Last Monday evening, the 43rd edition of “Caribbean Marketplace” kicked off in Antigua. In addition to a two-day tradeshow, the event centered around Caribbean tourism and included regional and work group meetings, a Travel Forum, and a Direct Booking Summit for hotels. The majority of events of the 2025 edition took place at the American University of Antigua near V.C. Bird airport.
The annual regional tradeshow was organized by the Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Association (CHTA), represented by the St. Maarten Hospitality & Trade Association (SHTA) and Club du Tourisme (CdT) on island. Apart from the representing associations, l’Office du Tourisme and various St. Maarten / St. Martin hotels were present at the event to meet buyers, media, and suppliers to the industry. Amongst the St. Maarten / St. Martin companies represented were Divi Little Bay Resort, Sonesta Maho Beach Resort, Sonesta Ocean Point, Simpson Bay Marina & Spa, Grand Case Beach Club, and La Playa. In addition, Travel Forum panel participation of president de Tourisme, Valerie Damaseau, and Claudio Buncamper further added to the presence of the island in the prestigious tradeshow.
Local carrier Winair was supportive in various ways to the St. Maarten and St. Martin delegations via its direct connection with Antigua. Newly added connections by Winair contributed to heightened interest in St. Maarten’s hub function and stayover opportunities by international tour operators. CHTA Marketplace also made up an important networking opportunity on behalf of the St. Maarten / St. Martin Annual Regional Tradeshow (SMART), as many international tour operators who met there chose to do an in-depth visit of St. Maarten / St. Martin afterward. Tourism players looking to visit either the next edition of SMART or CHTA Caribbean Marketplace were invited to contact info@shta.com.