Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/972111
B M & T ••• March/April 2018 ••• www.blackmeetingsandtourism.com 25 Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Report, where Barbados received the highest score for Safety & Security in the Caribbean, and one of the highest scores for Health & Hygiene in the world. In June, Barbados tourism was selected as a case study candidate by Marketing Association International (DMAI), as a result of the success of the restructure and establishment of the BTMI and the Barbados Tourism Product Authority (BTPA). The other destina- tions chosen were Singapore, Barcelona, Capetown, London, Melbourne, Vienna, Vancouver and Hangzhou China. Later, in July, Barbados beat out Aruba, Martinique and several other popular Southern Caribbean islands, to nab third place in Cruise Critic's Top-Rated Southern Caribbean Cruise Destinations. In September, Barbados was voted above the Canary Islands, Egypt, Mexico, Tenerife and Thailand by travel agents to win the prestigious Star Winter Sun Destination 2017 award. New opportunities for 2018 Looking ahead, Sealy said that "While we celebrate the numerous successes of last year, we are already full-steam ahead with our plans to make sure that 2018 is an equally promising year of growth for Barbados tourism. We have high hopes for our new airline partnerships, new hotel accommodations, new product development, and other new marketing activities in which we will be engaging across our source markets. One such opportunity Sealy revealed was that this year will see the commencement of the National Tourism Programme's U.S. $20 million loan which he said will span five years and seeks to further develop tourism product marketing and airlift. "We are also packaging 2018 as the Year of Culinary Experiences and you will therefore see us promoting a lot of the delicious and authentic din- ing experiences to be had on island, from flying fish to gourmet breadfruit bowls," Sealy said. "And I am confident that with all we have in the works, we will once again be celebrating a record year come January 2019." The Year of Culinary Experiences began with the BTPA's Sugar and Rum Season which is ongoing through April. Next on the calendar is the revamped Oistins Fish Festival over Easter weekend. Activities will con- tinue throughout the year and more information can be found at https://www.visitbarbados.org/year-of-culinary-experience . Up next for the destination is the annual Connect Barbados B2B con- ference which will once again see tour operators travel to Barbados from around the world to experience and learn more about all the island has to offer. The conference is scheduled for May 9-12, 2018. The 2017 tourism performance saw Saint Lucia breaking all records with total visitor arrivals climbing to an all-time high of 1,105,541. The island also recorded the highest growth in 2017 among the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) member countries, registering an 11% increase. 2017 was characterized by sustained growth in the industry, with stayover arrivals at 386,127 and the cruise sector recording a 14% increase, reaching 669,217, an additional 81,264 visitors despite the 8-month closure of the Pointe Seraphine Berth 1. Commenting on the figures, Minister of Tourism Information and Broadcasting Dominic Fedee, said: "The tourism industry continues to be an incredibly important and vital part of the Saint Lucian economy. We are happy with the levels of growth witnessed and as we continue our marketing efforts, we as well look to maximizing the impact of tourism on our economy". The Saint Lucia Tourism Authority worked assiduously with the CTO and trade partners to overcome the indirect challenges faced by Hurricanes Irma and Maria, ensuring all markets that the destination was safe and available for travel. At the close of 2017, The Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA) in Travel Trends Report for 2018, the most important doc- ument issued in the UK travel industry selected Saint Lucia as one of the top 12 destinations for 2018.