CHTA concludes 43rd Caribbean Travel Marketplace
The Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association wrapped up the 43rd edition of Caribbean Travel Marketplace, bringing together tourism leaders from across the region to Antigua and Barbuda.
It was the smallest nation by population to ever stage the event.
CTM drew more than 780 delegates for two days of high-impact meetings, collaboration, and talks.
Over 9,300 business appointments were conducted, making this one of the most commercially active Marketplaces in recent years.
Caribbean Travel Marketplace brought together 165 buyer delegates from 83 companies across 16 global markets.
On the supplier side, there were 173 companies from 23 destinations, including many from the Eastern Caribbean.
“This was a Marketplace of momentum,” said CHTA President Sanovnik Destang.
“We saw strong demand for Caribbean experiences grounded in authenticity, sustainability and value. Buyers came looking for meaningful partnerships—and they found them.”
“These weren’t just meetings; they were market-shaping discussions that will influence how Caribbean tourism grows in the years to come.,” added CHTA CEO Vanessa Ledesma.
This year, the selling floor had a more modern aesthetic, with sleek lightboxes and open-concept booths.
In addition to the enhanced floor layout, newly added features included a Linkages Showcase, which brought together agriculture, manufacturing, arts, entertainment and tourism partners from destinations such as Jamaica, Saint Lucia and Trinidad and Tobago
Other event highlights included Responsible Tourism Day, during which delegates had an opportunity to learn about the communities and culture of the destination as well as the first-ever Direct Booking Summit, Caribbean Edition.
An expanded range of segments reflected shifting dynamics, including representatives from the destination wedding, MICE, and direct booking sectors.
Marketplace also offered a platform for destinations to engage the media and spotlight their latest offerings, and tourism developments.
CTM proceeded as planned despite heavy rains and flooding in parts of Antigua that took place in the days leading up to the event.
This was thanks to collaboration by the Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority, the Antigua and Barbuda Hotels and Tourism Association and the Ministry of Tourism.
CHTA and its partners donated $10,000 to support local recovery efforts.
This year’s Marketplace was supported by destination partners Barbados, the Cayman Islands, Jamaica, Saint Lucia, Turks and Caicos and United States Virgin Islands.
Platinum partners included ABA Global Marketing, Interval International, Mastercard, Travelzoo and Triptease.
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