Turks & Caicos has claimed many victories in the past decade, and we can now add a new accomplishment to our ever-expanding list: winner of the Caribbean Youth Organization’s (CTO) Youth Congress.
On 4 October 2019, 14 junior ministers of tourism from around the Caribbean gathered in Antigua & Barbuda for the CTO’s annual Youth Congress, which concludes the organization’s 3-day annual meeting. The Youth Congress itself is a way to stimulate awareness and excitement about tourism among youth and help them envision the future direction of tourism in the Caribbean. The structure of the Youth Congress models a CTO Board of Directors’ meeting, discussing prominent topics in tourism. Students are presented with a topic beforehand to conduct research and attend the Youth Congress prepared to discuss their various ideas and strategies with their peers.
Source: Turks and Caicos Tourism Official Website
Participants were able to select one topic to speak on: ‘Towards Smart Travel Experiences within the Caribbean Region,’ ‘Equipping Our Youth to Thrive in a Changing Tourism Environment,’ and ‘Making Excellence a Habit in Caribbean Tourism.’
Danae Dennie, of the beautiful by nature Turks & Caicos Islands, surpassed her peers to become the 2019 CTO Youth Congress winner. Dennie’s presentation to the Youth Congress was on enhancing the Turks & Caicos Islands’ tourism services through a visitor satisfaction review app entitled “My Absolute Truth.”
Source: Caribbean Tourism Organization
Dennie hails from Grand Turk and is a student of the H.J. Robinson High School. In November 2018, Dennie became the Turks & Caicos Junior Minister of Tourism, rising to the top from among 7 participants in the annual Turks & Caicos Islands Youth Congress. Similar to the structure of the CTO Youth Congress, the participants were also presented with a theme to propose a new project around and a mystery question to answer.
Source: Facebook
Dennie will serve as Turks & Caicos Junior Minister of Tourism and CTO Winner for one year, with duties of launching two national programs in the Turks & Caicos Islands while in this position and being a national and regional ambassador for tourism among youth.
You can watch the CTO Youth Congress below
