Jamaica to Host ‘Caribbean Marketplace’ in January

Jamaica will host the Caribbean’s most important annual tourism marketing showcase ‘Caribbean Marketplace’ at the Half Moon Village Hotel in Montego Bay from January 9 to 11 next year.
‘Caribbean Marketplace’ is an annual event which is organized by the Caribbean Hotel Association (CHA) bringing together the suppliers of tourism facilities and services in the Caribbean, as well as the purchasers and buyers of those services outside of the region, who package Caribbean holidays.
The purpose of the expo is to bring buyers and sellers together so that contracts can be signed, and deals made, with the aim of moving Caribbean tourism forward.
Addressing the press conference held at the Half Moon Village Hotel on Thursday, (December 16) Minister of Industry and Tourism, Aloun Ndombet Assamba, underscored the government’s full commitment to the development of tourism.
Mrs. Assamba pointed out that since ‘Caribbean Marketplace’ was held in Jamaica 20 years ago, no other English Speaking country in the region had staged the event. “It promises to be possibly the largest tourism event that we will host next year, and I want to personally thank all the partners,” she commented.
The Tourism Minister noted that the staging of the event in the island would certainly assist in increasing visitor arrival numbers, and expressed the hope that it would also help to increase revenue for the industry.
Also speaking at the press briefing President of the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association (JHTA), Godfrey Dyer informed that some 400 booths would be put in place to accommodate the more than 1,500 buyer and supplier delegates that are expected to attend the event.
He said that over 1,000 delegates including more than 375 buyer delegates representing several of the 36 CHA member states, had already registered to participate in the event.
“With over a month to go we have over 375 buyer delegates registered spanning a range of countries including Argentina, Austria, Bermuda, Canada, Colombia and the USA. We also have delegates from Europe, including Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, The Netherlands, Switzerland and the United Kingdom,” he said.
“We will have Representation from Japan, Mexico, The Russian Federation and Trinidad and Tobago, and the registrations continue to come in,” he further outlined. The JHTA president said that Jamaica’s ability to host Caribbean Marketplace 2005, was a testament to the collective vision of the JHTA, the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB), the CHA and many other partners in the public and private sectors.