WILLEMSTAD- February 15, 2018 – The Curaçao Tourist Board (CTB) kicked off the 2018 New York Times Travel Showon Friday January 26th with The New York Times Travel Industry Conference which offered a comprehensive education program designed for travel agents and press members. The CTB had the opportunity to give a presentation alongside the Caribbean Tourism Organization and inform the travel agent community about the latest developments on the island, with a focus on wellness travel.
Following the conference, the New York Times Travel Show opened its exhibition floor for its 15th consecutive year at the Jacob K. Javits Center in New York City. This 3-day event had the highest attendance since its inception with 32,398 attendees including: 10,268 trade attendees including 1,384 media, 22,130 consumer attendees and 600 exhibiting companies from over 176 countries.
This year Curaçao recreated the iconic “Kokomo Swing” located at Kokomo Beach in Curaçao. The swings with the beach backdrop provided the perfect photo opportunity for visitors to imagine themselves in warm and sunny Curaçao.Attendees could also take the “What Type of Traveler Are You” quiz to find out how they would enjoy the island, based on their response each visitor received a digital itinerary with recommended places to stay, restaurants to try and activities to do. Over 52% of the responders were identified as “Beach Bums”.
CTB alongside private sector partners Hilton Curaçao, Livingstone Jan Thiel Resort, Papagayo Curaçao, Renaissance Curaçao Resort & Casino, Santa Barbara Beach & Golf Resort and Sunscape Curaçao Resort, Spa & Casino provided the visitors with information of the destination, different accommodation options on the island as well as information about JetBlue Airways’ non-stop service from JFK, which is set to increase to 4 times weekly this summer.
Curaçao’s presence at the show was the perfect opportunity to get in front of consumers from across the tri-state area ready to plan their next vacation.