It will soon be conference time in the Caribbean, and this year two events are live and on-site, versus the Zoom sessions of the past two years.
The Cayman Islands Ministry and Department of Tourism are partnering with the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) to host the annual CTO conference from September 12 to 15 (travel dates are September 11 to 16).
Participants will include tourism ministers and tourism directors from CTO member countries, regional media and students attending the Caribbean Youth Tourism Conference, as well as international aviation experts.
Events will include destination updates and visits to some of Grand Cayman’s attractions such as the Crystal Caves, Stingray City and the Queen Elizabeth II Botanical Park.
Day three will feature IATA’s 4th Annual Caribbean Aviation Day to address topics ranging from multi-destination tourism to rebuilding a more competitive air transport sector in a post-Covid world. At the Caribbean Youth Tourism Congress on day four, students aged 14 to 17 from CTO member countries will debate regional tourism issues.
Registration for the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association’s 40th Caribbean Travel Market in San Juan from Oct. 3 to 5 is “exceeding expectations, reflecting growing travel demand to visit the Caribbean,” according to Karen Whitt , president of Marketplace.
Buyers from 14 countries and suppliers from 21 destinations and territories have confirmed their participation to date, including travel advisors; buyer meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions; and destination wedding experts.
ForwardKeys, the association’s data partner, recently reported that the Caribbean and Latin America are leading the summer outlook in terms of rebounding leisure travel, noting that five destinations — Aruba, the Bahamas, the Dominican Republic , Jamaica and Mexico — are among the “most resilient” based on confirmed arrivals for the summer season.
