Conde Nast Traveler released the names of the finalists in the 15th Annual Conde Nast Traveler “My Caribbean” Essay Contest. The contest strives to educate primary and early secondary school children in the Caribbean about the importance of…
Conde Nast Traveler released the names of the finalists in the 15th Annual Conde Nast Traveler “My Caribbean” Essay Contest. The contest strives to educate primary and early secondary school children in the Caribbean about the importance of tourism to their region.
This year’s essay topic was: “Imagine you are the Minister of Tourism for your island. What would you do, and what projects could you create, to help bring locals and tourists closer together?”
Each finalist and a chaperone will fly to the Caribbean Tourism Conference (CTC), which is being held this year from October 21 – 24, 2007 in San Juan, Puerto Rico. A grand-prize winner and two runners-up will be announced during the awards ceremony on October 23, 2007. Conde Nast Traveler will award a $2,000 scholarship to the winner and $500 scholarships for two runners-up. The winning essay will be published in the January “Gold List” issue of Conde Nast Traveler.
Each of the 28 finalists attending the Caribbean Tourism Conference this year will receive an eye-opening experience into the world of tourism. This year the contest, now in it’s 15th year, coincides with the 20th anniversary of the magazine. To highlight these milestones each of the past essay winners were contacted for an update on their status. While none yet are pursuing a career in tourism or hospitality, they realize its importance and how it continues to influence their daily lives.
Lisa Hughes, Vice President and Publisher of Conde Nast Traveler, communicated the theme and rules for the 2007 Conde Nast Traveler “My Caribbean” Essay Contest to all CTO members and the Ministers of Tourism. The contest was then administered through the school system in each Caribbean country. This year’s 28 islands/nations participated with over 124 essays received. After a multi-step judging process involving the ministries of tourism, the ministries of education and the Caribbean Tourism Organization, a finalist was chosen on each island.
The finalists in alphabetical order by country are:
- Anguilla: Johnessa Harrigan
- Antigua & Barbuda: Aaliyah Mussington
- Aruba: Simran Mirpuri
- Barbados: Chante Springer
- Belize: Alexander Fonseca
- Bahamas: Ferre Cambridge
- Bermuda: Arisha-Renee Butterfield
- British Virgin Islands: Kenisha Frett
- Cayman Islands: Jaida Alexander
- Curacao: Maximiliaan Van Aalst
- Dominica: Miranda Forde
- Grenada: Kaze`ll Banfield
- Guyana: Kevin Camacho
- Haiti: Sybille Legitime
- Jamaica: Jason Gooden
- Martinique: Meddy Marguerite
- Montserrat: Nikita Howe
- Nevis: Kerese Elliott
- Puerto Rico: Blanca Pagan Amaro
- St. Eustatius: Jaiir Jack
- St. Kitts: Krystal Lescott
- St. Lucia: Mitchelle Augustin
- St. Maarten: Julique Hodge
- St. Vincent & The Grenadines: John Rickards
- Suriname: Nicole Ritfeld
- Trinidad & Tobago: Nikolai Beharry
- Turks & Caicos: Jesthea Saunders
- U.S. Virgin Islands: Sh`Nae Carr
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