Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1546515
B M & T ••• September/October 2026 ••• www.blackmeetingsandtourism.com 37 space in 13 rooms. All the rooms combined will accommodate more than 3,800, while the largest individual room can hold approximately 1,700. Port of Spain's Hilton Trinidad and Conference Centre, with nearly 20,000 square feet of event space, can also accommodate large groups. For smaller meetings, executive retreats or incen- tive trips, a wide range of hotels, inns and resorts on Trinidad and the more scenic, laid-back Tobago may fit the bill. Meeting attendees and other visitors based on Trinidad can venture out to explore attractions like the Caroni Bird Sanctuary, Avocat Waterfalls, and the Magnificent Seven mansions in Port of Spain's Queens Park Savannah. They can view the making of one of Trinidad & Tobago's signature cultural products on a tour of a steelpan factory. On Tobago, they can relax on Pigeon Point Beach, snorkel at Buccoo Reef, hike to the Argyle Waterfall, or find plenty of other ways to enjoy the island's nat- ural beauty. History buffs might want to check out Fort King George Heritage Park in Scarborough, with its mountaintop perch overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. Travelers who need the capacity and meeting infrastructure that Trinidad offers but also want access to the more relaxing environment of Tobago can have the best of both worlds. There is an inter- island ferry service available, and Caribbean Airlines offers daily 24-minute flights between the sister islands. THE BAHAMAS Among the largest meeting facilities in The Bahamas is the Atlantis Paradise Island Bahamas, which encompasses 200,000 square feet of indoor function space and 300,000 square feet of outdoor event space. Another option for large gatherings in the Grand Hyatt Baha Mar Resort, offering approx- imately 200,000 total square feet of indoor and out- door event space combined and accommodations for up to 3,000 in its largest ballroom. For leisure and incentive travelers, as well as meet- ing goers looking for things to do between and after sessions, this multi-island destination delivers. Two of its beaches, Seven Mile Beach on Grand Cayman and Pink Sands Beach on Harbour Islands, are fre- quently ranked among the Caribbean's most beauti- ful. Visitors to the Exuma Islands can have the one- of-a-kind experience of watching wild pigs swim up to a boat from their habitat on Pig Beach on Big Major Cay. For a high-end corporate retreat, you can even buy out one of the private islands for your group's exclusive use. The capital city of Nassau on Paradise Island is the site of Queen's Staircase, a 66-step walkway that 600 enslaved people carved of solid limestone rock to serve as a military escape route in the 18th centu- ry. Another notable historical and sightseeing attrac- tion in Nassau is Clifton Heritage National Park, which features hiking trails, an underwater sculpture garden, plantation ruins and an Amerindian cave. On Grand Bahama Island there's Lucayan National Park, which has one of the world's longest charted underwater cave systems. THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC The premier meeting facility in the Dominican Republic is the Barceló Bávaro Convention Center in Punta Cana, offering a total of about 124,000 square feet of space in 13 divisible rooms. The con- vention center can accommodate meetings of up to 2,600, while the adjacent Barceló Bávaro Beach is an adults-only, all-inclusive property that can provide additional meeting rooms if needed. For smaller events, the Casa de Campo Resort & Villas in La Romana, with 24,000 square feet of meeting space might be a consideration. Meeting groups or incentive travelers staying at the Casa de Campo can play a round at the Teeth of the Dog, one of the region's top-ranked golf courses. The DR is also home to the three largest all-in inclu- sive resorts in the Caribbean: the 1,,775-guestroom Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre View of Trinidad city at night