It's Better in The Bahamas for CHTA Caribbean Travel Marketplace

The Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA) has praised The Bahamas after yet another successful hosting of theCaribbean Travel Marketplace held at Atlantis Hotel and Resort from January 29 - February 2, 2017.

 The Bahamas has had the fantastic opportunity of hosting CHTA four times in the last six years.

 President of CHTA, Karolin Troubetzkoy said doing business with The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism and the various Bahamas promotion boards has proven to be a success time and again.

 “We love The Bahamas and we may never leave but this is the second year in a row that we have hosted the event here and what makes it so ideal is, first of all, it’s really easy to get to. Secondly, the location here at the Atlantis is perfect for us. There are very few destinations that can deliver on the space we need,” she said.

 “Atlantis has a 50,000 square feet exhibition hall and they are fantastic hosts similar to the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism, the various promotion boards and the Bahamas Hotel Tourism Association, of course. The fact that all of our attendees are in this building or very close by has allowed us to interact with each other on a much more frequent basis and really you run into people when you go even just for coffee. You see each other all the time and we feel that all of that really makes it a perfect venue for us for Marketplace.”

Over 1,000 registrants and 14 new buyers attended the event with, first-time participants from new countries such as; Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Russia, Poland, Argentina, and Mexico.It’s an opportunity that Troubetzkoy said increases exposure for host countries.

 “The main benefit is that you really get the crop of the buyers that sell the Caribbean in one spot. Also, the media stemming from it gives the host country an amazing opportunity to showcase their own destination to the fullest that’s part of what happens when you bring Marketplace to your island. You will also see that attendees don’t just leave or arrive for the show. They may add additional room nights while they’re here, explore the outer islands or even explore more of the Caribbean from here,” Troubetzkoy said.

 Irvin Lightbourne, owner of Bahamia Rental said he’s been attending the Marketplace for the last five years and it has assisted in the growth of his business. 

“I think CHTA’s Marketplace is an excellent idea, it helps not only with bringing in more tourists because of the amount of vendors and buyers for different events, but they have an opportunity to see the country. I’m sure they will encourage people to come here as well,” he said. 

 William Griffith, CEO of Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc. believes the timing of the Marketplace makes it an excellent opportunity, as well as the location.

“It happens in January and it’s an opportunity for all the hotels or destinations to really assess how they’re doing over the winter period which is our peak season and to meet and to dialogue with our tour operators to talk about the upcoming summer what promotions and plans that we have got. and really how business is trending for all of us. So it’s always an important show this year we have got over 30 participants from Barbados in terms of hotels and attractions,” he said.

“The Government of The Bahamas and the Ministry of Tourism has always done an excellent job of extending the hand of welcome so I think everyone has been impressed with the new airport, as well. We also see the progress that they've been making with Baha Mar. The service is excellent at this hotel, the Atlantis. We’ve got a very well organised and well put together event. So we’re thanking the host, Bahamas.”

This year’s Caribbean Travel Market was sponsored by The Islands of The Bahamas, Bahamas Hotel and Tourism Association, Nassau Paradise Island Promotion Board, Interval International, MasterCard, Sandals and Jet Blue Vacations. 

There has been no announcement yet on where the Caribbean Travel Marketplace will be hosted next year.