The 43rd Caribbean Travel Marketplace concluded with overwhelmingly positive feedback from delegates, according to Vanessa Ledesma, CEO of the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA), particularly about the open design layout employed for this year’s edition.
The event attracted 800 delegates who engaged in networking and business discussions over several days.
Speaking on the final day of the event, Ledesma said the main focus of business-to-business appointments had been successful, with close to 9,300 appointments pre-scheduled between global buyers and suppliers.
She praised the exceptional collaboration between the Antigua and Barbuda Hotels and Tourism Association, the Ministry of Tourism and the Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority.
“The collaboration has been amazing and exceptional,” Ledesma told Observer media. “The organisation, the coordination is at a level that we have not seen as developed in other destinations.”
Also noteworthy was the representation from Switzerland, Spain and Germany, with the latter benefiting from Antigua and Barbuda’s Condor flight connectivity.
“We have not had Germany representation in the past year or so. So definitely, that’s a result of having the event in Antigua and Barbuda,” Ledesma said.
The marketplace introduced a new open-floor concept layout that will become the standard for future events, regardless of venue size as Ledesma said this innovation provides consistency and creates a better experience for buyers walking the floor.
“What we’ve done with the selling floor layout, particularly here in Antigua and Barbuda with an open floor concept, is this will be the layout moving forward to other destinations, irrespective if the destination has the space capacity or not.”
“Antigua and Barbuda has facilitated – that has been the ground-breakers in terms of allowing us to have consistency on the selling floor,” she said.
The CEO also noted growing interest in inter-Caribbean travel and collaboration between destinations.
“We have been talking about inter-Caribbean travel and that it’s an area that still has some opportunity for growth. It will allow us to balance the potential impact that a reduction in travel from U.S. or other markets could do should we have the connectivity within the region,” Ledesma said.
The association’s membership has had access to market and data intelligence during the week’s activities, providing insights into markets they should consider adding to their promotional mix.
“We’re seeing definitely more collaboration between destinations and the ability our membership, through the activities that we’ve been doing through this week, have had access to market and data intelligence that have given them those insights of the markets that they should be considering putting in their mix,” she said.
“It takes a lot of coordination and dedication,” Ledesma stated. “There are several committees that are developed to address all of the areas, transportation, logistics, arrivals, marketing and promotion, which has been something that Antigua and Barbuda has done great.”
She emphasized the passion driving the organization’s work. “We’re very passionate about our industry and about our region, and we are always so proud to have an opportunity to represent and showcase the Caribbean to the world,” Ledesma said.
The CEO noted that lessons are learned from each event to improve future marketplaces.
“Every year, every event – we learn. We take note of things that we could do better, listen from the feedback of the delegates and implement those, and every year we make it better.”
Meanwhile, the CHTA is currently looking at destinations for 2026 and 2027, with the goal of announcing host locations for the next two years to allow proper preparation time.
The selection process will consider multiple factors including infrastructure, accessibility from major markets, and support services needed.
The association is also evaluating the week-long schedule, which runs from Sunday to Thursday, to determine if there are ways to deliver the same resources and information in a tighter timeframe while allowing delegates more time to enjoy the host destination.
