BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (CMC) – Chief executive officer of Sandals Resorts International, Adam Stewart, will outline his vision for Caribbean tourism at the State of the Industry Conference (SOTIC), scheduled to be held here in September.

Barbados’ minister of tourism and international transport, Richard Sealy, who made the announcement yesterday, said Stewart’s presentation will focus on the conference theme “Honouring our legacy, defining our future”.

“Sandals is an influential Caribbean brand. Its impact on the economies of the countries in which it operates, and the other benefits it brings, such as immense global exposure which we otherwise could not afford, cannot be missed,”. Sealy said at a news conference at the Caribbean Tourism Organisation (CTO) headquarters here.

Described as “a maverick on a mission, an energetic change agent, and an innovator who is not constrained by convention”, Stewart is expected to share his views on the opportunities that lie ahead for Caribbean tourism and what must be done to cash in on these opportunities.

Stewart’s presentation is expected to draw his experiences in leading the growth and expansion of the global brand since he took over as its chief executive officer at the age of 25.

“As chief executive officer of a brand born in the Caribbean, it is my sincere pleasure to join my colleagues and my friends this September in Barbados to discuss not only the state of our industry but the myriad of opportunities that lie ahead. We are on the precipice of interesting days and I am excited to consider how, together, we will continue to make a visit to the Caribbean absolutely compelling,” the Sandal’s CEO, who has overseen the expansion of the resorts and the introduction of industry-changing innovation and developments, said ahead of the news conference.

Another leading presenter will be Craig Landry, the president of Air Canada Leisure Group.

Landry oversees the Air Canada Vacations tour operator business and the leisure airline Air Canada Rouge, both of which are important partners and stakeholders in Caribbean tourism. Canada is itself a long-standing and critically important tourism partner for the region.

“The combination of a keynoter who is the chief executive officer of the Caribbean’s foremost hotel brand – Adam Stewart of Sandals – and a featured speaker who is from Air Canada, signals the importance we attach to our vision for the Caribbean,” stated Hugh Riley, the CTO’s secretary general.

“Craig Landry has a complete understanding of Air Canada’s pivotal role in the current environment, Canada’s importance to the Caribbean, its economic challenges and opportunities, and its unique relationship with our region.”

The CTO State of the Industry Conference is the pre-eminent tourism gathering in the region. It brings together tourism decision makers, including ministers, commissioners and directors of tourism, hotel and airline executives, travel agents, students, the media and people directly and indirectly involved in tourism. It is preceded by CTO business meetings, including meetings of the board of directors and the Council of Ministers and Commissioners of Tourism.

This year’s conference is organised in collaboration with Barbados’ Ministry of Tourism and International Transport and the Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc.