Master Their Mind Emotion”  for those who need strategies to build their competencies in this area.   With the passing of the flash flood on Christmas Eve, people appear to be even more dejected than ever, and Les Brown’s motivational and inspirational sessions could not come at a better time.   Les Brown will present at two venues; the first one is slated for Monday, February 10th and is themed: “Redefining Success In A Competitive Global Environment” which will take place at the Sandals Grande St. Lucian. This session is targeted primarily at Business Owners and Executive Management. The second is themed: “Master Your Mind and Emotion” and is slated for February 11 and will take place at the National Cultural Center.   For further details contact: Solar Tours and Travel Telephone: 451 8041/ 452 5898/452 4599 Email; infor@solartoursandtravel.com Email: carmelita.xavier@solartoursandtravel.com Email: solartours@candw.lc NOTE TO SLHTA MEMBERS The Secretariat is currently collaborating with NEMO to strengthen the relief efforts in the various areas of St. Lucia which were affected by the recent Christmas eve weather system.  Towards this end, NEMO has provided the following list of items which are urgently needed.  The SLHTA Secretariat invites your company to indicate your willingness to donate any amount of the items listed below so that the SLHTA and NEMO can make arrangement for its collection and distribution.   Please respond via email to slhtaevp@gmail.com and copy evp@slhta.comwith an indication of what you are willing to contribute, the quantity and preferred date for collection.  Thank you for your kind consideration.   The list of items needed is as follows; Drinking water, Hygiene kits, Beds, Mattresses, Bed sheets, Pillows and pillow cases, Towels, Bleach, Mops, Buckets, Disinfectant, Gloves, Cutlasses, Bass rooms, Plastic cups and Face masks. WATER AND SEWERAGE COMPANY INC UPDATE ON THE WATER INFRASTRUCTURE & SYSTEMS #7   The Water and Sewerage Company, Inc. (WASCO) is supplying water to more communities that have been without a supply since the passage of a trough of Christmas Eve, December 24, 2013. Today, Thursday, January 2, 2014, WASCO’s Managing Director, Vincent HIppolyte, announced that repairs in Patience, Mon Repos are complete and the supply should be restored to residents there by late afternoon. “There are two tanks in series to be filled before water is released to the communities they serve,” Mr. Hippolyte explained. “The lower tank was filled overnight and water was being pumped from that tank to the upper tank and then to feed the communities,” he continued.   The line repair work in Micoud is also complete after a series of challenges, and crews are securing the pipelines with concrete to keep them in place. The water company is hoping to get water to households by tomorrow, Friday, January 3, 2014. WASCO’s Managing Director said, “water will be released to our filters slowly so as not to disrupt the concrete cast but to provide some relief. From the filters, some residents will be fed directly while others will be fed through a tank.” Crews carried repair material to the sites manually as landslides prevented vehicular access to the area.   The water supply to Vieux Fort, Laborie, Choiseul, Saltibus, Toucousson, Soufriere, Anse la Raye and environs has been restored, fully. In Canaries, according the Managing Director, “four (4) public standpipes have been installed to provide potable water to residents as an interim measure, while WASCO awaits the completion and reinstatement of the Canaries bridge which was destroyed in the Christmas Eve rains.”   The company will reinstate water supply lines to the community when the bridge project is at a stage where it can accommodate the running of pipelines without disrupting the project. Turbidity in Dennery has normalised and the water supply restored. However, this is subject to problems at the intake due to heavy rainfall.   The supply from the TR Theobalds Treatment Plant in Ciceron has been restored and is serving all its communities. Mr. Hippolyte said, “another smaller intake in the Millet river will be reinstated by the end of today (Thursday, January 2, 2014) to increase the volume of water reaching the plant for redistribution.” Areas at high elevations in the north, like Mon Du Don, Carielle, York Hill, Balata, Upper Entrepot, Sunbilt and others are expected to receive water shortly, as the supply tanks in Mon Du Don, Carielle and Bocage were filled overnight and the process of distributing water to those areas at high elevations has begun.   WASCO is using valving to supply Belle Vue, Cap Estate, and the upper parts of Beausejour, (Gros Islet), Monchy, Grande Riviere (Gros Islet), Caye Mange, and other high elevations.   We thank you for being so patient as we continue to do our best to restore all systems as quickly as possible. We will continue to provide regular updates as the information comes to hand.   For up to date information, you can visit us at on Twitter atwww.twitter.com/wascoslu or on Facebook atwww.facebook.com/wascoslu or call 457-3900.