BASSETERRE (19Th March, 2015): The Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) Scholarship Foundation is accepting applications for scholarships and study grants from Caribbean nationals in CTO member countries.
The main aim of the CTO Foundation is to provide opportunities for Caribbean nationals to pursue studies in the areas of tourism, hospitality and language training. The Foundation selects individuals who demonstrate high levels of achievement and leadership both within and outside the classroom and who express a strong interest in making a positive contribution to Caribbean tourism.
The Foundation offers the following types of assistance:
- Scholarships of up to US$12,000 to individuals wanting to study tourism or hospitality at the Master’s (post graduate) level
- Study grants of up to US$2,500 to individuals pursing tourism/hospitality studies at the certificate, diploma, associate degree or first degree level, and to industry personnel who want to gain proficiency in a second language to assist them in their job
- A scholarship of up to US$2,500 is offered in the name of CTO’s former Director of Research and Information Management, Mr. Arley Sobers, for persons working in local tourism organizations such as the Ministry of Tourism or the Board of Tourism, who wish to strengthen their skills in the areas of research and statistics. Mr. Arley Sobers passed away in an untimely manner in 2008.
One of the awardees will be offered a study grant / scholarship in the name of the late Mrs. Audrey Palmer Hawks who was the past Director General of the Caribbean Tourism Association based in New York, which eventually merged in 1989 with the Caribbean Tourism Research and Development Centre based in Barbados, to form the Caribbean Tourism Organization.
The association was established in 1951 as part of the U.S.A.’s economic development strategy for the Caribbean. Mrs. Hawks was responsible for marketing the Caribbean region as a tourist attraction to travelers in the United States and Canada.
Studies can be pursued both within and outside the region. All application forms are available on the CTO website www.onecaribbean.org. Interested persons must fill out the forms, supply all of the necessary information and return them directly to the Caribbean Tourism Organization’s headquarters, Ground Floor, Baobab Tower, Warrens, St. Michael, Barbados, Tel: 246-427-5242; Fax: 246-429-3065 by the deadline date of April 15, 2015.
Since 1998 the CTO Foundation has provided 95 major scholarships and 130 study grants to deserving Caribbean nationals, amounting to just over US$853,000. Major Foundation sponsors include American Express, American Airlines, Interval International, the CTO chapters worldwide and numerous allied members.