Grand Turk---12 Sept. 2006--- The Government of Turks & Caicos have announced their support and participation in The World Travel Internet Conference 2006, which is set to take place on September 18th at Beaches Turks & Caicos Resort & Spa, Turks & Caicos.

At least $63 billion changed hands on the Internet in the name of travel in 2005. It was the largest sales category out of a total of $172 billion online transactions in the U.S., according to Forrester Research. By 2007 nearly 40 percent of all travel in the U.S. is expected to be booked via the Internet with bookings growing at nearly four times the rate of the total travel market.

The islands of the Caribbean are increasingly realising the importance of the Internet for purchasing travel and this is one reason why The Turks and Caicos Government are participating in this year’s conference.

Hon. Michael Misick, Premier, Turks and Caicos Islands and Hon Jeffrey Hall, Minister of Communications, Turks & Caicos Islands, will be in attendance at and will be making the opening remarks at the event.

Hon. Michael Misick, Premier, Turks and Caicos Islands, commented: “We realize that the new millennium has merged the ‘travel and tourism’ industry with technology, and that it is in our best interest to understand how the two can co-exist, for the benefit of the organizations and the clients/visitors.

“The ‘travel and tourism’ organizations that keep pace with technological advancements stand a better chance of satisfying their current clients/visitors and attracting new ones.

“On behalf of the Government and people of the Turks and Caicos Islands I take great pleasure in welcoming each of you to the World Travel Internet Conference 2006, held in our ‘Beautiful by Nature’ country.”

He will join industry decision makers from the tourism trade to debate, engage and define the new reality in the travel-tech marketplace, as well as what the next generation of e-commerce will mean for this rapidly expanding sector, the Caribbean and beyond.

Timely, interactive sessions will focus on: the future of aviation, hotel distribution, online travel trends, online destination marketing and wireless in the travel industry. The roster of online experts include executives from Pegasus Solutions, Fairmont, Expedia, Cheapflights, Cable & Wireless, Barbados Tourism Authority, Priceline.com, Swiss, Unisys, Sabre Travel Network and Turks & Caicos Tourism Authority.

Online bookings, search engine marketing, e-ticketing, travel podcasts, blogs, wireless access when travelling are all now having a major impact on the industry.

These will be just some of the topics up for discussion during the one-day conference, which is designed to put online marketing trends into a broader perspective and to equip conference-goers with the insight and tools necessary to successfully compete in the online travel arena.

By 2007 nearly 40 percent of all travel in the U.S. is expected to be booked via the Internet with bookings growing at nearly four times the rate of the total travel market.

Europe still lags behind North America in the adoption of Internet commerce, with online travel booking trends mirroring American ones a few years ago. Asian countries, with their growing populations are also showing solid growth for online bookings.

"With top speakers and leading industry experts confirmed, this conference is slated to be one of the most exciting events in the region", says event organiser, Anna Gouldman. "We are on target to deliver a program that will be educational, interactive and thought-provoking."

Attendees will represent airlines, hotels, state and regional travel associations, destination marketing organisations, international and receptive tour operators, and consulting firms with travel clients.

About the Conference

The World Travel Internet Conference (WTIC) was initiated to compliment the World Travel Awards in 2004. The conference, which is now in its second year, aims to increase awareness of emerging technologies within the travel sector, as well as to tackle some of the key issues that many businesses are facing.

Go to www.worldtravelinternetconference.com for more details.

If you would like to participate in the event or you are interested in sponsoring or speaking at WTIC please contact the organiser, Anna Gouldman.

Email: conference@internettravelnews.com, Tel: +44 (0) 208 374 0970