CHTA Newsletter

June 2023

Forward to a colleague!

Caribbean Travel Marketplace in Barbados was a success!

Caribbean Travel Marketplace 41 was held in Barbados May 9-11, and the numbers don't lie:

27: number of UK buyers - the highest in the history of the event. 12 of these were new to Marketplace.
101: buyer companies representing 24 source markets, including Estonia, Czech Republic and Latvia.
178: suppliers representing 28 Caribbean destinations, including Guyana, a first-time Marketplace attendee.
9,296: number of appointments

Thanks to our Caribbean Travel Marketplace sponsors for making the event one to remember! Now we're looking forward to #CHTAMarketplace42 in Jamaica in the spring of 2024!

Partnerships to support our members and the industry

Recently, CHTA signed an MOU with the Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre which will focus on joint activations around resilience in the region’s most important economic sector, tourism.

The climate crisis is high on the list of issues engaging CHTA along with the impact of sargassum, epidemics, and other threats to the region’s health.

CHTA also recently renewed its MOU with the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) to promote tourism health safety to enhance the regional health and security capacity.

CHTA continues to seek partnerships to enhance member resources and tools. We invite you to monitor our communications to ensure you receive details of these resources.

CHTA Awards

CHTA Recognizes Excellence

During the recently held Caribbean Travel Forum in Barbados, CHTA distributed a number of important awards.

CHTA's 2023 Destination Resilience Awards were given to Jamaica and Eleuthera in the Bahamas.

Three giants in the industry were awarded CHTA's Icons of Caribbean Hospitality recognition: Gordon “Butch” Stewart of Jamaica, Sir Royston Hopkin of Grenada, and George Myers of Jamaica.

Jamaica’s Edmund Bartlett received the inaugural President’s Award for Caribbean Tourism Excellence.

Edmund Bartlett, Jamaica’s Minister of Tourism, received the first CHTA President’s Award for Caribbean Tourism Excellence.

CHTA President Nicola Madden-Greig presents the late Gordon “Butch” Stewart’s Icon of Caribbean Hospitality award to his son Adam Stewart, Executive Chairman, Sandals Resorts International.

Kendra Hopkin Stewart, President of the Grenada Hotel & Tourism Association (center), accepts the late Sir Royston Hopkin’s Icon of Caribbean Hospitality award from CHTA President Nicola Madden-Greig and CHTA Acting CEO and Director General, Vanessa Ledesma (right).

Joy Jibrilu, CEO of the Nassau Paradise Island Promotion Board (right), accepts the late George Myers’ Icon of Caribbean Hospitality award from CHTA President Nicola Madden-Greig.

Top left: L-R: Nicola Madden-Greig, President, CHTA; Edmund Bartlett, Minister of Tourism, Jamaica; Ewald Biemans, Owner, Bucuti and Tara Beach Resort; Donovan White, Director, Jamaica Tourist Board; Kyle Mais, Chairman, CAST; Vanessa Ledesma, Acting CEO and Director General, CHTA; Josef Forstmayr, Managing Director, Round Hill Hotel and Villas; Marc Melville, Owner, Chukka Caribbean Adventures; Fiona Fennell, Public Relations and Communications Manager, Jamaica Tourist Board

Bottom right: L-R: Nicola Madden-Greig, President, CHTA; Anthony A. Stuart, Senior Director, Emerging Markets, Bahamas Ministry of Tourism, Investments & Aviation; Marc Melville, Owner, Chukka Caribbean; Vanessa Ledesma, Acting CEO and Director General, CHTA

Team CHTA celebrated the accomplishments of CHRIS Lifetime Achievement Award winners, Nick and Karolin Troubetzkoy of Anse Chastanet and Jade Mountain resorts in St. Lucia.

Caribbean Hotel & Resort Investment Conference (CHRIS)

CHTA President Nicola Madden-Greig presented travel and tourism insights during opening presentations at CHRIS in Miami.

The CHTA team engaged with the investment community and highlighted the tremendous opportunity the Caribbean presents for investors as one of the fastest recovering tourism regions in the world.

Nick and Karolin Troubetzkoy of Anse Chastanet and Jade Mountain resorts in St. Lucia were honored with the CHRIS Lifetime Achievement Award at the recently concluded event. The award recognizes individuals who have made significant contributions to the hospitality industry over their lifetime through their actions, deeds and accomplishments.

CHTA Education Foundation News

Did you miss the May Newsletter from the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Education Foundation (CHTAEF)?

Catch up on all the latest, including scholarships, the current raffle at Spice Island Beach Resort, and a new partnership with West Indies School of Hospitality (WISH) Grenada here.