“ILTM North America is a perfect opportunity to position Anguilla as a luxury destination to leading advisors from our key source market, North America,” stated Deputy Director of Tourism, Mrs. Chantelle Richardson. “It has proven to be a successful tradeshow for us, with extensive opportunities for one-on-one meetings with luxury travel professionals, with whom we shared in-depth information and current updates about destination Anguilla. The various networking platforms also allow us to gain first-hand knowledge of upcoming bookings, travel trends and patterns. Our participation this year promises to yield a higher percentage of advance bookings, and new visitors that align with Anguilla’s niche offerings.”
More than 28,000 one-on-one pre-scheduled appointments took place during the three-day event, with dinners and networking events held across Baha Mar throughout the week. A selection of North America’s most influential editors and writers were also in attendance, which provided additional public relations coverage for the destination. The curated events impressed advisors and exhibitors, both those attending an ILTM event for the first time as well as returning delegates.
The Anguilla Tourist Board (ATB) representatives conducted over 65 meetings with advisors representing Altour, Avenue Two, American Express Travel, Brownwell, Departure Lounge, Direct Travel, Embark Beyond, Gifted Travel Network, Frosch, First In Service, McCabe World Travel, Protravel and Tour Operators including Ultimate Jet Vacations and Classic Vacations. The representatives also engaged with the hosted journalists present over networking lunches and dinners. The Deputy Director and US Sales Representative acknowledged the invaluable support and partnerships of our trade affiliates in selling Anguilla as a premier destination. Information was shared about the many options of getting to Anguilla, as easy access to the destination is an essential driver of the robust demand for Anguilla. Deputy Director Richardson provided highlights on tourism investments, such as the development of the Clayton J. Lloyd International Airport, the flagship Marina, Yacht Club and Luxury Resort at Altamer, Ani Private Resorts, and the Savannah Bay Marina and Resort.
The ATB team was joined by representatives from Aurora Anguilla Resort & Golf Club; Cap Juluca, A Belmond Hotel; Little Harbour Estates; and Zemi Beach House, LXR Hotels & Resorts. Capitalizing on their presence, the ATB along with their industry partners hosted two dinners for approximately 30 leading travel advisors.
Anguilla gained heightened visibility as the featured Destination Partner of the Month by Departure Lounge Travel Planning Specialists. This special designation is designed to enhance partnerships in destinations beloved by both advisors and clients, to help foster learning opportunities, raise awareness of Tourism Board partners, facilitate social media promotion, and create excitement about the destination.
In addition to being featured in the Departure Lounge client newsletter, Anguilla will receive a “Know Your Destination Partner” spotlight in the form of a short video of up to 5 minutes; a featured advisor webinar, the recording of which remains accessible to advisors via the dedicated team portal; a 10-minute presentation during the monthly Departure Lounge advisor team zoom; and prioritized access to advisors for a Departure Lounge Exclusive FAM featuring Anguilla as the destination of choice.
The 2024 ILTM North America hosted 525 luxury travel suppliers from across the world as well as 525 luxury travel advisors (55 new to the event) from 250 cities across the region (70 percent from the U.S., 20 percent from Mexico and 10 percent from Canada).
For information on Anguilla, please visit the official website of the Anguilla Tourist Board: www.IvisitAnguilla.com; follow us on Facebook: Facebook.com/
Tags: Chantelle Richardson, Anguilla Tourist Board, 2024 ILTM North America, Tourism
