First time destination will host Travel Marketplace
IAN STALKER
A prominent champion of Caribbean tourism is preparing to break new ground as it readies to update the travel industry on what’s happening in its region.
The Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Association has announced it will hold its annual Caribbean Travel Marketplace in Barbados May 9-11, a first for a show that has been rotating between San Juan, Nassau and Montego Bay.
Marketplace will be preceded by the May 9 Caribbean Travel Forum and Awards, also to be held in Barbados.
Barbados tourism officials are welcoming the upcoming Marketplace, saying their destination is up to the challenge of hosting the 41st edition.
“We are determined it will be one of the best Marketplaces ever,” Renee Coppin, president of the Barbados Hotel & Tourism Association, told a Jan. 20 CHTA webinar announcing the destination. “To say we are delighted is an understatement.”
A conference facility will serve as the show venue and pre- and post-Marketplace tours will be available. Tourism authorities are also suggesting delegates extend their stays in Barbados, experiencing its “uniqueness.”
Local tourism officials say hosting Marketplace will be a valuable showcase for their island, which Coppin said is home to some of the “most pristine white-sand beaches in the world.”
Last year’s Marketplace in San Juan drew 735 delegates, including buyers from several continents.
CHTA president Nicola Madden-Greig noted during the webinar that Barbados will mark Marketplace’s entry into the Eastern Caribbean.
This year’s show “will be very different” than its predecessors but will still feature “all the elements you’re used to,” she added.
Those interested in attending Marketplace will soon be able to register through chtamarketplace.com.
Meanwhile, Madden-Greig praised those in Caribbean tourism for their response to Covid and added Caribbean tourism is now transitioning from “recovery to robust growth.”
