The Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Association (CHTA) this week announced its participation in the June 22–26, 2026 St. Maarten / St. Martin Annual Regional Tradeshow (SMART). As with the 2025 edition, the regional tourism federation will have a prominent presence at the tradeshow.
This announcement was made today by the St. Maarten Hospitality & Trade Association (SHTA) on behalf of the binational organizing committee, which includes the St. Maarten Tourism Bureau (STB), the Office du Tourisme (OdT), and the Club du Tourisme (CdT).
The Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Association (CHTA) is the leading organization representing the interests of the Caribbean hospitality and tourism industry. It serves as a unifying voice for hotels, resorts, and tourism-related businesses across the region, promoting sustainable tourism growth. CHTA provides advocacy, professional development and networking opportunities to help its members thrive in a competitive global market. It works closely with national hotel and tourism associations, governments and international partners to address challenges such as marketing, safety, and environmental sustainability. Through research, training, and events, CHTA fosters innovation and collaboration within the Caribbean hospitality and tourism sector.
On island, the association is represented by SHTA (St. Maarten) and Club du Tourisme (St. Martin), with many tourism players being members of both the local and regional association. The CHTA board represents all destinations and receives direct input from its 32 member associations, including through active multi-destination committees.
CHTA CEO Vanessa Ledesma said: “What local associations do for their destinations is exactly what CHTA does for the Caribbean as a whole. By connecting members and advocating with one Caribbean voice, we strengthen our collective influence with external partners and global markets.”
Recent advocacy efforts have addressed issues including supply chains, trade tariffs, maintaining a level playing field between hotels and short term rentals, and inter-island connectivity.
Ledesma added: “SMART is an excellent opportunity for us to share knowledge from a regional perspective to various destinations at once, connect with our CHTA member base, and provide updates. We also look forward to meeting hotels, activities, DMCs, airlines, and suppliers outside our network who want to learn more about membership benefits.”
Given its large network, research, and benefits offered at the regional level, both SHTA and CdT encourage their members to visit the CHTA booth to meet their team. Both island associations have seen significant membership growth over the past few years, and many local members are often unaware of the dual local-regional membership option and its benefits. Moreover, the more members the regional association has, the greater the benefit for the Caribbean as a whole when facing external business challenges.
SMART 2026 will feature an expanded program. The 2025 event welcomed visitors from 29 countries and destinations. The “Early Bird Season” for SMART began on October 1, offering suppliers and vendors reduced prices. Companies can reserve an early bird ticket for the 2026 event by emailing info@shta.com. Program updates and event news are available at shta.com/SMART. For companies interested in joining CHTA, visit www.caribbeanhotelandtourism.com or contact the CHTA team at membership@caribbeanhotelandtourism.com.