‘We have to go & aggressively sell our [tourism] product’- Hon Hodge-Smith
Following questions from the media during a press conference on October 6, 2023, Hon Hodge-Smith; however, had to defend the need for the trip as one that was necessary to sell the VI as a tourism product.
Opportunities for those present
“We were able to interact with persons...and no you cannot interact with people on Zoom, you have to be present. And the fact of the matter is we didn't necessarily say other things that happened because there were other opportunities while we were there,” she said.
While some members of the public and even the press have accused the delegation of traveling for fun, talk, and cocktails with nothing in return, Hon Hodge-Smith said that was not the case as the event was also a networking opportunity.
“We didn't share the story at the reception as you said that we are just there for cocktails, right? We were able to meet the owner of the IGY Marinas by accident. Do you meet that person on Zoom, or you have to be present to meet? And while we were there, we were able to have a meeting and a discussion on how we can do business going forward. Because he introduced us to someone else in his organisation.”
Hodge-Smith said that what it means to be present, is to have the opportunity to further advancements in getting things done for the territory.
VI has to aggressively sell tourism product - Hon Hodge-Smith
“We are in a global community. We cannot act in silo. Nothing comes to us. We have to go and aggressively sell our product and if it means traveling across the world to do it, we need to do it because we believe in our product,” she added,
Hon Hodge-Smith said the VI has something that's sellable and they are confident that with the new changes that are happening with the local shipping registry growth will come.
“When you go around negotiation tables, nothing happens at the same time, it takes time for growth and we will see results because we believe in our product, the product has proven itself and we just need to go the extra mile to get it done,” she said.
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34 Responses to “‘We have to go & aggressively sell our [tourism] product’- Hon Hodge-Smith”
LOTS of people k ow it’s here, but wouldn’t recognize it any more
AESTHETIC AND ABIANCE, ROAD INFRASTRUCTURE (EVEN THE TOURIST STARTING TO COMPLAIN) CLEAN ENVIRONMENT, ETC ETC ETC
Why you have to justified,because you kow you should have stay here
Moreover, tourism has to be more than sand, sea and sun , and old talk. It requires proactive actions. Talk is cheap money buy land dem say. Our competitors in the region also have sand, sea and sun. Therefore, if we want to be a top competitor, we must differentiate ourself. As such, to differentiate ourself and provide a competitive tourism product, there are some things we must do. a), we must improve our healthcare system,
b) our education system must move full STEAM ahead. c), we must invest in and build a First World physical Infrastructure system, viz, water, wastewater, stormwater(drainage), electricity, road network, gas, ports ( sea and air) and telecommunications systems. d), the rule of law must be practice and employed fairly, not used on a selected , targeted few. e), rising violent and property crime must be arrested, f), the economy must be diversified so that if one sector stumbles the whole system does not tumble, g) increase, and improve current attractions ( the old HMP is an embarrassment, upgrade it or close it), h, arrest the skyrocketing cost of living, I) functional social safety nets., etc. Further, explore constructing a board walk along the shoreline in Road Town, develop a SEA( sea, entertainment and art) district in Road Town. Disclaimer: the SEA is not mine. Another blogger suggested it sometime ago.
Stop traveling everywhere first class and stay home to fix the problems we live with every day.
Love it! Recently travel to NYC from London was surprise at how available all the forms was online to fill. Got my stamp and move on to clear my bag. There was no questions. So, agreed 1000% that this should be done ten years ago. When BVI people travel, they will see how far behind this country really is, and catching up means all hands on deck, whether it be expats or native it requires everyone living in BVI to give their best to the country. It can become a little bit more like Singapore, Monaco, Italy, France, a bit of luxury in BVI.
And, please Mr Government try and fix that airport, cannot continue to have an international airport with no international flight. I am hungry to live the life here in BVI that I see when I travel. I want to experience,an Amazon package delivered to me in next day time, or fresh flowers for my table from the Netherlands.Fix that airport please!