Janet Silvera, Gleaner WriterWESTERN BUREAU:
AFTER EXISTING 42 years with exclusively male presidents, the Caribbean Hotel Association (CHA) has inducted female St. Lucian-born hotelier, Berthia Parle, to lead its members for the next two years.
"There was really no one with the passion and credibility that Berthia has," said John Bell, president of the International Hotel and Restaurant Association (IHRA). Mr. Bell who spent 26 years as CHA's director general admitted that the induction of a female president should have happened a long time ago, but the Caribbean does possess a number of chauvinists.
Mrs. Parle's historical installation was witnessed by St. Lucia's Prime Minister, Kenny Anthony, regional ministers of tourism, hundreds of hoteliers and industry purveyors during the Annual Caribbean Hotel Industry Conference (CHIC) in Fajardo, Puerto Rico last week.
Mrs. Parle is notably one of the most dynamic and controversial figure in the region. She is known for her 'no holds barred', statements and has in the past received death threats for her stance on the cruise ship industry in the region.
Equally, she is known for her charisma, championing of her gender and an intensely feminine characteristic, "She is not a woman dressed in man's clothes," said Mr. Bell.
NO SPRAWLING GROUND
The hotel industry has not been a spawning ground for female executives, but Berthia will lead from the front, bringing much needed change to the CHA. "She will be like a breath of fresh air, there is nothing that does any association more good than a change of pace and a change of position," he said.
In her first remarks as CHA president, Mrs. Parle, stressed her intention to focus, with her team of volunteer leaders, on some of the key interventions that need to be undertaken from the perspective of the private sector to support the competitiveness, sustainability and managed growth of the region's tourism industry into the medium and long term. "Our industry is the platform for our regional economy, at present and into the foreseeable future, and during my tenure I will concentrate on establishing creative and lasting partnerships with the several regional and international bodies based in the Caribbean in particular, to ensure that we consolidate and achieve maximum economic opportunity in tourism, moving forward," she said.
PRIORITIES
Some of the priorities that the new regional president will address are advocacy and stronger relationships with the cruise and public sectors.
In the area of advocacy, the CHA president called on the Caribbean hotel sector to seek to transform the negative perceptions of our industry by showcasing best practices and pushing the envelope of corporate social responsibility to new limits. "This is not to be a self-serving public relations exercise," she warned.
Mrs. Parle ended her speech with a strong appeal to the members of the CHA, reminding them that her tenure will only be as effective as they allow it to be. "I have no wish to preside over an organisation where members are passive and asleep at the wheel," she told members. "We all need to stand up and be counted. We must be proactive in laying the foundation for positive change through constructive networking, dialogue and action, and be prepared to put out the resources required to be at the forefront of the change process."
Mrs. Parle, a 30-year hospitality veteran is the general manager of the successful Bay Gardens Hotel and Bay Gardens Inn in St. Lucia. She was the recipient of Caribbean Hotelier of the Year Award in 2003 and was named 'One of the Most Powerful Women in Travel' by Travel Agent Magazine.
