Business View Caribbean | September 2019

20 BUSINESS VIEW CARIBBEAN SEPTEMBER 2019 F rank Comito is a seasoned tourism professional with years of industry experience throughout the Caribbean region; experience that serves him well as CEO and Director General of the Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Association (CHTA). Business View Caribbean recently spoke with Comito about post-hurricane challenges and how CHTA is showcasing the Caribbean as a tourism brand. The following is an edited transcript of that conversation. BVC: Can you give us a current overview of the CHTA? Comito: “We are a private sector, non-profit organization formed in 1962, and continue today as a federation of national hotel and tourism associations throughout the Caribbean basin. This year, we were pleased to welcome our 33rd member, the Cartagena Hotel and Tourism Association (COTELCO), into the federation. They are up and coming as a destination and have a rich tradition of trade and historical ties in the Caribbean, so it made sense to have them in the mix. We have individual members, as well, along with many of the airlines, tour operators, and companies that do business with our industry. Tourism is everyone’s business