Seventh Caribbean Tourism Marketplace ends with promising outcomes

With an outstanding representation from Trinidad & Tobago and a marked emphasis on congress, convention and incentive tourism –alongside the promotion of other expanding categories such as cultural, sport and ecological tourism- the Seventh Caribbean Tourism Marketplace came to a close in the Dominican Republic.

From May 21 to 23 at the Jaragua Hotel in the Dominican capital, the seventh edition of the BTC panned out to be a multidisciplinary conference brimming with revolutionary ideas that helped shape creative patterns in an effort to shore up this industry.

Representatives of Trinidad & Tobago, Venezuela, Puerto Rico, Cuba, Jamaica, Curazao and nine other nations from both the Caribbean and South America, met in the Dominican Republic to talk about such top priority issues as multi-destination, a modality the BTC has traditionally boosted up given its great potentials to encourage a nonstop flow of travelers around the Caribbean destinations.

In that sense, TIDCO representative in Venezuela, Indiana Monteverde, spoke optimistically when she said “we’re very pleased with the interest shown by fair attendants and the greater multi-destination choices now looming in the horizon thanks to the upcoming flights of West Indies Airways (BWIA) to Santo Domingo.”

Undoubtedly, one of the most outstanding and visited stands was that of Trinidad & Tobago. The country’s exhibit area comprised four panels painstakingly designed to showcase the islands’ diversity. At the same time, the Venezuelan delegation led by Salta Corp. cashed in on the breathtaking Dominican night to pay a well-deserved and emotional tribute to Miguelina Ruiz, the woman who headed the Dominican Tourism Office in Venezuela until very recently.

Another issue on the 2003 BTC’s agenda was the promotional integration at a time when the good health of the entertainment, leisure and travel industries is a top priority for the region’s countries. Control of those funds poured into tourism and the need to turn them into an endless source of prosperity for future generations were two topics also broached by attendants.

Hot issues like the balance of competitive demands, the downplaying of negative impacts, the ripple effects of the U.S. war in Iraq and the screening of global epidemics were similarly dealt with in the conclave, coupled with business meetings among wholesalers, hotel chains and tour operators, and the presentation of Caribbean tourist products.