Vacationers visiting the website will soon be able to register to win a free Caribbean vacation per month, plus be eligible for the Grand Prize one-week “Caribbean Vacation of the Lifetime” at the conclusion of the year-long promotion on the new website www.CaribbeanTravel.com, the only website that provides one place to experience the Caribbean region featuring 33 destinations, hundreds of hotels, attractions, restaurants, shops and local transportation.
Consumers who understand that “Life Needs the Caribbean,” can now discover an entirely new way to explore the Caribbean with enhanced design and search capabilities as well as the ease of use on desktops, tablets and mobile devices. The website was created by the Caribbean Tourism Development Company (CTDC), jointly owned by the official organizations of the region; the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) representing the governments and the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA) with hundreds of hotels across the region.
The enhanced www.CaribbeanTravel.com enables consumers to more easily find what they are looking for in a Caribbean vacation because of the common formatting across micro sites for each destination and the elimination of searching through individual sites of the 33 destinations that make up the Caribbean region.
The Caribbean vacation giveaway begins shortly with consumers registering on the site, Facebook page or via Twitter. Prize packages include roundtrip air-inclusive vacations for two to the famous Cove Atlantis Resort on Paradise Island in the Bahamas, the luxurious Round Hill Hotel and Villas in Jamaica, the Westin Hotel & Resort in St. Maarten, La Pagerie Hotel on Martinique, and a private pool suite at Spice Island Beach Resort in Grenada, recently named the number one resort in the Caribbean on TripAdvisor.
All vacations will include roundtrip airfare, VIP greeting service upon arrival, roundtrip limousine transportation to the hotel plus excursions to historic sites, amazing underwater adventures, zip lining and sailing, to name a few.
“CaribbeanTravel.com is a complete and comprehensive site that will revolutionize the research and vacation-planning process for millions of consumers looking to escape to the leading warm weather destination – the Caribbean,” said Beverly N. Nicholson-Doty, CTO Chairman, Commissioner of Tourism for the U.S. Virgin Islands and CTDC co-chair.
Driven by the necessity to compete in the ever-growing and aggressively competitive global travel marketplace, the Caribbean has come together to create a 24/7/365, state-of-the-art, online website that will act as the collective home for all of the countries of the region, showcasing their unique beauty as well as giving voice to all of the individual properties.
“We expect that our revitalized website will set a new standard for promoting our Caribbean region and become the cornerstone of our cooperative regional marketing strategy for the Caribbean brand under the ‘Life Needs the Caribbean’ theme,” said Nicholson-Doty. “This is an unprecedented level of regional cooperation between governments and the private sector in tourism,” she added.
The destination sections of the website will be comprised of country-branded micro-sites that will instantly allow the individual country brands to shine and showcase the best that each has to offer. Fresh editorial content powered by the best publishers from around the world will also ensure that the website continues to be a leading resource for consumers to learn about and experience all things Caribbean.
“This cutting-edge website will provide consumers with full responsive web design for optimal user experience across desktop, tablet and mobile devices,” Nicholson-Doty said.
Richard J. Doumeng, CHTA president and CTDC co-chair, stated: “The website’s advanced searching capabilities will make it easier than ever for consumers to find the ideal Caribbean destination and resort. Restaurants, attractions and other visitor activities now have the ability to showcase their properties like never before.”
“CaribbeanTravel.com will act as a single, centralized source for exploring and promoting the CHTA’s member hotels, resorts, restaurants and activities,” said Doumeng. “It will feature a regional editorial newsstand with fresh and branded content from travel writers and top publishers from around the world, preparing and intriguing consumers to embark on travels and vacations throughout the region,” Doumeng said.
Some of the things consumers can research on the website include:
Explore all needed travel information for each Caribbean destination including entry requirements, activity options, marriage requirements and airlines that service each country.
An interactive map for each Caribbean destination that allows consumers to see locations of hotels, attractions they can easily visit or restaurants in which to dine.
Browse Caribbean accommodations by category including: all-inclusive resorts, large hotels, boutique and intimate properties, bed & breakfasts, timeshares, condos and villas.
Get up-to-date special deals and packages as they become available across the Caribbean region.
Read through helpful and informative press articles about Caribbean vacations, destination weddings and honeymoons, dining, golf and scuba diving.
Watch destination videos from around the Caribbean.
Connect with CaribbeanTravel.com on all social media sites to get information on-the-go by visiting Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram pages.
Completely re-imagined and re-engineered, CaribbeanTravel.com is, at its heart, a comprehensive source for all things Caribbean. “The simple, yet powerful graphic user interface inspires consumers with beautiful content that communicates the true value of the region, while making it faster, simpler and more enjoyable for travelers to find the vacation experience they are seeking,” said Rafael Cardozo, president of Tambourine, a global destination and hospitality branding and marketing firm responsible for the redesign and implementation of the new website.
Cardozo added: “Utilizing the latest programming languages and dynamic database driven technology, the site was conceived to be a long-term solution and serve the region well into the future. From advanced destination mapping features, to comprehensive social media integration and robust rich media presentation capabilities, CaribbeanTravel.com is a comprehensive destination and hotel marketing platform never before seen in the region.
“The powerful, yet easy to use content management system puts complete control and convenient access of all content directly in the hands of all the region’s stakeholders. This will ensure that all destinations and hotels are able to showcase their unique value to the world, as well as update offers and promotions instantly, in real time.”
One of the most important and innovative features of the site is its multi-platform and multi-resolution responsive web design capability. CaribbeanTravel.com dynamically optimizes the viewing experience for desktop, tablet and mobile viewing, independent of operating system or brand; thus ensuring a great experience for all visitors no matter how they choose to explore.
“Today the website launches with 33 destinations, nearly 400 hotel listings, 100-plus restaurants and attractions and this is just a start,” said Doumeng. “We aim to show that ‘Life Needs the Caribbean,'” he added.
Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association
