Malika Baptiste, a student of the St Vincent and the Grenadines Community College (SVGCC) took the second spot in the 2022 Caribbean Tourism Organisation (CTO) Regional Youth Congress in the Cayman Islands on Thursday, September 15.

Baptiste, 17,  represented St Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG), a multi-island destination as this year’s Junior Minister of Tourism.

She competed against 10 “impressive and remarkable” Junior Ministers and Commissioners throughout the region, a release from the Ministry of Tourism, Civil Aviation, Sustainable Development and Culture said.

Baptiste delivered a riveting presentation on the topic related to Agriculture in Tourism (Agro-Tourism):

“Supplying locally produced food to luxury hotels and cruise ships benefits both the tourism industry and the agricultural sector….”

In her presentation, Baptiste identified two possible challenges to pursuing this strategy and recommended two achievable solutions as a viable option for the 32 Islands and Cays.

J’nae Brathwaite, the Junior Minister from Tobago placed first among the 11 competitors.

Baptiste will perform the role of Junior Minister for one year. In her capacity, she is expected to implement a tourism project at her school or in her community as well as play an integral role in the development of the Tourism and Hospitality Industry.

Marika with her chaperone Annille Beache, Tourism Education Officer at the Ministry of Tourism

Communications Manager and Country Coordinator Jewelene Charles-Scott in her congratulatory remarks expressed: “We are proud of Marika for her superb presentation and representation of the destination at the congress. The Ministry is always pleased to invest in the young people of this country and will continue to provide opportunities so that they too could have an input in the development of the Tourism and Hospitality Industry”.

Annille Beache, Tourism Education Officer at the Ministry of Tourism, et al. was this year’s chaperone.