Accommodation Members of the Anguilla Hotel and Tourism Association, requested and met with Ms. Marvet Britto and her team on last Friday March 28th at the Anguilla Tourist Board Conference room in The Valley.
The members’ main aim was to gain first-hand information on the current status and way forward for Anguilla’s tourism, as it pertains to The Britto Agency’sefforts in branding, special events and other promotional efforts as mandated by the Ministry of Tourism. The meeting was very well attended, and through spirited discussions, members were able to gain insight as to the current and planned thrust.
Mr. Delroy Lake, President of the AHTA and Manager of Anacaona Boutique Hotel, delivered the welcome, while Mrs. Gilda Gumbs-Samuel, Executive Director of the AHTA, assumed the role of the moderator, ensuring that the meeting was kept informative and balanced.
Ms. Britto, early in the meeting, explained that she was engaged by the Government of Anguilla, as their official Branding and Public Relations Strategist since 2012. There were four members of her team present who each explained their particular areas of focus (Branding, Public Relations, Events and Operations), while Ms. Britto outlined several upcoming on-island event initiatives that have been approved by the Ministry of Tourism for Anguilla.
Chief Minister of Anguilla and Minister of Tourism, Mr. Hubert Hughes, who was also in attendance,clarified Ms. Britto’s role and her mandate as Global Branding Strategist as determined by the Ministry of Tourism. Her role centers around the coordination of the brand in the various markets to ensure the delivery of a consistent and unified brand.
The Chief Minister explained that the Government also put in place an Oversight Committee for Tourism to assist with resolving in-house and on-island challenges that they face in the management of the sector. Minister Hughes assured the group that the meeting at handwas an important step in fixing the problems that exist.
The Executive Director of the AHTA advised that the Tourism sector in Anguilla was suffering in respect to overall occupancy and also service hiccups particularly at the Blowing Point Port of Entry and called upon the Minister of Tourism to lead the charge in rectifying these matters. She further recommended that the finger pointing between various Tourism officials and agenciesneeded to cease and that all partners should extend the olive branch and come together to propel meaningful and positive solutions to fixing the problems of our life-blood industry.
Much discussion ensued about differences and overlaps in the areas of responsibility and roles between the Britto Agency and Cheryl Andrews Marketing Company (CAMC,) both of whom have responsibility for various marketing areas with respect to the vital North American market.
Ms. Britto displayed a wide variety of luxury branded items such as hotel amenities, uniforms, specially designed sneakers in the Anguilla colors, arrival form boards and a host of other items, as she highlighted the importance of the high quality of visual collateral material to support the overall Anguilla brand.
A habitually much-debated topic among the accommodation sector, surrounds whether Anguilla’s promotion as a luxury brand excludes smaller properties and guest houses. Ms. Britto advised all levels of the accommodation sector and indeed, the tourism product and service offering should seek to deliver excellence and all levels of accommodation, are considered an important component of the overall luxury brand of Anguilla.
This important meeting marked the beginning of direct official communication between the AHTA and The Britto Agency. As significant investors and the main job creators in this economy, The AHTA will continue to forge ahead in continued discussions and cooperation with all Tourism authorities, agencies and stakeholders for the further development and promotion of Anguilla’s critical Tourism industry.
– Press Release
28th March 2014
(Published without editing by The Anguillian newspaper.)
