The Caribbean’s premiere travel trade show and conference has begun inviting travel agents for the first time, but a Canadian travel company has doubts that the plan will work.

Twelve American travel counsellors were the inaugural test subjects at the recently concluded Caribbean Travel Marketplace (CTM) in Nassau, Bahamas, representing a pilot project by the organizers (the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association) that CHTA exec Karen Whitt believes is essential to helping the show maintain numbers and relevance in the future.

“With a lot of consolidation in our industry, it’s clearly becoming more and more difficult to provide the numbers that we need to,” says Whitt, who will assume the role of CHTA president this summer. “So we decided to select 12 travel agents from the United States ranging in everything from specializing in groups and weddings, to selling three-, four- and five-star properties, all the way up to the uber luxury agents, so that we could get a good cross section and feedback (on the success of the project).”

Whitt says the agents were registered “just like a normal buyer” and were to have appointments on the marketplace floor “just like a regular tour operator would.” And there were added networking opportunities at opening and closing ceremonies and lunch.

Now that the show has concluded, CHTA will solicit feedback from the agents, as well as suppliers and tour operator partners to determine if the pilot project was successful and is viable to expand.

But she says, “We know we can, because this is done very successfully at other shows… other very successful shows have both sectors. We’re excited about it, the agents are extremely optimistic and excited about it and I think in the future we’re going to see that as a way to build the show to continue to remain relevant and provide the most bang for the buck, especially for the small hotels who really need the extra exposure.”

She adds that response from tour operators (who may have to vie for time appointment slots with agents in the future) so far has been “amazing.”

Asked whether Canadian agents would be considered for the program in the future, Whitt told Travel Industry Today, “Yes, absolutely! And not just Canada, but other destinations as well.”

She says potential agents would be targeted by CHTA based on specialization and success selling the Caribbean, though a phase 2 could include “those who have potential to sell.”

And while she adds that CHTA would love to have simply launched the program in full at this year’s conference, “We felt really strongly about doing the test and working out the kinks.”

One big kink for Canadian retailers, however, is timing, says tripcentral.ca’s Paul Foster, who attended the Nassau event on company business, not as a travel agent. But as the co-owner of a chain of 26 travel agencies in Ontario and Atlantic Canada that employs 120 people, Foster says none of his agents would be permitted to attend a conference that is typically held at the end of January during the height of the selling season.

“We would look at them like they were crazy.”

“Our agents don’t take time off at this time of year – from mid October to the end of March,” adds tripcentral.ca manager of cruise and coach Pam deHaan. “The fish are biting.”

Foster lauds CHTA for thinking outside the box as well as for both testing the initiative and seeking feedback from those involved. His would be that a custom-made program for agents be built around a FAM component, as well as niche training, such as weddings.

As for spending time meeting suppliers on the marketplace floor, he says, “Tour operators do it in Toronto and hotels are very good at coming (to Canada).”

Overall, Foster says CHTA’s plan is “intriguing,” but he believes it needs “fine tuning.” Because, as presently constituted, “Any (Canadian) agent in their right mind wouldn’t go (in January),” he says. “That’s when they make their money.”

Caribbean Travel Marketplace rotates through major island destinations and in recent years has been held in The Bahamas, Jamaica and Puerto Rico. Next year’s venue has yet to be announced.