By Debbie Ransome At the Caricom Summit in Antigua

Trinidadian calypsonian David Rudder once sang of 'One Caribbean' – a theme leaders hope their tourism gurus can now pull off with their new large budget.

The $60-million joint marketing campaign will access $21m from Caricom and the rest from commercial and international interests.

The proposal put by Caribbean Tourism (CTO) officials received the thumbs up Wednesday night from the majority of Caricom leaders attending this week’s summit in Antigua.

Listen to Allen Chastenet's interview

"We have a better understanding of how the heads want tourism to operate through the Caribbean," Caribbean Tourism Organisation Secretary-General, Allen Chastenet told BBC Caribbean.

Winter campaign

The first step will be an official task force to report back in 30 days with a marketing plan for advertising in Winter 2008/early 2009.

Tourism officials want to target the American market after the US presidential elections and when Europeans most need an escape break.

But the traditional markets are not the only glimmer in the eyes of tourism officials.

Mexico, Brazil, and Russia will also be targeted by the 'One Caribbean' advertising blitz.

	Expensive jet fuel is affecting Caribbean tourism

Already, the hybrid destination of the Dominican Republic, sitting in the Caribbean Sea with a feel of both Latin and Central America, has been bringing in tourists from Russia.

Island pride

But how easily does the idea of marketing a 'one size fits all' destination sit with leaders despite the hard sell of the proposal by CTO researchers and officials?

“We don’t have the resources to be aggressive individually,” St Vincent and the Grenadines prime minister Ralph Gonsalves told BBC Caribbean

The Vincentian leader is the lead spokesperson for regional transportation and he will chair a council session reviewing the final plan on the single brand marketing, possibly by the end of July.

“You can go into newer markets like in eastern Europe, in Russia, places in Latin America, in addition to traditional markets,” Gonsalves said.

Listen to Ralph Gonsalves' interview

“We’ll still have individual advertising by countries and by hoteliers.”

Gonsalves explained to BBC Caribbean that the plan had been sold to leaders as the CTO pointed out the need to try to arrest the decline of the falling market share the region as been experiencing recently.

“The stakeholders want to have the marketing of a common Caribbean brand. We will still be able to market St Vincent and the Grenadines as a special place to be,” the Vincentian leader added.

Entire region

Although Caricom encompasses the English-speaking countries in the Caribbean, the plan includes the French and Dutch Caribbean.

The Dutch and French territories have agreed to come up with a share and be a part of the regional marketing plan.

The next challenge for Caricom will be the joined-up deals between commercial airlines which would allow the travel to feel as seamless as it reads in the ads.

Representatives of the main regional airlines also attended the Wednesday focus on tourism.

They were Trinidad-owned Caribbean Airlines, Air Jamaica, ad the Antiguan-based, island-hopping airline Liat.

	Liat CEO Mark Darby says about a third of any airline ticket goes to government and airport taxes.

Liat CEO, Mark Darby, told BBC Caribbean that the Caricom leaders had asked the airlines for deeper collaboration and co-operation.

“We need to provide the capacity…that's what we’re trying to do,” Mark Darby said.

The airlines had also been asked to strip out some of their costs.

Liat countered with a renewed request to governments to reduce some official taxes, particularly during off-peak seasons to encourage more and cheaper travel.

Darby told BBC Caribbean that about a third of any airline ticket goes to government and airport taxes.

He said that, for each ticket, the fuel surcharge comes to around $26 while $100 per ticket is accountable to “add-ons”.

“We’re really pushing the governments to see what they can do to bring these under control and, if possible, absorb some of those (costs)” said Darby.

Caribbean interest groups – airlines and tourism representatives plan to bring up the issues of global air ticket taxes at a Commonwealth meeting later this year.

Hubs

Darby doesn’t see why there cannot be a one Caribbean ticket, similar to European-wide rail travel tickets, in the next few years.

The other issue will be to find major airline hubs across a region which has previously been dependent on Miami or Puerto Rico.

Some hope that a newly-freed up Cuba might work, along with Jamaican, Bahamian, and Dominican aspirations.

At the end of their focus on tourism both the commercial interests and the governments agreed on one big idea.

That joint marketing, accompanied by joined-up and easy travel across the island chain would have the entire region flying high.