Annual ASTA Showcase Encourages Travel Advisors to “Tell the Deeper Caribbean Story”

About 300 travel advisors gathered for ASTA’s 2025 Caribbean Showcase, held at Sandals South Coast, on Aug. 23 to 26 to learn more about “the best warm weather destination on planet Earth,” in the words of Jamaica Minister of Tourism Edmund Bartlett. 

One key message from the week was that the Caribbean is more than just beautiful beaches, and advisors should lean into the trend of experiential travel when booking the Caribbean for their clients. 

“We are not just asking you to sell vacations, we are asking you to tell our story to the traveler who wants to connect,” Dona Regis-Prosper, CEO of the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO), told a ballroom of travel advisors in Jamaica on Aug. 25. “We ask you to create the right match between the traveler and the destination, not just the traveler who is looking to check a box.” 

The Caribbean is comprised of 26 unique countries, so there is certainly a lot to learn. Eight tourism ministers and more than 40 travel suppliers attended to give presentations and meet with advisors at the 4^th annual conference, which featured panel discussions, a trade show, networking opportunities, and more. 

“This is a very important education opportunity for our members to come and understand all that the Caribbean has to offer,” said ASTA President and CEO Zane Kerby. “There’s a tremendous amount of excitement because there’s a record number of people coming from the U.S. to the Caribbean.” 

Beyond “Sun, Sand, and Sea” 

With more than 18,000 members and counting, ASTA’s support of the travel advisor profession ensures they remain a distinguished force in the economy. That has, in turn, helped the Caribbean greatly in its pandemic recovery over the past few years. 

“Travel advisors are doing brisk business, and they’re providing an extremely valuable service to the traveling public,” Kerby said at a press conference during the week. “And that is, more and more, driving them to recommend wonderful destination here.” 

Bartlett underscored that sentiment with some statistics. He said that ASTA members account for 80% of all travel sold in the Caribbean from the United States. The entire Caribbean region has also now seen a 6.9% increase in tourism arrivals compared to pre-pandemic levels. 

The basis of this success lies in North Americans seeking a nearby getaway, in an English-speaking country, where they can indulge in what the tourism ministers called “the three S’s: sun, sand, and sea.” While this will always be the foundation of Caribbean tourism, new trends have begun taking shape in recent years and are now more pressing than ever. 

“Beyond the traditional sun, sand, and sea, a growing number of visitors are seeking to immerse themselves in our culture, our food, our music, and our communities,” Bartlett said. 

Regis-Prosper asked advisors to sell “to the traveler that is seeking authenticity, not just amenities; to the traveler who is willing to get to know us and spend locally.” 

“We need you to tell the deeper Caribbean story,” she said. “To guide travelers to our fishing villages, mountain trails, community art galleries, local food and sports, reggae jam sessions, carnivals, and festivals.” 

Her remarks were echoed by every tourism minister throughout the conference, from the countries of Jamaica Barbados, Antigua and Barbuda, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Turks and Caicos, and Grenada, who each expressed that sustainability and bespoke, authentic experiences would be paramount to their continued success.  

Experiencing the Caribbean Firsthand 

Travel advisors experienced the Caribbean – more specifically, Jamaica – firsthand throughout the conference through site visits, tours, and excursions. During their stay at Sandals South Coast, they enjoyed specialty cocktails made with local spirits, entertainment from native performers, and off-property activities. 

“There’s obviously a great affinity for all things Caribbean – the watersports, the gastronomy – there’s so much going on here that it has to offer,” Kerby said. 

On Aug. 26, advisors split up and either toured various resorts – including Couples Swept Away and Sandals and Beaches Resorts – or went on an Island Routes excursion of their choosing: a catamaran cruise and snorkeling, ATV riding and ziplining, or visiting YS Falls and Appleton Estate Rum Tour. 

To round out the four days of Caribbean fun, ASTA and Sandals held a farewell dinner on the beach, where they gave away more than two dozen free registrations to upcoming ASTA events and Sandals resort stays, so advisors can see even more of the Caribbean for themselves. 

The ASTA Caribbean Showcase will return next year, though the date and location have not yet been announced. Sandals Resorts has committed to hosting the event at its properties through 2031, according to Gary Sadler, EVP of sales and industry relations at Unique Vacations, Sandals’ parent company. 

During dinner Tuesday, Sadler thanked the ASTA team “for making this ASTA Caribbean Showcase such a very historic event.” 

“Thank you for bringing this event,” he said. “It’s about bookings, and it’s about demonstrating the partnership that Sandals has with the travel industry, so we are forever indebted.” 

Earlier that day, Sadler noted that for the first time, a tourism minister from a country without a Sandals or Beaches resort – St. Kitts’ Marsha T. Henderson – attended the conference, showing the influence the conference has made on the Caribbean as a whole, as well.