The Caribbean Tourism Organization has selected Antigua and Barbuda as the host of its State of the Tourism Industry Conference for 2027. The conference runs 4-8 October 2027. CTO announced the selection on the final day of SOTIC 2026 in Georgetown, Guyana, in a release datelined Georgetown on 11 October 2026. Hotel News Resource carried the release on 12 October.
SOTIC is the organisation’s flagship conference. The release states that further detail on SOTIC 2027, including the theme, the programme, registration and accommodations, will be announced in the coming months.
The secretary-general on the selection
Dona Regis-Prosper, secretary-general and chief executive of CTO, tied the choice to the region’s own commitment to tourism development. "Antigua and Barbuda has demonstrated a strong commitment to tourism development and regional collaboration, and we look forward to bringing the Caribbean tourism community together there for SOTIC 2027," she said.
Her second quote states the conference’s purpose. "Each SOTIC gives us an important opportunity to examine the issues affecting our industry, share knowledge and strengthen the partnerships that will help Caribbean tourism remain competitive, sustainable and inclusive," she said.
The chairman welcomes the room
Charles "Max" Fernandez is Antigua and Barbuda’s minister of tourism, civil aviation, transportation and investments and the newly elected CTO chairman. He welcomed the announcement. "Antigua and Barbuda is honored to welcome the Caribbean tourism community for SOTIC 2027," he said. "We look forward to sharing the warmth and hospitality of our people while providing a setting for meaningful dialogue about the opportunities and challenges ahead."
He tied the hosting to the destination’s product. "Hosting SOTIC will also allow us to showcase the continued evolution and advancement of our tourism product and the experiences that distinguish our twin-island destination," he said. "We are deeply committed to the Caribbean and to working with our regional partners to strengthen tourism as a force for shared prosperity, resilience and opportunity across our region."
The board chair on connections
Colin James is chief executive of the Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority and chair of the CTO Board of Directors. "We are excited to welcome SOTIC to Antigua and Barbuda and to give delegates an opportunity to experience our destination while engaging in important conversations about the future of Caribbean tourism," he said. "SOTIC brings together many of the people shaping tourism across our region, and we look forward to creating an environment that encourages collaboration, fresh thinking and meaningful connections while showcasing the people, culture and experiences that make Antigua and Barbuda distinctive."
Where the two chairmanships sit
Antigua and Barbuda took the CTO chair at the organisation’s Annual General Meeting on 6 October 2026, held inside the SOTIC 2026 business sessions. Fernandez leads the CTO Council of Ministers and Commissioners of Tourism, and he succeeds Barbados minister of tourism and international transport Ian Gooding-Edghill. James takes the Board of Directors chair, and he succeeds Andrea Franklin, chief executive of Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc.
CTO names the subregional vice chairs in the same release. The United States Virgin Islands represents the US territories, the British Virgin Islands represents the British overseas territories, Saint-Martin represents the French-speaking territories, and St. Kitts and Nevis and The Bahamas represent CARICOM countries. The release states that selection of a representative for the Dutch-speaking territories was deferred to the next meeting.
SOTIC 2026 in Guyana
SOTIC 2026 ran in Georgetown, Guyana, from 5 to 9 October. CTO’s own SOTIC 2026 page gives CTO business meetings on 5 and 6 October, the conference on 7 and 8 October, and destination media briefings on 9 October. The theme was Tourism Futures: Smart, Sustainable, and Inclusive. CTO states Guyana hosted the conference for the first time.
The release records Regis-Prosper thanking the government of Guyana and its tourism partners for hosting SOTIC 2026. She states that the move to Antigua and Barbuda reflects CTO’s continued commitment to taking its flagship conference across the region. The release lists Amadeus and the Inter-American Development Bank as SOTIC 2026 official conference partners, ASM Global Route Development as Tourism Intelligence Awards sponsor, the Association of Value Airlines, Digicel Business and Atlantic Suites Hotel as contributing sponsors, Carnival Corporation as Youth Congress sponsor, and interCaribbean Airways as official airline partner.
The rest of the 2027 calendar
CTO’s 2027 Calendar of Events, updated 6 August 2026, carries the organisation’s other flagship dates. The CTO Air Connectivity Summit 2027 sits on 23 February in Jamaica. The CTO Latin American Market Summit 2027 runs 5-6 May in Saint Lucia. Caribbean Week in New York 2027 runs 31 May to 5 June. The CTO Tourism HR Conference 2027 sits in October with dates and location to be confirmed, and Caribbean Weekend in Miami 2027 is in December. The sheet lists the CTO Sports Tourism Summit 2027 in Anguilla on 12-14 August 2027, and it carries SOTIC 2027 as an October entry with dates and location to be confirmed. The 11 October release has since settled the SOTIC slot.
Anguilla’s minister of health, tourism and sports, Cardigan Connor, states that hosting the inaugural Sports Tourism Summit reflects the destination’s ambition to play a larger role in the development of sports tourism across the Caribbean.