CHTA kicks off Caribbean Travel Marketplace in Puerto Rico

Caribbean Travel Marketplace has kicked off in San Juan, Puerto Rico with significant news of changes within the Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Association (CHTA).

At last night’s opening ceremony, CHTA President Emil Lee introduced three strategies that the organization will be implementing, admitting a need for evolution as the region aims to compete on the world stage.

“As leaders in the region, we (the CHTA and the Caribbean Tourism Organization) have a tremendous responsibility to be visionary, provocative and even disruptive,” he said. “On behalf of the region, the CHTA must be bold and unafraid to challenge the status quo. There are regional issues that we all share such as the need for improved political transparency and integrity, airlift development strategies, reducing our dependence on fossil fuels, strategies to mitigate the impacts of climate change, and addressing ever-increasing costs of doing business.”

With that in mind, Lee introduced three initiatives set to be implemented over the next months.

For one, a new leadership team will be put in place, which includes Chief Marketing Officer Matt Cooper and Chief Operating Officer Vanessa Ledesma. In addition, Frank Comito has been named CEO and director general, most recently serving as executive vice-president of the Bahamas Hotel and Tourism Association.

Additionally, Travel Marketplace will roll-out a revamped approach by adding seminars aimed at helping hotels to supplement revenues by increasing direct bookings and yield management strategies. Sessions scheduled for the next two days include a discussion on how to manage your online reputation by TripAdvisor, and Jackrabbit will be discussing online booking solutions.

Finally, the CHTA is building two events “focused on helping members to make more money, increase efficiency and productivity while saving money; these will be events that you simply can’t afford to miss,” Lee said.

PAX is on the floor at the CTM conference, which has nearly 1,100 delegates scheduled for upwards of 11,800 appointments.

Stay tuned for updates in Caribbean tourism.