PROVIDENCALES, Turks and Caicos Islands – This summer the Turks & Caicos Hotel and Tourism Association (TCHTA) completed a highly targeted promotional campaign reaching over sixty US based travel agents and tour operators.
Last week the TCHTA visited the North East Region of the USA, including Boston, New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. The sales activity was coordinated by the TCHTA and the Tourist Board to further promote the destination and its hotel members. Presentations on hotel and product offerings of the destination were made to over fifty travel agents and tour operators. Ocean Club Resorts, Grace Bay Club, Comfort Suites, The Regent Palms, The Somerset, Seven Stars, Gansevoort Turks & Caicos and The Sands were all part of the sales blitz which received great interest from many travel partners.
Caesar Campbell, CEO of the TCHTA was delighted with the response, “With public confidence beginning to rise and an upturn in the economy expected in the next few months, we felt it crucial to further cultivate our relationship with these influential travel agents now before we enter our peak season. All of the feedback we received from the agents was extremely encouraging. The travel market seems to be rebounding and the travel agents we met with all know and continue to sell the TCI to their customers”.
Other activities part of the promotional push included a special familiarization tour for a group of US based Travel Agents who visited the Turks & Caicos Islands last month. The highly-successful ‘Weekend Escape’ which was hosted by the TCHTA was held in a bid to boost tourism to the destination. Approximately eight travel companies were represented hailing primarily from the East Coast and the Midwest including Florida, New York, Texas and Chicago.
Travel Agents & hotel representatives including TCHTA CEO Caesar Campbell in New York presenting the TCI to various travel partners.
Campbell reported, “Our guests complimented our pristine beaches, stunning resorts and warm hospitality. The trip was a phenomenal success and all of the agents returned home with nothing but praise for our destination. This will certainly stand us in good stead for the forthcoming season and beyond. It is our intention that the ‘Weekend Escape’ becomes an annual event and we expect the initiative to grow from strength to strength”.
During the trip, the agents were invited to encounter a ‘guest experience’ and as part of the activities, The Somerset Resort hosted a special Indian themed dinner ‘A Passage to India’ which was held to welcome the guests. At the travel operator’s request, independent site visits were organized at some of the island’s finest resorts. In addition, the agents received a guided tour of Providenciales, explored the shores via a boat excursion and sampled diving around the island’s famous coral reefs.
Karen Whitt, President of the TCHTA said, “It was our objective to ensure that the agents went away with the TCI at the forefront of their minds and by extension the consumers themselves. We accomplished that and it’s clear that the TCI has left a long-lasting impression with our guests. The trip was a tremendous way for reinforcing the fact that this destination is a first class choice for the affluent traveler as well as a great opportunity to showcase the shining stars that work within the Turks & Caicos Islands”.
