Basseterre, St. Kitts (15 May 2023) – The Ministry of Tourism recently held its St. Kitts Tourism Youth Congress on 12 May at the St. Kitts Marriott Ballroom. The competition hosted seven (7) high school students contesting for the title of St. Kitts’ Junior Minister of Tourism 2023-2024.
Participating students included:
Kaylah Penny – Basseterre High School
Cam-Ron Audain – Washington Archibald High School
Josiah Hodge – Charles E. Mills Secondary School
D’Jaaden Punrod – Cayon High School
Soriah Williams Powell – Verchilds High School
Cadeen Allen – Immaculate Conception Catholic School
Destiny Morris – Saddlers Secondary School
During the competition discourse, the participating students articulated ideas relevant to building a resilient and sustainable workforce, wellness tourism, and accessibility in tourism through insightful and innovative presentations. In addition, the students were also given a mystery question pertinent to the tourism industry and were allotted one minute to share their recommendations.
The competition was championed by Ms. Cam-Ron Audain of the Washington Archibald High School who scored 407 points having successfully awed the judges with her impressive recommendations for the set topics.
Competition Results:
Winner (407 points) – Cam-Ron Audain of Washington Archibald High School
First runner-up (378 points) – D’Jaaden Punrod of Cayon High School
Second runner-up (337 points) – Destiny Morris of Saddlers Secondary School
Third runner-up (336 points) – Josiah Hodge of Charles E. Mills Secondary School
“I am incredibly proud of all the participating students, and I must convey congratulations to the winner and runners-up for a job well done. The Ministry of Tourism and the St. Kitts Tourism Authority remain heavily invested in boosting sustainable and wellness tourism, making the chosen topics for this year’s Tourism Youth Congress incredibly fitting. It is an extremely important mission as the broader tourism industry continues to develop strategies to tackle environmental issues. The innovation displayed at this year’s competition solidifies that the future of tourism in St. Kitts is in great hands,” shared Honourable Marsha T. Henderson, Minister of Tourism.
Ms. Cam-Ron Audain is set to represent St. Kitts at this year’s Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) Regional Youth Congress slated for October 2023. The regional contest will host junior ministers from other Caribbean territories as they participate in a debating competition to secure the title of “Junior Minister of Tourism of the Caribbean”. The competition’s primary objective is to boost awareness and interest in tourism among the youths within the Caribbean diaspora.