Melissa Noel to host SOTIC 2026 in Guyana
Melissa Noel
Noel will guide delegates through the conference program, helping set the stage for five days of dialogue, collaboration and cultural exchange under the theme “Tourism Futures: Smart, Sustainable and Inclusive.”
The founder and chief content officer of Mel&N Media Group, Noel leads a culture-driven media and production company that works with cultural institutions, travel brands and international organizations to develop narrative strategies, produce live experiences and build platforms connecting culture and commerce.
“Melissa Noel brings a powerful combination of journalistic excellence, cultural insight and a deep connection to Guyana and the wider Caribbean,” said Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) Secretary-General and CEO Dona Regis-Prosper. “Her ability to engage audiences and communicate the richness of Caribbean stories makes her an ideal host for SOTIC 2026. 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 as well as reporting and production positions with NBC News and ABC News. She most recently served as senior news and travel editor at ESSENCE where she led coverage of race, culture, identity and travel for a global Black audience.
Noel was named CTO Diaspora Journalist of the Year in 2024 and 2025 in recognition of 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,” said Noel. “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 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 program 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. Guyana will host SOTIC for the first time.
CTO business meetings will take place Oct. 5–6, followed by the main SOTIC conference Oct. 7–8 including the Regional Tourism Youth Congress on Oct. 8. Destination Media Briefings will conclude the week on Oct. 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.
For more information and to register for SOTIC 2026, visit sotic.onecaribbean.org.
About the Caribbean Tourism Organization
The Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO), headquartered in Barbados, is the Caribbean’s tourism development agency, comprising membership of the region’s finest countries and territories, including Dutch-, English- and French-speaking, as well as a range of private-sector allied members. CTO’s vision is to position the Caribbean as the most desirable, year-round, warm-weather destination, and its purpose is Leading Sustainable Tourism — One Sea, One Voice, One Caribbean.
Among the benefits to its members, the organization provides specialized support and technical assistance in sustainable tourism development, marketing, communications, advocacy, human resource development, event planning and execution, and research and information technology.
CTO’s headquarters is located at Baobab Tower, Warrens, St. Michael, Barbados BB 22026.
Tel: +1 246 427-5242; Email: CTObarbados@caribtourism.com
For more information about the Caribbean Tourism Organization, visit www.OneCaribbean.org and follow the CTO on Facebook, X, Instagram and LinkedIn to be part of the conversation.
Heather Gibbs
Marketplace Excellence
+1 201-861-2056
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