ST. JOHN’S, Antigua – The US Tourism office held its second quarter Stakeholders’ Breakfast Roundtable last Tuesday, April 22nd with key tourism partners based in the US. The meeting was held at the Antigua and Barbuda offices in mid Manhattan and was attended by representatives from various properties in Antigua & Barbuda and Delta Airlines.
High on the agenda was the destination’s first International Music Festival, Romantic Rhythms June 12- 15, 2008 which coincides with Delta Airline’s inaugural non-strop service from New York’s JFK.
According to US Director of Tourism Derede Samuel-Whitlock, some hotels are very excited about the caliber of artists that will be performing at Romantic Rhythms and have already indicated an interest in hosting some of the performers during the stay on-island.
Derede Samuel Whitlock, US Director of Tourism addresses a cross section of the stakeholders present at the Breakfast Roundtable Meeting
To capitalize on the economic potential of the Music Festival, many hotels are offering competitive packages that include attractive discounts and upgrades on accommodations, spas and other types of entertainment themed around romance. Special packages will be available on the official Romantic Rhythms website www.antiguamusicfestival.com
Other issues that were discussed during the Meeting included the performance of the US market during the first quarter of 2008, which has brought about an overall 12% increase in visitor arrivals for the months of January and February 2008. Discussions also surfaced around the American Airlines daily non-stop service from Miami, which will begin on November 20, 2008. The group identified sales strategies, public relations and promotional efforts that will be put in place in the next few weeks to support this new service. Positioning strategies and co-operative marketing programs were also identified that will help maintain the destination’s competitiveness during the current economic slowdown in the US.
The US Director of Tourism indicated “It is important that we maintain a strong relationship with these partners as we continue in our role as industry facilitator. We believe that our improved relationship with hoteliers, airlines and other stakeholders is helping to drive the significant growth that we have seen in the US, despite the tough economic conditions that we face.”
Among the major initiatives that will be undertaken by the US Team in the next quarter are:
– Coordination of a sales blitz with the participation of all stakeholders, throughout the tri-state area to support the launch of the new Delta service.
– Eight weeks of continuous familiarization trips to the destination with travel agents from major source markets
– Bi-weekly e-mail blasts to travel agents and consumers featuring summer and fall packages
– Development of co-operative promotional literature to support niche markets such as meetings and incentives, spas and wellness, eco-tourism, and families
– Working with the Culinary Festival in September to organize a “dine around” at restaurants and hotels throughout the destination
– Fine tune plans for Antigua and Barbuda’s first Destination Conference among major decision makers in travel, stakeholders and government officials
– Utilizing on-line educational tools such as webinars to update and incentivize travel agents about specials offers and new attractions
The meeting was attended by representatives from Jolly Beach Resort, Jumby Bay Hotel, Elite Island Resorts, the new Lighthouse Bay Club in Barbuda, Rex Resorts, Delta Airlines, as well as Consul General Ian Sweeney who is based in Miami.
