January 19, 2026

Happy MLK Day!

“The time is always right to do what is right.”

Today, we honor the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

His ties to the Caribbean remind us that the pulse of justice beats the same in every heart, across every sea.

While we celebrate how far we’ve come, we remain focused on the work still ahead — building a world rooted in equity, empowerment and mutual respect. 

Together, we keep the dream alive

Barbados goes to the polls February 11

Mia Amor Mottley in Barbados Saturday Credit: BLP News

Barbados Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley rang in the new political season — quite literally, with the theatrical peal of a handbell — by announcing a snap election for Wednesday, February 11, 2026. 

Speaking Saturday evening at Westbury Primary School, Mottley set the vote roughly a year ahead of the constitutional deadline. The declaration, met with raucous applause as the Barbados Labour Party (BLP) finalized its 30-candidate slate, established a swift timeline: Parliament dissolves on January 19, with nominations closing on January 27. 

Fresh off consecutive 30-0 landslides in 2018 and 2022, Mottley is banking on sustained economic momentum to secure a historic third term. 

Meanwhile, the Democratic Labour Party opposition, led by former BLP Member of Parliament Ralph Thorne, vows readiness for what promises to be a defining contest for the young republic.

Growing interest in CTO’s Air Connectivity Summit

Momentum is building for CTO’s Air Connectivity Summit, with a strong slate of companies and destinations underscoring both the urgency and the opportunity around strengthening airlift across the Caribbean.

Senior airline executives, destination leaders and aviation specialists are coming together to share practical insights on route development, regional connectivity and partnerships that can unlock new growth for the Caribbean. Their participation signals growing alignment around a shared goal – making Caribbean travel more seamless, competitive and resilient.

Confirmed registrants to date include:

Ministers

• Owen Darrell, Minister of Tourism & Transport, Culture & Sport, Bermuda
• Charles “Max” Fernandez, Minister of Tourism, Civil Aviation, Transportation and Investments, Antigua and Barbuda

Directors and Destination Leaders

• Lawrence Scott, Chairman, Bermuda Airport Authority
• William Griffith, Acting Chairman, Bermuda Tourism Authority
• Rosa Harris, Director of Tourism, Cayman Islands
• Stacey Liburd, CEO, Grenada Tourism Authority
• Kurt Menal, Managing Director, BVI Airports Authority
• Dona Regis-Prosper, Secretary-General & CEO, Caribbean Tourism Organization
• Donovan White, Director of Tourism, Jamaica

Airline and Industry Executives

• Claudio Buncamper, Chief Commercial Officer, Sunrise Airways
• Raoul Cooper, Director, Digital Identity, SITA
• Rafael Echevarne, Director General, Airports Council International – Latin America and the Caribbean
• Jonathon Freye, Executive Director, Association of Value Airlines
• José María Giraldo, Managing Director of Operations – Mexico, Central America, Canada and the Caribbean, American Airlines
• Felipe Andrés Gómez, Vice President of Sustainability, Avianca
• Nicolás Gurwicz, Founder and Managing Director, Altura Aviation Consulting
• Kiaran MacDonald, Regional Vice President (Caribbean) & General Manager – Fairmont Southampton, Bermuda
• Beverly Nicholson Doty, CEO, Figment Design
• Adam Scott, Founder and CEO, BermudAir
• Trevor Sadler, CEO, interCaribbean Airways

The message is clear: collaboration is strengthening, and the momentum behind Caribbean air connectivity is accelerating.

For more information, visit https://bit.ly/ctoairconnectivity. 

May-Ling Chun’s remarks underscore collective leadership

Click for video

May-Ling Chun, Director of Tourism for St. Maarten, was among the 2025 Caribbean Media Exchange (CMEx) Leadership Award recipients honored during the organization’s annual awards ceremony in Miami in December. Unable to attend in person, Chun shared prepared remarks that were delivered on her behalf by tourism marketing executive Matt Cooper, highlighting CMEx’s role in elevating Caribbean narratives.

In her remarks, Chun described leadership as a collective journey, saying it was an honor to be recognized alongside individuals shaping the future of Caribbean tourism and communications. She accepted the award on behalf of the team at the St. Maarten Tourism Bureau and thanked the Government of St. Maarten for the opportunity to serve. 

Watch the video to view more.

Quotable Caribbean

“Leadership, particularly in tourism, is about stewardship, responsibility and creating opportunities that extend beyond the individual. I am proud to represent Grenada within global leadership conversations and to contribute to a narrative that recognizes the power of thoughtful, inclusive leadership.” – Stacey Liburd, CEO, Grenada Tourism Authority

Tink Bout It

“Leadership culture matters. Singapore embedded meritocracy, accountability and national purpose as social norms. Caribbean societies must confront the uncomfortable truth that development requires difficult choices, delayed gratification and collective discipline. The Singapore model is not a template to copy, but a mindset to adopt. Until Barbados and Trinidad & Tobago internalize that distinction, we will continue to admire success from a safe distance — rather than engineering it ourselves.” – Dr. Basil Springer, Director, Marketplace Excellence

Medical Moment

World Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTD) highlights diseases that affect millions globally, particularly in resource-limited communities, with women and children most impacted. These include dengue, chikungunya, Guinea worm disease, sleeping sickness, Hansen’s disease (leprosy), rabies and scabies.

To mark World NTD Day 2026, a webinar, “Bridging Gaps in Neglected Tropical Diseases Data,” will focus on strengthening data collection and sharing, and on collaboration among health systems, civil society and researchers to support better decision-making, advocacy and resource mobilization for NTD prevention, diagnosis and treatment.

For more details, visit https://www.paho.org/en/events/bridging-gaps-neglected-tropical-diseases-data.

Marketplace Excellence Corporation (MPE) is a global public relations, marketing and media company.