CARIBBEAN CAN WEATHER TOURISM STORM, PREDICTS SENATOR ALLEN CHASTANET
CASTRIES, St. Lucia (June 16, 2008) - While the price of oil sky-rockets and airlines reduce services and increase fares to some Caribbean destinations, one of the region's most experienced tourism officials wants the Caribbean to embark on innovative strategies to mitigate any negative fallout in Caribbean travel.
Senator Allen Chastanet, St. Lucia's Minister of Tourism and Civil Aviation, suggests there is a silver lining in the midst of today's economic crisis and the Caribbean must be aggressive in the short and medium terms in order to be competitive in the long term.
"With the cutback in long haul travel between the United States and Europe and Asia, for example, there is an opportunity for our region if we aggressively market the Caribbean to the segment of the American market that's unlikely to be affected by the economic downturn," he said, explaining that during crises Americans still travel, but want to stay closer to home.
Suggesting there was an opportunity in focusing on the upper end of the market, he feared that "bargain destinations" like Cuba and the Dominican Republic, would have a harder time surviving in the prevailing economic environment, but encouraged the entire Caribbean to pool their marketing resources and to find the opportunity in today's crisis. Upcoming regional meetings in Washington DC and Antigua should help chart the way forward, he predicted.
Senator Chastanet, who also is chairman of the Caribbean Tourism Organisation, said St. Lucia was interested in pursuing the faith tourism market, highlighting the successful social and humanitarian mission of the California-based Miles Ahead organisation which recently brought 300 volunteers, including 80 medical professionals, and some US $5 million in free medical equipment, pharmaceuticals and health care to Jamaica. The volunteers, which included specialist doctors, pediatricians, surgeons, dentists and nurses, held free clinics and served local communities.
"We have preliminarily explored this market in St. Lucia in the past, but clearly we need to give this renewed priority," he said, citing volunteerism, faith tourism and the girlfriend getaway market as exciting trends that are unlikely to be seriously affected by the prevailing economic conditions.
He also suggested tapping into multicultural communities in North America such as the Asian American market. "We are spending a lot of time talking about bringing Chinese and Russians to the Caribbean, but without the direct airlift, wouldn't it be logical to target their sizable and upwardly mobile expatriate communities in North America and Europe?" the Senator asked.
The tourism minister suggested an immediate channeling of existing marketing energies into the challenging Fall season - between September and November - rather than injecting precious marketing resources for Summer travel. "It's already too late for the summer months, we need to start planning for the Fall when business will be very difficult," he suggested.
NEW YORK (April 26, 2008) - While the 2007 ICC Cricket World Cup may have helped economic expansion, boosted infrastructure investment and furthered functional cooperation across the region, many in the tourism circles did not reap the kind of dividends they expected from the sporting spectacle because of the unexpected early defeat and exit of major cricketing nations such as India and Pakistan and the absence of traditional winter visitors many of whom who chose to stay away from the Caribbean during the Cup's staging.
Nevertheless, the Caribbean has been left with an awesome opportunity to market state-of-the-art sporting facilities to a booming international sports tourism community during the cricket season and beyond if we are to capitalize on the millions of dollars that have been invested in them.
Carole Beckford, writing in the Jamaica press, said international bodies have long realized the value of sport to tourism and the money it can take into developing countries. "Jamaica should therefore decide to host major sporting events in the future only on the following bases: To ensure the continuing economic and lifestyle values for local communities. The importance of building both quality and sustainability standards to meet all patrons' expectations and to make use of current facilities and infrastructure. The intense global media and Internet exposure that can affect a country's tourism competitiveness, its visitor appeal and its entire international image. (And) the increasing public interest and the specific interest around travel to major sporting events. When we are able to achieve all four of the objectives listed above then we are good to go."
According to St. Lucian author Peter Adrien, "Sport Tourism calls for a paradigm shift in our conception and development of sports in the Caribbean. And this new vision must become part and parcel of our personal, national and regional development vision. Policy makers must clearly define the role of recreational and commercial sports in the development strategy. The first is an imperative, and forms an integral part of the program for building a harmonious and productive society, and lays the foundation for the successful growth of the political and economic systems, while the second is selective and targeted towards foreign exchange earning."
The St. Lucia Tourist Board (SLTB) and more recently the Barbados Tourism Authority (BTA) have made some major inroads into tapping into the expatriate markets of cricketing playing nations living in North America by wooing them to come to the Caribbean.
Before the Cricket World Cup last year, the SLTB, along with Cricket World Cup St. Lucia Inc., hit the road to tap West Indians, Kenyans and New Zealanders living in North America to entice them to visit the Caribbean for cricket.
Dr. Ernest Hilaire, Chief Executive Officer of Cricket World Cup, St. Lucia Inc. said at the time that cricket "is a celebration of life, it's the way we, as West Indians, love living. It's not about sitting down in a stadium and clapping for every four and every wicket. It's about liming the night before, fêting just before the match, celebrating during the match, and of course liming and fêting after the match."
And just last week, Barbados invited cricketing legends Wes Hall and Joel Garner to promote the upcoming Australian tour of the West Indies to upwardly mobile Australian professionals in New York and Philadelphia.
"We (had) not won a game against anyone of consequence for (several) years. (A few) months ago, we won a test match against South Africa. We (then) won a test match against Sri Lanka and (recently) completed a 2-0 (victory over) Sri Lanka in the One Days. I am saying that that cricketing U-Turn is sufficient to make me believe that this is going to be a wonderful series. Australians must not come (to the Caribbean) thinking (they) are the undisputed champions of the world and it is not worth coming. It is worth coming. (And) I want you to be there to see that fantastic turnaround (when) the West Indies beats Australia!" Hall told a jovial Manhattan audience.
These kind of promotional opportunities must be embraced and kudos must be extended to the BTA's Business Development Manager, Diana Clarke, the visionary behind the event, for coordinating an engaging Caribbean evening, featuring local cuisine and musical entertainment by Adrian Clarke, a Barbadian steel pan player who himself is a former Caribbean tennis champion and cricketing enthusiast.
From cricket to tennis to boxing to religious events, the opportunities are endless for Caribbean countries.
This week, the Cayman Islands announced that Goossen Tutor Promotions, in association with the Cayman Islands Department of Tourism, will present "Cayman Knockout: Championship Boxing" on June 20, 2008 to be televised on SHOWTIME's "SHOBOX: The New Generation."
This follows the successful staging of "SHOWTIME In Paradise" in St. Lucia last November when 2004 US Olympic Gold Medalist Andre Ward defeated Native American challenger Roger Cantrell in one of several fights that thrilled a full house at the Beausejour Cricket Ground.
We are only scratching the surface here folks - let's get to work so we can be good to go.
Bevan Springer, the Director of Counterpart International's Caribbean Media Exchange on Sustainable Tourism (CMEx), is a journalist and communications advisor.
