Fernando Abreu. CTO staff member

Q.- What new strategy is the CTO going to implement to put the Caribbean in the market?

A.- From the very beginning, we’ve made the decision to divide the working areas from a marketing standpoint. So, there’re going to be two divisions: one led by Hugh Riley and focusing on the Americas, and the other one dealing with Europe and under the leadership of Julia Hendry. The Caribbean is an established trademark and part of our commitment has to do with strengthening its image in the face of international markets, to foster programs that enhance the knowledge of our region and therefore the interest and preference toward the destination. Our marketing programs are designed in such a way that they guarantee a joint participation on the part of both the private and public sectors, something that’s key to avoid dual efforts in one single direction. At the same time, the Internet is one important factor within our publicity and promotion strategy for the region, so that implies the implementation of a more aggressive policy whereby we make use of information technology in the advertisement of major portals, online marketing and the like.

In that same respect , the strategy allows us to pinpoint, create and put marketing opportunities in the hands of the entire region.

Q.- Is this the first time something like this happens?

A.- Yes. In the past, the leadership of the European office hinged on New York City.

Q.- What other actions have you taken?

A.- We’ve also founded a PR Committee in the United States and another one in Canada. The two of them are constantly in touch with the press and made up of tourism bureau officers and PR agents that represent our members. They comprise approximately fifty New York-based companies.

Q.- In the case of countries like Cuba, with no representation in the U.S., how can they be a part of this effort?

A.- Cuba is a very active member in the Canadian and European markets, therefore it’s inserted in our promotion programs.

Q.-What other promotional actions are you going to carry out?

A.- This fall, here in the U.S., we’re going to put on a number of road shows or caravans for our member countries to take part in them, I mean, people other that hoteliers and tour operators working in the Caribbean. We’re going to visit eight cities in East and Midwest America in order to take our product to qualified travel agents that sell this particular destination.

Q.- What are those eight cities?

A.- Long Island, New York; Elizabeth, New Jersey; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Boston, Massachusetts; Dallas, Texas; Chicago, Illinois; Detroit, Michigan and Minneapolis, Minnesota .

Q.- What kind of communication are your going to use for the sector of travel agents?

A.- We’re working very hard with over 3,500 travel agents, all CTO members, and with tour operators to teach them how to better sell the Caribbean product. We’re also focusing our efforts on teaching agents how to close sales, how to sell wedding packages, honeymoon travels, golf, nautical sports, ecological tourism, adventure and other market slots. At the same time, we’re urging our travel agents to get their full-fledged certification as Caribbean specialists with the Institute of Certified Travels of America.

Q.- Are you going to show up in fairs or events in other countries?

A.- Yes, we are. We’ll be taking part in other fairs like IATOS, Mexico’s EMT, the Cruise Tour World, Vacation.com, ASTA, NY Times Expo in the United States, the Travel & Leisure, and Canada’s Edison.