MIAMI — The 2022 edition of Caribbean Travel Marketplace (CTM) will be in-person for 2022.

Organizers from the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA) say the in-person event will build on the success of the virtual CTM held earlier this year.

Next year marks the CTM’s 40th anniversary – and the CHTA’s 60th anniversary.

The 2022 edition will likely be in the spring (e.g. late April or early May 2022), said CTM chairman Karen Whitt at CHTA’s recent AGM. There’s no word yet on the location. Whitt is also an executive committee member of CHTA and VP Marketing and Brand Development for the Hartling Group in Turks and Caicos.

Says Whitt: “CTM’s success in 2021 enabled CHTA to expand and reach well beyond our traditional North American and Canadian buyers” and allowed the CHTA to “reach out into Europe and other areas where we haven’t really been successful in the past … so we will be building on that momentum.”

The 2021 virtual edition hosted 6,000+ meetings over three days, between suppliers representing more than 150 Caribbean hotels and tourism-related businesses, and buyers from 20 countries, including Canada.

CHTA is setting up focus groups with CHTA members, the association’s executive committee, and tourism buyers to determine the form and function of the next conference and to ensure the broadest benefits for all attendees, in preparation for CTM 40.

Organizers say they’re also reviewing the diversity of offerings, with an eye to widening the range, as well as including the travel agent community, and attracting more small properties to join the traditional CTM mix of boutiques and big brands.

More on CTM can be found at www.chtamarketplace.com.