"The state of the Caribbean industry is fantastic," said Nicola Madden-Greig, president of the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA), at the second edition of the Caribbean Travel Forum, an event held yesterday prior to the start of the Caribbean Travel Marketplace, where Madden-Greig provided the first brushstrokes of her diagnosis on the health of the region's tourism sector. 

Jamaica Minister of Tourism Hon. Edmund Bartlett received a prestigious award at the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association event. The Caribbean Tourism Excellence Award was bestowed on the Minister at the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA) luncheon held in Bridgetown, Barbados, with the Minister receiving the award from CHTA President Nicola Madden-Gregg.

"The state of the Caribbean industry is fantastic," said Nicola Madden-Greig, president of the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA), at the second edition of the Caribbean Travel Forum, an event held yesterday prior to the start of the Caribbean Travel Marketplace, where Madden-Greig provided the first brushstrokes of her diagnosis on the health of the region's tourism sector. 

The Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association’s (CHTA) 41st Caribbean Travel Marketplace is set to take place in Barbados over the next few days, and as someone who is deeply invested in the Caribbean tourism sector, I couldn’t be more excited to be “back home” for this event.

For many of us who work in Caribbean tourism, travel and hospitality, the past few years have been challenging. The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on the industry, with travel restrictions, border closures, and reduced demand for travel leading to decreased revenues and job losses across the region.

A combination of soaring demand, limited supply and surging airfares have helped airlines book record revenues during the past two quarters, but this golden age of enhanced revenues is coming at the expense of customer satisfaction.

According to 2023 North America Airline Satisfaction Study, released today, customer satisfaction with major airlines is down significantly for a second consecutive year, introducing the risk of possible brand damage if the current pattern of price hikes, staffing shortages and reduced routes continues.

As most travel restrictions connected to the COVID-19 pandemic have been lifted worldwide, commercial air traffic is set to soar to pre-pandemic levels on most routes in 2023, according to UN aviation agency.

So are the air fares. The price of air travel is set to soar this year too, spelling the end of low-cost travel as we know it.