The Minister of Tourism and Investment Charles ‘Max’ Fernandez has announced the appointment of Lorraine Headley-Raeburn as chairperson of the Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority (ABTA) Board of Directors, while Dean Fenton has been appointed as the new U.S. director of tourism. Headley-Raeburn will also serve as a consultant to the Tourism Authority. As non-executive chairperson of the ABTA, Headley-Raeburn will be responsible for overseeing the development of policies and strategies designed to strengthen Antigua and Barbuda’s reputation as a world-class tourism and travel destination and achieve continued growth in tourism arrivals.
Headley-Raeburn has over 25 years of experience in tourism across the region, from the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) to the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) to the Ministry of Tourism. Highlights from her career include managing a large tourism development program that was a joint public/private sector initiative on behalf of the Antigua Hotels and Tourist Association and the Ministry of Tourism. Headley-Raeburn held the position of director general of tourism for Antigua and Barbuda for two years. The Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority says she played a pivotal role in re-branding the destination, enhancing a series of local tourism promotion activities including Tourism Week and the Trading Places initiative, and increasing the international tourism profile of the country through a concerted program of global public relations and advertising campaigns. She also managed the tourism component of the requirements for the hosting of the Cricket World Cup in 2007 and contributed to the establishment of the Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority. She has been an independent consultant for the past 10 years and a founding director of a beachfront boutique hotel on the southwest coast of Antigua. Headley-Raeburn has also been a director of the Antigua Commercial Bank since 2012, serving as chairman since October 2016. She is a member of the Institute of Chartered Secretaries & Administrators (ICSA) and having completed the Directors Education and Accreditation Program (DEAP), she holds the designation of Acc. Dir. Headley-Raeburn has a degree from Cambridge University and an MBA from the University of West Indies.
As the new U.S. director of tourism, Fenton will be responsible for the Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority's operations in the U.S. He brings with him over 15 years of marketing experience in the Caribbean tourism industry, and he has been working with Antigua and Barbuda since 2006. Prior to his new appointment, Fenton served as senior sales and marketing manager for the Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority. During his tenure with the Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority, Fenton has secured over $750,000 in gratis advertising for Antigua and Barbuda in leading travel and consumer publications and increased group sales to Antigua and Barbuda by over 20 percent. The Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority says he maintains solid relationships with travel promotional partners in the private sector, the travel industry, community and affinity groups and corporations for potential business opportunities to increase group sales, destination weddings and market share. Fenton’s specialties include marketing Antigua and Barbuda to the travel trade, media and consumers, as one of the Caribbean’s top wedding, honeymoon and romance destinations. Fenton is a graduate from Baruch College, CUNY and holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Management and Marketing.
For more information, visit http://www.visitantiguabarbuda.com/
Related Stories
Travel Agent's Most-Read Caribbean Stories of 2018
Book It: Four of the Best Caribbean Beach Hotels for Sun, Sea and Serious Relaxation
Caribbean Looks to Marijuana as Potential New Attraction for Tourists
Carnival Corporation Supports Community Projects Across Caribbean