JG Black Book of Travel’s CEO, Jena Gardner, has disclosed that the Virgin Island’s sun and sand type destination is an important selling point in the Latin American market, especially with vacations becoming increasingly expensive in Latin America itself. Photo: VINO

Premier Dr The Hon. D. Orlando Smith announced in August, 2013 that the VI’s entry into the Brazilian market was part of its global tourism strategy which he expected would serve as a platform to launch initiatives into other Latin Countries such as Argentina and Chile. Photo: VINO

BVI Tourist Board Chairman, Mr Russell Harrigan played up the diversity of the territory as an attractive selling point to tourists. Photo: VINO

Scene from the BVI Tourist Board Marketplace event held with local operators on November 13, 2013. Photo: VINO

Scene from the BVI Tourist Board Marketplace event held with local operators on November 13, 2013. Photo: VINO

During the BVI Tourist Board Marketplace event held with local operators on November 13, 2013, Gardner told Virgin Islands News Online that even though the Latin American market’s primary destination is North America and Europe, the VI’s sun and sand type holidays will always be important.

“BVI and the Caribbean region in general are positioned well because sun and sand holidays in their region, off the coast of Brazil, are becoming extremely expensive and so they’re looking for alternatives,” Gardner related.

Premier Dr The Hon. D. Orlando Smith announced in August, 2013 that JG Black Book, a public relations firm, was selected to represent the VI’s Tourist Board in the Latin American Market effective September 1, 2013.

Dr Smith expressed that the VI’s entry into the Brazilian market was part of its global tourism strategy which he expected would serve as a platform to launch initiatives into other Latin Countries such as Argentina and Chile.

Gardner expressed that with the marketplace event, the important thing is to educate the VI constituents about the Latin American market, the importance of it and the exploding growth in the region.

A lot of people, she related, think of Latin America and they think Brazil but there’s Argentina, Colombia, Chile and other countries. Another goal, Gardner said, is to highlight the types of consumers there including the high net worth consumer that is talked about globally and also the 50 million new consumers emerging from the middle class.

“These are first generation wealth, they’re new consumers and they’re luxury consumers,” she said, “we’re looking at marketing messages, packages, PR messages that really focus on what this market’s means are…”

The group, she added, also wanted to meet with as many constituents as possible and see where their interest lies in exploring the Latin American market.

Among the closest competitors to the VI for the Latin American market, she identified St Barth's (known as the seen and be seen scene); Turks and Caicos (known for promoting honeymoons); Mexico (which caters largely to family vacations); and the Cayman Islands.

Meanwhile, BVI Tourist Board Chairman, Mr Russell Harrigan played up the diversity of the territory as an attractive selling point to tourists, “The BVI as a destination, notwithstanding its size, has been, I think for sixty square miles, we’ve been blessed with tremendous assets in terms of what God has given us from a natural standpoint,” Harrigan said.

He noted however, that the challenge is to take these blessings and go into the world and merchandise them, using them to attract visitors to the destination.

According to Mr Harrigan, there is no other place that facilitates the diversity of destinations and product such as yachting and the many national parks located in the VI.

He added that persons locally take the ability to ‘island-hop’ around the VI for granted. “You can have breakfast on one island, lunch on another and dinner on another,” he stated.