SÃO PAULO, Brazil — St Lucia will host the inaugural CTO Latin American Market Summit on May 5-6, 2027, placing the island at the center of the Caribbean’s push to win more visitors, new air links, and stronger business ties from the fast-growing Latin American travel market.
The announcement was made this week at World Travel Market Latin America in São Paulo, where the Caribbean Tourism Organization said the one-and-a-half-day event will bring together airlines, tour operators, travel agents, media representatives, and partner destinations to deepen commercial ties with the region.
The summit is being positioned as a strategic move for Caribbean tourism at a time when Latin America is becoming an increasingly important source market for the region.
Officials said the event will focus on positioning the Caribbean as a leading destination for Latin American travelers, while also giving stakeholders a platform to share market intelligence, hold one-on-one business meetings, and expand cooperation with CTO Allied Members, ACI-LAC, and other industry partners.
CTO Latin American Market Summit to Focus on Airlift
A major priority for the CTO Latin American Market Summit will be improving air connectivity between the Caribbean and Latin America, an issue tourism officials increasingly view as critical to sustaining growth. That effort builds on a broader CTO and ACI-LAC agreement on air connectivity aimed at strengthening regional access and supporting new route opportunities.
Organizers said discussions will build on the CTO Air Connectivity Study, which identified capacity gaps and significant potential for new services to key South American markets, including Argentina, Chile, and Brazil.
The summit is also expected to feature sessions on route development, market intelligence, and partnership-building, along with destination showcases from across the Caribbean.
Latin America Growth Gives St Lucia Strategic Opening
The event comes as South America emerged as the Caribbean’s strongest-performing source market in 2025, with arrivals rising 23.7% to 2.4 million visits, according to figures cited by officials. Growth has also been reflected elsewhere in the region, including Martinique’s cruise sector record arrivals, underscoring wider Caribbean travel demand.
They attributed that growth to stronger air links, targeted marketing campaigns, and rising outbound demand from the region, developments that have helped the Caribbean diversify beyond its traditional visitor markets.
For St Lucia, hosting the summit could provide more than visibility. It gives the island a chance to position itself as a serious player in the regional push for expanded connectivity and higher-value tourism growth.
Dr. Ernest Hilaire, St Lucia’s deputy prime minister and minister responsible for tourism, commerce, investment, creative industries, culture, and heritage, said the country was honored to host the 2027 summit with a strong focus on connectivity and stronger ties with Latin America.
Speaking in São Paulo, Hilaire said new direct links could open fresh markets, increase visitor arrivals and revenue, and support sustainable economic growth across communities in the region.
Dona Regis-Prosper, CTO secretary-general and CEO, said hosting the 2027 summit in St Lucia with a dedicated focus on Latin America would help turn research into action by identifying new routes, building partnerships, and delivering practical benefits for member countries.
The event is scheduled just before the start of the St Lucia Jazz & Arts Festival, a timing that could give visiting delegates and travel partners a direct look at one of the island’s signature tourism offerings while reinforcing St Lucia’s pitch as a gateway for deeper Caribbean-Latin America travel ties.
