The Grenada Tourism Authority (GTA) invited Fourteen (14) UK tour operators to Grenada to participate in a dynamic and experiential tour operator travel symposium and marketplace, from November 10th to 17th 2021.
Royalton Grenada Resort and Spa provided their accommodation.
This symposium is the first of its kind to be held in Grenada and is part of the new tourism thrust to reignite the local tourism industry, relaunch Grenada as the new ‘it’ destination and highlight the authentic features that the tri-island state has to offer. Tour operators develop tour packages and itineraries for their clients and sell holidays all around the world either through travel agents or directly to customers. The marketplace allowed for direct meetings with the hotels, resorts and tour companies to build relationships and create linkages in the UK market with Grenada’s service providers.
The GTA team curated a robust schedule of activities which included participation in a voluntourism tree planting project at the Grenada Botanical Gardens.
Many of the local land and sea tours and signature activities were promoted and included visits to waterfalls, dive excursions, guided nature hikes, culinary experiences and tours of landmark sites.
One of the major highlights of the visit was an exhibition cricket match held at the national stadium on Sunday November 14th between the Windward Volcanoes and a Grenada Eleven. In conjunction with the Grenada National Stadium and the Grenada Cricket Association, destination Grenada took the opportunity to showcase a teaser of what the operators and their customers can expect during the highly anticipated England vs West Indies test series next March, of which Grenada has won the bid to host the third and final match of the series.
Due to protocols the invitees were limited to 75 persons made up of our visiting guests and tourism stakeholders. They were greeted by the sounds of live steelpan music, an authentic Grenadian brunch with local foods and delicacies served, spicemas costumes on display, dancing and friendly faces all while watching an exciting cricket match on the field.
The UK market is particularly important to Grenada, representing close to 20% of the market share, with stays averaging 12 days.
CEO of the Grenada Tourism Authority Petra Roach, is thrilled at the turn out and the execution of the travel symposium stating,”Normally GTA would attend the World Travel Market in November so that our local stakeholders could meet with the tour operators to negotiate inclusion in their programmes. However; this year we anticipated that they would have very subdued numbers and we thought we would flip our strategy on its head and invite the operators to come and do the contracting meetings here on island with us instead. Not only did it bring about significant savings but it meant that we could have their exclusive attention and also at the same time, show the multifaceted offerings that we have on the island. Our team and all stakeholders worked hard to ensure Grenada left a lasting mark on the minds of the tour operators, all of which will rebound with even stronger business.”
The Marketplace is timely as the destination prepares to welcome visitors for the upcoming winter season.
