PHILIPSBURG:--- Minister of Tourism and Economic Affairs Mellissa Arrindell-Doncher on Wednesday said that St. Maarten will have a presence at three very important events starting June 1.
The St. Maarten Tourist Bureau, supported by Cabinet members, will be present at three upcoming marketing and tourism forums to continue its annual efforts to promote St. Maarten but also keep up to date with worldwide and regional trends in the hospitality sector.
The Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association will be holding two of its major annual events in Miami, both the Taste of the Caribbean culinary festival and competition and the Caribbean Hotel Industry Exchange Forum, commonly known as the CHIEF Conference. The event runs from June 1 to 4.
CHIEF brings together the right information, the right people at the right time – and by producing this event in Miami, CHTA expects many more Caribbean stakeholders to benefit from the educational sessions and invaluable peer-to-peer exchange.
With three educational tracks covering a multitude of relevant topics, from the sharing economy to sustainability, and interactive roundtable and speed networking sessions, this is the event that St. Maarten should attend if we want to take on the issues affecting our business right now. We will seek to get together with fellow hoteliers, innovative vendors, government officials and industry experts.
The Taste of the Caribbean culinary competition which also forms part of CHIEF. As you know St. Maarten always does very well at this event, having won many medals and awards over the years, which cemented our standing as the culinary capital of the Caribbean.
Taste of the Caribbean is the region’s leading culinary competition, bringing together teams from across the region for what is both an industry and consumer event. This year’s Taste will also offer educational sessions for food and beverage professionals that promise to enhance individual skills.
“While the Director of Tourism and staff will be in Miami for CHIEF and Taste of the Caribbean, I will form part of a team that will attend Caribbean Week in New York, from June 3 to June 8,” the Minister said.
“We will join industry executives, the media, the Caribbean Diaspora, travel agents, consumers, and Students converge on the city to participate in a calendar of activities that showcase the best of Caribbean tourism,” she added.
Caribbean week will feature a wide selection of Business, Consumer, and Private Events. Over 30 Caribbean countries showcasing their tourism and business offerings.
“Besides the Caribbean week events, we have arranged meetings in New York with other stakeholders that do business with St. Maarten or is seeking to do business with St. Maarten. One such meeting is with JetBlue to continue our discussions for additional airlift as well as a possible major event to be held on St. Maarten soon,” she said.
