Tourism officials and police in St. Thomas moved swiftly to increase security and implement safety initiatives following the killing of a teenage passenger from the Carnival Victory during a gang-related shootout on July 12. Beverly Nicholson-Doty, tourism commissioner for the U.S. Virgin Islands, activated a crisis management plan to accelerate measures to respond to the violence, address visitor concerns and combat the negative publicity generated by the incident. Nicholson-Doty and Caribbean editor Gay Nagle Myers discussed the destination's measures, the cruise lines' reactions and the community's response.
Q: First of all, this is such a tragedy for the family who lost their daughter. How did you handle that?
A: It's an unspeakable tragedy. We remained with the family after the incident, we chartered a plane to return them home, we attended the funeral and we have arranged for grief counselors, clergy and for anything else that they need now or later.
Q: Even though the family was on a tour they had purchased on shore, not through Carnival, the cruise line stopped selling its tours to Coki Point Beach near where the young woman was hit by a stray bullet. Other lines followed suit. Where does that stand now?
A: Police Commissioner Novelle E. Francis Jr. and I had a positive meeting with Florida Caribbean Cruise Association members in Miami four days after the shooting to brief them on what we have done and are doing. The lines said those excursions will not be sold onboard until cruise officials are assured of the safety of their passengers. We will provide the FCCA with weekly updates on the progress of our safety and security measures.
Q: What are the police doing?
A: Beefing up visible uniformed foot and mobile patrols in high-traffic areas all over St. Thomas, wherever tourists go and gather, upgrading surveillance and Web-based camera equipment, naming a tourism-oriented police coordinator to better gather intelligence on criminal activities. They're also monitoring visitor movements and tourist routes.
Q: How big a business is the cruise industry in the U.S. Virgin Islands?
A: Enormous. Through June, we welcomed 1.02 million cruise passengers in St. Thomas and St. Croix, a 16.1% increase over the first half of 2009. Of that number, 965,000 came through St. Thomas, an 11.6% jump over the same period last year. We estimate that each passenger spends an average of $178 during a cruise stop here.
Q: What's the plan for the Coki Point Beach area?
A: Cleanup already has started. Only those vendors with up-to-date sales licenses will be allowed to operate in authorized sites at Coki. Vendors are part of the tapestry of the beach experience, but they will be closely monitored to assure they are in compliance with regulations. Parking will be better organized, and abandoned vehicles will be towed away.
Q: Are you planning a marketing campaign specifically to address this incident?
A: Yes, we're rolling out a $1.2 million marketing campaign in key markets to showcase the positive appeal of the destination. This includes communicating and meeting with our industry partners, travel agents, tour operators, airlines, media, hotel res centers and providing updates on our crisis website and our 24-hour, live-call central number.
Q: Have you gotten cancellations?
A: We lost a destination wedding, and have had calls from concerned visitors, but so far there's been no real pushback in visitors.
This column appeared in the July 26 issue of Travel Weekly.