Providenciales, TCI — The second Caribbean Showcase of the powerful American Society of Travel Advisors (ASTA) ended on a high note at the Beaches Turks and Caicos resort here last Thursday, with the seven Caribbean ministers of tourism in attendance — a first for such a meeting — calling the event a resounding success.

Host minister, Josephine Connolly, who also has responsibility for environment, heritage and culture, said all the ministers had expressed satisfaction with their meetings with the nearly 300 United States-based travel agents, the key people who send northern vacationers to soak up the sand, sea, sun, culture, music and food of the Caribbean.

Dubbing her colleagues the "ministers responsible for the Caribbean", Connolly thanked them for a job well done and invited them to repeat their unprecedented attendance at the coming October 8-13, 2023 meeting of the Caribbean Tourism Organisation in the Turks & Caicos Islands.

She stressed the importance of tourism to the Caribbean, telling the travel advisors that, as an example: "The Turks and Caicos Islands are a playground for the adventurous. Let the spirit of exploration guide us as you venture beyond the boundaries of the ordinary, discovering hidden caves, mysterious caves and business that take your breath away.

"The Turks and Caicos Islands are more than a destination. They are a state of mind, a sanctuary for the spirit and an invitation to embrace the extraordinary as you lift the dreams of your clients and guide them toward new horizons. Remember that the Turks and Caicos Islands [and the Caribbean] offer not just a journey, but a transformation."

CEO of Sandals Resorts International (SRI), Gebhard Rainer described the ASTA showcase as "a fantastic conference" that had highlighted and reflected the fact that "the Caribbean as a whole, together you as government representatives, you can actually make the Caribbean shine by doing what you do every day within your own country, but always with the bigger goal of the Caribbean behind it".

Rainer stressed that only as one could they actually succeed in the global competition in the tourism industry, noting: "People who can afford to pay US$1,000 a night can afford to choose between the Seychelles, Bora Bora or the Caribbean and they do and they measure us against it and they compare."

"In tourism, as you know, the quality execution of the experience is what matters in the end. It's not necessarily the physical aspect of an asset, but it's the experience that people take back home. And if you have a bad experience because somebody has not been friendly or somebody just doesn't care about following up on something, that's what you remember. Our focus has to be on quality executions and on training and making sure that you develop local nationals who will enter the tourism sector," said Rainer.

The ministers, led by Bahamas' Chester Cooper, who is also deputy prime minister, highlighted air transportation as key to the development of tourism in the region, saying it should not be necessary to travel from one island via Miami to get to another island.

They saw collaboration between Caribbean Airlines and Inter Caribbean Airlines to work out air routes as a potential game changer for bringing more visitors to the region, while encouraging travel between the islands.