Tobago’s stand at ITB 2019 when the destination last attended in person.
SCARBOROUGH, Tobago--The Tobago Tourism Agency Limited (TTAL) will be leading a delegation of public and private sector tourism stakeholders to attend the Internationale Tourismus-Börse (ITB) in Berlin, Germany, from March 7 to 9, as they seek to reconnect with the European travel market and stimulate business opportunities for Tobago’s on-island tourism stakeholders, according to a press release from the TTAL.
ITB is the world’s leading travel trade show of historical magnitude in the tourism industry and is perceived to be the leading travel industry think tank, providing a platform to address the most important issues in the global tourism industry while presenting solutions and best practice examples to help mitigate current and future challenges, the release states.
Tobago’s joint delegation at ITB 2023 will include Farley Augustine, Chief Secretary of the Tobago House of Assembly, Councillor Tashia Burris, Secretary for Tourism, Culture, Antiquities and Transportation, Alicia Edwards, TTAL Executive Chairman, Perl Henry, TTAL Marketing Officer and Chris James, Ex-Officio member of TTAL’s Board and Immediate Past President of the Tobago Hotel and Tourism Association.
The “Tobago beyond” stand at ITB – jointly branded with Trinidad Tourism Limited – will also host representatives of key travel and tourism stakeholders representing the interests of destination Tobago, including regional carrier Caribbean Airlines, Tobago-based tour operator Ted Sunshine Enterprise & Tours, and the Tobago Unique Bed and Breakfast & Self Catering Association. The delegation of hoteliers attending ITB 2023 – the most extensive representation of accommodation providers in TTAL’s history of attendance at the event – include Bacolet Beach Club, Coco Reef Resort and Spa, Crown Point Beach Hotel, Grafton Beach Resort/Le Grand Courlan Spa Resort, Half Moon Blue Resorts Ltd, Mount Irvine Bay Resort and Tropikist Beach Hotel, according to the release.
Alicia Edwards, Executive Chairman of TTAL said: “As part of TTAL’s recovery strategy for Tobago, it is essential that we join hands with our private and public sector partners in tourism to ensure that destination Tobago makes a strong comeback in the European travel market. Historically, Germany has always been an important travel market for Tobago, second only to the UK as a source of international arrivals to the island. Our attendance at ITB Berlin will be used as an avenue to strengthen business relationships between the lucrative German tourism business unit and our destination, forging a pathway to a more successful and sustainable future of tourism in Tobago.”
To further capitalise on attendance at ITB, TTAL has partnered with Tourimax, Tobago’s destination representatives in Germany, to conduct a series of meetings with key European travel-trade partners in the week preceding ITB, using a hands-on, direct approach to engage airlines, influential travel media and European tour operators, as Tobago re-focuses efforts to increase visitor arrivals from the region, the release concludes.