The Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Association (CHTA) is reporting that registration for the 30th Anniversary of Caribbean Marketplace is experiencing a 48% increase versus the same time one year ago when there were 14 weeks until the event. To date, there are 343 delegates representing 153 companies already registered for Caribbean Marketplace.

Registrations have been received from the following countries: Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, The Bahamas, Barbados, Bermuda, Bonaire, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Curacao, Dominica, Dominican Republic, France, Grenada, Jamaica, Mexico, Puerto Rico, St. Barths, St. Kitts & Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent & the Grenadines, St. Martin, Trinidad & Tobago, Turks & Caicos Islands, United Kingdom, United States and United States Virgin Islands.

"The numbers we are seeing for Caribbean Marketplace support the fact that interest in Caribbean vacations is on the rise," said Josef Forstmayr, president of CHTA. "The industry recognizes that for the past 30 years, Caribbean Marketplace has allowed tour operators, hoteliers, attractions and restaurants to position their companies ahead of their peers by proactively participating in the industry's most important marketing event."

Forstmayr continued, "The demand for Caribbean vacations from across the globe is on the rise and these companies who have registered for Caribbean Marketplace know the importance of attending this two-day event. The business that is conducted at Caribbean Marketplace will shape bookings for 2012 and into 2013."

Caribbean Marketplace 2012 will be held at the Atlantis, Paradise Island Jan 22-24, 2012 and presented by CHTA, The Islands Of The Bahamas, MasterCard and Virgin Holidays. Caribbean Marketplace is the requisite business-to-business marketing event for the Caribbean hotel and tourism industry. At Caribbean Marketplace, hoteliers meet, network, negotiate and conduct business with buyers from around the world.

CHTA anticipates that the 2012 edition of the event will continue the successes achieved at Caribbean Marketplace 2011, which saw the third largest attendance over the past decade, with 1,518 delegates as compared to 1,362 in 2010 and an increase in the number of buyer companies by 20% and buyer delegates by 17%, up from 101 and 268 respectively in 2010. The number of scheduled appointments totaled 11,880 over the two-day event in 2011.

Registration

Wholesalers, tour operators and suppliers can register for Caribbean Marketplace via: http://www.caribbeanhotelandtourism.com/events-mp/event-mp-register.php. Log-in codes for online registration have been sent to all previous participants. Those who have not received a log-in code should contact CHTA at [email protected].

Buyer registration is $299 per person (after the third buyer delegate, the fee is reduced to $99 per additional delegate) and includes pre-scheduled appointments (if registration is received before Dec. 12, 2011), listing in the electronic Delegate Directory, opening cocktail reception, closing dinner, coffee breaks, entrance to all business and social functions, roundtrip airport/hotel transfers and shuttle bus service between host hotels and the Atlantis, Paradise Island.

Supplier participation at Caribbean Marketplace 2012 requires the purchase of a booth. Supplier delegate registration is $429 per person and includes pre-scheduled appointments (if registration is received before Dec. 12, 2011), listing in the electronic Delegate Directory, opening cocktail reception, closing dinner, coffee breaks, entrance to all business and social functions, and shuttle bus service between host hotels and the Atlantis, Paradise Island.

Booth rentals are priced as follows:

  • $680 per hotel for a small shared booth (two small hotels share 6 ft. x 8 ft. space) with one appointment schedule included (44 appointment slots).
  • $1,080 for a small booth (6 ft. x 8 ft. space) with one appointment schedule included (44 appointment slots).
  • $1,980 for a large booth (8 ft. x 8 ft.) with two appointment schedules included (88 appointment slots).
  • $2,280 for a mega booth (10 ft. x 8 ft.) with two appointment schedules included (88 appointment slots).

Hotel accommodations and daily lunch are NOT included in the registration fee for buyers or suppliers. Lunch is available to delegates for an additional $30 per person, per day for registrations received prior to Jan. 16 and $35 per person, per day for requests received after Jan. 16.

CHTA has arranged for special hotel rates for Caribbean Marketplace delegates at the Atlantis, Paradise Island, Comfort Suites Paradise Island and Sheraton Nassau Beach Resort. The deadline for special hotel rates is Dec. 23, 2011 (based on space availability). For a complete list of hotel rates and reservation procedures, visit: http://www.caribbeanhotelandtourism.com/events-mp/event-MP-where.php and click on the "Where" tab.

For more information or to register, contact CHTA at 305-443-3040 or e-mail: [email protected].

Conference Organizers & Sponsors

In addition to CHTA and The Islands Of The Bahamas, sponsors of Caribbean Marketplace 2012 include: host sponsors MasterCard and Virgin Holidays as well as AMResorts, Caribbean Travel + Life, Exposure4 Video Production, IHG - InterContinental Hotels Group, International Hospitality & Tourism Institute, Interval International, Starwood Caribbean Collection, STR, Travelzoo, TripAdvisor, Utell -Pegasus and World Travel Group.

Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Association

The Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Association (CHTA) facilitates the full potential of the Caribbean hotel and tourism industry by serving members' needs and building partnerships in a socially responsible and sustainable manner. CHTA was founded in 1962; it is the voice of the Caribbean hospitality industry for the development of the region in the highly competitive and sophisticated environment of international tourism. Today, tourism is widely recognized as a pivotal industry in the economy of the region - and CHTA functions as the common denominator for this industry in a region of diverse nationalities, languages and styles, identifying mutual problems and marshaling the resources of the active and allied members to devise solutions. CHTA represents all facets of the hospitality industry with more than 725 member hotels and 525 allied members.

For more information, visit http://www.caribbeanhotelandtourism.com. Follow CHTA on Facebook www.Facebook.com/CaribbeanHotelandTourismAssociation and Twitter www.Twitter.com/CHTAFeeds.

Theresa M. Oakes
KTCpr
(516) 594-4100
CHTA

Related