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The MPE Caribbean Report Newsletter offers travel, tourism, Caribbean and global news weekly. To share stories, information or intelligence, contact us at info@marketplaceexcellence.com.

AUGUST 29, 2022

Happy Birthday T & T

Marketplace Excellence wishes Trinbagonians the world over a joyous Diamond Jubilee independence celebration on Wednesday, August 31, 2022.

Caribbean travel and tourism’s prospects for growth

Julia Simpson, President & CEO, World Travel & Tourism Council

According to Julia Simpson, President & CEO of the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), eight of the 10 most tourism-dependent countries globally in 2019 were in the Caribbean region.

The UK-based tourism executive believes the region’s potential for tourism growth has not been fully exploited due to challenges such as a lack of air connectivity; the high cost of air travel; and a need for more investment in digital solutions, infrastructure and human capital, improved crisis preparedness and a focus on environmental protection.

In 2021, the Caribbean Travel & Tourism sector experienced the second-fastest recovery of all regions, as its contribution to GDP grew by 36.6 percent. In comparison, Travel & Tourism’s global contribution to the economy expanded by 21.7 percent.

“Nevertheless, this strong rebound was not enough to recoup the losses from the pandemic as Travel & Tourism GDP was still 36.1% below the 2019 level,” Simpson wrote in the WTTC’s latest report on the region.

Looking at the longer-term horizon, between 2022 and 2032, Travel & Tourism’s contribution to global GDP is estimated to grow at an average annual rate of 5.8%, outpacing the average annual growth rate forecast of 2.7% for the global economy.

“The Caribbean Travel & Tourism sector could outstrip this increase and achieve an average annual growth rate of 6.7%, significantly above the region’s overall economy growth of 2.4%, to reach US$96.6 billion in 2032, up from US$50.5 billion in 2022,” Simpson noted.

The WTTC opines in order for sustainable growth to be achieved investments in public-private-community partnerships will be key.

Click here to digest WTTC’s report on “Prospects for growth” in the region.

CHTA to recognize best-in-class tourism practices

This year’s Caribbean Travel Marketplace will be held at the Puerto Rico Convention Center.

As the countdown continues for the 40th Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association’s (CHTA) Caribbean Travel Marketplace in San Juan, Puerto Rico, October 3-5, 2022, the regional trade association is inviting nominations for its Caribbean Hotel Industry Exchange Forum (CHIEF) Awards.

The awards recognize best practices in four areas: business operations, human resources, sales and marketing, and sustainability.

The awards are open to all members of CHTA or one of the region’s National Hotel and Tourism Associations (NHTA), ministries or departments of tourism, travel industry partners, online travel agencies (OTA), travel intermediaries, trade press, CHTA strategic partners, and sponsors as well as the general public. 

The top three finalists and winners in each category will be announced at an Awards Luncheon during the inaugural Caribbean Travel Forum in Puerto Rico on October 3, 2022, taking place just before the official opening of Caribbean Travel Marketplace.

The deadline for nominations is September 9, 2022. 

For more information, visit

https://caribbeanhotelandtourism.com/events-calendar/chief-awards.

Cayman Airways reopens Sir Turtle Club lounge at GCM

Visitors to the lounge can expect a Caymankind welcome.

Cayman Airways has marked the official reopening of its exclusive Sir Turtle Club Lounge at Owen Roberts International Airport on Grand Cayman.

The lounge, which is the only airline loyalty program lounge at the airport, had been closed since the start of the airport’s major renovations five years ago, and the pandemic-related closure further delayed its official reopening.

“The new and improved Sir Turtle Club Lounge adds value to the Cayman Airways product on a whole, while offering up the possibility for a few more jobs for our people,” said Kenneth Bryan, Minister for Tourism and Transport in the Cayman Islands.

Cayman Airways President and CEO, Fabian Whorms, said the airline is in the midst of enhancing both its Sir Turtle membership and rewards programs in order to continue to maximize value for customers.

The interior design and construction of the new lounge was done by local company Kozaily Designs, with a vision to showcase Cayman’s heritage and natural environment in all aspects of the design.

The Cayman Islands recently announced the elimination of all testing, vaccination and registration requirements for both inbound and departing passengers. 

Digital Digest

Reddit - High performance, high return social media highway

Amongst the oldest social media platforms, Reddit accumulates billions of views every year with 52 million daily active users. Reddit users are loyal and highly engaged.

Here’s how brands can leverage Reddit’s power: 

Strategy. Content and subject matter are the main focus of Reddit and users have an eye for identifying marketing messages. Brands need to think beyond conventional ad delivery to create a powerful campaign. Create messaging that starts two-way communication or provides information about a very specific topic. Reddit requires strong content ideation and an agile strategy to work.

Community. Forty-two (42) percent of all Reddit users are between 18-24 years of age and spend an average of 16 minutes on the platform. Reddit’s upvote functionality is a key reflection of human gratification psychology. Content and creativity that resonates with this young audience will get picked up almost instantly, generating votes and comments. 

Content. Reddit supports all types of content, but videos and external links are very popular. Due to the popularity of external links, content producers have an amazing opportunity to create powerful clickable content that redirects traffic from Reddit to their own properties.

Advertising. Reddit offers multiple ad types for its users. Ads are sold on an auction model where advertisers can bid or compete for impressions. Options include CPM (cost per thousand), CPC (cost per click), and CPV (cost per view) bids or takeover ad units that facilitate buying real estate on the platform in exchange for branding. Either way, Reddit offers a comprehensive targeting mechanism to make the most of your ad investment.

Medical Moment

World First Aid Day

Having first aid skills and knowledge helps to create safer and healthier communities. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) has focused on first aid training for more than a century.

The theme of World First Aid Day 2022 (September 10, 2022) is “lifelong first aid”. 

First aid techniques include:

• Cardiopulmonary resuscitation during a cardiac or breathing emergency

• Applying pressure to stop a bleeding wound and applying a bandage

• Giving back blows and abdominal thrusts to alleviate choking

A wide range of first aid training courses can be found online.

MPE Caribbean Report

In this week’s MPE Caribbean Report, we share a Caribbean hotelier’s concerns about intra-regional travel, one of the major impediments to the sustainable growth of the region’s bread-and-butter industry.



Marketplace Excellence Corporation (MPE) is a global public relations, marketing and media company.