The Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association Has a Dynamic New President 

By: - September 25th, 2024
saint lucia chta
Sanovnik Destang.

One of the Caribbean’s most dynamic hoteliers has a major new post: president of the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association. 

Sanovnik Destang, the executive director of the Bay Gardens Resorts portfolio in Saint Lucia, has been elected as the organization’s new president. 

His appointment was confirmed at the recent CHTA General Meeting; Destang, who was named Caribbean Hotelier of the Year in the 2023 Caribbean Travel Awards, will succeed President Nicola Madden-Greig. 

He will be serving a two-year term. 

The industry veteran has helped lead Bay Gardens into Saint Lucia’s top resort collection, and says he is ready to lead the CHTA into a new chapter, too. 

saint lucia tourism
The Bay Gardens Beach resort in Saint Lucia.

“Being CHTA’s first president born in the 1980s, I fully understand the responsibility ahead of me. I’m ready to lead, but, more importantly, I’m ready to serve,” Destang said in a statement provided to Caribbean Journal. “My focus areas will be people, technology and linkages to other sectors of our economies and communities. This strengthened advocacy is aimed at attracting more members to our association, bolstering our collective voice and impact.”

His tenure comes after Madden-Greig helped the region’s tourism industry recover from the pandemic, from introducing new resilience measures to the Healthier Safer Tourism Program. 

“The past three years, taking over at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, were both challenging and very rewarding,” said Madden-Greig. “Nothing has given me more joy than having headed the hard-working team that led the Caribbean to be the fastest recovering region in the world, coming out of a once-in-a-century pandemic,” Madden-Greig.

Destang will be joined by a new group of CHTA officers, including First Vice 1st Vice President: Karen Whitt, The Hartling Group, Turks & Caicos; 2nd Vice President: Craig Marshall, Blue Diamond Resorts, Antigua & Barbuda; 3rd Vice President: Clifton Reader, Palace Resorts, Jamaica; 4th Vice President: Kendra Hopkin Stewart, Blue Horizons Garden Resort, Grenada; 5th Vice President: Bill Clegg, BW Hotels, At-Large; Treasurer: Jim Hepple, Tourism Analytics, Aruba.

CJ Expert Take: Sanovnik Destang is one of the most dynamic hoteliers in the Caribbean right now, from the industry-leading all-inclusive dine-around program he pioneered to his impressive work to grow the Bay Gardens brand into a Caribbean hotel powerhouse. His appointment is a major injection of energy and vision to the CHTA. 

About the author

Alexander Britell is the founder and editor-in-chief of Caribbean Journal and one of the top experts on Caribbean travel worldwide, with decades of on-the-ground travel to the region and comprehensive knowledge of the entire Caribbean Basin.
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