MPE CARIBBEAN REPORT NEWSLETTER – APRIL 25, 2022

April 25, 2022

The MPE Caribbean Report Newsletter is a newly launched product offering travel, tourism, Caribbean and global news in a newsletter format. To share stories, information or intelligence, contact us at [email protected].

Seatrade Cruise Global to open in Miami Beach

A fantastic flashback to Seatrade two years ago, where U.S. Virgin Islands dancers dazzled and delighted

Thousands of cruise industry and tourism professionals are expected to attend this week’s Seatrade Cruise Global convention, which will focus on emerging trends, interactive technology and optimized B2B networking.

What to expect:

Seatrade Cruise Global is the industry’s leading annual B2B event

It will be held at Miami Beach Convention Center – April 25-28, 2022

Visionaries, experts and like-minded professionals will collaborate on advancements towards recovery from the pandemic, and building a blueprint for a reimagined future

New sessions added to the conference program include: Bucket-list Voyages; A Look at Cruising PR and Communications; Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

To learn more, visit seatradecruiseglobal.com.

Sandals expands in St. Lucia

Marking 30 years of operation in St. Lucia, Sandals Resorts International (SRI) has a grand vision for its investment strategy in the island

*Executive Chairman Adam Stewart expressed SRI’s commitment to working with local government to make real the promise of tourism in St. Lucia, and gave credit to the “friendly, hardworking and industrious” people of the island nation

*Sandals Halcyon Beach will add 25 stunning new rooms in February 202320 beachfront, two-story villa rooms, and 5 Rondoval™ suites, the signature Sandals category

*Expansion at Sandals Regency La Toc will include a new Sandals Resorts innovation, a village, comprised entirely of 20 Rondoval suites
*Opening in 2023, the village is a “resort within a resort”concept built adjacent to the golf
course

*Projects are anticipated to add more than 350 construction and trade jobs and 120 illustrious butler positions, with training provided by the Guild of Professional English Butlers

*Stewart believes SRI’s strategy can benefit St. Lucia by increasing demand, generating longer stays, and raising the standard of living

Fantastic Facts: St. Lucia

***Credit: Saint Lucia Tourism Authority***

Fantastic Facts about St. Lucia

The dramatic and majestic Piton Mountains have UNESCO World Heritage status

2 Nobel Laureates (economist Sir Arthur William Lewis and the poet and playwright Sir Derek Walcott) hail from St. Lucia; more per capita than any other nation

All beaches on ‘Helen of the West’ are public

The country’s national bird, the Saint Lucia Parrot, was once threatened with extinction, but thanks to conservation efforts, its numbers have increased significantly

Sulphur Springs, near Soufrière, is home to world-famous mud baths and the only “drive-in” volcano in the world; the last recorded eruption of the dormant volcano was in 1766

Known widely for its appeal as a romance destination, St. Lucia is also a haven for adventure seekers, with opportunities for experiencing thrills by land, sea or air

The island’s exciting cuisine and dance traditions reflect its unique heritage and culture – a mélange of Caribbean, African, European and Asian influences

Barbados tourism chief earns doctorate

Congratulations to Jens Thraenhart, the new CEO of Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc., for recently earning his doctorate degree in hotel and tourism management from The Hong Kong Polytechnic University.

MPE applauds the German-Canadian tourism executive, who is applying his extensive international experience to continue guiding Barbados tourism onto a sustainable growth path.

Digital Digest

SEO vs SEM. What’s the difference and why should it matter to your business?

SEO = Search Engine Optimization. This is a set of organic techniques and development optimizations implemented to increase a site’s visibility on the organic Google search ranking.

SEM = Search Engine Marketing. This is paid advertising to increase the visibility of a website by bidding on the most relevant keywords. SEM functions on a Pay-Per-Click model.

SEM is instant and SEM campaigns offer control and optimization based on the bid and keywords used. You can spend as much as you want for as long as desirable.

SEO takes time, effort and planning with results controlled by Google’s mechanism of crawling, indexing and ranking. It offers continuous value.

To increase traffic and maximize ROI, the ideal solution is a mix of organic and long-term SEO efforts coupled with strategic SEM activations.