Caribbean tourism ministers will meet at this year’s World Travel Market to discuss plans for a major UK consumer advertising and promotional campaign that will also involve a tie-up with a as yet unspecified travel agency chain.
The initiative is being funded jointly by the Caribbean Tourism Organisation and the European Union and a selection of participating CTO member countries.
The campaign’s first undertaking will be the distribution of a Caribbean supplement in a Sunday newspaper, probably the Mail on Sunday, in January.
Full-page advertisements in selected national newspapers and lifestyle magazines will follow later in the year.
These will be made up from a series of small individual advertisements paid for by CTO partners such as member countries, hotel groups, tour operators and airlines. The retail chain has yet to be specified.
Thirty-three CTO members will be exhibiting in the Caribbean Village at this year’s WTM and senior CTO representatives attending the show include secretary general Jean Holder, deputy secretary general Karen Ford-Warner and marketing director Michael Youngman.
A record number of tourism ministers are expected to attend, including Antigua’s new tourism minister Molwyn Morgorson Joseph, Aruba’s minister of economic affairs and tourism, Jan van Nes, and St Kitts’ minister of tourism, culture and the environment, GA Dwyer Astaphan.
The prime minister of Grenada, Dr Keith Mitchell, will also visit the show, underlining the UK’s position as Grenada’s fastest-growing tourist market.
The CTO will be launching a new Caribbean map, which will be available on its stand along with the Caribbean meeting planner.
Agents who are interested in finding out more about the Caribbean Travel Consultants Training programme are also invited to visit the stand for more information.
All friends of the region are welcome at the annual Sunset Hour on Monday, November 15 between 6pm and 7pm.