The Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Association (CHTA) recently wrapped up the 30th edition of Caribbean Travel Marketplace, which was held at the Atlantis, Paradise Island.

The region’s premiere marketing event saw a 17 per cent increase (over 2011) in buyer companies with 142 in attendance, 11 of which were from Russia, as well as an increase in buyer delegates which totaled 344 versus 314 in 2011.

Caribbean Travel Marketplace also received strong support from the public sector with the participation of the Caribbean Tourism Organisation (CTO) and ministers of tourism from the following CTO-member countries: Antigua & Barbuda, Anguilla, The Bahamas, Barbados, Bermuda, Grenada, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, St. Kitts & Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Martin, St. Vincent & the Grenadines, Turks & Caicos Islands, Trinidad & Tobago and the United States Virgin Islands.

“It was good to have the ministers from the public sector supporting the private sector as we as a region stand united in our efforts to remain the leading warm weather destination in the Western hemisphere,” said Josef Forstmayr, president of CHTA.

Caribbean Travel Marketplace is the requisite business-to-business marketing event for the Caribbean hotel and tourism industry.

At the event, hoteliers, tourism providers and tour operators/wholesalers from around the world scheduled 12,250 appointments over the course of the two-day event up from 11,880 appointments in 2011.

“This marks the 30th consecutive year that CHTA has held the event,” added Forstmayr.

“It remains the region’s most important and largest marketing event and the single most important CHTA benefit for our hotel members,” said in his opening remarks to conference delegates.