Local hotelier Doumeng to lead tourism association

ST. THOMAS - Local hotelier Richard Doumeng has been named as the first American to lead the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association.

Doumeng is the managing director of Bolongo Bay Beach Resort and previously served as chairman of the USVI Hotel and Tourism Association for three years. He currently is serving his second two-year term as first vice president of the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association and was elected president of the trade organization at a leadership meeting held last week in Miami.

His two-year term will begin in June 2012.

The president-elect said he has been resisting the position for several years, but his colleagues finally convinced him to accept the job.

"I never wanted to be president, I always encouraged men and women to leapfrog over me," he said.

Doumeng said he has been reluctant to take the job because of the heavy focus the association places on Europe and various regulations that do not affect the U.S. territories. The current president, Josef Forstmayr, has promised to stay involved after his term ends next year and assist him, Doumeng said.

"Mr. Forstmayr agrees to stay actively involved with the European part of the job, and I am going to focus on the people, the membership and bringing people back together," he said.

He said his top priority will be to reach out to former members who left the organization and try to encourage membership in the association.

The Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association is an international trade organization with 33 member countries, as well as individual members, allied members and companies that do business in the Caribbean.

"It's like the United Nations of Caribbean tourism," Doumeng said.

Advocacy is one of the primary duties of the association.

"There are many, many common issues throughout the region that we all face," Doumeng said.

Environmental concerns, relationships with cruise lines and airlines, insurance and governmental rules and regulations are just some of those issues, he said.

"It's also really important to focus on human resources, education and training, building and developing Caribbean talent, and truly embracing and putting our energy into developing the talent of the people of the Caribbean," Doumeng said.

He also supports a regional marketing plan. It is often said that the Caribbean is the largest unowned brand name in the world, he said.

Booking Your St. Thomas Vacation | Great Places To Visit

Booking Your St. Thomas Vacation

If you are interested in taking a summer vacation in St. Thomas, you will have to make travel plans. St. Thomas is a popular vacation destination. This popularity means that, each year, a large number of tourists flock to the area. To ensure that you are able to obtain accommodations in St. Thomas, you are urged to make your vacation reservations ahead of time.

When you start to make your reservations, you are likely to see that there are a number of different ways to book your reservations. If you are unsure which booking method you should use, you are encouraged to familiarize yourself with each booking method. Once you know the advantages and disadvantages of each method, you should be able to make the proper selection.

Discount travel websites are rapidly increasing in popularity. Each day, more individuals make the decision to book their vacations through these online websites. Popular discount travel websites include, but are not limited to, Travelocity, Orbitz, Expedia, and Yahoo! Travel. Discount travel websites are most known for their packaged deals. Many times you can receive a discount when you make hotel and travel accommodations all at once.

When using a discount travel website to book your next St. Thomas vacation, you are urged to proceed with caution. A number of discount travel websites advertise that their site is free, but then they charge hidden fees. As long as you are able to find a discount travel website that does not charge these hidden fees, booking your vacation reservations online may be ideal. Many travelers have reported saving large amount of money on their St. Thomas vacations by using discount travel websites.

Many individuals prefer to use discount travel websites because they are able to select the accommodations that they want. In addition to using a discount travel website, you may be able book your reservations online, but directly through the company that offers services that you need. Many popular St. Thomas beach resorts, hotels, and airlines allow the use of online booking. With a simple click of the mouse, you could make your reservations on a secure website.

While a large number of St. Thomas resorts have online websites, not all allow the online booking of reservations. If you are interested in vacationing at a resort and you cannot make online arrangements, you will have to directly contact the resort. By calling a toll free number, you should easily be able to schedule your St. Thomas reservations over-the-phone.

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