July 26, 2013
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
“At the United Nations, we are grateful for your leadership across the range of our work. CARICOM countries have been pioneers in raising the world’s awareness on climate change and the unique challenges of Small Island Developing States. Thanks to the advocacy of CARICOM, the General Assembly focused on the importance of treating and preventing non-communicable diseases. The region also has been in the forefront of global efforts to commemorate the anniversary of the abolition of the transatlantic slave trade. The United Nations is proud of our partnership with CARICOM. We are committed to strengthening it even further in the years ahead.” – Ban Ki-moon, Secretary-General, United Nations
“Emile Griffith was the first Virgin Islander to win a world championship in boxing, and never forgot his roots on St. Thomas. He was charming, hilarious, warm and generous, and his courage in life advanced important civil rights issues. It is so appropriate that many of our territory’s youngsters discover their love of sports at the ballpark in downtown St. Thomas named after our great boxing champion.” – John P. de Jongh, Jr., Governor, United States Virgin Islands
“I believe if we place a critical eye on the details, on quality, on excellence, on being better than any other, then there is no doubt that we will see growth – that our occupancy rates will be high, that visitor spending will go up, that our profit margins will look a lot healthier than they might be now.” – Dr. Kenny Anthony, Prime Minister, St. Lucia (Caribbean360.com)
“Spending on tourism is not the question for Chinese – tourists might spend up to TT$200,000 for just one single trip; the question is the visa. One of my friends wanted to come visit here after I was posted in May, he wanted to come but he had to postpone his travel (because of the length of time it takes to get a visa). I have to say the efficiency is quite low.” – Huang Xingyuan, Ambassador of China to Trinidad and Tobago (Trinidad Express)
“The disruptions being faced by LIAT at this time are caused by a combination of factors. These include, among other things, an increase in unscheduled maintenance at a time when our schedule calls for maximum aircraft availability; crew shortages; bad weather; airport limitations; and delays in obtaining licences for operating our new ATR aircraft in some territories.” – Captain Ian Brunton, CEO, LIAT
“Sure, Kingston is probably not what clients have in mind when they dream of beaches and turquoise waters in the Caribbean simply because Kingston doesn’t’ have any beaches. What it does have though is a wealth of culture and knowledge from the Bob Marley Museum to the historic Devon House Heritage Site to get clients into the Jamaican and Rastafarian mentality before they go off sunbathing on the more touristy parts of the country.” – Joe Pike, Senior Editor, Travel Agent magazine (Travel Agent Central)
“You cannot change a man’s mind until you change his heart.” – A.R. Bernard, Senior Pastor, Christian Cultural Center, New York