SHOW REPORT CARIBBEAN TRAVEL MARKETPLACE


From The Show Floor


CAROL HAY Director of Marketing UK and Europe, CTO “It is going to be an


exciting year for the Caribbean. The Caribbean athletes at London 2012 will help put the brand out there and will create lots of publicity. Also, the West Indies cricket team will be touring this summer, which will create more awareness of the Caribbean. This will be a great year to show what the Caribbean has to offer and we want to ensure that the travel trade is part of the celebrations. Events throughout the year include our Courses in the Caribbean fam trips where agents get to experience the Caribbean themselves. Keep reading the CTO column in Selling Long Haul or go to our website www.caribbean.co. uk for more details.”


ELIZABETH FOX Regional Director UK/N Europe Jamaica Tourist Board


“It’s really great to see a good showing from the UK and European markets here. It is good to not only meet with the mix of operators, but to host them here in the beautiful Caribbean is a bonus and reminds them why they sell this part of the world. There seems to be a good feeling about the Caribbean this year, which is encouraging in light of the challenges we face such as fuel costs and APD rises.”


DON MCDOUGALL Director, Cayman Islands Tourist Office “We will be very


active this year, following on from growing business in 2011, when arrivals were up 7.2% and Europe was up by 6.5%. We have been able to pass news on to buyers of hotel developments and an extension to our airport’s runway. “A local developer will be


developing the Courtyard by Marriott on Seven Mile beach into a five-star property (brand to be announced), which will be finished in two years. And The Westin Casuarina Resort & Spa is having a $10 million upgrade. "


T&T provides a refreshing taste The Trinidad and Tobago Tourist


Office will be going back out on the road in 2012 with ‘Mastrinbago’ events planned in London and Manchester in March and September. Agents will have the opportunity to ‘experience’ the destination at the road shows as well as trying to see it for real by signing up to a major agents’ fam the tourism board is planning later in the year. Trinidad and Tobago will continue


the UK ‘Tobago go go go’ campaign which ran in 2011. The initiative, offering £100 off package holidays, resulted in a 60% increase in forward bookings. The hope is for a 4.6%


increase in arrivals this year. The destination is also working to make the northeast of the island carbon neutral and will then look to expand this to the rest of the island. In terms of product developments,


the four-star 200-room Magdalena Grand Beach Resort, the first new resort to open in Tobago for 12 years, started welcoming guests at the end of 2011. It has seven restaurants and bars, an 18-hole golf course, gym, spa, sauna, tennis, three swimming pools and a kid’s club. A 15% discount is being offered until April 14 2012. The resort is paying travel agents 12% commission on all bookings


Host island committed to tourism The Islands of the Bahamas found


itself in the spotlight as the host of Caribbean Travel Marketplace, but it had plenty of news of its own with which to impress visitors The Bahamas’ Prime Minister, the Rt.


Hon Hubert Ingraham, said that the destination’s government had been preparing the nation for an upturn in the economy by ensuring the infrastructure is in place to support tourism. Key projects included developing


‘product’, improving the roads and restoring beaches. Leading the way is the Bahamar development in the Cable Beach area, which broke ground in February 2011. This huge investment includes the re-routing of West Bay Street and will include four hotels, a 700-room Grand Hyatt, a Mandarin, a 1,000-room Rosewood Hotel and the 700-room Sheraton Nassau Beach. The development will also include two golf courses and its own island. The proposed $410-million Nassau airport expansion will make travelling


CARIBBEAN TRAVEL MARKETPLACE IN BRIEF


Mexico the secret for growth Three resorts opened on Mexico’s Pacific coast in late 2011. The Sunscape Dorado Pacifico Ixtapa, a mid-priced, all- inclusive; Secrets Marquis Los Cabos, an adults-only property; and Secrets Hutako. This month (March) Secrets Vallarta Bay Puerto Vallarta and Now Amber Puerto Vallarta will open in Puerto Vallarta. www.secretsresorts.com


Nisbet near top of tree Nisbet Plantation Beach Club in


Nevis has hired UK-based Sunrise Marketing and is keen to develop relationships with agents. The 36-room property, the sister hotel to The Reefs Hotel and Club in Bermuda, is great for families as well as couples as it has a safe enclosed beach. www.nisbetplantation.com


Holiday Inn to Aruba and Barbados IHG announced that its Holiday Inn


brand will be coming to the Caribbean this month (March), in the form of the fully-renovated 384-room Holiday Inn Resort Aruba and the 124-room Holiday Inn Resort Bridgetown, Barbados. There are 10 IHG hotels in the Caribbean in five countries. www.ichotelsgroup.com


www.sellinglonghaul.com • March 2012 15


to and from The Bahamas an easier and more enjoyable experience and increased flight capacity will make it easier for people to connect to the outer islands. For more Bahamas developments


see Bahamas Shorts on the facing page. www.bahamas.co.uk


Virgin makes a positive start


Virgin Holidays is ‘optimistic’


about business in 2012 after booking patterns in January were ‘positive’, said Purchasing Director, John Taker. “By working with our partners to maximize the opportunities presented by the increased frequency of (Virgin) flights to Havana, Grenada/Tobago and Barbados from Manchester, plus the new service to Cancun from June we are very confident of a good 2012,” he said before adding that “customers are searching for real value". Virgin now has 100 retail shops in


Tesco, Debenhams, House of Fraser and Sainsbury's and this will increase to 120 by March. The V-room leisure lounges at London Gatwick and Manchester, opened in July 2011, have proved to be so popular that people turn up early for their flights to make the most of the facilities, according to John Taker. www.virginholidays.co.uk


made by June 30 2012. www.gotrinidadandtobago.com


T&T TOURISM DEVELOPMENT


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