CHA Chief Praises Joint Efforts between Private, Public Sectors at Caribbean Marketplace 2006

Berthia Parle, president of the Caribbean Tourism Association (CHA), delivered a keynote speech last week during the opening ceremony of the Caribbean Marketplace 2006 in Puerto Rico´s San Juan.

Her remarks sent a clear-cut message about the spirit and devotion that both her association and the Caribbean Tourism Organization are committed to taking even further in coming years.

“A year ago, at Caribbean Marketplace 2005, in Montego Bay, Jamaica, I spoke about the winds of change blowing in our direction,” Mrs. Parle pointed out during her speech. “I meant it then, in the way that being willing to leave our comfort zone and look at the big picture in order to evolve and grow will continue to guarantee success and increased market share.”

Mrs. Parle reviewed the array of unfortunate happenings that marked the 2005 summertime travel season in the Caribbean, ranging from Hurricane Wilma´s destructive path through the Mexican Caribbean and the close calls for some other Caribbean destinations and unsteady bookings to a fragile consumer confidence index and the imminent danger of new passport rules by the United States Government.

However, the whole picture wasn´t that much blurry after all. “On the other hand, international airline traffic actually grew 8 percent –against all odds- and our destinations finally recorded unprecedented airlift, including low cost carriers,” the CHA President noted. “This translated into an overall growth of about 5 percent in tourist arrivals by air to the Caribbean in 2005, with similar growth expected in 2006.”

Further into her encouraging words to attendants of the Caribbean Marketplace in Puerto Rico´s San Juan, Mrs. Parle highlighted the memorandum of understanding inked just three months ago between CHA and CTO.

“After decades working side by side, sometimes on parallel tracks, I am reasonably sure that I speak for our colleague in CTO as I do for myself when I say, the buck stops here and the sky is the limit,” she beamed.

“I´d like to close my remarks by conveying my sincere gratitude to all those people of vision and action, the hosts, strategic partners and sponsors who support us with their resources, their time, and their enthusiasm to maximize the springboard for our Caribbean tourism industry that is Caribbean Marketplace,” Mrs. Parle concluded.