CHARLOTTE AMALIE, St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands -- Caribbean
officials and the people who sell and promote the region sounded
optimistic and upbeat for the first time in three years.
Tourism directors and ministers attending the Caribbean Tourism
Organization's (CTO) 26th annual conference here presented visitor
figures, plans for hotel developments, public/private sector
partnerships and ad campaigns for the coming season.
The conference, which has recovery and growth as its chief
themes, was attended by 600-plus delegates, including a large
contingent of U.S. travel agents.
In a series of media briefings, the following developments were
announced:
• In the British Virgin Islands, a new marine center is planned
for Tortola, as are a golf course and a five-star, 200-room resort
on Beef Island; improved customs facilities; and promotion of
sport-fishing off Anegada, according to Orlando Smith, minister of
tourism.
• On St. Kitts, construction of the 225-suite SuperClubs Grand
Lido will get under way in the next nine months. Other developments
include a planned maritime museum for the Port Zante cruise-ship
pier facility and the opening next month of the first nine holes of
the Marriott resort's golf course; a second course (27 holes) is
planned near the Brimstone Hall fortress as is an upscale villa
development.
Dwyer Astaphan, minister of tourism, said the island plans to
set up a film commission to promote the destination as a
film/record and production center.
The Jack Tar property, which has been closed for more than a
year, will reopen this winter.
• The Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB) is "alive, well and kicking,"
according to Donnie Dawson, deputy director, U.S., for the JTB. "We
have reorganized, and we are a lean, mean marketing board now."
The board closed its offices in Chicago, Los Angeles and New
York but retained its sales and marketing personnel, who now work
out of their homes. The JTB also consolidated its operations in
Miami and appointed Tony King regional director in charge of tour
operators and wholesalers in the U.S.
Dawson said a new program for retail agents will be unveiled
early next year along with a destination specialist program that
will be tied into the JTB's new Web site at www.visitjamaica.com.
Carrolle A. M. Gundy, director general of the Ministry of
Industry and Tourism, said Jamaica was "up 7% in stop-over visitors
this year, up 35% in cruise arrivals year to date."
• American Eagle will add a second daily flight from San Juan to
Nevis from Dec. 2 to April 15 to enable West Coast visitors to
connect in San Juan without an overnight stopover, according to
Malcolm Guishard, Nevis' minister of tourism.
Meanwhile, the Bath Hotel and Bath Springs near the capital of
Charlestown will be renovated for $2 million; work is slated to
begin early next year.
Guishard said a 50-villa development is planned on 24 acres near
the Four Seasons. Construction is scheduled to start in the first
half of 2004.
• The Bahamas will launch an advertising and promotion campaign
with a new theme and destination symbol next month, according to
Vincent Vanderpool-Wallace, deputy general of the Ministry of
Tourism.
"Improving the visitor experience is our goal; the new database
of visitor comments and profiles has proven extremely helpful in
showing us where we need to improve our efforts," he said.
Meanwhile, the Four Seasons Exuma opens next month, and
Atlantis/Paradise Island is adding 1,200 rooms.
• Curacao's visitor figures are up by 8% year to date, according
to James Hepple, executive director of the Curacao Tourist
Board.
In hotel developments, the Kura Hulanda will add 17 rooms and
reopen its casino; the Curacao Howard Johnson Plaza Hotel is adding
25 rooms; and the World Trade Center is undergoing a $20 million
renovation that will add a 200-room hotel. The first 100 rooms are
slated to be ready in December 2004.
• The U.S. Virgin Islands will roll out its Icebreaker
value-added package for bookings from Dec. 16 to March 15 for
travel Jan. 11 to April 18.
The $32 million Crown Bay Marina project, which will expand the
pier 900 feet to accommodate "the largest cruise ships out there,"
according to Pamela Richards, commissioner of tourism, will be
finished early next year.
• Aruba's visitor figures, although down 1% over last year, "are
finally showing positive signs," said Edison Briesen, minister of
tourism.
Another positive sign is new Royal Aruban Airways flights
beginning Nov. 14 from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., to Aruba and which
will later expand to other Caribbean points and Newark.
To contact reporter Gay Nagle Myers, send e-mail to [email protected].