The highly anticipated 40^th edition of Caribbean Travel Marketplace, the region’s largest B2B tourism event, opens in San Juan, Puerto Rico today.

The Opening Ceremony takes place at Distrito T-Mobile, an impressive entertainment and retail district complex located adjacent to the Puerto Rico Convention Center.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has prevented people from meeting face-to-face for a long time so we expect Caribbean Travel Marketplace to generate a lot of exchanges between regular attendees and newer participants,” said CHTA President Nicola Madden-Greig, who has begun to welcome buyers, suppliers, government officials and members of the media to San Juan.

Madden-Greig explained that the conference has been a primary force behind the explosive growth of tourism in the region for the past 40 years: “It’s a one-stop opportunity to showcase the region’s rich diverse tourism product, to profile the latest destination upgrades and new offerings, and to expand our appeal as many destinations, hotels, and attractions are broadening their products and services to meet the interests of the growing environmentally conscious and experientially-minded traveler.”

The official opening of Caribbean Travel Marketplace this evening will follow the Caribbean Travel Forum & Awards Presentation being held throughout the day at Caribe Hilton.  The Forum focuses on the business of tourism in the Caribbean and will include conversations about air connectivity and multi-destination marketing, sustainability, technology innovations, labor market constraints, and taxation.  Speakers include: * Nicola Madden-Greig, President, Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Association * Kenneth Bryan, Chairman, Caribbean Tourism Organization, and Minister of Tourism and Transport Cayman Islands * Edmund Bartlett, Minister of Tourism, JamaicaErnest Hilaire, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Tourism, St. Lucia * Brad Dean, CEO, Discover Puerto Rico * Adam Stewart, Executive Chairman, Sandals Resorts International * Jeff Katz, CEO, Journera * Lebawit Lily Girma, former Editor-at-Large, Skift  During the awards presentation, CHTA will present the CHIEF Awards in the areas of Business Operations, Sales & Marketing, Human Resources & Staffing and Environmental Sustainability.  The regional trade association will also recognize the 2022 Caribbean Hotelier of the Year and present the inaugural Destination Resilience Award.

Media to receive tourism updates

What’s new in Caribbean travel and tourism?

More than three dozen members of the local, regional and international media will find out during various presentations Tuesday and Wednesday during “Marketplace”.

The following destinations are scheduled to participate in the informative briefings:

Tuesday

• Puerto Rico
• Jamaica
• Bonaire
• U.S. Virgin Islands
• Nassau Paradise Island Promotion Board
• Cayman Islands

Wednesday

• Barbados
• Turks and Caicos Islands
• Dominica
• St. Lucia
• St. Kitts
  

Carnival onboards Bahamian students

In honor of Bahamas Maritime Week, Carnival Cruise Line hosted a group of students aboard its Carnival Dream ship last week. 

Members of the Carnival Dream crew spoke to students from the LJM Maritime Academy about cruise industry careers and opportunities. The students also experienced a tour of the ship and a luncheon.

Carnival organized the visit in conjunction with the Bahamas Maritime Authority (BMA), as part of the agency’s Maritime Week, a series of events held to showcase career opportunities in the industry to the next generation of Bahamian professionals. 

“We are proud to work with the BMA to show young cadets firsthand the many careers available aboard a Carnival ship,” said Domenico Rognoni, senior vice president of marine operations for Carnival Cruise Line. “This event also continues to strengthen Carnival’s partnership with the LJM Maritime Academy, which spans four years and has resulted in several hires from the Academy.”

Digital Digest

Content is made up of two primary variables: copy and creative. Great copy that is not supported by equally enticing creative will probably not catch the user’s attention. Creative (or graphic) development is core for the success and organic growth of any digital property. Here are some guidelines for digital creative.

• Sizes: Platforms support multiple types of creative, but the artwork must comply with the platform’s specifications. Creative specs are often updated with development changes to the platform. Always refer to the most updated style and size guide before designing.
• Stock: Images found on famous stock websites are the source of the majority of content we see online. A quick Google Images search to check the previous usage of the stock image is ideal before design. Artwork manipulation can further improve the final product.
• Original: Ideally, digital content should strive for originality but that’s not always possible. Showcasing old/current work, product and audience interaction, brand team, company culture, etc. are all great strategies for generating original content. 
• Text: Images loaded with text are less likely to receive engagement than balanced or clear artwork, which is more likely to generate engagement and reach on social platforms.
• CTA: While text should be limited on artwork, a call to action (CTA) is almost always important to accompany artwork. This rule can be ignored if the artwork is only for creative purposes, but if users are expected to react or take action that should be made clear.

Medical Moment

World Mental Health Day, which takes place on October 10, wasfounded by the World Federation for Mental Health and is supported annually by the World Health Organization.   It was conceptualized to raise awareness of mental health issues around the world and to mobilize efforts in support of mental health.  The COVID-19 pandemic has created a global crisis for mental health *. Estimates put the rise in both anxiety and depressive disorders at more than 25 percent during the first year of the pandemic.  * Disruption in mental health services was severe.  The 2022 theme is “Make mental health & well-being for all a global priority”.  The special day provides an opportunity for all mental health stakeholders to provide insight as to what more needs to be done to make mental health care a reality for people worldwide.

MPE Caribbean Report

The stage is set for this evening’s official opening of Caribbean Travel Marketplace in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The MPE Caribbean Report team is on the ground and shares this report.