Dear Members, Partners, and Sponsors,
As we reflect on the past few months, I feel immense pride in our industry and association with our accomplishments. During COVID-19, we adeptly transitioned our hallmark events online to sustain industry growth. The Caribbean continues to defy the odds and our region recorded in 2023, a In 2023, regional tourism continued to grow with an estimated increase of 14.3% in international tourists visiting the Caribbean. Based on preliminary data provided so far by the destinations in the Caribbean, tourist visits were approximately 32.23 million – about 4.0 million more than in 2022.
The region has surpassed its pre-pandemic level of 2019 and continues to show even stronger growth for Q1 and Q2 of 2024.
The return of face-to-face events since last year saw lower attendance than pre-2019 levels, but 2024 continues to reverse that trend. People are more motivated than ever to grow their businesses, attending conferences and events to reach their potential. CHTA takes great pride in delivering these high-caliber events and participating in industry gatherings that spotlight our industry and region.
In April, I spoke at the Caribbean Hotel & Resort Investment Summit (CHRIS 2024), delivering the opening address and participating in the “Views from the Boardroom” panel the interest to invest in the Caribbean is at a all-time high. I encourage our members to participate at forums such as there to ensure the Caribbean voice is present in the room where large investment firms and numerous international brands attend to hear what is happening in our region. CHTA’s involvement underscores our commitment to industry representation and presenting investment opportunities in our region.
It is with tremendous pleasure to be in Jamaica for the 3rd Caribbean Travel Forum, the 42nd Caribbean Travel Marketplace, our first ever Caribbean MICE Exchange and Marketplace Responsible Tourism Day from May 20-23 in Montego Bay. These events focused on the Business, Marketing, and Responsibility of Tourism and were incredibly successful. This year’s Marketplace saw participation from 137 traditional buyer companies representing 25 countries, totaling 271 delegates. Additionally, 14 MICE companies, six wedding specialist organizations, 10 travel advisor agencies, and 50 members of the regional and international media attended. The event also featured 207 supplier companies representing 27 Caribbean destinations, with 682 delegates in total. CTM facilitated a record-breaking 12,724 scheduled appointments and a total delegate count of 1,200. Of particular note for this year’s Marketplace was the execution of our first multi-destination media familiarization tour. This tour showcased several Caribbean destinations including St. Lucia, Barbados, Jamaica and Cayman. As a strategic goal to drive multi-destination travel this tour highlighted the expanding airlift and connectivity within the region and the absolute diversity of our destinations. I would like to especially thank our partners the St. Lucia Tourism Authority, The St. Lucia Hotel & Tourism Association, The Barbados Hotel & Tourism Association, The Jamaica Hotel & Tourism Association, The Jamaica Tourist Board, Cayman Islands Department of Tourism, Cayman Airways and Inter-Caribbean Airlines.
The success of these events demonstrates our industry’s robust tourism growth and motivation to compete globally. We remain committed to providing events that encourage industry growth and development. Let me thank all our sponsors and partners, without whom the event would not have been so successful.
- Destination Partners: Barbados, Cayman Islands, Jamaica, Turks & Caicos, and U.S. Virgin Islands
- Platinum Sponsors: Figment Design, Interval International, Marketplace Excellence, Mastercard, Sandals Resorts International, and Travelzoo
- Gold Sponsors: Adara, Amadeus, Caribbean Journal, My Booking Rewards, TAConnect, Tambourine, and The Anything Group (TAG)
- Silver Sponsor: Sojern
- Accommodation Sponsors: Deja Resort, Half Moon Jamaica, Hilton Rose Hall, Holiday Inn Resort Jamaica, Hyatt Ziva and Zilara Rose Hall, Iberostar Rose Hall, Jewel Grande Montego Bay, SeaGarden Beach Resort, Royal Decameron Montego Beach, Royal Decameron Cornwall Beach, S Hotel, and Secrets St. James Montego Bay
- Contributors: Condé Nast, Tripadvisor, and Zartico
- Responsible Tourism Day Sponsors: BirdShack Fried Chicken and Yummy
- Caribbean MICE Exchange: Half Moon, Iberostar Grand Rose Hall, Jamaica Tours Limited, and S Hotel
- Caribbean Travel Forum Sponsors: Airports Authority of Jamaica, Bucuti & Tara Beach Resort, The Anything Group, Tripadvisor, and Zartico.
As we continue to grow our secretariat in order to fulfill our mandate to provide expanded services to you our members, we would like to welcome on board Junior Levine, Finance and Administration Associate, to the team. Junior is a valuable addition to the team. He also had the opportunity to speak at the CHTA Board of Directors Meeting on May 19, 2024, in Montego Bay, where he presented the association’s finances.
As mentioned, re-building our membership continues to be an integral part of our strategic focus I am happy to announce the successful partnership between CHTA and the Jamaica Hotel & Tourist Association (JHTA). Finalized in 2023, this partnership sets a precedent for future collaborations with other National Hotel & Tourist Associations. Under the new agreement new members of JHTA now automatically become CHTA members with access to all CHTA membership benefits. Welcome to our new JHTA members!
As we step into the second half of the year, CHTA will continue to participate in important industry events – CTO’s Caribbean Week in New York and HITEC & the HSMAI Commercial Strategy Conference (June 24 – 27) in Charlotte, North Carolina. Please take advantage of the special discounts we have negotiated for members to attend both HITEC/HSMAI.
As we build on a successful first half of 2024, it is crucial to continue working towards our collective Caribbean vision. By prioritizing initiatives such as enhancing air connectivity, promoting multi-destination travel, embracing digital solutions, and cultivating authentic product offerings, we can ensure a sustainable future for our region. Strengthening crisis preparedness, safeguarding our environment, and fostering cross-border collaboration will help us shape a tourism industry that thrives and serves as a force for positive change in our communities.
Together, we can continue to drive growth and success in our industry.
Sincerely,
Nicola Madden Greig, OD, CHTA President