Following the recently held election, and effective May 28, the Government of Anguilla appointed a new Board of Directors to the Anguilla Tourist Board (ATB). As reported at the time, the individuals include as Chairperson, Donna A. Banks; Melinda Goddard; Gilda Gumbs-Samuel; Chesney Hughes; Kelita Lloyd; Myrna Sasso; and Fred Thompson.
The new Board has noted and welcomes the public interest in how the ATB is supporting the hospitality industry and the community. The Board has been meeting weekly in an effort to have a smooth and seamless transition, as well as put in place plans to transform the organisation to ensure it remains relevant in a continually changing market place. In commenting on the efforts of the new Board, one of the directors said, “It feels as if we’ve been working to reassemble a plane while it’s in the air!”
One of the priority areas for the new Board is access to Anguilla. To date, a number of discussions have been held to address the ongoing challenges with LIAT and the Antigua – Anguilla route; as well as, reviewing the Seaborne Airlines contract to ensure that the service between San Juan and Anguilla meets the needs of the destination by means of enhanced Service levels, fares, scheduling and seamless transfers for both local and tourist travelers. A meeting has also been held with Mr. Lesley Lloyd, Manager of the Anguilla St. Maarten Ferry Terminal, to understand the challenges being experienced and possible actions to enhance the use of this facility.
The Board has been engaged in reviewing procedures, budgets and staffing matters at the Anguilla Tourist Board; as well as, reviewing support requirements for events previously planned and new initiatives, including: overseas promotional activities; the recently concluded visit of archeologists to a pre-opening event at the Fountain National Park; AYSF Sports and Music Week hosting various VIPs; the CTO Regional Workshop on Sustainable Product Development: The Singapore Model; collateral material, including the Skyviews map 2015 update; status of the SXM airport booth and luggage area signage; revisiting issues regarding credit cards at the ports; updating the website to achieve competitive benchmarks, and links to social media were also progressed as continuing matters.
Another critical task of the Board was the review and issue of the required RFP for North American marketing services due to the expiration of existing contracts. As part of its goal of rebuilding relationships and partnerships both internally and externally, on July 8, the Board of Directors of the ATB welcomed the Anguilla Hotel and Tourism Association (AHTA) Board of Directors to exchange views on private sector priorities and initiatives necessary for the enhancement of the visitor experience.
The new Board has continued an aggressive calendar of briefings; worked with Yahoo Style for a three part series including a travel diary photo shoot, videography and a swim story, and a fashion lifestyle feature targeted to over 1 million daily viewers later this year; and received a presentation from a development team specialising in website design and visitor engagement. The Board recognises the importance of Digital Marketing and the urgent need for the Anguilla Tourist Board to optimise Anguilla’s online presence; thereby ensuring a unified approach for state-of-the-art travel planning, booking, and social media tools for tourists, along with integrated and highly targeted marketing outreach options for stakeholders.
On Tuesday, July 28, the directors participated in a Good Governance seminar organised by the Deputy Governor, Mr. Stanley Reid; supported by Ms. Dawne Richardson of the Attorney General’s Chambers; and Mr. Trevor Woodley of the Caribbean Commercial Bank. The full-day session included: governing legislation, policy development, board responsibilities, and ensuring effective meetings.
The Board of Directors appreciates and respects the expectations of its public and private sector partners, as well as the wider community, and pledges its commitment to building an organisation that is dynamic, engaging and successful in fulfilling its mandate to attract visitors to the island. The Board is also committed to creating an effective mechanism that facilitates receiving suggestions and concerns from all of its partners, and this will be communicated to all in a timely manner.
The Board expects that at the start of the new tourist season 2015-2016, Anguilla as a destination will have a refreshed image supported by an outstanding visitor experience.
– Press Release
(Published without editing by The Anguillian newspaper.)
