The Barbados-based Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) says the Caribbean’s flair, pulsating energy and colorful sounds will captivate New York during Caribbean Week in early June.
The CTO said on Tuesday that Caribbean Week New York takes place from June 1-8.
“In celebration of the region’s distinct characteristics, diverse backgrounds and standout cultural traditions, the week’s electrifying activities will reflect the Caribbean Tourism Organization’s theme for 2019, the ‘Year of Festivals,’” said the regional tourism body,”
“With vibrant colors, the tastes and spices of the Caribbean, cultural history and the region’s rich heritage, Caribbean Week New York is a must for the Caribbean tourism industry, the Caribbean Diaspora and other consumers, as well as businesses interested in forming relationships focused on developing the region,” it added.
Organized by CTO-USA, Inc., the Caribbean Week New York program takes place throughout New York City, with key business meetings at the Wyndham New Yorker Hotel in midtown Manhattan.
The CTO said the week is designed to “raise awareness of the Caribbean’s diverse tourism industry and further enhance the Caribbean region’s cultural tapestry.
“Combining exciting consumer-oriented and informative business sessions with Caribbean-inspired cuisine, lively entertainment, authentic cultural experiences and networking opportunities, Caribbean Week New York is the largest Caribbean tourism activity in the city,” it said, adding that culinary delights from the region are at “the forefront of Caribbean Week.
“Let your taste buds explode with authentic Caribbean cooking demonstrations prepared by the region’s celebrity chefs at department stores around New York City,” the CTO continued.
It said the annual Rum & Rhythm Benefit, a major fundraiser for the CTO Foundation, is “an elegant Caribbean cultural and gastronomic experience, which brings consumers, travel industry professionals and other officials on a magical cultural journey through the Caribbean by experiencing the eclectic cuisines, pulsating rhythms, camaraderie and quintessential experiences the Caribbean offers.”
The CTO said the Caribbean Students Colloquium serves as “a catalyst for creativity while bringing together students enrolled in tourism and hospitality programs that have a devotion to the Caribbean and are eager to make a contribution to its sustainable development.”
The event challenges students to present well-researched, practical and financially-viable sustainable tourism projects, the CTO said.
It said additional Caribbean Week highlights include Media Marketplace, which offers member destinations the opportunity to promote their latest news and connect with leading travel writers, top-tier news and features editors, and key photojournalists from the New York area.
The CTO said the Media Marketplace also “gives the opportunity to get up close and personal to maximize opportunities for stories, press trips and relationships.”
The Caribbean Tourism Industry Awards program honors individuals across the industry, “who have published captivating and influential stories that effectively communicate the allure of the Caribbean,” the CTO said.
It said participants in Caribbean Week include creative artistes, dynamic performers, celebrity chefs, the Caribbean Diaspora community, important investors, Caribbean ministers and directors of tourism, government officials, tourism stakeholders and the media.
