The OECS Commission is coordinating another joint promotion activity for member states to promote their respective destinations.

The OECS Road Show in Germany follows three successful joint promotion activities coordinated by the OECS Commission to showcase the region in the yachting sector in the United States, Canada and Germany.

The joint presence of the OECS at what is dubbed the world’s largest boat show in Germany earlier this year unveiled the tremendous potential of the European market - Germany in particular - to enhance the performance of the tourism sector in our region. Formal surveys conducted at the Eastern Caribbean Village at the Boot Dusseldorf Boat Show as well as informal interactions with residents revealed a high level of desirability for the region by Germans, and strong alignment of the Caribbean product with their interests, travel trends and patterns.

The Germans’ fascination with the beauty, heritage and culture of the Caribbean region makes theirs an ideal market to target, as they are keenly interested in enriching, engaging, adventurous, and educational activities, which are all available in the OECS region. Germans also have longer vacation periods compared to visitors from North America, and are higher spenders.

According to the latest statistics from ITB 2016, 77 percent of all Germans travel. In 2015, Germans spent 71.5 billion Euro on travel and stayed an average 10 days. They are also interested in the spectrum of available accommodations, from guest houses to high-end boutique hotels. The German Travel Association’s President, Norbert Fiebig designated the year 2016 as "The Year of the Caribbean," referring to the opportunities for growth for the Caribbean from German travellers. This declaration is mainly due to the decline in appeal of traditional popular travel destinations for Germans such as Egypt and Turkey, due to events that have triggered concerns related to safety and security.

Such promising trends have compelled the OECS region to intensify marketing efforts in the German market via an OECS Road Show. The OECS Commission administered a survey to determine the preferences of the marketing executives at all OECS tourist boards and authorities. One hundred percent of survey respondents reported their preference for an OECS Road Show, compared to participation in a general tourism trade show such as ITB or World Travel market, primarily because the Road Show was more cost-effective and more focused.

The results of the survey were endorsed by the OECS Council of Ministers for Tourism at a meeting in Grenada in July 2015, where the ministers agreed on a European Road Show in 2016 as a pilot exercise.

The OECS destinations of Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda; British Virgin Islands, Dominica, Grenada, and Saint Lucia, will showcase their respective destinations to travel agents, tour operators, travel bloggers and other travel media from June 6 - to 9, with an intense promotion of the region in the cities of Munich, Stuttgart, Frankfurt, and Cologne.