by Jose Carlos de Santiago
Last year, Aruba started out a hardworking promotional process in emerging markets, putting the main focus on a number of Latin American nations. The Caribbean island is also making great progress in the all-inclusive segment and in nature-oriented offers.
Caribbean News Digital talked exclusively with Myrna Jansen about these and other topics during the latest ITB Fair in Berlin.
The Caribbean wrapped up the year 2005 as a far more attractive travel destination. Figures speak volumes of the region´s achievements: 42 million tourists –up a solid 3.5 percent from 2004. Yet the Caribbean has a long way to go to max out this winning streak. It must seek and lure new markets, encourage investors from around the world, open up new spaces in world tradeshows and fairs, and make the best of what the World Wide Web has to offer as far as promotional opportunities are concerned.
The Caribbean Tourism Organization will focus aggressively on all these directions and will do it with the help of the Caribbean Hotel Association –both entities signed recently a mutual collaboration agreement. The CTO is willing to put its heart and soul into these efforts. This is what CTO´s secretary-general Vincent Vanderpool said about all of the above in an exclusive interview with Caribbean News Digital.
by Jose Carlos de Santiago
Guatemala has set out to conquer new heights this year. The Central American nation wants to reach the 1.4-million-tourist milestone and rake in as many as $900 million worth of revenues. To pull those new deeds off, the country is relying on an amazing array of incredible and vast natural beauties that capture the hearts of each and every visitor.
In the same breath, Guatemala is also working harder to improve its tourism-oriented infrastructure and has taken to heart the idea of getting media hype in international markets, either on its own or helped by CATA. About this and other issues, Caribbean News Digital talked exclusively with Guatemala´s Tourism Minister at the latest ITB Fair in Berlin.
by Jose Carlos de Santiago
Germany is by far one of Europe´s top outbound markets for Cuba, and the island nation´s strategy for coming years will focus on further strengthening of all trade ties with major tour operators from that country. In the same breath, Cuba will continue supporting all small and large operators willing to make the largest Caribbean island a part of their travel packages.
This is what the head of Cuba´s Tourism Office in Germany had to say about these topics in this exclusive interview with Caribbean News Digital.
by Consuelo Elipe
With barely twelve months in the post, Oscar Rivero talked exclusively with Caribbean News Digital about both his career and his chairmanship. We welcomed us in his office at the Costa Club Hotel, a responsibility he shares with his job at the helm of the Puerto Vallarta Hotel Association and Trusteeship.
by Jose Carlos de Santiago
Puerto Vallarta is interested in drawing in increasing numbers of Spanish tourists, a reason why the Mexican travel destination showed up at the latest FITUR show in Madrid, rubbing elbows with some of the world´s best tour operators and travel agencies.