Culture Minister throws out challenge for new tourism approach
“There are a number of persons within the community,” Hon. Walwyn stated, “who make very good items, let us form alliances, purchase the items from them, put a mark up on it and put it in the shop and get it sold.”
During the opening ceremony for the Crafts Alive Village, he noted a problematic tradition in the Virgin Islands of persons celebrating the opening of things but not being consistent in showing pride afterwards.
He added that “after the ceremony that’s it, we have to take care of what we have, we’re very proud of it now and we should be able to be proud of it ten years from now because we should keep it in very good order.”
He directed a challenge to Director of Tourism Mrs Sharon Flax-Mars in asking that tourism become much more deliberate in the Virgin Islands.
“People say that cruise ship [passengers] don’t spend money,” Hon. Walwyn offered, “I think the problem is that we have not yet figured out entirely how to dislodge them from their money.”
The Culture Minister highlighted that anyone who had been to Disney World would notice “that there was a deliberate effort every step of the way to take your money out of your pocket”. He was adamant that a similar practice should be adopted with both Crafts Alive and Tourism efforts in the Territory as well.
The definition of what a tour of the country is was also something he felt that needed to be deliberately determined and set out. “We must say what a tour of this country is, it has to be defined clearly and it must be made and designed with deliberate stops in mind,” Hon. Walwyn said.
“We have to be deliberate with what we’re doing in the country and when we pass through Carrot Bay, it’s the same thing, pass through Sea Cows Bay, Cane Garden Bay, being very deliberate with what we do so that people can leave their monies here and help to boost the economy… I would like to see that.”
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8 Responses to “Culture Minister throws out challenge for new tourism approach ”
Disney is a manufactured fantasy land geared to having visitors pay for everything as a business. BVI people live here. IT is different as a land and culture. You cannot use Disney tactics in a living and cultural situation. Please do not use anything Disney as a prototype here. You lose connection with the culture. even consider the architecture of Crafts Alive and the fanciful watercolour/ cartoon presented as the proposed gospel. Generic and non-identifying. I wish the architects would take their cues from Crafts Alive architecture and cut Pier Park back in scope. It is too big.