By Roy Weavers

Whilst the whole town has been looking for the leader of the free world to pay a visit to Port Douglas, our very own President O'Carmel almost slipped under the radar of publicity.  Carmel Angelino owner of the boutique accommodation ‘Reflections of Port Douglas’ located on Macrossan Street just off the Four Mile Beach Esplanade was recently inaugurated as President of North Queensland's division of the Worlds largest networking organisation SKAL.

Mild mannered, yet sophisticated and stylish Accommodation Manager most days, Carmel don's the formal chain of office once a month and proudly hosts Far North Queensland’s most prestigious social networking event.

She is only the third women in 26 years to have achieved this coveted honour for the SKAL club and it is a tribute to the respect and admiration with which her ‘Skalleagues’ hold her that she has deservedly been honoured this year with their ‘highest office’.

So, put the disappointment of being cold shouldered by President Obama behind you, we now have our very own President and she lives right within our midst here in Port Douglas.   Her huge entourage of security and secret service may not be evident but in her Presidential year for SKAL she will undoubtedly prove to be a mover and shaker within the tourism networking circles.

For your interest we have set out below a little history of the SKAL Club.

Extract from their Official website….. From its esteemed beginnings, SKÅL is the only international organisation that brings together all branches of the travel and tourism industry. Indeed it is the world’s largest travel and tourism association. Representing the industry’s managers and executives,
SKÅL members meet at a local, national and international level, in an environment of friendship, to discuss subjects of a common nature and interest.
Although SKÅL is not a business association, nor can it be used as a forum to conduct business, it does encourage SKÅL members to conduct business with other SKÅL members and supporters.

The first SKÅL Club was founded in Paris, on 20 December 1932. Travel trade managers had recently been on an ‘educational’ tour of Scandinavia, and the concept of international friendship gained such popularity that in 1934, the Club achieved international status with the formation of the ‘Association Internationale des SKÅL Club’ or AISC.

This was on the initiative of the first president of the Paris SKÅL Club, the man now considered the ‘Father of SKÅL’, Florimond Volckaert.

Now known as SKÅL International, the association now boasts over 25,000 members, in over 525 Clubs throughout 80 nations on Earth.

The World Congress is an integral part of SKÅL Club ethics. A five day event is hosted in a different country each year and consequently offering members and their companions the opportunity of observing, first hand, the travel and tourism potential of other countries.

As the Scandinavian drinking toast suggests, ‘SKÅL’ the Club is founded on friendship around the world.

OBJECTIVES AND AIMS
SKÅL has activities in over 525 Clubs in 80 countries throughout the world. The worldwide reason for the Club’s being is to bring tourism executives together in an atmosphere that encourages friendship and to share professional concerns.

The SKÅL Club strives to:
    • Develop friendship and common purpose between personnel in the travel and tourism industry.
    • Foster goodwill and mutual understanding worldwide through international tourism and travel.
    • Encourage and assist in the professional development of all, but especially the young people working in, or training for, the travel and tourism industry.

The activities of SKÅL International highlight the following activities — Worldwide movement of SKÅL Club members between various sectors of the tourism industry, and participation in conferences, social events, friendship tours, congresses, assemblies and humanitarian aims.

Editors comments: Fancy that our very own President !  To Carmel from all of us at both Newsport and tourismportdouglas.com.au, we send you our sincere congratulations and look forward to seeing you during your Presidential term.