‘Concerts’ are part of new strategy to diversify VI's tourism product– Premier
Premier Wheatley, speaking at today’s Thursday, June 29, 2023, Second Sitting of the First Session of the Fifth House of Assembly (HoA) said it comes as the BVI Tourist Board just completed participation in a product development workshop on June 19, 2023, in response to the need for the VI to be more innovative in its products and marketing strategies.
“The Workshop featured 35 participants and was facilitated by Aquila Center for Cruise Excellence in Canada. The workshop included training and identifying tourism trends. Creating Experiences, Insurance, Sustainability, exceeding expectations, maximizing our opportunities, Getting experiences to market, determining product readiness, and building packages and partnerships,” he told legislators.
Dr Wheatley added that the approach is to maximise the current tourism industry model as well as to diversify local offerings so that the VI can expand the range of economic opportunities for entrepreneurs and tourism stakeholders.
“The outline for the workshop illustrates the areas that the international players in the tourism industry are focused on, and these are the same areas that the government has already espoused. Identifying trends, creating new experiences to delight and attract visitors, bringing experiences to market, and building packages and partnerships,” he said.
Travelers want more out of vacation - Premier
Meanwhile, the Premier detailed that industry trends are showing travelers want more out of their vacation and are looking for cultural experiences and adventures that synthesize with the VI's recently approved Virgin Islands Culture and Heritage Policy and Strategy.
Since the launch of the non-stop Miami to VI flights via American Airlines, the Premier has said concerts and cultural events will now play a key role in VI's tourism, as the territory develops its culture and heritage assets, while enhancing the tourism product for different types of travelers.
“This is where concerts and other events factor into the strategy, the benefits from a more vibrant and diverse BVI tourism industry will ripple across the length and breadth of our economy and will provide sustainable employment for our people,” he added.
Dr Wheatley said entertainment tourism remains a huge market and the VI has scenic locations to attract persons who are so inclined; however, in order to gain the attention of the promoters, entertainers, and patrons, the territory must first let them know that the VI is available for such events.
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44 Responses to “‘Concerts’ are part of new strategy to diversify VI's tourism product– Premier”
Fix the roads, the garbage, the water, education.
…how about, “ Who the heck ARE they??!!??
What the BVI needs in order to improve the tourism product is a higher quality physical infrastructure, eg, roads; safe, secure and reliable potable water supply , safe, modern waste water system, effective and functional stormwater (Drainage) system, reliable electricity system, modernized marine ports system, reliable and accessible telecommunications system, improved parking in Road Town, the BVI capital city, etc., Additionally, the BVI needs more beds for the heads coming into the BVI . It also needs to improve the quality of its current attractions, and it needs more attractions, focusing on its history, arts, culture, heritage, customs, etc. Is the old prison still an active attraction? If so it needs to be shutdown and improved before and if it is reopened (I have an attitude on opening it because of sordid ties to colonialism). Where is the old or current His/Her majesty high school? The attitude seems to have/is been lock them up(fill in another noun:pronoun) but educating them was another story. Ok l’m out. Back to the spending of $250,000 on a concert, for it is a done deal that in my view probably at this juncture I wish did not happen. Nevertheless, enjoy the temporary respite. Our expenditures should follow the carpenters rule, ie, measure twice and cut once. In the future, we need to avoid making decisions looking for justifications.
While jumping to get rid of the colonial past, be mindful that colonial remnants are here to stay, including the colonial sport of horseracing, the colonial names of all black people here, and not forgeting our colonial insurance. It's amazing that our historians fail to mention these things to edify the people, young and old still ignorant of their heritage, except to blame slavery for every social ill. But when Athur Hodge was hanged, it sent a message to the world back then that black lives matter. It is something that can be used as a tourism attraction if we had real creative people here to promote culture and tourism.
For me, some things are worth keeping and preserving and Somethings are best place is in the dung heap. Colonialism like the Empire should be in the dung heap. For the privilege class and the beneficiaries of its extractive, exploitive, expropriated, brutal, special unearned entitlements, racial superiority, wealth generated from slave labour, etc may embrace colonialism and want to cherish its history. On the hand though, the descendants of slave are still suffering from legacies and pathologies of colonialism.
In regards to Arthur William Hodge, he was a horrible monster and these are too good of adjectives to waste on him. At a time when a slave life was valueless, nought, (they were not even considered human) except to generate wealth and create comfort for owners, and brutality was the order of the day, etc, for fellow white plantation owners to convict you for killing a slave and sentence you to be hanged (May 08, 1811)you were a horrible monster. He was hanged at the gallows at HMP but where was he buried? Was he buried in the prison yard like other murderers? You said he was the only White slave owner ever convicted of murdering a slave and it energized the abolition movement. It probably energize for a second, not even minute, for slavery went about its business for the next 23 years (August 01, 1834). Let’s not get this twisted. Slavery was not abolished due to some humane compassion by slave owners for slaves ; if was abolished because it was no longer profitable. Industrial capitalism was its death knell., replacing commercial capitalism. We know where the old HMP is but where is the old His/Her Majesty’s High School? The slaves in Long Look were the first, I think, to be manumitted. Is it part of the national attractions list?
People come here for Spring Regatta and the other 20 or so regattas, Poker Run, Christmas in July, Lobster Fest, Work conferences, to just relax, to reconnect with people in our tourism who they have come to know over the years, Igor exclusive resorts and privacy. Not for any jams or concerts.
These concerts will chase away our high spending target market in exchange for low income revelers. They cannot coexist! They don’t even want the broke cruise ship passengers here clogging up the Baths and the beaches, much less to have drunken partiers in the same place where they spent tens of thousands of dollars to vacation.
Who is advising this Premier?