Caribbean News
CHTA Announces Antigua and Barbuda as Host for 43rd Annual Caribbean Travel Marketplace
Eastern Caribbean Nation to Host Event for the First Time in May 2025
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA) has selected Antigua and Barbuda as the host destination for the 43rd Caribbean Travel Marketplace (CTM). Scheduled for May 18-22, 2025, the event will attract major global buyers and regional suppliers, showcasing Antigua and Barbuda’s growing status as a key player in Caribbean hospitality and tourism.
The selection of Antigua and Barbuda highlights the nation’s remarkable rise in the tourism sector. “With a 16 percent increase in stay-over arrivals this year, surpassing 2019’s record levels, our twin-island nation has become a focal point for international travel and investment,” said Colin James, CEO of the Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority.
CHTA President Nicola Madden-Greig expressed her excitement about producing the next edition of its signature event in Antigua and Barbuda: “Marketplace is undisputedly the Caribbean’s largest and premier marketing event, and we are delighted that Antigua and Barbuda will be the site for this important gathering of Caribbean suppliers and global buyers, where new and established stakeholders can gain access to the diverse offerings of travel products and experiences throughout the region.”
“With major infrastructure and hotel developments as well as robust airlift, we are not only a premier regional destination but conveniently accessible to travelers,” stated Charles “Max” Fernandez, Minister of Tourism, Civil Aviation, Transportation and Investment.
“As a natural hub for the Eastern Caribbean, Antigua and Barbuda is served by every major airline flying to the region. That makes us accessible from all primary and secondary markets in The Americas, UK/Europe and the Caribbean, by nonstop service and easy connections,” he added.
“This is an incredible opportunity for our twin-island nation to be on full display to industry leaders, potential investors, and key stakeholders in the global tourism sector. Hosting such a prestigious event not only places us at the center of regional attention but also brings significant economic benefits,” said Craig Marshall, Chairman of the Antigua and Barbuda Hotels & Tourism Association. “The influx of visitors, media coverage, and business engagements will provide a substantial boost to our local economy, create new opportunities for our tourism and hospitality sectors, and further solidify Antigua and Barbuda as a premier destination in the Caribbean. We look forward to showcasing the unique charm, culture, and hospitality that make our islands truly special,” he added.
The 2025 edition of Marketplace promises a dynamic program, featuring Responsible Tourism Day, highlighting the importance of sustainable tourism practices through community engagement activities. The Caribbean Travel Forum, another key event, will bring together public and private sector representatives to discuss critical issues in regional tourism. The forum will also recognize excellence across the sector by presenting awards for outstanding individuals and organizations.
The Caribbean MICE Exchange returns next year, and CHTA will introduce a new component to the program: a day focused on maximizing direct online bookings using the latest technology and trends in digital marketing and Artificial Intelligence.
CTM features one-on-one buyer-seller appointments as the major component of the conference. This B2B exchange provides a valuable opportunity for participants to connect directly and drive business to the region.
The main venue for the conference activities will be the American University of Antigua (AUA), a new, state-of-the-art conference facility that successfully hosted the recent United Nations’ 4th International Conference on Small Island Developing States (SIDS).
For more information, visit chtamarketplace.com.
Photo Caption: Colin James, CEO of the Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority, and Vanessa Ledesma, Acting CEO and Director General of CHTA, celebrate the announcement at CTO’s State of the Tourism Industry Conference (SOTIC) in the Cayman Islands this week. At left is Sandra Joseph, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Tourism, while Dona Regis-Prosper, CTO Secretary-General and CEO is pictured at right.
KINGSTON, Jamaica, October 6, 2024 – A mural symbolising the theme ‘Tourism and Peace: Out of Many, One Love’ was unveiled by the Ministry of Tourism on Peters Lane in downtown Kingston on Friday (September 27).
The mural was created by lead artist, Sheldon Blake, and assistant artist, Rohan Cargill, for Tourism Awareness Week 2024.
It depicts various Jamaican music genres and fruits, highlights craft vendors and popular tourist spots, including Devon House and Rio Grande rafting.
Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, in a message read by Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Jennifer Griffith, said the mural will be a visual representation of how tourism brings people together – breaking down barriers, healing divides and celebrating the beauty of diversity.
“It speaks to the enduring strength of Jamaica’s tourism product and our role in promoting peace, both locally and globally. Sheldon’s work reminds us that our history, culture and people are the foundation upon which our thriving tourism industry is built,” the Minister said.
Meanwhile, Ms. Griffith said preliminary figures show that since the start of the year, Jamaica has welcomed some three million stopover and cruise visitors to the island, earning approximately US$3 billion.
“So despite various challenges relating to travel advisories, Hurricane Beryl and tightness in relation to airlift, we are marginally ahead of last year’s performance and remain on track to achieve our target of securing five million visitors and US$5 billion in earnings by 2025,” she shared.
