CTO tongue lashing

BIG on lyrics, slow on implementation.

Commissioner of the United States Virgin Islands (USVI), Beverley Nicholson-Doty, lambasted regional leaders for failing to put the necessary action behind rolls of solutions placed on the table to drive the Caribbean’s main economic motor forward.

Chairman of the Caribbean Tourism Organisation (CTO) and
Commissioner of the United Stated Virgin Islands
(USVI), Beverley Nicholson-Doty.

Nicholson-Doty was speaking in her capacity of Chairman of the Caribbean Tourism Organisation (CTO), at the opening ceremony of the 2013 State of the Industry Conference (SOTIC 2013), which took place in Martinique.

The conference usually marks an occasion for ministers, technocratics and other tourism practitioners to meet and discuss various issues facing the industry, as well as share on global trends taking place in tourism and travel.

The Commissioner, who took up her post as Chairman a year ago, lamented that the USA was able to take and build on a concept which was initiated by the Caribbean, while we still remained debating and discussing.

On the issue of a region-wide marketing programme, she said, “Brand USA is leaps ahead of us, promoting a concept we initiated in the Caribbean. Yes, they implemented a concept we have been discussing for more than a decade... we know this concept works.

“Brand USA has the data that shows the increased travel to the US since the programme’s implementation. And we have the proof that when we’ve implemented a cohesive marketing programme our visitor arrivals have increased. Unfortunately, we seem only to have the will to truly work together when there is a crisis.”

She also complained that we continued to shy away from appreciating and capitalising on the obvious linkages between tourism and agriculture, construction, health, education and the financial services sector.

“The global market is growing so rapidly that if we fall behind, it is going to be so much more difficult and much more expensive to catch up,” she stated, petitioning member governments to honour their commitments on time.

“This delay makes it more challenging to keep those members who have honoured their membership and marketing commitment to remain fully engaged.

“It’s time to move beyond the talk and into serious action. It’s time to get so uncomfortable that we are forced to address the challenges of the most tourism dependent region in the world,” she added. (RA)