The Caribbean Hotel Association is doing a thorough examination of its products and services with the goal of revitalising itself as a more relevant body.
That follows discussions at the group’s annual conference, attended by representatives of the Bahamas Hotel Association (BHA).
The decisions made by the CHA will benefit this country in the long run, Basil Smith, executive vice-president of the BHA said Monday.
“Because we pass on benefits of the CHA to members of the BHA. It’s one of the attractive points we use to promote membership in the association.”
Mr. Smith said some of the new initiatives of the CHA are already being infused into the BHA, including adopting the certification programme of the CHA under the name CaribCert.
“This will enable Bahamians in the hotel industry to obtain certification for the years of service that they have put into the industry.
“This would be an internationally recognized certification programme, which would mean that instead of saying I worked all these years in the hotel industry, you would be able to show official certification.”
Things such as the certification programme will help to increase the professional status of industry employees, he said.
Mr. Smith said the BHA is about to initiate a reassessment of the organisation’s strategic goals, which it expects to complete by the end of the year. As a part of this initiative, the association is pushing to increase its allied membership base. “Being the No. 1 engine of the economy, there is a lot of interaction that the sector does with other sectors of the economy.”
Mr. Smith also said one of the biggest difficulties facing the hotel industry in The Bahamas today is high operational cost. There has been some relief in the area of electricity costs, he said, but the high cost of labour in The Bahamas is still a significant contributor.
“The high labour costs is of course a factor which we probably will not be able to reduce but we hope we will be able to keep it in check.”
By MARTELLA MATTHEWS Guardian Staff Reporter