Ms. Griffiths underscored that these remarkable achievements highlight the strength and sustained recovery of the tourism sector, demonstrating once again that Jamaica remains a premier global destination.
“Tourism is not just an economic driver; it is a bridge to peace, understanding and collaboration. Jamaica’s tourism agenda remains steadfast in ensuring that our industry grows, while protecting the natural and cultural treasures that make us truly unique,” Ms. Griffith said.
For her part, Deputy Director of Kingston Creative, Janet Crick, said the mural is a beautiful addition to the more than 100 in the downtown district.
“These streets have now become a popular destination for locals and tourists alike. Spaces which persons once shied away from have now become a viable attraction and a veritable outdoor gathering, offering beautiful and vibrant depictions of our rich Jamaican history, heritage and culture. It is, therefore, most fitting that tourism, one of the country’s largest income earners, should have a mural in this space – paying tribute to the industry and to its importance to our island,” she said.
CONTACT: JUDANA MURPHY
Release: JIS
MORANT BAY, Jamaica, October 6, 2024 – Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining, Hon. Floyd Green, says that a long-term approach to dealing with coffee farm roads must be taken, to propel the nation’s coffee farmers by granting easier access to their farms.
“What I have said to the Jamaica Agricultural Commodities Regulatory Authority (JACRA) team [is that] we have to take the coffee road programme out of the Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA) farm road programme, because the small fixes, they help, but we
need some big fixes,” said Mr. Green, at the handover of fertilisers and herbicides to coffee farmers in the Buff Bay Valley area of Portland, recently.
He explained that for the short-term approach using resources already available, at least six roads in the coffee belt will be dealt with every year. In this financial year, this will include roads such as Wakefield to Mahoe and Bangor Ridge to Mahoe in Portland, as well as others in St. Thomas and parts of St. Andrew.
Mr. Green pointed out that he has asked JACRA to work with the National Works Agency and do a comprehensive assessment of how much money it is going to cost to fix the coffee roads once and for all.
“Because one of the things that we know, if we are able to fix access to the farms, you will produce more. And if you produce more, the country will make more money from coffee. So, the reality is that the investment in coffee will pay back for itself. So, we have to fix the infrastructure,” the Minister emphasised.
CONTACT: MICKELLA ANDERSON-GORDON
JIS REGIONAL OFFICE
MORANT BAY
Caribbean News
Turks and Caicos Islands Ranked in Top Ten Caribbean Islands in Condé Nast Traveler’s Reader’s Choice Awards
PROVIDENCIALES, TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS (October 3rd, 2024) –The Turks and Caicos Islands has been voted among the Top Ten Islands in the Caribbean and The Atlantic in the Condé Nast Traveler Readers’ Choice Awards 2024.
The Turks and Caicos Islands was ranked seventh in the Caribbean according to the votes.
The results of the voting were announced on October 1st, 2024.
A staggering 575,048 people voted in the annual Condé Nast Traveler Reader’s Choice Awards, rating their travel experiences across the globe to offer a comprehensive look at the places they enjoyed and recommend to others.
The Readers’ Choice Awards, with its unparalleled legacy as the travel industry’s longest-running and most prestigious accolades, remain the ultimate symbol and acknowledgment of excellence within the travel sector.
“We are honoured once again to be recognised as a top island within Conde Nast Traveler’s Readers’ Choice Awards,” said Hon. Josephine
Connolly, Minister of Tourism for the Turks and Caicos Islands. “The Turks and Caicos Islands remain a staple on this prestigious list which speaks to the quality experiences our visitors enjoy. These votes are determined by them which makes it all the more special.”
Experience Turks and Caicos congratulates our hotel partners who have also been voted among the Top Resorts in the Bahamas, Bermuda and The Atlantic:
- Sailrock – #2
- Beach Enclave – #3
- Amanyara – #3
- Ambergris Cay – #9
- Seven Stars Resort – #10
- Wymara Resort and Villas – #11
- Como Parrot Cay – #14
This honour is the latest among the accolades that the Turks and Caicos Islands has received in 2024 such as:
- TripAdvisor Best of the Best Reader’s Choice Awards: Grace Bay, #1 Beach in the Caribbean and Best of the Best for 2024, # 5 among the Top 25 Best of the Best Beaches in the world.
- USA Today 10Best Reader’s Choice Awards – Best Caribbean Beaches: #2 Bambarra Beach, #9 Grace Bay Beach
- World’s 50 Best Beaches: Grace Bay #1 in the Caribbean, #25 in the world
- World Travel Awards: Caribbean’s Leading Beach Destination, Caribbean’s Leading Romance Destination
- World MICE Awards: Caribbean’s Best Incentive Destination (Providenciales)
The 2024 Readers’ Choice Awards are published on Condé Nast Traveler’s website at https://www.cntraveler.com/story/top-islands-readers-choice-awards-2020
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