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Deirdre Shurland Director; Seeks to Re-energize Environmental Programs |
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (April 22, 2003) -- Royston
O. Hopkin CMG, Chairman of the Caribbean Alliance for Sustainable Tourism
(CAST), has announced the approval of a new strategic direction for the
organization. The CAST Business Plan 2003-2007, approved by the members
of the CAST Governing Council during the Council's 6th Annual Meeting,
held recently in Grenada, outlines a new approach to the issue of sustainable
tourism in the Caribbean. "We are not seeking to reinvent the
wheel," said CAST Chairman Royston Hopkin CMG, making reference to the
host of successful programs and initiatives that CAST has driven in the
region since its foundation in 1997, such as Green Globe 21 and Blue Flag
Caribbean, among many. "However, we felt it was important to re-energize
CAST's work with Caribbean hotels and tourism establishments."
The resulting plan calls for the creation of positive impact through the
implementation of an environmental improvement and recognition system based
on existing environmental programs that are already operational in the
industry.
It is expected that the new initiatives will be launched at the Caribbean
Hotel Industry Conference (CHIC) 2003 to be held June 22-25, 2003, in Punta
Cana, Dominican Republic.
Deirdre Shurland joined the CAST family in 2002 as Senior Environmental Specialist, involved in the restructuring of the organization and its management systems and in redesigning its tourism and environmental management services. A national of Trinidad & Tobago, Deirdre has more than thirteen years of experience in environmental management issues. She has completed over 40 assignments in environmental audits, assessment and management systems in the Caribbean region in the areas of hotel/tourism and infrastructure development, parks and land use planning, institutional development and the industrial / manufacturing sectors. Ms. Shurland has a degree from the University of the West Indies (Jamaica) in geology, with a master's degree in oceanography and a Graduate Diploma in Marine Affairs from Dalhousie University in Canada. She is an American Society for Quality (ASQ) Certified Quality Manager. Meanwhile, Kelly Robinson is well known in the Caribbean hospitality
industry as CAST's first executive director. In this capacity, she
was responsible for CAST's early success, having overseen all aspects of
its development and operations from 1997 until 2000, including strategic
planning, fundraising, program development, and project management for
the organization. Today, she is the Corporate Director of Environmental
& Social Affairs of Grupo Punta Cana, in the Dominican Republic.
About the Caribbean Alliance for Sustainable
Tourism (CAST):
About the Caribbean Hotel Association (CHA): www.caribbeanhotels.org - CHA is dedicated to excellence in hospitality, leadership in marketing, and sustainable growth in tourism, to the benefit of its membership and that of the wider Caribbean community. The members of CHA represent the entire spectrum of hospitality industry's private sector, from over 1,100 member hotels in 35 national hotel associations, to allied members including airline executives, tour operators, travel agents, trade and consumer press, hotel and restaurant suppliers, and others. CHA is headquartered is in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and maintains an office in Miami, Florida. |
Lorraine Ortiz-Valcárcel T 787-725-9139 [email protected] |