Royal Caribbean Cruises named Horace Hord Jr. and Michael Ronan regional vice presidents of Government and Community Relations for the Caribbean. Hord will oversee government and community relations activities within Eastern Caribbean nations, while Ronan will oversee those functions within the Western Caribbean region.

John Fox, Royal Caribbean`s vice president of Government and Community Relations, will continue to head the department, which also focuses on the United States, European, and Central and South American markets.

Prior to joining Royal Caribbean, Hord served as president and chief executive officer of the Aruba Hotel and Tourism Association, where he oversaw government and industry relations, advertising and marketing initiatives, joint government and private-sector promotions, travel agent education and member services.

Prior to his Aruba experience, Hord was American Airlines` director of marketing for the Atlantic/Caribbean region. In that capacity, he managed all government and industry relations, special events, advertising, public relations, travel agent education, crisis intervention and strategic planning.

A past president of the Caribbean Society of Hotel Association Executives, Hord also has served on the boards of the Caribbean Tourism Organization and the Caribbean Hotel Association. He is a recipient of the Academy of Hospitality and Tourism`s Professional of the Year Award.

Ronan, who most recently served as Royal Caribbean`s associate vice president of Destination Development, joined the company in 1989 as director of Port Planning, a newly created department within Hotel Operations. Prior to joining Royal Caribbean, he worked for Norwegian Cruise Line as director of cruise programs. He also spent more than 12 years as an owner and manager of two tour and excursion companies that serviced major cruise lines visiting the Dominican Republic.

Ronan represents Royal Caribbean International in the Florida Caribbean Cruise Association as vice chairman of the organization`s Operations Committee. He also is on the board of the Caribbean Tourism Organization.