An assorted agenda of international congresses and meetings will mark Cuba´s travel industry in 2005, a sector that´s increasingly putting its smart money on incentive travels and events.
According to a press release issued by the Cuba Convention Bureau, twenty-something countries have confirmed their attendance to Pedagogy 2005, a conclave that will gather educators from around the world from January 31 to February 4 at the Havana International Conference Center.
The staging of the China-Caribbean Trade Forum and Trade Fair in Kingston, Jamaica, must be seen as an opportunity to foster economic development, suggested Christopher Denny, Regional Manager, Retail Banking Division at the National Commercial Bank (NCB).
He is encouraging the private sector to get involved in the events for which the NCB has pledged its full support. The China-Caribbean Economic and Trade Cooperation Forum and Trade Fair are scheduled for February 2 to 5, 2005 and are co-hosted by the governments of Jamaica and the People´s Republic of China.
The 18th edition of the Norway International Tourism and Travel Trade Fair got underway Thursday with a record-breaking attendance of more than a thousand exhibitors from several countries.
This tourism fair, known as Reiseliv 2005, is penciled in as the number-one event for tourism professionals operating in that Nordic nation.
The Madrid International Tourism Fair (FITUR 2005) will come around in late January to celebrate its 25th edition, an event that has been marked by ever-growing volumes of participants since its grand opening back in 1981, and that this time around calls for a few thoughts about the possible impact the late-December Asian tsunamis might have on the industry.
When FITUR came into being in 1981, it gathered 1,500 exhibitors from 37 countries, plus 3,000 professional visitors. During the 24th edition last year, a record-breaking 11,428 exhibiting firms packed the ten pavilions of the Juan Carlos I Fairgrounds in Madrid, up a whopping 13 percent from the previous fair.
Brazil´s Rio de Janeiro ushered in the coming of the New Year with a huge bash attended by some 650,000 visitors. The traditional neighborhood of Copacabana was once again home to the Revéillon, a music festival that stages colorful shows every year in its nineteen beaches.
One of the most striking moments came with the spectacular 15-minute firework display launched from eight rafts anchored some 350 yards off the bay. The fireworks seemed to dance to the beat of Brazilian music that was being played simultaneously from different spots along the 2.5-mile-long Copacabana beach area.
Jamaica will host the annual Caribbean Marketplace, a tourism trade show that has billing as the premier forum for bringing business to the region.
The Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB), the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association (JHTA) and the Caribbean Hotel Association are partnering on its staging, with Half Moon in Montego Bay as the selected venue for the January 9 to 11 event. Jamaica last hosted Marketplace in 1985.