MONTEGO BAY, St James — Ten students from the University of the West Indies (UWI) Tourism Society were the first beneficiaries of the Sandals Corporate University’s “Tourism Student Leadership Development Programme” launched at a retreat held at Sandals Royal Caribbean in Montego Bay recently.

The Tourism Student Leadership Development Programme serves to broaden the awareness of secondary and tertiary students who have an interest in tourism through the educational outreach efforts of the Sandals Corporate University.

Among the senior Sandals executives who shared insight with the students of the UWI’s Tourism Society was Wayne Cummings, Sandals Resorts International’s director of business processes and administration.

Stressing the seriousness of the business of tourism and the need for a ‘tourism economy’, Cummings spoke about the importance of tourism in Caribbean development. “Even more persons can benefit from tourism and become a part of the system that drives the economy forward,” said Cummings, who is also a former president of the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association (JHTA).

He also encouraged the students to not simply enter the industry and become a part of the status quo, but rather to be agents of change, working to influence and make decisions that are a catalyst for future development.