Island Routes (The World’s Leading Caribbean Attractions Company) held the inaugural “Island Routes Certified Partner’s Conference” in Ocho Rios and Montego Bay, Jamaica from Sept 13th to 16th, 2016. The Conference was held at the Sandals Ochi Beach resort with an option to visit multiple Call Centers in Montego Bay for a training exercise on the 3rd and final day.
5 of the top attraction providers and tour operators in Antigua attended along with over 40 of their Caribbean counterparts from a total of 7 different islands. The other islands included Barbados, Turks and Caicos, Bahamas, Grenada, St. Lucia and Jamaica.
The conference was the first of its kind in the Caribbean and was headed by Chief Executive Officer Adam Stewart. This pioneering event saw experts from across the sector gather to discuss industry-specific challenges, opportunities and explore avenues for growth and development.
The local attraction providers and tour operators that attended the conference were Tropical Adventures Antigua, Antigua Rainforest Company, National Tours & Services, Rendezvous Tours, and Adventure Antigua.
Some of the influential guest speakers of the first ever conference included: Adam Stewart (CEO of Island Routes), The Honourable Edmund Bartlett (Minister of Tourism, Jamaica), Professor Ian Boxill and Dr. Pauline Milwood (Dean and Lecturer of UWI, Mona), Tara Leno (Flight Center Travel Group, USA), Cheryl Echevarria (Echevarria Travel, specializing in travelers with disabilities), Heidi Clark (Sandals Foundation) and Ryan Terrier (VP Operations of Island Routes). Other tour operators and attraction providers got to present their products and discuss some challenges and progress since their creation. Some of these attraction providers and tour operators included: Alex Raygoza of Dolphin Discovery (The largest dolphin encounter franchise in the world), Ray Lightbourn of Exuma Water Sports (The creator of the world renown “Swimming Pigs” operation in the Bahamas), Peter Byrne of Carnival Sailing (The largest sailing catamaran operator in St. Lucia) and Kim Marius of Superior Tours (The creator of many cultural, scenic and historical walking tours in St. Lucia).
Beyond the conference itself, Island Routes introduced the Island Routes Certified Partner Program and Award as part of its continued commitment to delivering first-class service to its customers and to show recognition to the strict operational standards employed by its partners. Each of the invited members received the award on behalf of their respective companies. Island Routes strongly believes that by helping their partners to develop and grow is what will ensure Island Routes, and the tours and attractions industry, to continue to provide the latest and greatest experiences for visitors. This is why they have decided to host this revolutionary conference and launch the Island Routes Certified Partner Program/Award. Island Routes wants to create an industry standard that attraction providers and consumers can recognize and trust. Island Routes pose rigorous checks and standards on all of their partners and believe that they should be recognized for their commitment to meeting them.
-Videos of the conference can be found on the Island Routes YouTube Channel.
-Full photo gallery of the conference and daily activities can be found at: www.islandroutes.com/certifiedpartners