The Caribbean Tourism Organisation and NTA have created a new partnership to promote opportunities to tourism businesses in the over 30 member countries in the region.

Under the terms of the deal, NTA tour operators will also be offered easier access to Caribbean destinations.

CTO chairman, Ricky Skerritt, and Lisa Simon, president of NTA, signed the agreement at a news conference at the Marriott Marquis in New York City, home of the annual CTO event which celebrates Caribbean tourism and the rich heritage and culture of the region.

“This match creates an important commercial opportunity for CTO members,” said Skerritt.

“NTA is an international association focused on travel to, from and within North America, which fits perfectly with the product offerings of CTO members,” he said.

“I expect that this partnership agreement will create more North American tourism arrivals for the Caribbean”.

Through their new agreement, NTA and CTO will promote each other’s organisation, encourage their members to belong to both organisations and provide educational leadership at each other’s signature conferences.

These include CTO’s annual conference and NTA’s two major North American events, Contact and Convention.

Simon also welcomes the agreement between the two groups.

“NTA tour operators are familiar with the fantastic Caribbean destinations, and the CTO recognises the huge potential this represents for their members,” she said.

“This collaboration simply makes it easier for both NTA and the CTO to bring new business opportunities to our members.

“It is wonderful to join forces officially, bring value to the industry overall and discover ways to connect our members.”