Den Anguilla Tourist Board (ATB) huet sech mat Vertrieder aus 21 Karibik Länner an der Caribbean Hotel & Tourist Association (CHTA) Caribbean Travel Marketplace, de gréissten a wichtegste Geschäftsforum vun der Regioun zu San Juan, Puerto Rico vum 3-5 Oktober 2022 ofgehalen.
More than 700 delegates representing hoteliers, tourist boards, tour operators, suppliers and attractions, attended this year’s Marketplace, with representation from around 25 buyer countries. For the first time, new buyers from countries including Latvia, Poland, Mexico and India participated in the experience.
“We welcome the return of CHTA Marketplace in person, as it is the prime forum for Caribbean destinations to meet with our major trade partners, exchange ideas and insights, and unveil new brand campaigns and product offerings,” stated Mr. Haydn Hughes, The Hon. Minister of Infrastructure, Communications, Housing, Utilities, Housing and Tourism (MICUHT).
“The demand for Anguilla is most encouraging, and we appreciate the confidence and enthusiasm for promoting and selling Anguilla displayed by our trade partners. We believe that we will match or exceed our 2019 arrivals this year, and we are looking forward to an exceptional winter 2022/23 season.”
Minister Hughes led the Anguilla delegation, which included Chantelle Richardson, Deputy Director of Tourism, ATB; Vivian Chambers, US Sales Representative, ATB; Rolf Masshardt, General Manager, Carimar Beach Club; Karin Weber, Aurora Anguilla; Kathy Haskins, General Manager, Shoal Bay Villas, Rachel Haskins, Operational Manager, Shoal Bay Villas, and Gilda Gumbs-Samuel, representing the Anguilla Hotel & Tourist Association.
Minister Hughes met with senior executives from American Airlines and InterCaribbean Airlines, as well as with his counterparts, the Ministers of Tourism from Jamaica and the Cayman Islands, and the president of the CHTA and Caribbean Tourism Organisation (CTO) officials respectively.
The Anguilla representatives met with buyers from fourteen countries during the course of the two-day trade show, including tour operators/wholesalers such as American Airlines Vacations, Classic Vacations, Island Destinations, AAA Northeast, HotelBeds and CWT Voyages; and online travel agencies Expedia and Priceline Agoda. The delegation also met with a variety of media, advertising, and web development suppliers who provided information on their services and proposed new platforms for promoting Anguilla.
Mrs. Gilda Gumbs-Samuel, former Executive Director of the Anguilla Hotel & Tourist Association (AHTA), was presented with a special CHIEF Award for her many years of service as CEO of the AHTA at an Awards Luncheon held during the inaugural Caribbean Travel Forum, and given an Honorary position within the Caribbean Society of Hotel Association Executives (CSHAE).
