New York: Caribbean Week

As part of Caribbean Week in New York 2009 , the Caribbean Tourism Development Company
(www.caribbeantravel.com ) will be bringing the sites, sounds and tastes from the Region for one of the week’s most highly anticipated festivities, the Caribbean Travel and Cultural Fair. The event, free and open to the public, is scheduled to take place on Thursday, June 11 from 10:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at The Manhattan Center located at 311 West 34 th Street.

“The Fair is a consumer favorite during Caribbean Week,” said Hugh Riley, interim secretary general of the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) and co-chief executive officer for the Caribbean Tourism Development Company (CTDC). “It’s a celebration of Caribbean culture that brings the food, music and energy of the Region’s people to New York’s doorstep. It also serves as a one-stop shop for information and vacation specials to more than 30 countries.

The Caribbean Travel and Cultural Fair showcases musical and dancing performers, celebrity chef tastings and much more. A centerpiece of the event is the Caribbean Vacation Mart , which offers vacations at remarkably reduced prices available for purchase. Other activities include a Caribbean Wedding sponsored by MarryCaribbean.com and Caribbean Bridal Expo.

The Caribbean wedding takes places at approximately 1:30 p.m., where the lucky couple will exchange vows and receive a romantic Caribbean honeymoon in the British Virgin Islands at Biras Creek Resort. The bride will wear a wedding gown by Demetrios and a classic eternity diamond band by Cardow Jewelers of St. Thomas . A reception will follow when the married couple and guests will toast their nuptials and enjoy a cake supplied by Dream Weddings . The Palmyra A Soltis Resort & Spa in Jamaica will play host to the couple’s first anniversary celebration with a special, all-inclusive getaway.

Organized by CTDC, Caribbean Week in New York brings together the most influential policy makers, marketing professionals and tourism industry officials to interact and discuss both tourism and investment opportunities in the region. It also serves to provide a taste of the Caribbean to inspire travel and showcase the Region’s diversity to more than 10,000 attendees who participate in a number of targeted events hosted throughout the week including a Media Marketplace, Caribbean Marketing Conference and Awards Luncheon, Caribbean Treats: Food, Rum & Rhythm, Allied Awards Luncheon and the Annual Governments of the Caribbean State Ball and Awards Presentation.

For more information on Caribbean Week in New York 2009, to register for all events and to purchase tickets, visit: www.onecaribbean.org or call 212-635-9530 to speak to a representative from the Caribbean Tourism Development Company.

The Caribbean Tourism Development Company
The Caribbean Tourism Development Company (CTDC) is a marketing and business development unit, owned equally by the Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Association (CHTA) and the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO). Its mission is to own, promote, protect, advance and enhance the Caribbean brand. The CTDC combines the resources of the Caribbean region’s destinations, accommodations and service providers to create a viable, cohesive, business unit that is able to identify commercial opportunities and allow the members of CHTA and CTO to benefit collectively from those opportunities in ways that individually they could not. In all its endeavors the company engages only in activities that honor the Caribbean brand.