The CTO UK Chapter is a forum where individuals connected with selling and providing travel services in the Caribbean, work together to develop greater awareness of the region and look to expand profit opportunities for its members. The CTO UK Chapter was formed in 1989 and its membership comprises national tourist offices, airlines, cruise companies, hotel and hotel representative companies, tour operators, travel agents, travel trade and consumer press, public relation companies and allied members. Activity is directed by the CTO UK Advisory Board, which comprises elected members from the public and private sector and which meets monthly to discuss and implement Chapter activities.
Operations
The CTO (UK) Ltd is a non profit organisation with committee members working on a voluntary basis. New ideas, energy and assistance are welcomed from all CTO UK Chapter members. We hope that you will decide to join us to work together to promote the Caribbean region as one of the premier travel destinations for the European market.
As well as having the opportunity to participate at Board level all members are able to nominate themselves or other candidates to the Board. There is also the opportunity to volunteer to join any of the sub-committees e.g. Caribbean Training Programme (CTP), events and in doing so, shape the future of the membership and its related programs.
As of January 2002, the CTO UK Chapter has been operating as a Company Ltd by Guarantee. A full and detailed Memorandum and Articles of Association for the CTO (UK) Ltd. has been prepared clarifying the aims and conditions for its members and Board of Directors. The liability of its members is only £1.00 per company and there is no remuneration for any of its Directors. Copies are available upon request from the CTO UK Chapter office.
Marketing Opportunities
One of the main functions of the CTO UK Chapter is to generate and co-ordinate marketing activities. As a member you would have the opportunity to participate in the following or similar activities.
• Special Offers, Brochures & News Flyer : A A5 special offers mini-brochure giving members the opportunity to promote Special offers to over 30,000 + specially targeted consumers on the CTO consumer database.
• Guide to the Caribbean 2007 – 2008: We commissioned BMI Publications – publishers of Selling Long Haul – to publish our UK fulfilment piece the Guide to the Caribbean. The guide takes the form of a directory to provide consumers with all the information they need to help them plan their trip to the Caribbean including an overview of every destination and contact information for CTO members. The Guide to the Caribbean will be our main sales and distribution piece for the UK market and will support all of our marketing activities in this market (including consumer enquiries, mailings to our database, consumer and trade shows, mailings, training and other promotions). We will also be producing a digital edition which will enable us to further increase the distribution.
• Caribbean Travel Campaign 2007: What’s On In The Caribbean: Dedicated exclusively to the Caribbean, Caribbean Travel is now a ‘must’ buy as a core component of any Caribbean advertising schedule and is the ideal forum to reach a premium audience through quality publications.
This successful and well established calendar themed magazine offered expanded coverage in 2007, including the North West, East and Scotland along with increased coverage in Anglia and the South East. Number of copies printed: 1.3 million. Copies were inserted in the Daily Mail Weekend Magazine, (27th January), tested in the News of the World Now Magazine (28th January) and distributed with the Saturday Telegraph Magazine (03rd February). Copies were also distributed at consumer shows such as Destinations, Dive and the National Wedding Shows. All advertisers also benefited from a brochure response service and campaign report. We have now begun our sales campaign for our 2008 edition, please contact CTO UK for more information.
Marketing Initiatives – exclusive to CTO UK Chapter Members
The following initiatives were built into the marketing plan to provide a full-blown support programme for the membership – opportunities such as these are only open to CTO Chapter Members.
• CTO joint funded Special Offers press advertising campaign
• CTO joint funded Special Offers flyer campaign
• Special Offers on the website
• Participating in radio campaigns
• Participation in branded Taxi Campaign
Caribbean Conference
The CTO UK Chapter organised the first dedicated nationwide Caribbean Conference for UK Travel Agents in September 2006 which was be held at Aston University Birmingham (5th – 7th of September). The conference was formatted to comprise of 2 (back- to- back) events to attract maximum audience participation and accommodation was provided on site for all delegates attending the conference. This conference is held every year.
Participation in Consumer & Trade shows
In recent years, the CTO has managed to secure favourable rates to participate in niche market consumer shows such as the diving market. There was a Caribbean village at both the London Dive show at ExCel and at the International Dive Show at the NEC Birmingham in 2007.
The CTO will continue where possible, to secure and co-ordinate a Caribbean feature area at the shows confirmed in our Diary of Events.
Access to research, statistics and select CTO publications
This information includes up-to-date economic outlooks and current industry travel trends. Statistics can be requested through the UK office and can be accessed by logging onto the CTO intranet website www.onecaribbean.org.
Press Relations
The CTO employs a dedicated and experienced travel PR company, BGB Communications. This firm acts as the authoritative voice for the Caribbean travel industry in the UK. In doing so, they routinely issue press releases on developments in the region, provide journalist support for features on the Caribbean and organise events such as ‘Meet the Media’ and ‘Crisis Management’ seminars.
Networking Opportunities, Members Meetings and Caribbean Ball
Throughout the year there are a number of networking opportunities for members. There are normally four/six membership meetings held per year and these tend to take place in the late afternoon/early evening in order to minimise disruption to the working day. Where possible, there will be a dedicated speaker as well as a general update presentation on what is happening within the CTO UK Chapter and the activities that are being carried out. A small number of conferences are arranged each year, which are open to members. They provide a great forum for discussion on industry issues relating to the Caribbean and travel in general. Our events schedule also includes our annual UK Caribbean Ball, which over the years has grown into the event of the year in the industry calendar!
Mailing List of Key Industry Contacts
There are a total of 102 company members in the CTO UK Chapter as well as 1,000 travel agents currently on our database. All members have access to this information, which can be provided in an electronic format if required.
Access to a Consumer Database
A consumer database of names, addresses and email addresses has been developed since the CTO created the Caribbean Travel Magazine. Direct mail activity is targeted at this database on a regular basis and members are given the opportunity to participate in these mailings for a fee.
Special Offers on the Website www.caribbean.co.uk
We have a special offers section on the front page of the website, for offers exclusively from CTO UK Chapter Members. CTO UK Chapter Members are invited to supply new and up and coming special offers. These offers will be uploaded on a first come, first served basis.
Attendance at overseas conferences
Provides the opportunity to meet with regional and international tourism experts to discuss tourism-related issues.