MIAMI — The Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA) has reaffirmed its commitment to bring the region’s largest and longest-standing tourism marketing event to The Bahamas Jan. 21 to 23, 2020.

In making the announcement the CHTA cited the new tourism offerings in The Bahamas and throughout the Caribbean, plus the opportunity to showcase the nation of islands to the travel world following Hurricane Dorian.

The 38th Caribbean Travel Marketplace (CTM) will bring together hotel and destination representatives as well as other tourism providers; wholesalers and tour operators; online travel agencies; along with media representatives for two days of business meetings, including thousands of prescheduled appointments.

From Jan. 21 – 23, 2020 the event will be held at Baha Mar’s Performing Arts and Convention Center. The Bahamian government recently announced that Baha Mar is pushing forward a US$300 million dollar expansion of the resort.

“Our immediate assessment following Dorian revealed that most of The Bahamas was unaffected by this situation and without question we knew that The Bahamas and in particular the Baha Mar complex remain the ideal location for CTM 2020,” says CHTA President Patricia Affonso-Dass. “The travel trade is interested in seeing one of the region’s newest and largest resort complexes and supporting The Bahamas.”

Hurricane Dorian devastated Grand Bahama and the Abaco Islands in early September.

Affonso-Dass said CTM 2020 attendees will have the opportunity to experience The Bahamas Out Islands before and after the conference thanks to a special initiative of The Bahamas Out Islands Promotion Board and the Ministry of Tourism and Aviation.

“Prior to Dorian’s impact, The Bahamas was trending towards its best tourism performance ever and expectations are that with the exception of Abaco and Grand Bahama, the rest of The Bahamas will continue on that trajectory for 2020,” said Bahamas Minister of Tourism Dionisio D’Aguilar.

“Hosting CTM will facilitate the remaining 14 destinations in The Bahamas to proudly showcase the resiliency of the destination, while tourism dollars will help to support the recovery of Abaco and its Cays and Grand Bahama.”

Frank Comito, CEO and Director General of CHTA, added: “We are looking forward to an incredible travel event in The Bahamas, that brings together all stakeholders and business prospects to one location presenting the tourism industry with an opportunity to showcase the diverse products of the region, including many newly opened and upgraded properties.”

The annual CTM conference is “a one-stop gathering for hotels, attractions, airlines, tour operators and wholesalers, and destination DMOs to meet with the world’s key decision-makers who influence consumer travel. It also is the industry’s key forum for attracting new decision-makers who otherwise would not be familiar with the region – thus opening up new markets to the Caribbean, both from different geographic areas around the world as well as with new niche markets.”

Comito said CTM 2020 will build on the success of the previous Marketplace in Jamaica, which attracted 64 new buyers.

To register and for more information on Caribbean Travel Marketplace 2020, visit chtamarketplace.com or contact events@caribbeanhotelandtourism.com.