Anguilla’s overseas tourism representatives are on the island for Marketing Week 2017 which commenced on Monday, July 24, under the theme: “Transforming our Industry: Evolution, Experience and Engagement”.
Chairperson of the Anguilla Tourist Board, Mrs. Donna Banks, told The Anguillian: “The marketing representatives are from all our overseas markets – the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico, Latin America, Italy, Germany and the United Kingdom. Every year we have our annual marketing meetings when we discuss and review our past performance – in the current year – and then we look at the plans for the following year. Right now we are going to be looking at the 2018 plans.
“This year has been a bit different because the week has been broken up into basically two parts. Monday and Tuesday are four general sessions. Monday morning we had the public sector; in the afternoon, we had events, attractions and activities. Tuesday morning was for the accommodation sector and restaurants; and in the afternoon, access and transportation.”
Mrs. Banks went on: “We are continuing with the whole transformation of tourism. We believe we are at the stage in our evolution where we have to do things a bit differently. We have to be very more focussed on what we are doing. I believe we have to continue to promote destination Anguilla as a luxury brand but, at the same time, we have to come up with strategies to make persons aware that within the luxury brand there are different product lines.
“For too long Anguilla, as a destination, has been equated with, or to, the deluxe or 5-star properties – so when you think about Anguilla you are just thinking accommodations. But Anguilla is more than accommodations. The current travellers are looking for more than accommodations. They are looking for a total experience and our brand has to have some form of position in our identity. For us, Anguilla has been perceived as a luxury destination, and we believe that is the message we must continue to share, but being a luxury brand doesn’t mean that every accommodation is going to be 5-star. That is because the brand is more than the accommodations.
“The brand is the restaurants, the quality of service and the activities. When we talk about the Anguilla brand, we are talking about the totality of the experience – and inviting persons to share in the Anguilla experience and then choosing the level of accommodation that they would like to enjoy that experience.
“We have to move away from when people hear about Anguilla they are thinking on a particular accommodation. When they hear about Anguilla, they will have to imagine a whole experience – whether our beaches, our friendship tours, our dining, our music, museum, arts and culture.”
On Monday evening the overseas tourism marketing representatives, and officials from the Anguilla Tourist Board, were entertained at a dinner at Le Bleu, a 10-bedroom luxury villa at Little Harbour. The property is owned by John and Val Barker.
