Ministers of Tourism from the sub-regional Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) are meeting Thursday and Friday in Anguilla to discuss ways to foster the industry to further benefit these nine island states. Their participation in the internationally acclaimed boat show in France, known as The Grand Pavois, was at the center piece of the discussions at the two day meeting.

The Aruba Annual Tourism Conference that will take place from May 11 to 14 is ready to both upgrade and train tour operators and airline reps on the latest and hottest attractions this lovely Caribbean island has to offer. The event´s agenda includes grand tours down the East Side -the less developed area. Those who sign up for the event will count on accommodations (two persons per tour operator tops), excursions, meals and parties free of charge.

Everyone from National Tourism Offices, Airlines, Cruise lines and Tour Operators participating at The Beijing International Travel and Tourism Market are ready to capture their share of this lucrative new market. BITTM is China´s only outbound tourism exhibition with every exhibitor guaranteed to meet Chinese outbound tour operators and travel agents searching for destinations and travel products to sell to the new 1.3 billion strong Chinese outbound market.

Marketing strategies unveiled at the 12th annual Virgin Islands Destination Symposium in St. Thomas include a new ad campaign reflecting the diversity of the islands of St. Croix, St. John and the meeting host, St. Thomas. They also include a separate campaign and tagline branding St. Croix´s culture and history; a renewed focus on niche markets, especially mega and charter yachts; and the promotion of seasonal specials and special events.

The Caribbean Hotel Association (CHA) has contracted the British financial consultancy company, Capital Representatives, to prepare a white paper on the establishment of a prospectus for a Regional Tourism Investment Fund (RTIF). Funded by a grant from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office of the British Government, the objective of the RTIF project is to develop a consortium of banks and financial institutions to create a fund dedicated to tourism interests in the Caribbean, CHA said in a statement.

The Acapulco Travel Marketplace, an event that gathered 1,100 buyers from 25 countries and as many as 1,300 national providers, has chipped in 40 percent of all travel business operations for Mexico in the course of this year. Francisco Ortiz, chief of Mexico´s Tourism Promotion, said the main goal behind this year´s tradeshow was to increase the amount of operations and exchanges. With that view in mind, participants attended some 19,000 business appointments inside 425 business suites.