Island Sun - Local News - British Virgin Islands

LOCAL NEWS

BVI & DENMARK COLLABORATE ON TOURISM PROMOTION

Efforts are underway to increase the number of Scandinavian visitors to the British Virgin Islands. The territory hosted March 17th-22nd a visit of Mr. Bjarne Eklund, the Director General of the Danish Tourist Board.

Scandinavia includes Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden. The BVITB hosted a Scandinavian press trip March 7th -10th, which originated from an exploratory trip to Copenhagen in May 2000 led by Chief Minister and Minister for Tourism the Honourable Ralph T. O'Neal.

The visit of Mr. Eklund also ties in with a December visit by the Mayor of Denmark to the BVI. Private Secretary in the Chief Minister's Office Mr. David Penn said they developed camaraderie with Mayor Madsen during their visit to Denmark last year. "This is a part of the Chief Minister's continued efforts to promote the BVI in Denmark and to foster a closer relationship with the Danish people.

The Tourist Board has been looking at new markets to encourage more visitors to visit the territory and we have been exercising many more efforts in the European market for quite some time, according to BVITB Director Ms. Anne Lennard. She pointed out that the Scandinavian market is quite important. In 1999, the BVI welcomed 586 overnight visitors from Denmark.
The Director General of the Danish Tourist Board said the BVI has a lot in common with Denmark, in that both countries are small and need to be efficient and be aware of what's going on in the global competitive tourism market. He said it is vital for the Danish market to align with a strong organization to ensure that it gets its share of the tourist market.

During his visit, Mr. Eklund toured Jost Van Dyke, Anegada and Virgin Gorda. We also had a chance to see some of our properties, small and large, sample our restaurants, he called on the Governor, the Chief Minister, said Product Development Manager/BVITB Ms. Lynette Harrigan. She said all in all, the visit was very interesting.

Mr. Eklund said he was quite impressed with the territory. He mentioned the friendly attitudes and warm welcome of the people as attractive selling points for the BVI. Comparing the two destinations, the Tourism Official said it is important that they ensure that from arrival to departure, tourists feel like they are coming as guests but leaving as friends. I think you are now on the crossroads I think you need to ask your own local population about their opinion start a dialogue to find out how you yourself would like to see tourism the day after tomorrow, he suggested. He said it would be difficult to develop the industry without the local support, the interest and the real feeling for welcoming tourists.

The Danish Tourist Board official pointed out that people in his part of the world are traveling far longer than in the past and there are also more young people and families with children traveling abroad. They go easily to U.S, they go to Thailand, why shouldn't they go here? He said it's about the same flying time, but this destination is proving to be more attractive.

According to Ms. Lennard, having now established a relationship with the Danish Tourist Board, the BVI Tourist Board intends to pursue more aggressive efforts in Scandinavia and especially in Denmark. And well continue to use the advice that we've received in an effort to attempt to generate more business for the territory at a period where there is even much more of a need to fill rooms, which is during the soft season or the summer months.

She spoke of plans to expand the type of visitors from this market. While the BVI markets primarily to a very upscale group, the destination has something for everybody. We don't just have the big resorts and the exclusive resorts, we have very private and personal intimate properties owned by our locals.

Ms. Lennard said efforts would be made to involve the local population in an attempt to get the community more involved in promoting the industry. She said the Board has been engaged in a heightened public relations campaign for the past two years."What we are now expecting is that we are going to be looking forward to hearing more from each of you to be more involved and active players in the whole tourism industry," the Director stated. She said the public needs to be more pro-active and on a day-to-day basis, not only when a concern arises. Ms. Lennard said the Tourist Board and the public are equal partners in the industry.

[Local News][Caribbean News][Sports & Entertainment]
[World News][What's New & Commentaries]
[BVI History, Attractions & Features] [Your Spot in the Sun]
[Legal][Contact Us][HOME]


			LOCAL NEWS

			BVI & DENMARK COLLABORATE ON TOURISM PROMOTION Efforts are underway to increase the number of Scandinavian visitors to the British Virgin Islands. The territory hosted March 17th-22nd a visit of Mr. Bjarne Eklund, the Director General of the Danish Tourist Board. Scandinavia includes Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden. The BVITB hosted a Scandinavian press trip March 7th -10th, which originated from an exploratory trip to Copenhagen in May 2000 led by Chief Minister and Minister for Tourism the Honourable Ralph T. O'Neal. The visit of Mr. Eklund also ties in with a December visit by the Mayor of Denmark to the BVI. Private Secretary in the Chief Minister's Office Mr. David Penn said they developed camaraderie with Mayor Madsen during their visit to Denmark last year. "This is a part of the Chief Minister's continued efforts to promote the BVI in Denmark and to foster a closer relationship with the Danish people. The Tourist Board has been looking at new markets to encourage more visitors to visit the territory and we have been exercising many more efforts in the European market for quite some time, according to BVITB Director Ms. Anne Lennard. She pointed out that the Scandinavian market is quite important. In 1999, the BVI welcomed 586 overnight visitors from Denmark. The Director General of the Danish Tourist Board said the BVI has a lot in common with Denmark, in that both countries are small and need to be efficient and be aware of what's going on in the global competitive tourism market. He said it is vital for the Danish market to align with a strong organization to ensure that it gets its share of the tourist market. During his visit, Mr. Eklund toured Jost Van Dyke, Anegada and Virgin Gorda. We also had a chance to see some of our properties, small and large, sample our restaurants, he called on the Governor, the Chief Minister, said Product Development Manager/BVITB Ms. Lynette Harrigan. She said all in all, the visit was very interesting. Mr. Eklund said he was quite impressed with the territory. He mentioned the friendly attitudes and warm welcome of the people as attractive selling points for the BVI. Comparing the two destinations, the Tourism Official said it is important that they ensure that from arrival to departure, tourists feel like they are coming as guests but leaving as friends. I think you are now on the crossroads I think you need to ask your own local population about their opinion start a dialogue to find out how you yourself would like to see tourism the day after tomorrow, he suggested. He said it would be difficult to develop the industry without the local support, the interest and the real feeling for welcoming tourists. The Danish Tourist Board official pointed out that people in his part of the world are traveling far longer than in the past and there are also more young people and families with children traveling abroad. They go easily to U.S, they go to Thailand, why shouldn't they go here? He said it's about the same flying time, but this destination is proving to be more attractive. According to Ms. Lennard, having now established a relationship with the Danish Tourist Board, the BVI Tourist Board intends to pursue more aggressive efforts in Scandinavia and especially in Denmark. And well continue to use the advice that we've received in an effort to attempt to generate more business for the territory at a period where there is even much more of a need to fill rooms, which is during the soft season or the summer months. She spoke of plans to expand the type of visitors from this market. While the BVI markets primarily to a very upscale group, the destination has something for everybody. We don't just have the big resorts and the exclusive resorts, we have very private and personal intimate properties owned by our locals. Ms. Lennard said efforts would be made to involve the local population in an attempt to get the community more involved in promoting the industry. She said the Board has been engaged in a heightened public relations campaign for the past two years."What we are now expecting is that we are going to be looking forward to hearing more from each of you to be more involved and active players in the whole tourism industry," the Director stated. She said the public needs to be more pro-active and on a day-to-day basis, not only when a concern arises. Ms. Lennard said the Tourist Board and the public are equal partners in the industry.
			[Local News][Caribbean News][Sports & Entertainment] [World News][What's New & Commentaries] [BVI History, Attractions & Features] [Your Spot in the Sun] [Legal][Contact Us][HOME]