SLHTA Reports Progress in Bringing Suppliers and Hoteliers Together

Contact: John Emmanuel

Tuesday, June 19, 2001 - The St. Lucia Hotel and Tourism Association (SLHTA) says it is moving along smoothly in bringing local supplies of fresh produce to buyers in the hotel sector. Executive Vice President of the SLHTA, Rodinald Soomer, says the latest opportunity presented itself when the SLHTA held its monthly food and beverage departmental meeting last week.

Soomer noted that although the SLHTA recognises that the onus lies with suppliers to sell their produce more aggressively, hoteliers are being encouraged buy local. “We’re looking to create as many opportunities to bring suppliers together with hotel buyers, so that we can have more trade between tourism and other sectors.”

The SLHTA recorded another plus this past week when the Caribbean Hotel Association (CHA) recognised the outstanding work of the SLHTA’s Executive Vice President by presenting him with the award for Executive of the Year for Associations with more than 2,000 hotel rooms.

“This is a major achievement for me personally and for the SLHTA,” Soomer told reporters.  “What it really means is that our programmes in the SLHTA have been recognized as perhaps being among the best for the past year that includes not only those we have executed but what we have in the pipelines as well. Where I think I perhaps was recognized most for my efforts was in terms of raising external funding for the association from donor agencies to do programmes in human resource development, public awareness, advocacy and policy analysis and generally the development of the industry in St. Lucia.”

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