Mr. Kenroy Herbert
While the Government of Anguilla and the private sector are feverishly looking at re-starting the tourism industry, as cautiously as possible, the newly-appointed Chairman of the Tourist Board, Mr. Kenroy Herbert, is grappling with remarketing the island to its previously high status.
He has already set out a number of strategies which he shared in an interview with The Anguillian newspaper. “We are at a unique place in Anguilla’s history with a new Government in office,” he reflected in way of introduction. “Expectations are high, but financial reserves are low and the island’s main source of revenue, tourism, is at a standstill. And the coronavirus is going to make our tenure one of the most challenging ever. We are the leading the financial life-line for Anguilla. It cannot be business as usual, and it is critical to have a vision on the way forward. One of the foremost things on our mind is to open up the country in a safe way in which the economy can thrive and our locals can remain safe.
“The hospitality industry everywhere has been the hardest hit by this global pandemic and, of course, Anguilla is no exception. Our industry has been shut down since mid-March and the first thing we have to do is predict the future. However, it is not going to look like 2019 for a very long time. There are a lot of people in Anguilla who are unemployed – and some of the major hotels will probably not be open for the remainder of this year. It is going to be a very dire situation if we do not start the recovery process – and to rebuild the tourism market as soon as possible.”
Mr. Herbert continued: “Travel has never before been logistically challenged and complicated because of all the protocols and procedures in place. I think our success to date, in dealing with the virus, is the envy of our Caribbean neighbours. Our challenge is to reopen responsibly to protect the health of both our visitors and our residents.”
Asked to list some of his plans for the Tourist Board going forward, he replied: “Right now we are putting plans in place to appoint a Director of Tourism and a Chief Marketing Officer which Anguilla did not have for many years. Its absence makes the job of the Chairman more of a-day-to-day job. We have a Manager of Corporate Affairs who is doing a great job, but we have to appoint a Director of Tourism.
“One of the other matters we can work on right now is to significantly improve arrival and departure in terms of guest experience. One of our major things we want to undertake right now is the enhancement of Anguilla during the downturn. There are too many derelict vehicles. We are going to bring back the best village competition in terms of cleanliness. We are going to do this twice a year. The Tourist Board is going to partner with youth organisations – and the lead organisation is going to be called the Anguilla Enhancement Project. We are going to partner with them to beautify and enhance Anguilla and that is going to take on many facets. We are going to have something called ‘Plant a Tree Day’, hopefully involving the whole island once a year.
“We are going to work with Physical Planning and other departments to make it against the law to have derelict vehicles in yards. We are also going to work with those institutions to reward those who keep their yards very nicely… and penalise those who are not taking care of their surroundings.
“We will have training for the staff of the Tourist Board. I would like to have those persons trained on the same level as the concierges in the hotels. People call the Tourism Office as a central information centre for all things tourism-related. We will bring our staff up to speed. So if tourists call wishing to know about tours to the Fountain Cavern, the staff at the Tourist Board should know what the situation there is. If they say they would like to know which restaurants on Anguilla serve sushi, our staff should have that basic knowledge and point them into the right direction. We are also going to have training for staff at Blowing Point who will be called Taxi Dispatchers/Tourism Information Officers – and we will be adding a Tourist Information Desk there. There are many day-trippers who come to Anguilla and need information about where to go on the island.”
Mr. Herbert further stated: “We are also going to look for different markets. America accounts for 66% of all arrivals on Anguilla. Right now there is a band on Americans going to many nations, and there will be a shortfall in arrivals including Anguilla. So we have to look for other markets that are on the safe list like Canada, Germany, France and other places – and find ways to get them to Anguilla.
“As of August 21, Anguilla is going to be open to specific markets with a low prevalence of less than 0.2% covid-19 of the population. These are places like Canada, Germany, Italy and France – and some Caribbean countries. We are going to have a live portal where people will be able to apply to come to Anguilla. It will be a case where we will accept or deny entry. The villas on Anguilla are going to do very well from this. They are the perfect accommodation places for visitors to come to. They will be able to come in, take their tests and be in quarantine, mostly like at a villa, for ten or fourteen days, depending on where they are from – and after that period, once they are covid-free, they will be released in the community. We are going to produce a video to coincide with all of this – and all of this will begin on August 21.”
In terms of marketing and promotion, the Chairman of the Tourism Board went on: “As far as messaging is concerned, we have relied heavily on our advisors in the marketplace and we will continue to do so. It is especially important to constantly monitor the sentiments of consumers, and the travel industry internationally, and particularly Anguilla’s main source markets.
“In the near term, we will target affluent travellers whom research identifies as the least affected by the pandemic and with the resources available for travel. We will showcase villa sector products and private air options to the high net-worth and Long Stay travellers; expand outreach in 2021 – assuming that more consumers will be ready to venture forth again; keep the focus on experiences; expand on the five pillars currently identified –which are romance, culinary, adventure, wellness, events and culture; utilise technology to save costs; and focus on digital campaigns amplified on social media platforms.”
Apart from being Chairman of the Anguilla Tourist Board, Mr. Herbert is the owner of Leviticus Lifestyle & Travel and Olympus Chauffeured Services.
