ANTIGUA & BARBUDA TOURISM AUTHORITY

The Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority along with partner Tropical Adventures were present at the Destination Wedding Planners Congress in Mexico

ST. JOHN’S, ANTIGUA (April 17th, 2018) – Antigua and Barbuda consecutively voted the Caribbean’s Most Romantic Destination by the prestigious World Travel Awards, was amongst the luxurious destinations represented at the 5th Annual Destination Wedding Planners Congress (DWP) which took place in Los Cabos, Mexico from April 10th – 13th 2018.

The highly anticipated networking event is known as one of the strongest business platforms in the destination wedding and honeymoon industry having gained quite a stellar reputation for attracting the world’s top luxury wedding planners and suppliers from around the world.

The Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority, joined the ultra-exclusive event for the first time, coming on board as a bronze sponsor. As bronze sponsor, and one of the few Caribbean destinations in attendance, the Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority had tremendous visibility at the 2018 Congress, which saw over 400 planners and destinations in attendance.

Antigua and Barbuda Minister of Tourism and Economic Development, The Honorable Charles Fernandez said, “The Destination Wedding Planners Congress aligns with our marketing plans for building the romance market.

“As we continue to grow the romance niche, and position Antigua and Barbuda as a leading romance destination, our teams continue to seek out opportunities to promote the beauty of the destination, the destination’s weddings and honeymoon offerings and the ease of planning a romantic getaway in Antigua and Barbuda. These networking forums allow us to stay top-of-mind amongst wedding planners already familiar with the destination, and expand our presence to new wedding planners.”

During the event, the biggest names in the global wedding industry meet with an impressive line-up of partners and suppliers whose offerings and services push the boundaries of industry excellence.

The Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority was represented by Marketing Communications Manager for the US market, Shermain Jeremy and Marketing Consultant with responsibility for the Caribbean market, Charmaine Spencer in partnership with one of Antigua’s leading tour operators and destination management company, Tropical Adventures.   

Luxury Wedding Planners at the show were amongst the first to gain access to the Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority’s newest Romance Brochure which was launched at the event.  The new brochure includes romance packages from hotels throughout the islands, descriptions of romantic venues, and lays out for planners all the necessary details and fees associated with getting married in Antigua and Barbuda. Information was also presented on professional wedding and event services available in Antigua, and the logistics involved in planning a seamless wedding.

Pre-arranged one-on-one meetings were scheduled with several of the world’s top, renowned wedding planners from key source markets and included wedding planner to the stars, Kathy Romero, among others. The destination met with almost 20 luxury planners and experienced keen interest from the Asian market.

The Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority indicated that the response by the luxury planners augured well for the destination with the Authority having made a number of valuable connections.

The Destination Wedding Planners Congress included a packed agenda of intense networking, presentations, panel discussions and breakout sessions led by some of the industry’s most accomplished professionals.

The cover of the new Antigua and Barbuda Romance brochure features the bridal gown design of noted New York based fashion designer Chen Burkett, of Antiguan descent. (Photo credits: www.chenburkett.com)