MIAMI - The Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA) is urging the
region's tourism industry stakeholders to assist with both immediate
and sustained relief efforts to support the people of Haiti and parts of
The Bahamas which were hardest hit by Hurricane Mathew this month.
"Our
neighbors in Haiti and The Bahamas have borne the brunt of this
powerful storm and the recovery and restoration process will be long and
difficult," said Karolin Troubetzkoy, president of the regional trade
association.
Working with the national hotel and tourism
associations in Haiti and The Bahamas, CHTA is directing tourism
industry stakeholders to local organizations which are coordinating
on-the-ground relief, accepting and directing donations of cash,
equipment and supplies.
According to Troubetzkoy, a
two-step approach is important for the destinations to rebound as
quickly as possible. "First, we must meet the immediate needs of people.
Beyond that, we need to support long-term efforts which are essential
to sustained recovery".
To do this, CHTA is developing a fundraisinginitiative through the online auction channel
CharityBuzz.com
with which CHTA previously collaborated on a relief and recovery
project for Dominica. Regional hoteliersare invited to donate room
nights for the auction tobenefit residents in Haiti and The Bahamas who
are struggling to put their lives back in order.Room nights can be
contributed by contacting CHTA'sdedicated auction email at
ch4haiti@gmail.com.
In
Haiti, Hurricane Matthew is reported to have claimed almost 1,000 lives
and devastated the agricultural and fishing sectors, the island's
flora, natural attractions, schools and homes, leaving thousands of
families homeless and unable to meet basic human needs.
In The
Bahamas, reports indicate that the most severe damage occurred on Grand
Bahama Island, North and Central Andros, and the Berry Islands.
National
hotel and tourism associations have reported international airports are
operational as are major seaports which will assist in the recovery
operations and in welcoming visitors to those areas which were least
impacted.
The majority of the hotels in The Bahamas are
operating while others expect to be fully operational over the next
several weeks. Similarly, in Haiti, 90 percent of the hotels are
operating since the northern part of the country was not as severely
affected as in the southwest part of the nation.
Items of
greatest immediate need include: tarpaulin, building supplies,
mattresses, bed linens, hygiene kits, water, diapers, evaporated milk,
infant formula, wipes, baby clothes, soap, shampoo, shoes, solar powered
lamps, non-perishable items, rice, flour, oatmeal, sugar, tuna, canned
spaghetti, sardines, fruit cups, peanut butter, jam and corned beef
To
assist with immediate relief, national hotel associations in The
Bahamas and Haiti have advised that cash or in-kind contributions can be
made as follows:
