Business View Caribbean - Dec 2014 23
want to start embracing. And, of course, finding ways
to bring partners in, people that want to sell to our ho-
tels, or partner with our hotels, services and products
that they can provide. I want to provide an easier way
for them to get a hold of our members. We’ve got a lot
on our plate right now, but I’m excited about the op-
portunities.
BV: What do see happening in the next couple of
years, next five years – if you can look out that far,
what sorts of priorities do you have other than the
ones you’ve already mentioned? How do you think
things are going to evolve in the industry there be-
tween now and then?
VASSER:
What I want to do is be the go-to source for
information and assistance, and raise the visibility and
relevance to our members. What I think that will do is
obviously drive more members into our association. In
the future, I’d love to expand past the 33 members
– everybody that has a Caribbean post should be a
member. There’s strength in numbers and we all have
common interests, and if we work together as a region,
we’ll be able to get a lot more done, rather than work-
ing on these things individually. Every country has its
unique issues, but what we’re trying to find are those
that are common to everybody.
I don’t know if it’s going to be 5, 10, or 20 years, but
Cuba’s going to be back and they are going to drive a
lot of attention back to our region, because they will
be a novelty and we certainly want to be there to help
them. What we all need to do is, again, help raise the
profile of the region and make it easier to do business
here, and ultimately, drive more visitors here.
