Caribbean’s largest tourism marketing event on track for The Bahamas

The Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA) reaffirmed that all ­systems are go to bring the ­region’s largest and longest-standing tourism ­marketing event to The Bahamas from January 21 to 23, 2020.

Citing the new tourism offerings in The Bahamas and throughout the Caribbean, and the opportunity to showcase the nation of ­islands to the travel world following Hurricane Dorian, the CHTA said the ­tradeshow will bring together hotel and destination representatives as well as other tourism providers – wholesalers and tour operators; online travel agencies – along with media representatives for two intensive days of business meetings, including thousands of prescheduled appointments.

The 38th Caribbean Travel Marketplace (CTM) marquee event will be held at Baha Mar’s Performing Arts and Convention Center, at one of the newest and most impressive resorts in the Caribbean region. The Bahamian government also recently announced that Baha Mar is pushing forward a $300-million expansion of the resort. This will not only bring ­exciting new features to the resort, but create ­employment ­opportunities for Bahamians.

The CHTA meetup is a collaboration with local partners Baha Mar, the Bahamas Hotel & Tourism Association (BHTA), the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism and Aviation, and the Nassau Paradise Island Promotion Board.

CHTA President Patricia Affonso-Dass asserted that the destination is ready for the event: “Our immediate assessment following Dorian revealed that most of The Bahamas was unaffected by this situation and without question, we knew that The Bahamas, and in particular the Baha Mar complex, remained the ideal location for CTM 2020. The travel trade is interested in seeing one of the region’s newest and largest resort complexes and supporting The Bahamas.”

She also noted that attendees will have the opportunity to experience The Bahamas Out Islands before and after the conference thanks to a special initiative of The Bahamas Out Islands Promotion Board and the Ministry of Tourism and Aviation.

Bahamas Minister of Tourism Dionisio D’Aguilar encouraged attendees to ­register: “Prior to Dorian’s impact, The Bahamas was trending towards its best tourism ­performance ever and expectations are that, with the exception of Abaco and Grand Bahama, the rest of The Bahamas will continue on that trajectory for 2020. Hosting CTM will ­facilitate the remaining 14 ­destinations in The Bahamas to proudly showcase the resiliency of the destination, while tourism dollars will help to support the recovery of Abaco and its cays and Grand Bahama.”

“We are looking forward to an incredible travel event in The Bahamas that brings together all stakeholders and business prospects to one location, presenting the tourism industry with an opportunity to showcase the diverse products of the region, including many newly opened and upgraded ­properties,” stated Frank Comito, CEO and director general of CHTA.

“It’s a one-stop gathering for hotels, ­attractions, airlines, tour operators and wholesalers, and destination DMOs to meet with the world’s key decision-makers who influence consumer travel. It also is the industry’s key forum for attracting new ­decision-makers who otherwise would not be familiar with the region – thus opening up new markets to the Caribbean, both from ­different geographic areas around the world as well as with new niche markets,” he added.

The meeting will build on the success of the previous Marketplace in Jamaica, which attracted 64 new buyers, including 18 new Chinese entrants.

To register, and for more ­information on Caribbean Travel Marketplace 2020, visit www.chtamarketplace.com or contact events@caribbeanhotelandtourism.com.