“India is like my second home now, so I was thrilled when my agent presented the opportunity to me and more so, when she mentioned it was going to be filmed in Chennai, a city to which I obviously have a deep affiliation as a member of the IPL team, Chennai Superkings. I love the people of Chennai and the people of India, and I am relishing the opportunity to work with a talented and highly respected cast and crew in my first film.” – Dwayne Bravo, West Indies ODI Cricket Captain 

“Coco Reef Tobago isn’t considered to be five-star, yet I felt like a five-star guest because of the friendly staff and the welcoming touches. The best part was walking into my room and finding a wooden name plaque on my closet which read ‘Lynn Dixon Suite’. It was decorated simply but beautifully and I get to take that home with me. It’s a great way to make your guest feel catered for as they would in a luxury hotel, while not necessarily having all of the five-star amenities.” – Karen Lynn Dixon, Hummingbird Global (Trinidad and Tobago Newsday)

“The Barbados Tourism Authority and the Ministry of Tourism are working assiduously on this airlift issue and they have been throughout the world trying to deal with this issue. I applaud them for it because airlines are struggling and it is not about loyalty anymore, it comes down to what is the load factor and are we profitable as an airline. Talks are going on with new airlines and the minister and team will be at the Routes conference next week which is the main conference for all airlines.” – Sue Springer, Executive Vice President, Barbados Hotel and Tourism Association (Barbados Advocate)

“One of the things that the Minister of Tourism has given me is the directive to bring in high-end tourists to the country. And we start the process of basically showing the world that we want to take The Bahamas global in the sports tourist industry. Think about the Miami Heat comes here; they now have the reach that takes the Bahamas global (in terms of sports tourism). Everyone is going to know about The Bahamas.” – Greg Rolle, Director of Sports Tourism, Bahamas (Bahamas Tribune)

“A consequence of this diversification is the current inexcusable statistic of an unprecedented BB$700 million food import bill. I believe that a significant portion of this can be eroded if we practised the maxim, often attributed to the late Mrs. Carmeta Fraser: ‘Grow what you eat and eat what you grow!’ … There is no shortage of opportunities. We just need vision and action which must include seed/venture capital finance and shepherding to mitigate the risk of failure. Let us invest in local foods and create local jobs.” – Dr. Basil Springer, Change-Engine Consultant (Barbados Advocate)

“New Zealand’s international personality is strongly influenced by its Pasifika roots. And I think that alliance with the Caribbean nations is very important and very natural.” – Murray McCully, Minister of Foreign Affairs, New Zealand (The New Zealand Herald)

“To the extent that the Caribbean is a major tourist destination for American visitors, a lot of tourism depends on disposable income, so if the government shutdown were prolonged…into weeks and months rather than a very short period, some consumers would be constrained in the sense that they wouldn’t have income and would have to use their assets…Typical consumption behaviour is that you keep the essential expenditure going and start saving on less essential expenditure, and for many households this will mean reducing tourism.” – Thomas Helbling, International Monetary Fund (Barbados Nation)

“Quotable Caribbean” is compiled by Marketplace Excellence Corporation, a full-service, integrated marketing agency committed to excellence in the fields of public relations, marketing and media coaching.