CTO Chairman Commends ASTA/Sandals Partnership in Building Regional Tourism

Minister of Tourism and International Transport for Barbados and Chairman of the Caribbean Tourism Organisation (CTO) Ian Gooding-Edghill has lauded the ongoing partnership between Sandals Resorts and the North American Travel Advisor Community, which he said is key in helping to build and sustain the regional tourism sector.

Minister Gooding-Edghill was attending the third annual ASTA Caribbean Showcase which was held at Sandals Royal Curacao at the end of August. ASTA, the American Society of Travel Advisors, is the largest group representing travel advisors in North American, a key source market for many Caribbean destinations. 

Having attended the second annual event last year in Turks and Caicos, the Minister said he could not wait for it to come to Barbados, “Let me stress the importance of the association between ASTA and Sandals particularly within the Caribbean region. The importance of having travel advisors visit a destination is in no small measure a significant accomplishment. It is an accomplishment because these are the partners that will sell Barbados and sell other Caribbean destinations. Just think of the over 235 advisors who have come here now offering the destination to a potential traveler; it is huge. That’s why we have to thank Sandals and ASTA for making this possible, to allow travel advisors to come into the Caribbean for them to see it, for them to feel it, and for them to experience the wonderful hospitality that we have to offer.”

Minister Gooding-Edghill noted that governments and tourism agencies need to support such strategic stakeholder alliances, particularly with increasing competition and a changing travel landscape, “There is a huge increase in demand for the Caribbean, and therefore it is important that we continue the sensitization process that will allow all of the Sandals business development managers and all of the ASTA advisors to be familiar with what we have to offer.”

Speaking at the event Curacao’s Minister of Traffic, Transportation and Urban Planning, the Honorable Charles Cooper, said the island has already felt the impact of Sandals since it opened its doors there two years ago, “We are very glad that Sandals helped us grow the American market, because we were concentrating more on the Dutch market which is European, but we wanted to grow the American market and Sandals was the pioneer helping us. We are not yet where we want to be, but the numbers are exponentially growing and Sandals has helped us greatly with that. Tourism at the moment is within 35 to 40% of our GDP, and that is the biggest one.”

Minister Gooding-Edghill pointed out that tourism was in fact the main economic pillar for many Caribbean islands, assuring travel advisors that when they send clients to the Caribbean, they create jobs and generate wealth for these islands to not only survive but to develop and prosper, “When you think about the contribution to the economies, think as well what it does to the social security system and to help countries maintain the infrastructure that is necessary to ensure your own customer’s satisfaction.” 

Noting the Minister’s comments, Gary Sadler, the Executive Vice President of Sales and Industry Relations at Unique Vacations Inc., an affiliate of the worldwide representatives for Sandals Resorts, stressed Sandal’s commitment to continue working with travel advisors and other stakeholders to ensure the success and growth of tourism in the Caribbean, “Whatever my legacy may be, whichever way history may judge me, I only ask that it judge me by my undying faith in you. I ask that it judge me because all I believe in is your profession and what you can do for the building and the growing of the business to the Caribbean. Because whether you believe it or not, you change lives!”