2023 Travel Unity Summit Caribbean

Schedule

11 AM ET – VIRTUAL KICKOFF SESSION

The Future of DEI in Caribbean Tourism (facilitated by Travel Unity and the Caribbean Tourism Organization)

To kick off the 2023 Travel Unity Summit Caribbean, Travel Unity and the Caribbean Tourism Organization will facilitate a virtual space for attendees from the Caribbean and beyond to discuss how the travel industry in the Caribbean can make diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) a strategic priority.

Introduction by Roni Weiss (Travel Unity) and Amanda Charles (CTO).

Scheduled Speakers: Brian Major, Jessica van Dop DeJesus, Maureen Wright-Evans, and Omar Evans.

Watch the recap of the session here,

3 PM ET - Roundtable: Tourism and Community Impact in the Caribbean

Roni Weiss, Executive Director of Travel Unity, and Greg Takehara, CEO of Tourism Cares, co-lead an intimate roundtable covering topics around how the tourism industry in the Caribbean can deepen positive engagement with local communities through community tourism, workforce development, increased local access to tourism products, and more.

ROUNDTABLE DELEGATES INCLUDE:

Roni Weiss (Travel Unity)                Greg Takehara (Tourism Cares)

Claire Dunlap (Tour Cayuga)          Spyridon Kagkas (This is Athens)

Harry Alvarez (Offbeat Travel)       Jasmine Causey (ASTA)

Meg Ten Eyck (EveryQueer)            Laura Ortiz (Sofrito Tours)

Carmen Portela (Friends of            Joann Diaz (Discover Puerto Rico)

El Yunque)                                         

Michael Lo Presti (Vamonos          Milka Rodriguez (Globetrotting

Tours)                                                 Dominicana)

Mili Maldonado Agusty (Universidad del Sagrado Corazón)

9:15 AM ET - Case Study: Discover Puerto Rico’s “Live Boricua” Campaign

Representatives from Discover Puerto Rico share the process of creating a campaign focused on authentic depictions of local culture, including how DEI informed the approach.

9:45 AM ET - Presentation & Dialogues: Community Engagement

Visit Greater Palm Springs is the recipient of the 2023 CalTravel Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Champion Award. Todd Burke of Visit Greater Palm Springs and Kimber Foster of Visit Palm Springs will share the strategy that goes into their applied DEI efforts.

Following their presentations, each table will be prompted to have discussions

11:15 AM ET - Inclusive Caribbean Tours: How to Welcome Everyone

Harry Alvarez (Offbeat Travel), Melina Aguilar Colón (Isla Caribe), and Laura Ortiz-Villamil (Sofrito Tours) share their approaches to making sure that people of all backgrounds and abilities can have welcoming and fulfilling experiences on their tours.

Moderated by Matt Skallerud.

1:30 PM ET - Applied DEI Workshop

Learn about concepts and applications around diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), explore concepts around identity and bias, and hear more about how organizations can strategize DEI efforts.

Facilitated by Vandana Agrawal

All engaged workshop attendees will receive a certificate of completion for their participation, along with a toolkit for implementing DEI in their organizations.

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