Curacao announces new Managing Director/CEO of Tourism Development Foundation
The Curacao Tourism Development Foundation (CTDF) has announced the appointment of Paul Pennicook as Managing Director/CEO, effective immediately.
A graduate of Cornel University, with a degree in Hotel Management and fluent in English and Spanish, Pennicook brings a wealth of experience in the hospitality industry having held senior executive positions in both the public and private sectors in North America, Europe and the Caribbean.
Jamaican by birth, Pennicook has the distinctive recognition of having served twice as Jamaica’s Director of Tourism and for being the only person to have worked in senior management positions with Jamaica’s iconic all-inclusive resorts – SuperClubs which included Breezes, Hedonism II and Grand Lido in their portfolio, as well as the world-renowned Sandals Resorts as Executive Vice President of Sandals’ marketing division, Unique Vacations. Pennicook also served as President/CEO of Couples Resorts and was Senior Vice President of Air Jamaica, Jamaica’s national airline with responsibility for the carrier’s marketing and sales activities.
Under Pennicook’s first tenure as Jamaica’s Director of Tourism, he oversaw a successful restructuring exercise which resulted in a more global marketing focussed Tourism Board and he is credited with having implemented strategies which resulted in record increases in visitor arrivals on both occasions that he served.
In a brief statement, Pennicook expressed gratitude for the confidence the Curacao Tourist Board has placed in him with his appointment as Managing Director, “I’m respectful of the century old history of the The Curacao Association for the Promotion of Foreign Visits and I’m cognizant of the strides that have been made in recent years to increase tourism arrivals to Curacao by both the public and private sector. It will be my privilege to work with industry partners to continue to build on those achievements” he said.
“It is exciting to be a part of this dynamic tourism team and I plan to immediately engage my colleagues at the Curacao Tourist Board (CTB), the Curacao Hospitality and Tourism Association (CHATA), the Curacao Ports Authority (CPA), the Airport Authority and other leaders of the tourism sector, to hear their thoughts on the state of Curacao’s tourism industry and to share my views. In collaboration we will determine how best to increase visitor arrivals and visitor expenditure” Pennicook continued.
“I know from experience that all countries that are tourism dependent have unique challenges. In Curacao for example, the effect that the state of affairs in Venezuela has on visitor arrivals is of concern. One thought is to have the CTB accelerate engagement in our primary markets while seeking out opportunities in new and emerging markets to counter the shortfall of arrivals from Venezuela. My objective is to ensure that Curacao is positioned strongly to capitalize on growth opportunities. The careful thought that went into creating Curacao’s new global brand, Feel It For Yourself’ makes my job easier and I’m thrilled to be a part of the roll out and for us to hit the ground running” he concluded.
Married and the father of a son, Pennicook is the recipient of the Order of Distinction (OD) from the Jamaican Government for outstanding and dedicated contribution to Tourism Sector.
source: eTN
