World first: CHTA Marketplace goes virtual | News
Virtual world internet, https://www.virtualworldinternet.com/ has created the first immersive digital twin of Caribbean Travel Marketplace, opening the region’s flagship travel industry to a global audience 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
For the first time in its 44-year history, Caribbean Travel Marketplace can now be experienced virtually.
Virtual World Internet has unveiled a permanent digital twin of this year’s CHTA Caribbean Travel Marketplace, giving travel and tourism professionals the opportunity to explore the event long after the last meeting has taken place.
The initiative marks a significant step for the Caribbean’s premier business-to-business tourism event, transforming a four-day gathering into an always-accessible showcase for the region’s destinations, hotels, resorts, tourism suppliers and industry partners.
The 44th edition of Caribbean Travel Marketplace, held in Antigua and Barbuda from May 12 to 15, 2026, brought together the region’s tourism leadership with global buyers, suppliers, media and industry stakeholders. CHTA describes Marketplace as the Caribbean’s largest marketing event, connecting Caribbean suppliers with global buyers, while this year’s edition featured nearly 800 delegates, 173 suppliers from 25 Caribbean destinations and 83 buyer companies from 16 international markets.
The event also came at an important time for Caribbean tourism. The Caribbean Travel Trends Report 2026, unveiled at the Caribbean Travel Forum in Antigua, highlighted a new strategic phase for the region, with growth increasingly focused on diversifying demand, attracting higher value travelers and unlocking business outside of traditional peak periods.
Against that backdrop, the virtual experience gives CHTA Marketplace a new layer of commercial reach.
Attendees can move through the event remotely, explore exhibitor spaces, revisit key areas and experience the Marketplace atmosphere from anywhere in the world. For buyers, suppliers and partners who cannot attend in person, the digital twin provides an immediate way to participate in the event. For those who were there, it creates a lasting record and a powerful follow-up tool.
Gary Summerhill of Virtual World Internet said: “CHTA Marketplace has always been about connection, visibility and opportunity. By creating a permanent digital twin of the event, we extend that value far beyond the show floor. This means that Marketplace can now be experienced 24 hours a day, 365 days a year by buyers, partners, media and tourism professionals anywhere in the world.
“For the Caribbean travel and hospitality sector, this is a world first. It turns a live event into a lasting digital asset, one that continues to promote the region, its destinations and its businesses long after the physical event has closed.”
Virtual tours are playing an increasingly important role in travel, hospitality and event marketing. Matterport, the spatial data and digital twin platform, says immersive 3D tours can help hotels, resorts and venues bring spaces to life online, improve engagement and allow guests or customers to explore before making decisions. Matterport also cites significantly higher engagement as a result of immersive 3D experiences in travel and hospitality.
For events like CHTA Marketplace, the benefits are clear. A digital twin can support post-event sales activities, help exhibitors extend the life of their investment, give sponsors additional visibility and enable destinations to showcase their presence to teams, trade partners and stakeholders who were unable to travel.
It also enhances accessibility. International buyers, travel advisors, media and tourism agencies can revisit the event at their own pace, share the experience internally and use the virtual environment as a sales, training and familiarization tool.
Virtual World Internet is a global leader in Matterport technology for the travel and tourism industry. The company has created more than 100,000 virtual tours for some of the world’s largest hospitality brands, destinations and venues, helping customers transform physical spaces into immersive digital experiences.
The company’s work in the tourism sector reflects a broader shift in the way destinations and hospitality brands are using digital twins, both as marketing assets and as practical tools for sales, planning, operations and engagement.
Summerhill added: “The future of tourism marketing is immersive, accessible and always available. A digital twin gives events, destinations and hospitality brands a new way to tell their stories, reach new audiences and continue to drive value every day of the year.”
Click the link below to experience the virtual tour of CHTA Marketplace.
Full virtual tour of the show https://discover.matterport.com/space/ycaFAva8f5T
