Caribbean tourism officials who attended the 28th annual Caribbean Tourism Conference (CTC-28) in St. Thomas kept a wary eye on Wilma´s path as it tracked over the Yucatan and on through Florida. In fact, the impact of the storm kept officials from CTO-member Cancun, Mexico, from attending the conference altogether.
The subject of hurricanes and their impact on regional tourism was an issue raised again and again at the conference.
St. Lucia launched a $6.5 million branding campaign, built around the theme and slogan of “You Are So Beautiful,” utilizing the island´s lush natural beauty, coupled with the song made popular by Joe Crocker.
Tourism minister Philip J. Pierre unveiled the campaign´s components at the 28th annual Caribbean Tourism Conference that came to a successful close Wednesday. Ads will appear on TV, on billboards, in consumer and trade publications and as free-standing inserts in key U.S. newspapers.
The Caribbean´s vibrant Creole culture is going global, now that top international television network Black Entertainment Television (BET) has agreed to shoot the 9th edition of the World Creole Music Festival, scheduled to take place on the island nation of Dominica October 28 to 30.
“We think this would be a fantastic relationship for us,” said Dominica´s Director of Tourism, Sharon Pascal of the island´s new partnership with BET. “This partnership will give the destination tremendous visibility, more than we would have been able to do on our own,” an elated Pascal continued.
The top five multiple travel agency groups have signed up for an educational day at World Travel Market, one of the world´s major travel tradeshows that´s slated for mid November in the British capital.
MyTravel, United Co-op Travel Group, Thomas Cook, First Choice and TUI UK agents are to participate in the Wise Up! program on the final day of the show, November 17, at ExCeL in London.
MICE Moscow, the first MICE conference & workshop on the Russian market, took place quite recently in the Russian capital with a turnout of 112 participants from 31 countries and more than 400 trade visitors.
The event was such a success that the Viennese planner MSI Fairs & Exhibitions decided to organize an exhibition alongside the conference next year.
Noted ecologist and architect Hector Ceballos-Lascurain will be one of many international, regional and local presenters at Venezuela´s third ExpoEcoturismo, set for October 19-21, 2005, in Maracaibo.
Building on the success of two former Expos, this year´s event will highlight efforts to gain UNESCO World Heritage status for the Catatumbo “lightning” phenomenon that takes place along Lake Maracaibo´s southern shore.