Caribbean Marketplace 2011, hosted in Montego Bay by the Jamaica Tourist Board, the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA) and the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association (JHTA), announced a sizeable increase in attendance year on year by 156 delegates, the third largest attendance over the past decade.

In addition, the event also saw an increase in crucial buyer companies by 22% and buyer delegates by 15%, up from 101 and 268 respectively in 2010, with the number of scheduled appointments totalling 11,880 as compared to 11,774 in 2010.

The three-day event is recognised as the premier travel and tourism business convention of the Caribbean region, and took place at the brand new, state-of-the-art Montego Bay Convention Centre in Jamaica from 16 – 18 January.

“Caribbean Marketplace 2011 was the first large convention to take place at the new convention centre and provided an ideal opportunity to promote Jamaica’s ability to host successful conference events of an internationally high standard,” says Elizabeth Fox, Regional Director of the Jamaica Tourist Board for UK and Northern Europe. “The centre is ideally located near to Montego Bay’s recently refurbished Sangster International Airport, overlooking the turquoise waters of the Caribbean Sea – the perfect venue for corporate meetings and conventions wanting a more glamorous, tropical backdrop for their attendees.”

During the conference, other success stories that were shared with the media and delegates alike included an increase in arrival numbers. Tourism officials addressed Caribbean Marketplace 2011 delegates at a Jamaica Tourist Board media breakfast and revealed that preliminary figures from 1 – 15 January 2011, indicated that arrivals were already up by almost 14%, making this the best-ever year to date for that period.

It was also announced that the 84,000 sq. ft Montego Bay Convention Centre will host the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Investment Conference (CHTIC) from 10 – 12 May 2011. The centre provides over 52,000 sq. ft. of exhibition space, nearly 21,000 sq. ft. of banquet facility and over 11,000 sq. ft. of meeting rooms making it an ideal venue for small and large meetings, conferences, exhibitions, banquets, weddings and other events.