Territory Must Continuously Refine Its Tourism Product To Stay Ahead, USVI Hotel And Tourism Association Says

ST. THOMAS — As visitor arrivals continue to grow within the territory and the rest of the Caribbean, President of the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association to the U.S. Virgin Islands Hotel and Tourism Association, Karolin Troubetzkoy, calls for continued vigilance. At the annual General Members Meeting held on St Thomas on Friday, Ms. Troubetzkoy discussed successes, shortfalls, and long-term goals for the tourism industry within the territory. Ms. Troubetzkoy said despite seven continuous years of growth, the work to fulfilling tourism’s true potential for the territory’s economy is just beginning.

She said that the tourism product contributes $1 billion to the Virgin Islands economy, with an additional $1.2 billion in indirect benefits. She also noted that it supports about 8,000 jobs or about 20 percent of total wages and salaries. Ms. Troubetzkoy also said that despite a difficult year for the region, visitor arrivals in the USVI has seen an increase of 4.3 percent as compared to 2015.

Despite this growth, however, Ms. Troubetzkoy says the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) forecasts a decrease in our shares in the global tourism product—from 2.1 percent to 1.7 percent by 2030. “And despite this regional growth in visitor arrivals, let us not forget that the majority of the hotel accommodation sector across the region did not report a successful 2016,” she said.

“Developing and fine-tuning every aspect of our customer service experience, enhancing our product itself—whether we are talking about availability of real, authentic Caribbean cultural and culinary offers, locally made products, or renovated and enhanced hotel accommodations that have taken into account changing customer expectations—will be essential to our survival and desirability in the future,” Ms. Troubetzkoy added.

She continued by stating that the current state of international affairs must be taken into account because of the influences it may have on the future performances of the tourism sector. The effects of issues such as Brexit, terrorist activities, and political unrest are all factors to be considered, because they are factors that may affect visitor arrivals in the territory.

Other key topics in the address included issues such as integrating the services of AirBnB and other alternative accommodation providers with traditional hoteliers, ensuring the safety of visitors, developing infrastructure, providing training in the hospitality sector, and the education of the public on the value of tourism. Ms. Troubetzkoy said the success of the tourism industry is dependent on the National Hotel and Tourism and the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Associations’ joint efforts to actively engage with the tourism enterprises.

Ms. Troubetzkoy is set to attend a CARICOM Summit in July this year, where she will present plans to implement a sustained region wide tourism development and marketing initiative, which she hopes will expand beyond initial efforts to become a Pan Caribbean effort.