Melissa Noel to Host SOTIC 2026 in Guyana, Putting Caribbean Tourism’s Future in Focus

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados — Award-winning Guyanese-American journalist, producer and media executive Melissa Noel is set to host the 2026 State of the Tourism Industry Conference (SOTIC). The event runs Oct. 5-9 in Guyana.

Noel will steer delegates through five days of programming built around the theme “Tourism Futures: Smart, Sustainable and Inclusive.” She will frame conversations on the business, culture and future of Caribbean travel.

Melissa Noel’s Brand

As founder and chief content officer of Mel & N Media Group, Noel leads a culture-focused media and production company. Her company partners with cultural institutions, travel brands and international organizations on narrative strategy. It also provides live experiences and platforms linking culture and commerce.

“Melissa Noel brings a powerful combination of journalistic excellence, cultural insight and a deep connection to Guyana and the wider Caribbean,” Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) Secretary-General and CEO Dona Regis-Prosper said.

“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 brings more than 15 years of experience spanning news, media and entertainment. Her résumé includes on-air correspondent roles with One Caribbean Television and CBS Puerto Rico, along with reporting and production posts at NBC News and ABC News. Most recently, she 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 both 2024 and 2025 for her reporting and storytelling across travel, culture, identity and the African diaspora. Noel 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 creating space for the people shaping the region’s tourism future and 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 earned a Bachelor of Arts in broadcast journalism. She also earned a Master of Arts in journalism from the City University of New York.

SOTIC serves as CTO’s flagship forum, convening tourism ministers, commissioners and directors of tourism alongside private-sector executives. Regional and international partners, academics, media, young people and other industry stakeholders also attend. They tackle the forces reshaping Caribbean tourism.

Conference Program

For 2026, the agenda will spotlight data and tourism intelligence, innovation and emerging technology, climate resilience and regenerative tourism, destination competitiveness, inclusive growth and the next generation of regional tourism leaders. The event marks Guyana’s first time hosting SOTIC.

CTO business meetings kick off Oct. 5-6, followed by the main SOTIC conference Oct. 7-8 and the Regional Tourism Youth Congress on Oct. 8. Destination Media Briefings will close out the week on Oct. 9.

State of the Tourism Industry Conference (SOTIC) Partners

Official conference partners include Amadeus and the Inter-American Development Bank. ASM Global Route Development is sponsoring the Tourism Intelligence Awards. The Association of Value Airlines serves as contributing sponsor. Carnival Corporation is backing the Youth Congress and interCaribbean Airways is serving as Official Airline Partner.

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