Transforming the Anguilla Experience! Beyond Extraordinary! What are we saying? Why this theme?
Now is the acceptable and necessary time to confront our future as a tourism destination. It can no longer be business as usual unless we expect to see the same unsatisfactory results that we have been experiencing no matter the personnel; no matter the administration. Our fundamental issues need addressing and they need addressing now more than ever.
Tourism as an industry does not sell over the counter individualised products. Tourism as an industry is a set of activities in which individuals engage on their personal terms, such as pleasant and memorable places, allowing each tourist to build his or her own travel experiences so that these experiences satisfy a wide range of personal needs, from pleasure to a search for meaning.
Tourism is an experience. To consume tourism is to consume experiences. For us on Anguilla it is more than a bed, a beach or a restaurant. It is the sum total of all of the experiences a traveler has from the time he/she begins the information search on Anguilla to the time that traveler returns to his/her place of residence and therefore includes every thing in between.
The new visitor is choosing the destination first and then the place to stay. The Destination must have an identity; it must have appeal; emotional appeal that promises to meet the travelers’ need. This appeal is based on the perceived value of the totality of the experiences that can be enjoyed at the destination. Experiences that will WoW; memories that are pleasant; worth repeating and worth sharing with others.
Anguilla as a destination has traditionally being synonymous with the major luxury brands that shaped and defined our brand. Anguilla led the way in what is coined “luxury tourism”; others followed. Luxury was narrowly defined by the standard of accommodation. That is no longer the case. The following now defines a luxury trip in order of importance:
• Uniqueness and exclusivity of the experience;
• Customisation of services
• Category of hotel
• Class of flight
• Budget
• International hotel chains
Anguilla still qualifies to be positioned as a luxury destination not simply because of its five star properties but most importantly because of the uniqueness and exclusivity of its experience and the customisation of services.
The experiences that make Anguilla unique and special can be enjoyed by many staying at accommodations with varying price points. The success and sustainability of Brand Anguilla will depend on the attention paid to tweaking and enhancing our experience to meet the needs of our guests.
Information Gathering
Print and digital brochures? What do we have? How do we compare with our competitors?
Digital Assets? Can travellers dream and experience Anguilla having never visited? Do we have the content, the imagery, the videos that showcase the diversity of the Anguilla Experience?
Is our message clear? Does it tell our true story in all its richness and fulness?
Booking
How easy is it to book a trip to Anguilla are we maximising the use of technology? Are we staying top of the mind with our agents and sellers?
Getting Here
How convenient is getting here and at what price? Do travellers believe that the Experience is worth the price, the time and sometimes the effort?
Arrival Process
How efficient is this and how can technology and innovation improve this.
Are we great hosts welcoming our guests? How do we measure up – porters, immigration, customs and taxis.
Staying Here
The physical environment
Our accommodations
Our restaurants
Taxis
Attractions and Things to do
Historical sites
Opportunities to interact with locals and live like the locals
Marine activities
Festivals and Events
Retail sector
Government offices
Can we dispel the myth that Anguilla is for the rich and famous? And how do we tell our story and enhance our experiences so that the benefits of the industry can spread farther and wider
Do we understand the need to invest more in experiential activities and less in beds? Do we understand the needs of the new traveler?
Understanding our Anguilla Experience is vital
Destinations are competing on the quality of the overall experiences and if Anguilla is to have a chance to survive and succeed then we will need to partner with organisations that have the experience and understand the complexity of the tourism sector, and that can provide actionable insights which directly can lead to attract and retain tourist, visitors and guests.
We will have to invest in every element of our Experience and not feel comfortable of live in a fools paradise thinking that things are ok or good.
We have to invest in:
• Access- expansion of our airport; attracting new carriers out of our current hubs; developing new routes to Anguilla; enhancing air and sea
transfers from PJIA; development of the Blowing Point Ferry Port;
• Arrivals Process – investing in technology and training of individuals;
regulating the handling of baggage; the screening of passengers and the
despatching of taxis;
• Our physical environment belies the statement that we are a destination that offers quality at all levels of the destination product or visitor experience. We need to STOP for two days and clean up this island and then put the measure in place to ensure that the island stays clean and violators are dealt with speedily; our food court ‘The Strip” must be transformed into a more aesthetically pleasing space where the organic social interaction continue and where order and mutual respect are evident;
• Government incentives need to be provided for persons investing in products and services that enhance and strengthen the destination experience and less in the building of new rooms;
• Our Cultural offering must now be developed, packaged and be easily accessible to our guests;
• A Duty Free Policy must now be a priority to facilitate the grow of the retail sector and more exciting shopping experiences for our guests;
• Water tours and exciting water based activities must be enhanced or developed where necessary
• We must invest in an aggressive social media strategy where content is king. We must tell the story of the exciting alternatives the Anguilla Experience provides where travellers can dream and travel to Anguilla from the comfort of their home and see themselves basking in the richness of the unique and authentic experience that can only be enjoyed
on Anguilla;
• We must invest financially in our Anguilla Experience as well as the marketing of the totality of this Experience which in essence is our Anguilla Brand.
– We must develop robust data collection mechanisms in an effort to understand our markets, measure customer satisfaction and make data driven decisions. Our statistical information must be focused, accurate and detailed.
As we go through this week I encourage you to reflect on the role that you’ve been playing in the Anguilla Experience. If Anguilla is to remain competitive in this fragile global Tourism industry, we must focus on drastically tightening our overall experience. We must pay attention to detail at every level of our experience and commit ourselves to providing a product that is beyond extraordinary, remembering that the Anguilla Experience begins from the time the traveler researches his or her information on Anguilla, the good, the bad and the ugly. The experience continues through to the booking experience, getting to Anguilla, the arrivals process, accommodations, activities and departure. This being said, I wish to issue a challenge to all of us, let’s transform the Anguilla Experience through training, better customer service, enhanced activities and cleaning of our island for the upcoming Tourist Season. I look forward to a successful week and a successful Tourist Season.
