The Hon. Haydn Hughes, Minister of Infrastructure, Communications, Housing, Utilities and Tourism for Anguilla, accompanied by Mrs. Chantelle Richardson, Deputy Director of Tourism, Anguilla Tourist Board, and Mrs. Sandra Richardson, Vice President, Anguilla Hotel & Tourist Association, attended the 42NDCaribbean Hotel & Tourist Association (CHTA) Travel Marketplace in Montego Bay, Jamaica from May 20 – 23, 2024. The Anguilla delegation also included Rolf Masshardt, General Manager, Carimar Beach Club, and Alison Ross, PM Group, which represents the ATB in North America.
The Anguilla delegation joined Caribbean Ministers, Directors of Tourism and Senior Hotel Association Representatives at the Montego Bay Convention Center in Montego Bay, Jamaica, the venue for the region’s largest and most important business forum.
“We are delighted to be participating once again in the CHTA Travel Marketplace, a critical forum for gathering market intelligence and soliciting new opportunities for the region and our individual destinations,” stated Minister Hughes. “These regional forums and conferences provide an essential platform for the region to come together as a whole to address the pressing issues facing our respective tourism industries. Tourism is the primary economic driver for most of our islands, and we face many of the same challenges. A collaborative, strategic approach is required to ensure sustainable growth that will provide secure livelihoods for Caribbean people across the region.”
CHTA Travel Marketplace opened with an Industry Travel Forum and a keynote address by Doug Lansky, Travel Writer, Author, and destination Development Advisor. Lansky delivered a thought-provoking address on Rethinking Tourism Development.
An Integrated Tourism Development Panel featured Ministers of Tourism for Jamaica, the Hon. Ed Bartlett, and Cayman, the Hon Kenneth Bryan, along with Sandals Executive Chairman Adam Stewart and World Bank representative John Collier. They shared a new vision for Caribbean Tourism, based on integrated and innovative public and private sector partnerships that strengthen worker capacity, include and empower local communities, and embrace technology.
On Wednesday, May 22, Minister Hughes delivered a comprehensive destination update at a Press Conference attended by local, regional and international media representatives. In his remarks, Minister Hughes highlighted the successful recovery of Anguilla’s tourism industry, with Q1 visitor arrivals outpacing 2019 arrivals by 24%, the island’s benchmark year. He also cited infrastructure improvements, from the construction of the new passenger terminal at the airport to the new Marina, Yacht Club and Resort development at Altamer. Anguilla’s . AI domain name registration was also highlighted by the Minister as a pillar in the island’s development.
Additional news items included the exciting calendar of events on island, including the 50th Anniversary of Anguilla’s Summer Festival, and the launch of the Anguilla Tourist Board’s Summer Campaign, which is running through August. The campaign is designed to boost summer travel to the island and showcase active Anguilla experiences beyond the beaches, along with the range of accommodations available to visitors. He closed with an update on Anguilla’s many sustainability initiatives, recognizing that are not only a major consideration for today’s travellers, but they are also essential to Anguilla’s survival as a destination.
The 2024 CHTA Travel Marketplace is their largest event to date. Approximately 136 traditional buyer companies representing 25 countries participated, including 38 hosted buyers from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Estonia, Italy, Latvia, Mexico, Panama, Peru, Poland, Romania, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States.
206 supplier companies, representing 27 Caribbean countries attended, for a total 552 supplier delegates. A new element this year was the inaugural Caribbean MICE Exchange. 16 MICE supplier delegates from 14 companies participated, of which 6 companies represented wedding specialists and 10 companies were travel advisor agencies. A total of 12,724 scheduled appointments took place over the two-day event.
“Anguilla received glowing reviews for the destination and for our support team from our travel partners, the Tour Operators, Wholesalers and Marketing/Technology Providers attending this important buyer/seller meet,” declared Mrs. Chantelle Richardson, Deputy Director of Tourism, ATB. “They all expressed their optimism regarding Anguilla’s tourism product, and several partners advised that they have already received a significant number of early winter bookings for 2024 and Q1 2025, which augurs well for the sector.”
The Anguilla representatives met with buyers from all over the world during the course of the two-day trade show, including tour operators/wholesalers Apple Leisure Group, Classic Vacations, Ultimate Jet Vacations, Elegant Resorts, American Airlines Vacations, Pleasant Holidays, Island Destinations, Ensemble Travel, Travel Leaders Leisure Group, and AAA Northeast; Online Travel Agencies Expedia, Booking.com and Priceline Agoda; and select villa wholesalers. The delegation also met with a variety of social media and mobile platform suppliers who provided information on their services and proposed new avenues for marketing Anguilla.
For information on Anguilla please visit the official website of the Anguilla Tourist Board: www.IvisitAnguilla.com; follow us on Facebook: Facebook.com/AnguillaOfficial; Instagram: @Anguilla_Tourism; YouTube; Twitter: @Anguilla_Trsm, Hashtag: #MyAnguilla.
