Close to a hundred tourism professionals gathered at Paradise Cove on Friday evening to celebrate the launch of the second edition of True Anguilla Magazine. True Anguilla is a comprehensive and visually attractive guide to all that Anguilla has to offer that is distributed free of charge to visitors at the ports of entry, hotels, guest houses, villas, restaurants and other places where people gather.
The launch party was lively and well attended, with music by DJ Sugar, wine by Les Grands Vins de France and drinks and nibbles provided by Paradise Cove. The “stars” of the event were two Anguillian teenagers; Louise “Lou Lou” Fayet and Jasmin Ruan, whose joyful photo graces the front of the magazine. The girls were photographed on Meads Bay by Orrett Wynter. The publishers of True Anguilla, Trudy Nixon and Orrett Wynter, presented Lou Lou and Jasmin with framed copies of the magazine’s cover as a thank you.
Trudy and Orrett also thanked their many advertisers, including the Anguilla Tourist Board, for their financial support of the magazine – without which publication would not have been possible, and went on to thank their production team: Deborah Wynter and Cherecia Lewis Rogers, who handled the sales, and Beth Barry, the copy editor.
They also complimented the local photographers whose stunning images are used throughout the magazine: Josveek Huligar, Susan Croft and Derrys Richardson.
The magazine is packed with useful information and recommendations, and also features quotations and photos from locals and visitors – who explain what it is they love about Anguilla and what makes it special. Much fun was had as people went through the magazine, spotting themselves in print.
45,000 copies of the magazine have been printed – double last year’s inaugural print run – in order to keep pace with demand.
Trudy says, “We ran out last year! Which is gratifying, because we know the magazine is being taken off-island, kept as a souvenir and used to plan subsequent visits, but also frustrating – because we wanted more people to see a physical copy. We know that a lot of overseas visitors were able to at least see the online version. We are grateful for the visitor research we collected, via a survey designed by Melinda Goddard, of ClientTel Consulting, because it confirmed that True Anguilla had a very high approval rating with last year’s visitors: 90% percent of those surveyed said they would be likely to keep the magazine to plan a return trip to the island, and 93% said they would recommend the (online or hard copy) magazine to others wanting to plan a trip.
It also helped us to make a few improvements: it told us that readers wanted more information on having their destination wedding here and on purchasing property in Anguilla, so we have expanded both of those sections. They also told us that the type was a little small – so we have increased the size both of the magazine and the type! The content continues to focus on Anguilla’s friendly people because we know that readers loved seeing faces they recognized, not unknown models, and reading about characters like Armel Harrigan, who was the focus of our most popular article last year. This year, as well as having two fabulous local girls on the cover, we feature locals like Amelia Vanterpool, Mimi Gratton, Shane Sutton, Ena Boseman Hodge, Josveek Huligar and Colville Petty.
The magazine is made possible by our advertisers, and we have been gratified to see a growth in support, especially in the dining, activities and shopping areas from both large and small businesses. Those who think there is nothing much to do in Anguilla will have to think again when they see our “go, see, do” section featuring unique Anguilla gifts – “how to take home a piece of the rock”, day trips, water sports, hi-octane sports, and artistic and cultural adventures. We also included a great “how to spend a day in Anguilla” itinerary, as we hope that at least 5,000 copies will be distributed in St. Martin and St. Barths and encourage visitors from those islands to come over, grab a taxi or hire a car, and explore.”
Copies of True Anguilla magazine are widely available on island, from Cherecia, Deborah, Orrett or Trudy, and at the Anguilla Tourist Board. An online version of the magazine can be viewed at www.trueanguilla.com
– Press Release
(Published without editing by The Anguillian newspaper.)
