The Bahamas is seeking to attract a greater level of airlift and to increase the number of stopover visitors in 2013 from 1.6 million to 1.8 million, according to Minister of Tourism Obie Wilchcombe.

Minister Wilchcombe made the comments during a Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA) Marketplace press conference at Atlantis, January 9, 2013.

He said that negotiations at the conference would go a long way in setting the pace for this goal.

The CHTA event will take place from January 20-22 and several hundred tourism and travel professionals are expected to converge on Nassau and Paradise Island for the event.

“Since The Bahamas hosted the 2012 event, we have the distinction of being the only nation to have hosted Marketplace for two consecutive years,” added Minister Wilchcombe.

“We take this return as an endorsement of our customer service, our attention to detail, and our ability to simply blow our guests away by providing uniquely Bahamian experiences,” the Minister said.

Also in attendance were: director general, The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism, David Johnson; director general and chief executive officer, the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association, Alec Sanguinetti; president, Bahamas Hotel and Tourism Association, Stuart Bowe; and executive director, Bahamas Hotel Association, Frank Comito.

“The Bahamas Hotel and Tourism Association member hotels have been busy preparing for the Marketplace, with hundreds of appointments being scheduled with buyers–including tour operators, wholesalers, online intermediaries and niche and vertical marketing companies,” said Bowe.

“Through our promotion boards and in partnership with the Ministry of Tourism, pre and post trips for the press and buyers to Grand Bahama and the Family Islands have been scheduled. A special event is also planned for Baha Mar.”