Caribbean Marketplace 2006 Now Underway

16 January 2006 5:00am

Members of the Caribbean hotel and tourism industry have arrived in San Juan, Puerto Rico, for the 26th edition of Caribbean Marketplace 2006, which kicked off Sunday, January 15, through Tuesday, January 17th, at the newly-inaugurated Puerto Rico Convention Center.

The event is presented by the Caribbean Hotel Association (CHA) and American Express, with the support of the Puerto Rico Tourism Company.

Some 900 private and public sector tourism representatives from 36 Caribbean destinations will spend two days of prescheduled business appointments, discussing existing contracts, developing packages, and contracting for future business with buyers from around the world.

“We are expecting a very positive Winter season for the region, with an overall growth of about 5% in tourist arrivals by air to the Caribbean,” said on the subject Alec Sanguinetti, director general and CEO of CHA.

Thirteen Caribbean delegations are headed by their respective national heads of tourism, who attend the event to strengthen ties and make new contacts with the international buyer marketplace.

Their active involvement also signals an increased collaboration between the private and the public tourism sectors –and an improved understanding of the role of tourism in the regional economies and the wellbeing of the Caribbean people. “CHA and CTO will continue to work closer together in order to improve the promotion and marketing of the Caribbean region to its various markets,” added Mr. Sanguinetti.

Ministers of Tourism from Antigua & Barbuda, Barbados, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Jamaica, Martinique, St. Kitts, St. Lucia, Trinidad & Tobago, and Turks & Caicos are attending the Caribbean Marketplace 2006.

The Caribbean Marketplace 2006 Pre-Event Report shows just over 400 buyers registered, ranging from wholesalers and incentive buyers to meeting planners, group buyers and dive shop owners. The three top markets with the largest buyer delegations are the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada.