The Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) capped the first day of New York’s 2026 Caribbean Week with its third annual Caribbean Women in Tourism Leadership Awards, a ceremony that celebrated outstanding female leadership across the region’s tourism sector and laid groundwork for the next generation of women industry leaders. Held on Monday at the InterContinental New York Times Square, the event drew tourism stakeholders, industry executives and government officials from across the Caribbean and beyond to honor women whose work has strengthened the sector, driven destination growth and inspired emerging talent.
Two leading industry figures took home the event’s top annual awards, selected via peer voting among regional tourism professionals. Andrea Franklin, who serves dual roles as Chief Executive Officer of Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc. and Chair of the CTO Board of Directors, claimed the 2026 title of Director of Tourism of the Year. Luce Hodge-Smith, Junior Minister of Tourism and Culture for the British Virgin Islands, was named 2026 Minister/Commissioner of Tourism of the Year for her leadership in advancing the territory’s tourism profile.
The CTO Secretary-General’s Distinguished Service Award was presented to Dr. Lisa Indar, Executive Director of the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA). Dr. Indar was recognized for her transformative work building safer, healthier tourism destinations across the Caribbean while advancing industry-wide adoption of sustainable tourism practices that balance growth with environmental and community stewardship.
In one of the ceremony’s most anticipated segments, six pioneering women with decades of impact on Caribbean tourism were inducted into the Caribbean Women in Tourism Leadership Hall of Fame. The 2026 inductees are Valérie Damaseau, Commissioner of Tourism and Culture for Saint-Martin; Marsha Henderson, Minister of Tourism for St. Kitts and Nevis; Rosa Harris, Director of Tourism for the Cayman Islands; Beverly Nicholson Doty, CEO of Figment Design; Petra Roach, Director of Sales and Marketing at Wyndham Grand Barbados; and Karolin Troubetzkoy, Executive Director of Marketing and Operations at St. Lucia’s Anse Chastanet and Jade Mountain Resorts. Each inductee was honored for their enduring contributions that have shaped the Caribbean tourism landscape over decades of service.
The event featured a keynote address from Christine Valls, Managing Director for Latin America and the Caribbean at United Airlines. Drawing on her decades of experience in the aviation and travel sector, Valls shared insights on what drives effective female leadership, the critical role of innovation and cross-sector collaboration in advancing tourism growth, and the urgency of creating accessible pathways for women to advance into leadership roles across the industry.
Beyond honoring established leaders, the ceremony marked two major new initiatives designed to lift up the next generation of Caribbean women in tourism. Organizers launched the *From Her to Her: From Today’s Female Leaders to Tomorrow’s Tourism Stars* scholarship program, a scholarship fund created to support young Caribbean women pursuing tourism-focused higher education and career entry. A live auction held during the awards ceremony raised an initial US$13,000 for the fund, which will be administered by the CTO Foundation. Going forward, the fund will award annual financial grants to high-potential female Caribbean students enrolled in tourism-related academic programs.
Attendees also got an exclusive first look at *From the Sea Suite*, a new print magazine from CTO that centers the stories, achievements and professional insights of influential women working across all segments of Caribbean tourism. The publication is scheduled for its official global print launch this October at the CTO State of the Tourism Industry Conference, which will be hosted in Georgetown, Guyana from October 5 to 9, 2026.
In a statement shared after the event, CTO leadership emphasized that the awards program, backed by the Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority, fills a critical gap in recognizing the outsized contribution of women to Caribbean tourism, one of the region’s most vital economic sectors. Beyond recognition, the initiative seeks to build a legacy of mentorship and opportunity that will keep the Caribbean tourism industry growing and inclusive for decades to come.