Tourism Group Ups Proposed Budget to $20 Million to Promote Caribbean After Hurricanes
Photo Credit: The Caribbean is launching a regional destination marketing fund. Pictured is the Hope Town Harbour Lodge in Abaco, the Bahamas, a member of the Ascend Hotel Collection by Choice Hotels. PRNewsFoto/Choice Hotels International
Skift Take
Details are still being hammered out for this new Caribbean marketing fund as hurricane season officially begins June 1. Many cruise ship passengers already consider the Caribbean as a collective destination, but still, why did it take decades for this fund to come about?
Following a devastating 2017 Atlantic hurricane season, the Caribbean Tourism Organization announced this week that it’s establishing an annual $20 million regional destination marketing fund to help rebuild the region's reputation and make the Caribbean more competitive with other global destinations.
The fund, which is a public/private partnership, was initially discussed in October — one month after Hurricanes Irma, Jose, and Maria wreaked havoc across parts of the region — when Hugh Riley, secretary-general of the Caribbean Tourism Organization, said a $10 million fund would be sufficient.
As time passed and the scope of the damage became more apparent, Caribbean tourism officials decided that more funds would be necessary. "In October we were looking at a short-term marketing initiative at that time, but as time has progressed we’ve looked at what’s been successful in the past and reassessed how much funding will be needed," said Joy Jibrilu, chairperson of the b
