TORTOLA, British Virgin Islands – The Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) has prepared to host the 29th annual Caribbean Tourism Conference Oct. 22-25, 2006, at The Westin and Sheraton Our Lucaya Resort on Grand Bahama Island.
Designed for all Caribbean countries, media and travel agents will gather to collaborate on the growth of tourism and goals for 2007.
Many countries are scheduled to attend including representatives from The British Virgin Islands (BVI) Government and Tourist Board: Chief Minister and Minister of Tourism Dr. the Honourable D. Orlando Smith, Chairman of the BVI Tourist Board Russell Harrigan and Acting Director of Tourism Janis Braithwaite-Edwards, as well as the North American marketing team for the destination, The Zimmerman Agency.
Following the set theme of “Cooperation, Innovation, Rejuvenation: Creating a Brand New Caribbean,” CTO’s main goal is to unite the Caribbean countries and related industries to work together to continue to build a thriving tourism market in order to generate revenue for the tropical territories.
The conference is dedicated to communicating the services and information necessary for further development of tourism primarily to benefit Caribbean locals both economically and socially. More than 600 industry officials from Caribbean governments, hotels, cruise lines, strategic partners, tour operators and media representatives from around the world are expected to be present.
The British Virgin Islands plans to sponsor a breakfast for the travel agents and media attendees the morning of Tues. Oct. 24 with guest speakers including Chief Minister Smith, Chairman Harrigan and Acting Director Braithwaite-Edwards.
These representatives will discuss issues such as marketing efforts and goals for the upcoming year to illustrate how the BVI contributes to Caribbean tourism and its commitment to forward progression.
Numerous activities have been scheduled for attendees including destination spotlight presentations as well as hotel and site inspections for travel agents, specialized workshops, readings from the Condé Nast Traveler “My Caribbean” essay contest and the Travel + Leisure “Youth Congress.” Two young BVIslanders will represent the Territory at the latter two of these events.
For the second year, CTC-29 will offer the chance for travel agents and general delegates to earn education credits by attending Master Classes through George Washington University. Coursework involves in-depth analysis of case studies and practices of the tourism industry and how they correlate to form the most successful strategies.
The British Virgin Islands remains an undeveloped haven for natural treasures. The BVI boasts no high-rise hotels, no casinos and no crowds, rather, the purity of the land — from pristine beaches with powdery sand and crystal clear waters home to an aquarium of the world’s most diverse sea life, to extensive coral reefs responsible for claiming renowned wrecks and vast Outbacks sheltering endangered species.
