Barbados tourism gets face-to-face push

The Barbados Hotel and Tourism Association (BHTA) restarted its in-person marketing thrust to the international market during the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association’s (CHTA) first face-to-face Caribbean Travel Marketplace since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Chairman Renée Coppin, Chief Executive Officer, Geoffrey Roach and over 20 BHTA member companies attended the Caribbean’s largest and longest-running marketing event, which was held last week in San Juan, Puerto Rico, attracting tourism suppliers, traditional and new buyers and travel advisors from around the world. 

Coppin noted that it was a pleasure to be back to promoting the island and its members to an international audience.

She said, “The BHTA is really happy to be back in person at the first CHTA Marketplace since Covid-19 and as the event celebrates its 40th year.  Even though participation may not have been as high as pre-Covid-19 levels, it was still tremendously successful with over 800 delegates represented.

“We had a very busy schedule with a number of productive meetings looking at how we can build business for Barbados for the upcoming winter season as well as 2023 into 2024. Another major focus for us was working on maintaining the strong relationships for which Barbados has always been known with our trade partners, as this has been extremely important to our success as a destination over the years.”

The BHTA Chairman added that Barbados was well represented at the two-day event as representatives from the Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc. (BTMI) and Intimate Hotels of Barbados (IHB) were also in attendance along with the BHTA contingent.

Caribbean Travel Marketplace affords tourism suppliers the opportunity to meet face-to-face with wholesalers from around the world selling Caribbean vacation travel. The event is not a typical trade show as the main objective is for suppliers and buyers to conduct negotiations that benefit the region. (BHTA)

About The Author