With Cold Weather Gripping North America, Dept. Of Tourism Ramps Up Marketing

With frigid temperatures chilling many of the U.S. Virgin Islands’ key markets, the Department of Tourism’s marketing campaign, launched at the start of the high season, is reminding the traveling public that the territory is open for business, D.O.T. announced Wednesday.

D.O.T. Commissioner-designee Joe Boschulte said the department’s sales and marketing teams had embraced a multi-pronged approach to heighten the territory’s visibility in the marketplace.

Thousands of participants at both the Chicago Travel & Adventure Show and The Boston Globe Travel Show this month were keen to receive updates about the territory’s offerings, according to the release.

Potential visitors will be apprised of the islands’ attractions this weekend when the USVI team exhibits the many attributes of St. Croix, St. John and St. Thomas at The New York Times Travel Show, which is expected to have thousands in attendance.

Additionally, D.O.T. officials will promote the territory at the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association’s Caribbean Travel Marketplace in Jamaica, the region’s marquee travel and tourism event. Some 1,000 industry stakeholders are expected to attend, including about 140 buyers of Caribbean travel from more than 20 global markets, the release said.

Building on the relaunch of the $3 million “Real Nice” marketing campaign to stimulate travel to the U.S. Virgin Islands at the start of winter, Mr. Boschulte reported that a second flight of television ads started airing during the second week of January to help build business for the high season.

The half-million dollar media buy, which continues to air through this weekend, is reaching consumers across CNN, Comedy, E!, Food Network, Fox News, Investigation Discovery and Travel Channel networks, and is supported with digital advertising on social media.

“Our team is hard at work ensuring that our brand identity remains robust and relevant throughout the winter season,” said the commissioner-designee, who added this was especially important as new hotel rooms come back online throughout the year.

According to the release, Mr. Boschulte and D.O.T. officials were pleased with the increase in air service to both St. Croix and St. Thomas since the start of winter, and look forward to welcoming the return of JetBlue Airways flights from Boston to St. Thomas in February.