The Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority (ABTA) is pleased to announce the appointment of Charmaine Browne-Spencer, as Director of Tourism for the Caribbean and Latin America.
In her new role as Director of Tourism for the Caribbean and Latin America, Spencer's key responsibilities will include increasing market share and destination arrivals in these regions. She will also focus on strengthening strategic partnerships with regional stakeholders, building destination airlift capacity, and continuing to improve public relations and destination brand awareness within these emerging markets.
Spencer brings a wealth of experience to the role with over 10 years of experience working in the tourism industry. She previously served as a marketing consultant for the Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority for the Caribbean and Latin American markets, where she led efforts to improve connectivity with the introduction of regional airlines and the reintroduction of charter flights in the destination. In her role, she strengthened relationships with regional entities such as Cricket West Indies and local Creative Industries.
Spencer introduced regional travel commerce training programs and increased brand awareness through multiple public relations and advertising initiatives that increased the destination's market share in key target markets. In 2019, Spencer improved year-on-year arrivals from the Caribbean region by 23%, producing the best summer numbers on record for the market and positioning it as the destination's third-largest origin market, with a current market performance of 200 % above 2021 figures.
Spencer, a former Marketing Manager for the Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority, brought her experience in branding, advertising and strategic promotions to significantly enhance the entity's destination marketing and has contributed greatly to building Antigua's destination brand. and Barbuda. She conceptualized and successfully executed numerous high-profile destination marketing campaigns, including #LoveAntiguaBarbuda, and helped lead the creation of the recent Your Space in the Sun campaign, during the pandemic.
The new appointment complements ABTA's strategic goal of expanding its brand presence in emerging markets. This is especially true for the neighboring markets of the Caribbean and Latin America, which have combined populations of over half a billion people, presenting a powerful potential opportunity for Antigua and Barbuda. Post-pandemic research shows a demand for high-end tourism and new destinations for Latin American travelers, offering greater possibilities to draw more visitors from this market.
Spencer said, “I am delighted to have the opportunity to serve in ABTA's new role of Director of Tourism, Caribbean and Latin America. With such close proximity to these regions, there is definite growth potential in these markets, along with increased opportunities for trade associations and networks in tourism, trade and investment. I would like to thank the ABTA Board and the team at large for seeing the benefits of connecting and strengthening our regional and South American networks and I look forward to taking Antigua and Barbuda tourism to greater heights.”
The CEO of the Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority, Colin C. James, said: “As our organization continues to adapt to meet the demands of the competitive tourism industry, we are delighted to be able to harness the skills and talents of members of our team in newer roles. We welcome Charmaine to this role and look forward to working with her for the further development of tourism in Antigua and Barbuda."