CHTA Caribbean Marketplace Registration Up 48 Percent

According to the Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Association (CHTA), registration for the 30th Anniversary of Caribbean Marketplace has experienced a 48 percent increase versus one year ago when there were 14 weeks until the event.

There are already 343 delegates, representing 153 companies, registered for Caribbean Marketplace. The following countries have registered: 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.

Josef Forstmayr, president of CHTA, said, “The numbers we are seeing for Caribbean Marketplace support the fact that interest in Caribbean vacations is on the rise. 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. The demand for Caribbean vacations from across the globe is on the rise and these companies who 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.”

CHTA, The Islands of the Bahamas, MasterCard and Virgin Holidays will present the Caribbean Marketplace 2012 at the Atlantis, Paradise Island, from January 22, 2012 through January 24. It is a business-to-business marketing event for the Caribbean hotel and tourism industry, where hoteliers meet, network, negotiate and conduct business with buyers from around the world. The Caribbean Marketplace 2011 saw the third largest attendance over the past decade with 1,518 delegates and an increase in the number of buyer companies by 20 percent and buyer delegates by 17 percent.

If you are a buyer at the Caribbean Marketplace, registration is $299 per person, and after the third buyer delegate, the fee is reduced to $99 per additional delegate. This includes pre-scheduled appointments, as long as the registration is received before December 12, 2011, listing in the electronic Delegate Directory, the opening cocktail reception, closing dinner, coffee breaks, entrance to all business and social functions, roundtrip airport/hotel transfers and shuttle bus service between the Atlantis, Paradise Island and host hotels.

Supplier participation requires the purchase of a booth. The supplier delegate registration is $429 per person and also includes pre-scheduled appointments, if the registration is received before December 12, 2011, as well as the same type of perks the buyer will receive. A small, shared booth is $680 per hotel, a small booth is $1,080, a large booth is $1,980 and a mega booth is $2, 280. Hotel accommodations and daily lunch are not included in the registration fee for buyers or suppliers. Registrations received prior to January 16, 2012 allow delegates to buy lunch for an additional $30 per person, per day, while it’s $35 per person, per day if the requests are received after January 16, 2012. CHTA has arranged special hotel rates and the deadline for these rates is December 23, 2011.

Visit www.caribbeanhotelandtourism.com or call 305-443-3040