MIAMI – The first virtual iteration of Caribbean Travel Marketplace was a resounding success, organizers have reported.
“This virtual format allowed us to introduce the Caribbean to new buyers and travel advisors from over 20 markets. Especially those that haven’t been able to attend in the past,” said Vanessa Ledesma, acting CEO and Director General of the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA), which hosts the annual Caribbean Travel Marketplace.
Connecting Buyers and Suppliers
More than 6,000 meetings were held over three days. Giving buyers from 20 countries the chance to connect with suppliers representing more than 150 Caribbean hotels and tourism-related businesses.
“We’re looking forward to continuing the momentum as we move the region’s hospitality sector forward together,” Ledesma added.
CTM 39 was held from May 11 to 14. It was especially meaningful for Caribbean hospitality professionals who have been diligently working on enhancing their products from a health safety perspective.
“The past 15 months have been the ultimate test of our resiliency and our ability to bounce back,” CHTA President Pablo Torres said. “And bounce back is exactly what we are doing.”
Travel Interest In the Caribbean Growing
Torres added that traveler interest in the Caribbean is surging. “We are back and ready to open for business better than ever,” he said, later noting that the region has about 30,000 new hotel rooms in the planning and construction stage and is seeing a 10-percent increase in its inventory.
While the pandemic disrupted Caribbean tourism and the impact will be felt for years to come. “We believe the disruption will prove to be an interruption,” Torres said. Adding, the Caribbean has been a world leader in managing COVID-19. “We need to be inspired by our own resiliency.”
Frank Comito, special advisor and former CHTA CEO and Director General, elaborated on the region’s handling of the pandemic.
“We have been building on a six-year tourism health partnership with the Caribbean Public Health Agency, and that partnership has enabled us to come out of this situation much faster than we would’ve otherwise, because of our experience in working on matters like Zika and chikungunya and other kinds of health-related situations, as well as recovering from natural disasters.”
Regional stakeholders began focusing on pandemic preparedness in January, 2020. This allowed them to be ahead of the curve as a result of the unique partnership between health and tourism entities.
“Bottom line, our results to date have resulted in the Caribbean having one of the lowest per capita rates of COVID-19 reported incidents, hospitalization and deaths in the world, a record we are committed to maintain as we move to responsibly reopen travel,” Comito said.
CTM 39’s virtual conference platform and resources will be available online until June 30 at chtamarketplace.com.
CTM Sponsors
Hosted by the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association, this year’s Starfish sponsors included Figment Design, and Interval International. Plus, Marketplace Excellence, Mastercard, STR, Travelzoo, and the United States Virgin Islands.
Destination sponsors included The Bahamas, Jamaica, St. Maarten and St. Martin. Oyster sponsors were AeroMD, Amresorts and Navis. Jellyfish sponsors were American Airlines, Condé Nast, Food & Wine, Gamemasters Escape Solutions, Questex Travel Group, Sigura, Travel + Leisure, Tripadvisor, and Triptease.
