Bolongo's Richard Doumeng Takes Office as CHTA President

Managing Director of Bolongo Bay Beach Resort Richard Doumeng will take office today as President of the Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Association (CHTA) for a two-year term (2012 – 2014) at the CHTA Annual General Meeting in Montego Bay, Jamaica. He has set his agenda to reinvigorate and reinvent the CHTA by strengthening its individual National Hotel Associations.

Doumeng, a second-generation hotelier and past recipient of the CHTA Caribbean Hotelier of the Year award, takes the helm of the CHTA as the organization celebrates its 50^th anniversary. During the meeting today in Jamaica, the CHTA will elect the five Vice Presidents and Treasurer who will serve with Doumeng during his presidency.

“CHTA is an association of the National Hotel Associations. By strengthening the National Hotel Associations, we will bring direct and tangible value to our membership,” says Doumeng. “Our success as a region is tied to their success.”

His goals for the next two years are to: return CHTA to strong fiscal responsibility, focus CHTA’s energy and resources on programs and events that benefit the majority of the membership, strengthen the improved relationship between CHTA and the Caribbean Tourism Organization through the Caribbean Tourism Development Company, continue the CHTA advocacy awareness with the Tourism is Key campaign, enhance the Taste of the Caribbean Culinary Competition, and generate more support for the CHTA Education Foundation.

“While the economy is still uncertain, I am optimistic for the future of our region,” adds Doumeng. “Together we can reinvigorate, revitalize and reinvent the CHTA so that we will thrive, not just survive, in the next 50 years.”

Doumeng was elected President-elect by acclamation at the Annual General Meeting of CHTA, held last June in Miami, FL. He has served on the CHTA Board of Directors for 20 years and Vice President of the association for the past 10 years.