The highest level of hotel and tourism leaders ever assembled for a Caribbean travel industry conference will gather to speak at the 14th Annual Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Investment Conference (CHTIC 2010) being held at the Puerto Rico Convention Center in San Juan, Puerto Rico, May 4-6, 2010.  Keynote speakers include Puerto Rico Governor Luis Fortuño and Robert Crandall, former AMR Corporation Chairman and CEO.

Additional speakers lined up for CHTIC 2010 include Taleb Rifai, Secretary General, World Tourism Organization; Jean-Claude Baumgarten, President, World Travel & Tourism Council; Matthew E. Avril, President, Hotel Group for Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide; Nicholas Pritzker, Chairman of the Board and CEO for the Hyatt Development Corporation; Craig M. Nash, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Interval Leisure Group; Sebastian Escarrer, Vice Chairman, Sol Melia Hotels & Resorts; and Dr. Peter Yesawich, Chairman & CEO, Y Partnership.

“In all my years with CHTA, we have never had a line-up of speakers of such profound magnitude as those confirmed for CHTIC 2010,” said Alec Sanguinetti, C.D., Director General and CEO for the Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Association (CHTA).

“The ease of access which San Juan provides combined with speakers of this caliber will serve to ensure the perfect venue to showcase the significant investment and development opportunities that exist in the Caribbean today,” added Sanguinetti.

“CHTIC is the only event of its kind hosted in the Caribbean,” said Enrique De Marchena Kaluche, President of CHTA.  “The three day program represents a critical allocation of time for anyone looking to conduct business in the region.  The current economic climate, its effect on equity and the flow of investment capital into our region makes next year’s conference even more significant.

“The program will be supported with exceptional networking opportunities including the ability to pre-schedule appointments via CHTA’s state of the art and proprietary meeting planning software.  The program is specifically targeted to hoteliers, tourism officials, developers, bankers, lenders, government investment agencies and other professionals,” noted De Marchena Kaluche.

“While this is a challenging economy, significant opportunities exist in the Caribbean and missing out on next year’s Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Investment Conference is a mistake no one can afford to make,” added De Marchena Kaluche.

“The Government of Puerto Rico is proud to host this conference as it provides a unique opportunity to formulate new investment strategies for the tourism industry in Puerto Rico and across the Caribbean,” said Governor Luis Fortuño, keynote speaker for the Opening Ceremony for CHTIC on May 4.

“Tourism is one of the primary service sectors of the global economy, and plays a leading role in Puerto Rico’s economic development.  The Caribbean unites to present this event and to create new partnerships with the private sector across the region.  We are committed to supporting those seeking to invest in Puerto Rico by building new marketing strategies together and strengthening the competitiveness of our tourism product in the global marketplace,” added the Puerto Rico Governor (pictured here to the left of CHTA President Enrique De Marchena Kaluche).

“As someone who has been privileged to address numerous industry conferences over the years, I am truly honored to be included among such an impressive line-up of speakers representing the pinnacle of the tourism and hospitality sectors,” said Dr. Peter Yesawich, Chairman & CEO, Y Partnership.

Building on the momentum achieved in recent years with a growing interest in Caribbean tourism development, CHTIC is the official tourism investment conference of the Caribbean.  The program is staged by two not-for-profit organizations of the region – the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA) and the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO).  CHTA represents the regional hotel and tourism associations and CTO is the public sector tourism body which represents the countries of the region.  The program is the only event of its kind to be staged in the Caribbean, and all funds from the conference are being reinvested in the region for the benefit of the Caribbean tourism industry.

CHTIC was founded by CHTA and CTO in 1997 with the specific objectives of improving the tourism investment and operating climate in the Caribbean, raising awareness of development opportunities and stimulating a continuing flow of equity and loan capital into the region.

CHTIC 2010 will be hosted by the Puerto Rico Tourism Company (PRTC), the Puerto Rico Hotel and Tourism Association (PRHTA) and the Puerto Rico Convention Bureau (PRCB).

Limited sponsorship opportunities are now available for this prestigious event for those seeking to promote their products.  “We are especially grateful to our partners in the private sector who show their generosity and loyalty to the Caribbean by supporting the program,” stated Sanguinetti.

Sponsors will be highlighted throughout the entire conference, as well as in CHTA’s marketing and public relations activities leading up to and following the event.  The Sponsors’ Exhibit will also afford direct contact with representatives of sponsoring companies and will be open throughout the conference.

CHTIC sponsors currently confirmed include the American Resort Development Association (ARDA), Choice Hotels International, FirstCaribbean International Bank, Group RCI, Interval International and MasterCard.