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Cruise ship leaders urge CDC to end No Sail Order

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WTDC Newsletter – September 16, 2020
– PortMiami and Cruise leaders urge CDC not to extend No Sail Order
– Live Like Bella and Childhood Cancer Awareness
– ProChile Trade Commissioner visits WTDC
– Welcome WTDC Intern Kristina Khudiadova
– MIA receives accreditation for COVID-19 measures


President’s Corner  

It was an honor to host Raymond Rodriguez-Torres, Chairman of the Board for Live Like Bella Childhood Cancer Foundation, at WTDC this week. He is pictured above (center) with my father Ralph L. Gazitua, WTDC Chairman (left), and I (right). September is National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month and WTDC presented a silver sponsorship to Mr. Rodriguez-Torres for Live Like Bella’s Get Active for Kids with Cancer virtual event on September 26th, 2020. We welcome you to learn more about Live Like Bella’s role to keep childhood cancer in the spotlight through advocacy, legislation, research, assistance to families affected by childhood cancer.

In other news, WTDC continues to do its part to prevent the spread of COVID-19 by sanitizing our workplace, requiring social distancing and the wearing of masks, and encouraging our employees to live healthy lifestyles while minimizing their exposure. WTDC is a Florida Drug Free Workplace and I’m proud to share that our staff passed their random quarterly drug testing last week. WTDC’s C-TPAT Security Profile was approved last week in accordance with the new requirements and we welcome C-TPAT partners to link with us in the portal. If you have any questions about WTDC, or an idea for our newsletter, I welcome you to email me here. – Sean P. Gazitua, WTDC President & CEO      


ProChile visits WTDC  
Last week Sean P. Gazitua, WTDC President & CEO (center right), and Ralph L. Gazitua, WTDC Chairman, welcomed Germán Rocca, Trade Commissioner at ProChile USA South East Office (center left), and Jaime Silva Jr., Trade Manager at ProChile (right), to a meeting at WTDC. ProChile assists small and medium-size enterprises in their trade expansion efforts by leveraging trade agreements, fostering public-private partnerships, and helping position Chile in the international marketplace. Stay tuned for updates to this meeting! And we can’t mention Chile this week without wishing our Chilean customers and colleagues a Feliz Fiestas Patrias, as they celebrate Chilean Independence Day on Friday, September 18th!    

Cruise and PortMiami leaders urge CDC not to exetend No Sail Order
 The September 10th meeting of the Miami-Dade County Tourism and the Ports Committee evolved into a joint push by cruise officials and Miami-Dade officials to request that the CDC not extend the No Sail Order that is in place until September 30th.
Cruise leaders participating in the virtual meeting included Frank Del Rio, CEO of Norwegian Cruise Line, Arnold Donald, President and CEO of the Carnival Corporation, Michael Bayley, President and CEO of Royal Caribbean International, and Richard Sasso, Chairman of MSC Cruises in North America.
“We’ve got to get to work,” Frank Del Rio, CEO of Norwegian Cruise Line said. “Enough is enough. It’s been more than six months. We’ve learned a lot.”
 
Miami Herald: ‘Enough is enough’: Commissioners and cruise execs urge CDC to let cruising resume

Cruise Hive: Cruise Line CEO Says “The Cruise Industry is Close to Devastation” in Miami-Dade Meeting
 
 
 


Welcoming our new social media Intern from FIU
Welcome to the team Kristina! Kristina Khudiakova is a Florida International University (FIU) student and is an Intern for WTDC’s Sales and Marketing Department specializing in social media. Originally from Arkhangelsk, Russia, she is pursuing a major in International Business at FIU and is President of the International Business Honors Society (IBHS).
 
MIA receives Airport Health Accreditation for its measures to prevent COVID-19
Miami International Airport (MIA) celebrated its 92nd anniversary this week and is also celebrating news that it received Airport Health Accreditation from Airports Council International (ACI) for its best practices and key measures taken to prevent the spread of COVID-19. MIA is the first airport in Florida and only the 3rd airport in North America to receive the accreditation. Click the story from MIA below for more information.
 
MIA is first airport in Florida, second in U.S. to receive health accreditation from ACI World