Nevisian Keyana Warner crowned Caribbean Junior Minister of Tourism

St Kitts and Nevis: The Junior Minister of Tourism from Nevis, Keyana Warner, has became the winner of the 20th edition Caribbean Tourism Organisation Tropical Shipping Regional Tourism Youth Congress, securing the crown of Caribbean Junior Minister of Tourism.

Warner who is a student from Charlestown Secondary School bagged the victory after an exceptional presentation on Thursday in Cayman Islands.

Fielding from 13 competitors across the entire Caribbean region, young Warner has done Nevis proud by winning first place, following in the footsteps of Neela Jones and Rol-J Williams who won the regional title in the past.

The second place was grabbed by Anthurium Lewis from Tobago while Khari Gonsalves of St Kitts secured the 3rd place. 

Following the achievement, the leaders of St Kitts and Nevis took to Facebook to congratulate Keyana Warner with Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr Denzil Douglas saying, “SKN placed 1st and 3rd in the 2024, CTO Regional Tourism Youth Congress. Congratulations to Keyana Warner of Charlestown Secondary School, Nevis on her Impressive 1st place finish.”

Deputy Prime Minister Dr Geoffrey Hanley noted, “Congratulations are in order as we celebrate this proud achievement with our very own Keyana Warner of Charlestown Secondary School, Nevis who was recently named the 2024 Caribbean Junior Minister of Tourism.”

The Congress which is a highlight of the CTO State of the Tourism Industry Conference was held under the theme “Caribbean Tourism: Through the Eyes of Tomorrow”. It featured 12 talented young tourism advocates from across the region. 

According to the information, these young minds shared their innovative ideas as well as passion for the future of the tourism industry of the Caribbean, exploring topics including solo travel, adventure tourism, collaboration across cultures as well as the blue economy. 

The Master of Ceremonies, Sharon Banfield Bovell, the Director of Resource Mobilization and Development at CTO remarked that the Congress along with the activities leading up to this event plays a significant role in introducing the next generation to the crucial impact tourism has on the region. 

He added that it is not just a competition but a getaway to nurturing the next generation of tourism advocates as well as innovators who will shape the future of Caribbean’s tourism industry. 

This significant event was chaired by last year’s winner from British Virgin Islands Naomi Onwufuju. The countries which participated included Barbados, Bahamas, BVI, Cayman Islands, Jamaica, St Kitts and Nevis, St Eustatius, Saint Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Tobago as well as Turks and Caicos Islands.