Top officials at the International Congress & Convention Association (ICCA) is expecting over 700 attendees from over 60 countries at this October´s annual Congress on the island of Rhodes, Greece. “The last time our congress was in Europe was in 2002, when in Copenhagen we had our last record attendance of just over 650” said Martin Sirk, ICCA´s CEO.

The second World Travel Internet Conference (WTIC) is again winging its way to the Caribbean, with the travel technology sector´s top decision makers landing on the Beaches Turks and Caicos Resort & Spa, Turks and Caicos, on September 18. Success in the travel technology sector is more about innovation than any other factor. This conference aims to spark a one-day conversation on this very topic.

After 20 months of construction to meet International Cricket Council (ICC) standards, the region´s newest sporting facility was officially opened at a ceremony in St. Kitts last Saturday. The handing over ceremony was attended by senior government officials, including the Prime Minister and Minister of Sport Dr. Denzil Douglas. Private Sector officials, representatives of sporting organizations and members of the Diplomatic Corps are also expected to attend.

The members of the Caribbean Hotel Association (CHA) will convene at the annual Caribbean Hotel Industry Conference, better known as CHIC 2006, to be held from June 25 to 28 at the Hyatt Regency Miami, in Florida, in association with American Express. The agenda of the four-day conference will be in tune with CHA´s mission to max out the full potential of the Caribbean hotel and tourism industry. To that end, sessions will focus on strategic approaches for the Caribbean hotel sector to respond to the global tourism challenge.

Grenada received high ratings last week from the ICC Assessment team headed by the Venue Development Director, Don Lockerbie. According to Mr. Lockerbie, Grenada is now making action and not promises in the face of next year´s Cricket World Cup. Members of the media also got a firsthand look at the Stadium facility and the work being done there. The tour highlighted some of the accomplishments made over the last few weeks and the way forward.

Supported by the main leading international institutions involved in tourism, development and the African continent (African Union, World Tourism Organization, UNCTAD, World Bank, African Development Bank, Geneva State), TourismAfrica2006 will gather in Geneva, Switzerland, the great majority of countries from the whole African continent from September 10 to 15. This new international event dedicated to Africa´s tourism industry will offer the possibility for African countries on the one hand to promote and on the other to develop their tourism and for investors to seize the opportunities offered by the continent.