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ST. CROIX — Virgin Islands Department of Tourism (D.O.T.) Commissioner Beverly Nicholson-Doty connected with more than 100 journalists, editors, travel agents, meeting planners, airline officials and Virgin Islanders during what was described in a Wednesday press release as a successful marketing mission to New York, Minneapolis and Atlanta last week, as D.O.T. worked to increase visibility and bolstered sales to the territory.

According to the release, in New York, the visit included a series of appointments and culminated with a filled-to-capacity reception in Manhattan where Mrs. Nicholson-Doty updated attendees about the offerings and new developments in the territory, along with the variety of options and reasons to travel to the U.S.V.I. from the New York area.

In addition to meeting with print and broadcast media in Minneapolis, travel partners received a taste of Virgin Islands culture during an evening reception, which featured Caribbean-inspired treats and live music.

“Our team is very upbeat about the success of this mission, which not only increased media exposure for our islands, but also brought awareness to sales opportunities which we are in the process of converting,” Mrs. Nicholson-Doty said.

During the week-long activation, Mrs. Nicholson-Doty met with members of the media to share updates on tourism developments and the economic impact of the sector, as well as the D.O.T.’s continued efforts to increase arrivals, attract visitors and enhance the visitor experience.

The commissioner kicked off her mission in New York by conducting one-on-one interviews with journalists representing national, consumer travel, lifestyle and multicultural outlets, including the Associated Press, AFAR Magazine, NBC News BLK and Travel + Leisure. She also sat down with editors from the travel trade media, including Recommend and Travel Pulse, which has already resulted in coverage in both outlets.

While in Minneapolis, the Mrs. Nicholson-Doty was interviewed on “Urban Perspectives”, a segment of which will air on CBS affiliate WCCO-TV this Sunday, March 13. She also met with Cleo Greene, a reporter at ABC affiliate KSTP-TV who also has strong ties to the Virgin Islands. During her visit, she discussed seasonal nonstop service from Minneapolis to St. Thomas on Sun Country Airlines, convenient connections on both Delta Air Lines and American Airlines, and the important meetings and incentives market.

In Atlanta, she participated in a radio discussion on WSB’s “Perspectives with Condace Pressley” to share destination updates and promote upcoming events such as Carnival and Dine V.I.

Mrs. Nicholson-Doty announced that D.O.T. will continue to execute its aggressive public relations and marketing program, and bolster its advertising schedule to increase awareness of the territory with specific focus on St. Croix.

“The territory faces strong competition from within and outside of our region and we must continue to robustly promote the destination, given the critical importance of tourism to the destination,” Mrs. Nicholson-Doty said, underscoring that 30 percent of the territory’s gross domestic product is derived from the tourism industry.