The Antigua and Barbuda Ministry of Tourism and the Antigua & Barbuda Tourism Authority (ABTA) continue to focus on aggressively attracting new business from throughout the region and the Americas to its shores, as the destination attended the Expo de Turismo Internacional (ETI), Tourism Expo. The destination was represented by Charmaine Spencer and Meserete Uzondu, as part of its regional marketing thrust.
The ETI – Puerto Rico Tourism Expo, being branded the first major international tourism expo in the Caribbean,“is designed to showcase the beauty, sports, nature, adventure and gastronomy experiences available throughout the Caribbean and beyond, bringing together members of the tourism industry from across the globe.’
ETI-Puerto Rico featured pavilions from the Caribbean and beyond, providing tourism boards, hotels, suppliers, tour operators, airlines and others with direct access to 1,000+ travel agents from the U.S., Central & South America, and Europe, and exposing them to new destinations and attractions.
Charmaine Spencer, Marketing Manager (ABTA) said, “The ETI tradeshow provided a superb opportunity to educate thousands of international and regional travel trade professionals, as well as, local consumers about our destination and to invite them to come experience the diversity of Antigua & Barbuda and all that our islands have to offer.”
Antigua & Barbuda was able to directly engage and promote its events, heritage, cultural, and eco-tourism product, tours, attractions and accommodations, to the travel trade community, especially those from new and diverse markets that descended upon the Puerto Rico Convention Centre to be a part of the inaugural event.
“In planning for this event and with input from local and regional organizations such as the Caribbean Tourism Organization and the Puerto Rico Hotel & Tourism Association, we are confident that this event has the potential to be a mainstay on the international calendar of tourism events,” said Ingrid I. Rivera Rocafort, Executive director of the Puerto Rico Tourism company, organizers of ETI-Puerto Rico.
The four-day event also incorporated an educational component which included workshops from Trip Advisor, Destination Wedding professionals, marketing to the Chinese market, social media training, sales seminars, group meetings, social and cultural events, field trips, destination trainings, keynote addresses and more.
The success of the inaugural event indicates a strong demand for island destinations, like Antigua & Barbuda, and should see this travel show becoming a permanent fixture on the destination’s regional marketing events calendar.
