The Tribune

By JADE RUSSELL

Tribune Staff Reporter

jrussell@tribunemedia.net

BAHA MAR hosted 475 travel agents representing almost $1 billion in travel business sales at the International Luxury Travel Market (ILTM) North America conference this week.

The invitation-only event gathered the best from the luxury travel industry to engage in one-on-one meetings, seminars, and sessions for networking.

He said the resort will host the ILTM North America conference for three years.

“The travel advisors that represent travel agents across North America are very interested in The Bahamas,” Baha Mar President Graeme Davis said. “This is one of the most exceptional opportunities to showcase The Bahamas, the out islands, certainly Nassau Paradise Island on luxury experiences as we continue to grow and develop the product of tourism here in The Bahamas. Luxury is certainly the leading opportunity for growing the tourism market here.”

Mr Davis said the 475 travel advisors met suppliers that sold luxury hotel experiences worldwide. He said there were 775 “suppliers” who sold and provided information on the travel experiences and hotels they had to offer.

“Some had been here before, and they’re coming back to not only learn about The Bahamas, but also other suppliers of luxury experiences around the world,” Mr Davis added. 

The Baha Mar president said the conference had been held in Mexico for the last ten years, and that the opportunity to host the ILTM conference here was monumental.

“There are very few opportunities to have 475 travel agents that are selling, I believe, what is represented here is almost a billion dollars worth of travel business being booked at this event,” he added. “That’s what they represent across the entire globe as far as selling travel.”

He said the resort is hoping to host the luxury travel conference for the next ten years.

“Our expectations are that they’ll be here for many years to come, every year, every September, which is very encouraging to be able to have this type of event coming in September, which is typically our lower season.”

For her part, Alison Gilmore, who is a portfolio director for ILTM events globally, said The Bahamas was a great choice for this year’s conference.

“We outgrew where we were, and we decided we needed to move somewhere else,” she said. “The Bahamas is the perfect place for us to go for the next ten years and grow the business. Most of our audience on the supplier side or the buyer side, rather, come from North America. So, it’s a nice easy commute for them to come here for a few days.”