The Tribune

THE Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Association (CHTA) is returning to the Bahamas after choosing Atlantis as the host venue of Caribbean Travel Marketplace 2013, it was announced yesterday.

Caribbean Travel Marketplace is the business-to-business marketing event for the region's hotel and tourism industry, and will be held from January 20-22, 2013. It was held at Atlantis earlier this year.

"We received a gracious welcome from the Bahamian people for Caribbean Travel Marketplace 2012, and look forward to returning to the Atlantis, Paradise Island, and the islands of the Bahamas in 2013," said Josef Forstmayr, president of CHTA.

"We look forward to building on the successes we achieved with buyer attendance during the 2012 edition of the event, and aim to grow all levels of participation for this premier marketing event for the Caribbean region."

In 2012, Caribbean Travel Marketplace saw a 17 per cent increase (over 2011) in buyer companies with 142 in attendance, as well as an increase in buyer delegates which totaled 344 versus 314 in 2011.

Buyer companies came from Argentina, the Bahamas, Barbados, Brazil, Canada (nine companies), Ecuador, Germany, Italy, Japan, Martinique, Mexico, Netherlands, Peru, Russia (11 companies), Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom (22 companies) and United States (74 companies).

Hoteliers, tourism providers and tour operators/wholesalers from around the world scheduled 12,250 appointments over the course of the two-day Caribbean Travel Marketplace 2012, up from 11,880 appointments in 2011.