Guyanese-American journalist and media executive Melissa Noel will host the 2026 State of the Tourism Industry Conference (SOTIC) in Guyana, the Caribbean Tourism Organization has announced, marking the first time the regional gathering will be staged in the country.
The conference runs from October 5 to 9 under the theme «Tourism Futures: Smart, Sustainable and Inclusive». Noel will guide delegates through the programme, which the CTO describes as five days of dialogue, collaboration and cultural exchange.
Noel is founder and chief content officer of Mel&N Media Group, a culture-driven media and production company that works with cultural institutions, travel brands and international organisations on narrative strategy, live experiences and platforms linking culture and commerce.
CTO Secretary-General and CEO Dona Regis-Prosper said Noel brings a combination of journalistic excellence, cultural insight and a deep connection to Guyana and the wider Caribbean. «Her ability to engage audiences and communicate the richness of Caribbean stories makes her an ideal host for SOTIC 2026,» Regis-Prosper said. «As the conference comes to Guyana for the first time, Melissa will help us create an experience that is informative, dynamic and rooted in the culture of our host destination.»
Noel has more than 15 years of experience across news, media and entertainment. Her career includes on-air correspondent roles with One Caribbean Television and CBS Puerto Rico, and reporting and production positions with NBC News and ABC News. She most recently served as senior news and travel editor at ESSENCE, leading coverage of race, culture, identity and travel for a global Black audience.
She was named CTO Diaspora Journalist of the Year in 2024 and 2025 for her reporting and storytelling across travel, culture, identity and the African diaspora. She is also a Pulitzer Center grantee and an Ethel Payne International Reporting Fellow.
«It is a tremendous honor to return to Guyana, my country of heritage, to host SOTIC 2026,» Noel said. «The Caribbean holds extraordinary stories of creativity, resilience, identity and innovation. I look forward to helping create space for the people shaping the region's tourism future and to welcoming delegates as Guyana shares its culture, communities and distinctive visitor experiences with the Caribbean and the world.»
A summa cum laude graduate of Howard University, Noel holds a Bachelor of Arts in broadcast journalism and a Master of Arts in journalism from the City University of New York.
SOTIC is the CTO's principal forum for bringing together tourism ministers, commissioners and directors of tourism, private-sector executives, regional and international partners, academics, media, young people and other industry stakeholders to examine the issues shaping Caribbean tourism.
The 2026 programme will place particular emphasis on data, tourism intelligence, innovation, emerging technology, climate resilience and regenerative tourism, destination competitiveness, inclusive growth and the role of the region's next generation of tourism leaders.
CTO business meetings will take place on October 5 and 6, followed by the main SOTIC conference on October 7 and 8, including the Regional Tourism Youth Congress on October 8. Destination Media Briefings will conclude the week on October 9.
SOTIC is supported by official conference partners Amadeus and the Inter-American Development Bank, Tourism Intelligence Awards sponsor ASM Global Route Development, contributing sponsor the Association of Value Airlines, Youth Congress sponsor Carnival Corporation, and Official Airline Partner interCaribbean Airways.
2
