CTO SCHOLARSHIP FOUNDATION LAUNCHES 30TH ANNIVERSARY PEARL CHALLENGE AT SOTIC 2026

CTOSF Chair Jacqueline Johnson Challenges Caribbean Governments to Award 30 Scholarships to Develop the Region’s Next Generation of Tourism Leaders

NEW YORK CITY, NY, UNITED STATES, October 21, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- GEORGETOWN, GUYANA — October 21, 2026 — The Caribbean Tourism Organization Scholarship Foundation (CTOSF) launched “30 Years, 30 Futures: Our Pearl Scholars” at the Caribbean Tourism Organization’s (CTO) State of the Tourism Industry Conference (SOTIC) in Guyana. The campaign aims to grant 30 scholarships and grants to Caribbean nationals in 2027, the Foundation’s 30th (Pearl) anniversary year.
Jacqueline Johnson, Chairperson of the CTOSF and President of MarryCaribbean.com, presented the initiative at the Council of Ministers meeting, challenging each Caribbean government to celebrate the Foundation’s 30th anniversary, its Pearl Anniversary, by providing a scholarship for one of its nationals to pursue studies in a travel and tourism-related fields.
The initiative received an encouraging response from regional tourism leaders, with seven Caribbean governments immediately pledging scholarships. The first to commit was Antigua and Barbuda, whose newly elected Chair of the CTO Council of Ministers, the Honourable Charles “Max” Fernandez, Minister of Tourism, Civil Aviation, Transportation and Investment, pledged a scholarship in honor of Dame Yvonne Maginley, a former Deputy Governor-General and a pioneer of Antigua and Barbuda’s tourism industry.
The initiative also received support from tourism leaders across the region, with scholarship pledges from Jamaica’s Minister of Tourism, the Honourable Edmund Bartlett; Turks and Caicos Islands’ Minister of Tourism, Agriculture, Fisheries, Heritage and the Environment; Anguilla’s Minister of Health, Tourism and Sports; the Honourable Cardigan Connor; Barbados’ Minister of Tourism and International Transport, the Honourable Ian Gooding-Edghill; the U.S. Virgin Islands’ Commissioner of Tourism, the Honourable Jennifer Matarangas-King; and the British Virgin Islands Director of Tourism and Film Commission, Clive McCoy. Each pledged a scholarship to support a student from their respective destination.
CTO Secretary-General Dona Regis-Prosper welcomed the initiative, stating, “For nearly three decades, the CTO Scholarship Foundation has helped Caribbean people pursue their ambitions and build careers in tourism,” said Regis-Prosper. “Its commitment to education has strengthened our industry by investing in the people who shape it. As the foundation approaches its 30th anniversary, we celebrate that legacy and its lasting contribution to developing Caribbean talent” she said.
The scholarship challenge reflects the CTOSF’s longstanding commitment to developing Caribbean talent and ensuring that the region’s tourism industry has the knowledge, skills and leadership needed to thrive in a rapidly evolving global environment.
Commenting on the response, Johnson said, “We are gratified by the immediate commitments to our challenge and will continue reaching out to Caribbean governments to make our Pearl Anniversary a milestone in investing in the next generation of tourism leaders. Our goal is to award 30 scholarships to deserving Caribbean students pursuing studies in travel and tourism-related fields.”
Johnson added, “As technology, including artificial intelligence, transforms the travel landscape, it is imperative that we prepare the next generation with the knowledge and skills to lead the future of tourism. As leaders, we have a responsibility to ensure they are equipped to promote and protect an industry that is a vital driver of economic growth throughout our region.”
As the Foundation celebrates its 30th anniversary, the initiative serves both to honor its legacy of advancing tourism education and to renew the region’s collective commitment to empowering the next generation of Caribbean tourism professionals.
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About Caribbean Tourism Organization Scholarship Foundation:
The Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) established the Caribbean Tourism Scholarship Foundation (CTOSF) in 1997 as a New York–registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit, to help build a globally competitive and sustainable Caribbean tourism industry. The Foundation supports Caribbean nationals pursuing higher education in tourism-related fields. Since 1997 it has provided more than $3 million in student financial support, over 150 scholarships and more than 200 grants across 25 CTO member countries. Its alumni include tourism directors, ministry’s permanent secretaries, university deans and industry executives across the region.

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