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Mr. David Redekop, travel industry analyst for The Conference Board of Canada, will deliver the keynote address at the Caribbean Travel Conference during Caribbean Week Toronto (www.caribbeanweek.ca) on Wednesday, September 24 at the Sutton Place Hotel. Redekop will emphasize the importance of reinvention in marketing tourism to an audience of over 200 Caribbean tourism officials, media and members of the trade industry. His address will serve as the cornerstone for the compelling conference which will also deliver insight into the future of the Caribbean market and information on how to increase business potential when selling the destination.
“We’re thrilled to welcome David as our keynote speaker for the Caribbean Travel Conference,” said Hugh Riley, interim secretary general of the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) and co-chief operating officer for the Caribbean Tourism Development Company (CTDC). “Having spent over 20 years as an analyst in the travel industry, David is a true expert and his knowledge on the subject is a welcome addition to our agenda. We expect his presence here to not only inform, but also inspire action.”
Redekop’s speech, entitled “Reinventing Caribbean Tourism,” will focus on Canadian outbound travel trends, the state of Caribbean package travel, pricing and the use of the Internet to leverage travel opportunities within the Canadian market. He will specifically address the Caribbean’s place aside burgeoning travel destinations such as Eastern Europe and Asia, the peaking of package travel and the use of technology to reach the appropriate audience with targeted messaging. Following his address, Redekop will moderate a panel discussion and Q&A where he will be joined by industry leaders to discuss other hot issues facing today’s Caribbean tourism industry, including Zeina Gedeon, president of Air Canada Vacations. Special Caribbean travel packages from Air Canada Vacations will be awarded as prizes during the following day’s Caribbean Awards Luncheon to the winners in both the media and travel agent categories.
A variety of thought-provoking events and sessions will continue throughout the afternoon during the Caribbean Travel Conference. A luncheon for all attendees will feature Daniel Shurz, vice president of network planning for Air Canada as the keynote speaker. Shurz will speak on the current state of airlift to the Caribbean and forecast new developments in air travel.
Two workshops following the luncheon will provide a forum for discussion about hot growth in niche markets and will be led by instructors who are also experts in the industry. Anne Brobyn will lead the first about the importance of niche marketing. Her 25 years in the tourism industry have led to her current position as founder and CEO of Hibiscus International, a unique tourism programming company dedicated to creating innovative products, which promote sustainability in the Caribbean region.
Rebecca Grinnals, founder and president of wedding and honeymoon consulting firm, Engaging Concepts, will lead the second workshop on how to market destination weddings. Her presentation will cover the state of millennial matrimony , the changing face of today’s destination bride and groom, tips on romancing the wedding market, key insights into how couples decide on wedding and honeymoon destinations and tips on leveraging new media to reach these consumers. As the co-founder of Disney Fairy Tale Weddings, Grinnals is one of the foremost experts on the business of weddings and honeymoons and a widely sought after industry consultant and trend spokeswoman. Grinnals is being sponsored by the Cayman Islands.
Caribbean Week Toronto 2008, themed Secrets of the Caribbean, brings together the most influential policy makers, financial leaders, marketing professionals and tourism industry officials to interact and discuss both tourism and investment opportunities in the region. It also serves to provide a taste of the region to consumers to inspire travel and showcase its diversity. In addition to the Caribbean Travel Conference, a variety of distinctive events highlighting the Caribbean experience will take place including Town Hall Meetings, a Media Marketplace and Caribbean Awards Luncheon, Caribbean Fair and Rum & Rhythm Festival.
The registration fee for the Caribbean Travel Conference is $50 per person including the luncheon. For more information on Caribbean Week Toronto 2008, to register for all events and to purchase tickets, visit: www.caribbeanweek.ca or call 416-935-0707 to speak to a representative from the Caribbean Tourism Development Company.
Sponsors
Sponsors of this year’s Caribbean Week Toronto include Air Canada, Air Canada Vacations, Almond Resorts, Anguilla, Antigua & Barbuda, Aruba, the Islands of the Bahamas, Barbados, the Cayman Islands, Divi Resorts, Discover Dominica, Dreamscapes, Grenada, InPulse Magazine, Jamaica, Moncasa, Occidental Hotels, The RMR Group, Sandals, ScotiaBank, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Vincent and Grenadines, Toronto Star, TravelWeek, Trinidad & Tobago, Turks & Caicos and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
All CTDC events are supported by American Express, Puerto Rico and Travelocity.
The Caribbean Tourism Development Company
The Caribbean Tourism Development Company (CTDC) is a marketing and business development unit, owned equally by the Caribbean Hotel Association (CHA) and the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO). Its mission is to own, promote, protect, advance and enhance the Caribbean brand. The CTDC combines the resources of the Caribbean region’s destinations, accommodations and service providers to create a viable, cohesive, business unit that is able to identify commercial opportunities and allow the members of CHA and CTO to benefit collectively from those opportunities in ways that individually they could not. In all its endeavors the company engages only in activities that honor the Caribbean brand.
Media Contact
Emily Santos/Susannah Gregory
Lou Hammond & Associates
(212) 308-8880
emilys@lhammond.com; susannahg@lhammond.com
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