Breaking

9-Year-Old Boy Dies After Being Shot in Head in Croixville Housing Community; Police Detain 15-Year-Old

Concerned Residents Clean Christiansted Town Using Their Own Tools, Money, and Some Help from the VI Fire Service

Territory May See Veterans Cemetery Through DeGazon-Sponsored Bill

Credit and Debit Cards of WAPA Customers Were Compromised Since August 30th, WAPA Says, Authority to Finally Start Issuing Notification Via Mail and Email

Sports Tourism in VI Gains Momentum as DC United Team is set to Play Exhibition Soccer Game on St. Croix

Carnival Breeze Brings 3,700 Tourists to St. Croix During Maiden Call; Senators, Tourism Officials Want to See More

Limetree Bay Willing To Provide $10 Million To Help Add Life to a Dying G.E.R.S.

American Airlines to Serve St. Croix With New Flights Next Summer

The Sudden Death of Influential Roots Reggae Visionary, Vaughn Benjamin of Midnite Band and Akae Beka, Has Rocked the Virgin Islands and Reggae Community Around the World

Arthur A. Richards K-8 School Hosts Anti-Bullying Campaign

Come Out. Hang Out. Have Fun at The Meat Up, One of St. Thomas’ Latest Hot-Spot for Good Food with Friends and Family.

UVI Board of Trustees Approves $47.1 Million Fiscal Year 2020 Budget; Sets $3 Million Fundraising Goal

Man Dies During Early Morning Car Accident on St. Croix; Driver of Car Arrested (Updated)

'You Did Everything You Could to Prevent this from Happening': An Emotional Goodbye to Young Aaron Benjamin

Back in Business: Cost U Less on St. Thomas Opened its Doors Friday to Thousands of Customers 2 Years after Irma and Maria

Bill Aimed at Regulating Credit Use by Gov't Departments and Agencies Among Others Held in Committee

Juan Luis Hospital Announces Completion and Availability of Mobile Dialysis Facilities

Tractor Trailer With Tank Carrying Thousands Of Gallons of Liquified Gas Flips Near Cool Out Bar; Driver Injured But Alive

Credit and Debit Card Hack Through WAPA Appears to be Widespread in Virgin Islands; WAPA Says Support Services Will be Made Available to Affected Customers

Facing Life in Prison Without Parole, Mother and Boyfriend Plead Not Guilty in Murder of 4-Year-Old Boy

Mapp And Nine V.I. Senators Travel To Annual Cruise Ship Conference In Florida

Business / Featured / News / Top Stories / Virgin Islands / March 14, 2016

ST. CROIX — Nine Virgin Islands Senators — Neville James, Kenneth Gittens, Almando Liburd, Positive Nelson, Novelle Francis, Kurt Vialet, Myron Jackson, Clifford Graham and Jean Forde, along with the territory’s governor — recently traveled to Fort Lauderdale, Florida for the three-day annual Seatrade Cruise Global Conference.

Held every year in March, Seatrade is the world’s largest gathering of who’s who in the cruise industry. It brings together cruise line executives, media, speakers, port representatives, ship builders and vendors to discuss most aspects of cruising.

Governor Kenneth Mapp, at last year’s event, said he felt very optimistic after meeting with cruise line executives. “When you’re meeting with heads of companies as opposed to their staff, and they’re underscoring the importance of the Virgin Islands to the industry, and their continued commitment to bring passengers to the territory, that’s very comforting,” he said last year.

And in a press release issued on Monday, Mr. Gittens said Seatrade offered a great opportunity to network and also remain current with latest industry trends.

“The tourism atmosphere and specifically the cruise industry is rapidly changing and this conference is just one of the ways that we can continue to remain abreast of the changes. Attending these conferences and the innovative workshops offers opportunities to network with the top executives in the industry and gain exposure of how we can be proactive in driving our tourism product upward,” Mr. Gittens said.

The second-term Democrat added that the event is a great tool as it is made up of almost two dozen workshops that focus on all aspects of the industry, from improving port destination appeal, capitalizing on climate for seasonality, transforming tourist experiences, terminal design and security, and even using social media to market destinations.

Following a welcome reception in Miami on Sunday that was co-sponsored by the Virgin Islands Department of Tourism, the event workshops began on Monday and are expected to draw more than 11,000 registered attendees from around the world, as it runs through the end of the week.

“This is truly an event where we can connect globally. There is a great global market out there waiting to come to our territory and enjoy our rich heritage and natural beauty. Our islands are a perfect combination of diversity, a gem waiting to be shown off and our laws and marketing strategies have to change with the needs of tourists to create a product that will be beneficial to our economy, our residents and the people who visit our shores,” Mr. Gittens said.

The conference’s tradeshow floor opens Tuesday and will feature close to 800 exhibitors from 83 countries. Among them will be representatives from destinations including the Virgin Islands, Amusement & Recreational Attractions, Design & Refurbishment Groups, entertainment, food and drinks and more.


Tags: , , , ,



Ernice Gilbert
I wear many hats, I suppose, but the one which fits me best would be journalism, second to that would be radio personality, thirdly singer/songwriter and down the line. I've been the Editor-In-Chief at my videogames website, Gamesthirst, for over 5 years, writing over 7,000 articles and more than 2 million words. I'm also very passionate about where I live, the United States Virgin Islands, and I'm intent on making it a better place by being resourceful and keeping our leaders honest. VI Consortium was birthed out of said desire, hopefully my efforts bear fruit. Reach me at [email protected].




Previous Post

Man Attempts To Rob Neighbor At Gunpoint, Gets Exposed By Father

Next Post

Big Guns Rattle Good Hope Condos, Male And Female Shot Multiple Times





You might also like

Leave a Reply


More Story

Man Attempts To Rob Neighbor At Gunpoint, Gets Exposed By Father

ST. CROIX -- A man named Oronde Gumbs, above, was remanded to the Bureau of Corrections on Sunday, where his advise-of-rights...

March 14, 2016