The talents and capabilities of the future leaders of the tourism industry were on full display at the 2025 Regional Tourism Youth Congress. Organised by the Caribbean Tourism Organisation (CTO) in collaboration with the Barbados Ministry of Tourism and International Transport, this event was one of the marquee features of the State of the Tourism Industry Conference (SOTIC) 2025, held at the Hilton Barbados. Hosted on October 2nd, the congress brought together participants from across the region to showcase months of hard work and preparation, offering insight into the future of the industry through the eyes of its soon-to-be leaders.
Participants demonstrated their poise through prepared speeches and tackled a “Mystery Topic,” allowing them to showcase their ability to think on their feet. While all participants gave commendable performances, it was Jole St. John, the Junior Secretary of Tourism from Tobago, who ultimately secured first place and will now serve as the Caribbean’s Junior Minister of Tourism for the next year. St. John was followed by Caleader Lewison of Jamaica, who will serve as the Secretary-General of Tourism for the region — a newly created position — and Alanis Morris Seymour of the Cayman Islands. A special award was also presented to Isaiah Toney, the Junior Minister of Tourism for Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, in recognition of his outstanding contributions.
The winners will receive various gifts designed to expand their knowledge and capabilities as they embark on their career journeys.
The presentations were well received and commended by Ian Gooding-Edghill, chairman of the CTO and Minister of Tourism for Barbados. The Minister highlighted the creativity and passion of the students at the Youth Congress, telling participants: “The Youth Congress is indeed a really wonderful opportunity for the industry to display its human resources. I can also say that the human resources that we have, we are building within CARICOM, represented here in numbers, tells us that the Caribbean tourism human resource capacity is standing strong and is in good stead. And I really want to congratulate all of you, every one of you who participated not so long ago. Of course it was um competitive but it was also very inspirational… I saw in each and every one of you is not only dedication, commitment, but I saw passion — real passion.”
If the Youth Congress element of SOTIC 2025 is any indication of what the future of the tourism industry looks like, it is in passionate and capable hands.
Tourisme Sector,
Why there is no connecting flight to via st lucia from Martinique to st lucia ????
Please give details of or if there is let me know with which airline and what day please, it is very important for me to know🙏