Caribbean Marketplace 2008 Comes to Successful Close in the Bahamas

The Bahamas welcomed members of the Caribbean hotel and tourism industry for Caribbean Marketplace 2008 that was held January 13 to 15, at Atlantis Paradise Island.

The event is the most important annual sales and marketing opportunity in the region for Caribbean tourism. The 2008 edition of Caribbean Marketplace was presented by the Caribbean Hotel Association (CHA), with the support of the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism and Aviation and the Bahamas Hotel Association.

The venue generated much anticipation among buyers who looked forward to visiting the new world-class conference center at Atlantis Paradise Island. 2008 marked the seventh edition of Caribbean Marketplace hosted by the Bahamas.

Preliminary figures show just over 300 buyers attended the event, surpassing registration figures for the same period the previous year. These buyers were wholesalers, incentive buyers, meeting planners, group buyers and dive shop owners from around the world, who were invited to take part in the Caribbean Marketplace based on their proven capability or potential to sell the Caribbean as a destination.

The event gave them a one-stop venue to meet face-to-face with a range of suppliers from across the region, representing the Caribbean’s intimate inns, guesthouses and villas, business, meetings and incentive products, time-sharing, all-inclusive and hotel chains from the whole Caribbean region.

Continuing the upward trend, almost 800 private and public sector tourism representatives from 36 Caribbean destinations –from Anguilla to the United States Virgin Islands– also attended. They spent two days of pre-scheduled business appointments, discussing existing contracts, developing packages, and contracting for future business with the international buyers.