Cuba´s Chamber of Commerce (CCC) summoned domestic and foreign companies stationed in eastern Cuba to attend the 13th edition of EXPOCARIBE, the biggest business marketplace in the Caribbean.
EXPOCARIBE 2005 will take place from June 19 to 24 at the Heredia Convention Center in Santiago de Cuba, its traditional host city since 1992.
The first tourist caravan to build on the travel allures of the Caribbean-bathed state of Quintana Roo among local trippers, will hit the road on February 20 with the enlisted participation of tourism trusteeships from Cancun, Cozumel, the Mayan Riviera and Mujeres Islands.
This kind of promotional road show was drummed up in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks in the U.S. as Mexican tourism authorities realized the domestic market can be the industry´s lifeline when the flow of incoming foreign travelers hits bedrock bottom, as it eventually happened in 2001.
The pressures threatening today´s tourism as a the main engine that drives poor economies were discussed by experts from different countries in the Golden Beach vs. Globalization Forum held recently in the Dominican Republic.
Chile´s former President Eduardo Frei delivered a lecture in which he blasted terrorism and international security problems as the main roadblocks to the advance of the world travel industry.
The Certified Meeting Professional (CMP), a program of the Convention Industry Council (CIC) is celebrating in 2005 its 20th anniversary, and CIC will commemorate it with several promotional events throughout the year.
Established in 1985, the CMP program was developed to increase the proficiency of meeting professionals in key components of the meetings, conventions, and exhibitions industry; recognize and raise industry standards; and, increase the value of these practitioners to their employers and individuals to whom their services are provided. Today it is regarded as the premier certification program in the industry.
Spanish giant hotel chain Sol Meliá unveiled recently the conveniences its hotels have to offer in the Cuban capital for staging conventions and meetings in a number of formats. The presentation was made by Cuba´s Convention Bureau with the sponsorship of Meeting Sol Meliá, the company´s event and incentive division.
According to the online version of Cuba Convention Bureau´s newsletter, hotels run by Sol Meliá in Havana are outfitted with all necessary conveniences and facilities, including over 43,000 square feet of meeting halls equipped with cutting-edge technology.
Mexico, Thailand and Great Britain won the prize in the Best Stand Category during the Madrid International Tourism Fair (FITUR 2005) that came to a close Sunday in the Spanish capital.
Mexico´s senior PR official in Madrid, Pelayo Alonso, said the jury paid close heed to communicational and promotional actions carried out by exhibitors during the Madrid tradeshow, especially in terms of business contacts and the job conducted by news organizations.