AERIAL SKYWAYS LEAD TO BAHAMAS AND JAMAICA
NEW YORK (January 19, 2012) – The Caribbean is girding for two major events this weekend; one in the Bahamas brings together the major players in the region’s tourism industry, and the other gathers leading world music stars in Jamaica.
In the Bahamas hundreds of travel and tourism stakeholders descend on Paradise Island for the 30th anniversary edition of Caribbean Marketplace, the biggest travel trade event of the year.
To be held at the Atlantis resort, from January 22 to 24, Caribbean Marketplace, produced by the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association, offers wholesalers and tour operators the opportunity to meet with hoteliers, attractions and destination officials to plan and prepare packages to accommodate potential vacationers.
A buzz of anticipation has been created by the attendance of two new ministers of tourism following elections in the important destinations of St. Lucia and Jamaica, the result of which toppled the ruling parties there.
Saint Lucia’s new Minister of Tourism, Heritage and Creative Industries, Lorne Theophilus, will lead a strong delegation from the Eastern Caribbean nation, while Dr. Wykeham McNeill, Jamaica’s Minister of Tourism and Entertainment will spearhead Jamaica’s contingent to the trade show.
A Cuba-trained physician and long-standing parliamentarian, Dr. McNeill is no stranger to the tourism portfolio, having served in the industry for many years, including as Minister of State in the Ministry of Tourism.
At the conclusion of Caribbean Marketplace, some of the delegates head to Montego Bay, Jamaica for the 16th edition of Jamaica Jazz and Blues – The Art of Music from January 26 to 28.
To be held during Jamaica’s 50th Anniversary of Independence, the opening night of the festival is dedicated to all the rich sounds that have shaped Jamaica’s music over the past 50 years, and so it will feature ska, rocksteady, dancehall and reggae, the island nation’s influential contributions to world music.
Set to perform on the All-Jamaica opening night are Shaggy, Richie Stephens and Gentleman, John Holt, Yellow Man, Half Pint, Marcia Griffiths, Lloyd Parkes and We The People, George Nooks, Luciano, Mykal Rose, AJ Brown, Pluto Shervington, Etana, Chris Martin, Marcia Barrett (Boney M), Derrick Morgan, Assassin (Agent Sasco), and Byron Lee’s Dragonaires.
The headliner for the festival is the global superstar, Celine Deon from Canada, while other performers include include Cee-Lo Green, Nicole Henry, Heads of State (featuring Bobby Brown, Johnny Gill and Ralph Tresvant), Jully Black, Earl Klugh, The Temptations Review featuring Dennis Edwards, Destra, and Tessanne Chin and Tami Chynn.
CAPTION: Jamaica’s new minister of tourism and entertainment, Dr. Wykeham McNeil.