ST. CROIX, U.S. Virgin Islands – The Department of Tourism and the Virgin Islands Port Authority are pleased to report that air arrivals to the Territory are on the rise according to data compiled by the VI Port Authority. Between January and March there was a 15.9% increase in air arrivals to St. Croix and a 9% increase on St. Thomas. The increase is in line with the upward trend the Territory has been experiencing since last year. St. Thomas air arrivals have been on the rise since September 2009, while St. Croix arrivals have been up since April 2009.
“Given the current global economic environment, we are extremely pleased to be experiencing steady growth, particularly on St. Croix where arrivals have been up for the last 12 months,” said Tourism Commissioner Beverly Nicholson-Doty. “We are confident that the Department’s ongoing efforts to aggressively promote the USVI and strengthen St. Croix’s brand identity, combined with support of the VI Port Authority, is resulting in increased arrivals as consumers resume spending on travel.”
The Department of Tourism continues to work closely with all of its airlines partners to maintain and grow airlift to the Territory. Through ongoing communications with Delta Airlines, for example, the Department was able to secure continued service from Atlanta to St. Croix six days a week during the off-season months of May to August.
The Department of Tourism employs a number of strategies to support and build air service to the USVI. One of the most successful strategies has been developing promotions such as the recently re-launched St. Croix Fantastic Flight promotion which offers the consumer $300 in air credits and $200 in dining and activities certificates to visit St. Croix during a key need period. The promotion is targeting consumers in key cities where the airlines have indicated their passengers originate. In addition to ensuring St. Croix remains competitive, by developing an added value package such as this and promoting it in key geographic areas, the Department is directly supporting businesses on St. Croix, while also maintaining existing flights and building demand for new flights to the island.
