The Belize Hotel Association participated in the  Caribbean’s largest and most important marketing event,  Caribbean Travel Marketplace, that was held in Montego Bay, Jamaica on January 30 and 31.  Caribbean Travel Marketplace 2019 was organized by the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association ( CHTA) in collaboration with the Jamaica Tourist Board, the Jamaica Ministry of Tourism, and the Jamaica Hotel & Tourism Association.

During two intense days of business meetings, regional tourism suppliers met with travel agents, wholesalers and service providers from around the world with the goals of securing  bookings, strengthening relationships with current customers, making new contacts and generating new sales leads, raising their hotel and destination visibility, and launching new products. Caribbean Travel Marketplace 2019 saw 9824 Pre-scheduled Appointments, 222 Supplier Companies, 102 Buyer Companies, and 1052 delegates.

During these two days, the Belize Hotel Association, represented by Membership and Marketing Director, Tessie Duran Tonaco, had one-on-one meetings with over 60 international travel agents, service providers and media personnel. All persons were highly interested in promoting Belize as a vacation destination or providing other marketing and tourism related services. This year saw an increase in new buyers from China and Colombia who were very interested in promoting Belize to their clients.

During the week preceding the event, the Belize Hotel Association , along with other Hotel Association Executives, and key players in the tourism industry from all around the Caribbean actively participated in four intense days of meetings and networking sessions. These included Leadership Seminars, Executive Committee meetings, Annual General Meetings and Board of Director Meetings for  the Caribbean Society of Hotel Association Executives ( CSHAE) and the  Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA).

Informative discussions centered on issues and trends that are impacting the tourism industry in the region. Partner Organizations including the Caribbean Tourism Organization, The Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association Education Fund and the Caribbean Public Health Agency, updated the Board Members of various programs and initiatives their organizations were focusing on, that aimed to promote and enhance the tourism product in our region. Additionally, updates on Marketing, Membership, and Advocacy in the region were discussed followed by presentations from strategic partners including Expedia, Adara, STR, Mastercard, and Travelzoo to name a few.

The Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA) is the main support system of the Caribbean hospitality industry. Working together with over a thousand hotel and allied members and thirty two National Hotel Associations, CHTA is shaping the Caribbean’s future and helping members to grow their businesses. Whether navigating new worlds like social media, sustainability, legislative issues, emerging technologies, data and intelligence or looking for avenues and ideas to better market and manage businesses, CHTA is helping members on matters that matter most. Click Here for more information on becoming a CHTA member and becoming a part of this One Caribbean team.