Coco Reef Lights up Caribbean Marketplace

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. October 14, 2008

ARUBA, January 16, 2007. A brief powercut on the second day of the Caribbean Marketplace in Aruba left delegates, including Coco Reef (pictured), briefly lighting up their stands with candles. The sold-out floor of the 28th edition of the exhibition in Oranjestad is home to 1,450 delegates buying and selling the future of the Caribbean tourism industry. The marketplace also had an increased presence from Canada, Germany, Italy, Mexico, the Netherlands, Sweden and Venezuela.

The global travel climate is a "buzz with interesting developments playing out, even as we gather here," says Chairman of the Caribbean Hotel Association, Bertha Parle. The focus of a number of Caribbean nations is on the Cricket World Cup and what this event will bring to their respective tourism industries, and how to sustain tourism growth beyond the event and attract repeat visitors.

Another focus of the event is on promoting the Caribbean beyond the sun, sea and sand image that it has a solid reputation for. "We are now promoting local experiencies that tourists can have, such as Jamaican cooking, local culture, carnival and music," Aloun Ndombet-Assamba, Minister of Tourism for Jamaica.