Caribbean tourism chief calls on media to push the industry

Friday, November 21, 2003

MIAMI, USA: The region's reporters and editors should keep the issue of the proposed Caribbean Sustainable Tourism Fund at the forefront of public discussion if tourism is to continue leading social and economic development in the Caribbean while preserving its natural environment.

Speaking ahead of the Fifth Caribbean Media Exchange on Sustainable Tourism (CMEx), to be held in Barbados December 4-8, 2003, Alec Sanguinetti, Director-General of the Caribbean Hotel Association, said "we can't allow this issue to lose momentum, if it does, the Caribbean would have lost a golden opportunity."

Sanguinetti said the new booking engine www.gocaribbean.com represents a major revenue generating opportunity for the region's suppliers - whether small, medium or large, "but we need to make decisions on the continued pooling of resources for marketing the region," said Sanguinetti as he referred to the successful start of the public-private sector initiative dubbed "Life Needs the Caribbean".

"The media can continue to help influence decisions to ensure that we gain a greater share of world tourism business and have the resources to train our people to world class standards, and preserve and protect our product. The aims of CMEx are to bring a heightened awareness of what to look for in considering tourism-related coverage but also on how the reporters can influence the design and execution of sensible tourism policies," said Sanguinetti.

CARICOM heads of government have reiterated the importance of the tourism sector to the Caribbean economy, and they recently reaffirmed the need to establish and mobilize resources for the Sustainable Tourism Development Fund to implement a strategic plan for tourism, but it has not yet been established.

"Anybody who is not on GoCaribbean.com needs their head examined," said Peter Odle, a successful small hotel operator in Barbados and second vice president of the Caribbean Hotel Association (CHA). "It's not a question of just going on the website and leaving the rates; you need to go on it, manage your inventory and work it constantly … every small hotel should be on GoCaribbean.com!"

The entire CHA membership is currently eligible - at no cost - to list its inventory on the online travel site and benefit from both website and telesales. Additionally, Caribbean tourism attractions, such as ground operators, dive operators, rental car companies, golf courses and spas, are now able to offer products and services to North American consumers via the new booking engine.

The Caribbean Hotel Association Charitable Trust (CHACT) is a successful public/private sector alliance, uniting major hotel chains, airlines and credit card companies with the Caribbean Tourism Organisation, CARICOM (Caribbean Community) and non-CARICOM nations. Last fall, CHACT launched a multi-million dollar campaign to market and promote the region as a single destination. 

GoCaribbean.com allows the region to play a full role in the entire distribution channel of Caribbean vacations, rather than just focusing on the delivery of a product. Consumers and travel agents alike can now book airlines, hotels and other Caribbean properties at bulk or heavily discounted rates.

Bookings on gocaribbean.com currently cover both vacation packages (air and hotel) and hotel room nights. Three hundred and ninety-seven (397) hotels, offering more than 86,000 rooms, are available for bookings. 

Eighteen destinations participate in CHACT's marketing campaign: Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Montserrat, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Maarten, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos and the United States Virgin Islands.

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