by Eulana Weekes
St. Kitts and Nevis (WINN): Sixteen-year-old Khalia Huggins-Simmons is travelling to the Cayman Islands to represent the island of Nevis at the 18th edition of the Regional Tourism Youth Congress slated for Thursday, September 15 2022.
Huggins in her profile stated, “I am excited to travel to the Cayman Islands, not only to represent my country in the competition, but also to make new friends with my fellow Junior Ministers around the Caribbean, learn new things and gain new experiences.”
In addition, Huggins believes Tourism is “everybody’s business” as the whole population has a role to play in ensuring that Nevis has the best Tourism product. She explained that in her capacity as Junior Tourism Minister, she will promote Nevis as the best tourist destination and ensure that youth are taught about sustainable Tourism.
She said, “I am both honoured and thrilled to represent Nevis in this year’s Caribbean Tourism Organisation Youth Congress. As Junior Minister of Tourism, my primary role is to be a youth Ambassador for my island. My aim is to teach young people about sustainable Tourism and what that they can do to help better our Tourism product. This is important to me as I feel everyone should be able to help in making Nevis the best Tourism product possible.”
Khalia Huggins Simmonds is a fifth form student of the Charlestown Secondary School and became the Youth Tourism Minister of Nevis on May 18, during the 2022 Bank of Nevis Limited Tourism Youth Congress.
Other Junior Ministers confirmed for the Regional Youth Congress are J’nae Brathwaite from Tobago, Chelsea Been from the Turks and Caicos Islands, Marika Baptiste from St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Jassie Thomas representing St. Lucia, Raeann Matute-Scott representing the Cayman Islands, Desha Skelton from the British Virgin Islands, Sanecia Taylor representing Jamaica, Josiah Grannum the representative for Barbados, Kelvin Archer from The Bahamas and Ti-ika Edwards representing Antigua and Barbuda.
The Regional Tourism Youth Congress is organised by the Caribbean Tourism Organisation in collaboration with the Cayman Islands Ministry and Department of Tourism. The congress returns after a two-year break due to the global COVID-19 pandemic. Turks & Caicos was the winner of the last Youth Congress staged in Antigua and Barbuda in 2019.
