concerning pending projects.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n“I have tried to be as open as I can, I understand the media’s role and I really have no issue,” Mapp said. “But what has been occurring is that when we speak of what we’re getting ready to do there’s this bevy of phone calls that go out to folks trying to find out if what I’m saying is true. And then I arrive at these meetings and sessions and spend ten, fifteen or twenty minutes trying to explain why they’re being inundated with these phone calls about the meeting.”<\/p>\n
At the March 4 Chamber of Commerce annual gathering, the governor said he had been in\u00a0conversations with cruise-industry officials, and in a recent meeting with Karl Holz, president of Disney Cruise Line, he asked whether the\u00a0company\u00a0had any plans for St. Croix.<\/p>\n
In response, Holz, Mapp said, \u201ctalked about the issues of the duplication of visits. [He said Disney has] tried St. Croix and there are some issues, in terms of it getting ready and being a fully fledged cruise ship destination.\u201d<\/p>\n
However, Mapp said he asked\u00a0Holz to consider including St. Croix on his\u00a0cruise line\u2019s itinerary.<\/p>\n
\u201cI said, \u2018I need help [and] I\u2019m willing to help you [with] the cruise industry, and cruise traffic in the Virgin Islands is essential to our economy, and I\u2019m going to support that, but I need help for where I come from\u2019,\u201d the governor explained.<\/p>\n
It was after his candid request Mapp said Holz \u201cextended to the people of the Virgin Islands, and to you, the full portfolio of Disney\u2019s technical support system.\u201d<\/p>\n
He added: \u201cWe\u2019re going to be getting together with the Chamber of Commerce and the business community and residents [to identify] what are the things that we need to do to create a destination experience on St. Croix.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Disney brand spans a range of\u00a0industries, including movies, music, clothing, live theater\u00a0and, most important to the territory, cruise ships, and possibly, theme parks. Mapp said the company\u00a0is best positioned to attract new visitors to the islands\u2019 shores.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is no brand that I know of that exists on the planet today better than the Disney brand that have been able to successfully achieve experiences for its guests,\u201d the governor said. \u201c[Holz] is going to do this gratis \u2014 no cost to this government \u2014 in furtherance of their issues and their concerns and the needs that they have in St. Thomas, to assist this government and this community, to get St. Croix positioned to be a destination with its own identity [and] with its own experiences.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mapp said when all of the\u00a0territory is attracting tourists to both visit on\u00a0a cruise, then plan a return trip for\u00a0an\u00a0overnight stay, he would be\u00a0pleased.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause at the end of the day, we don\u2019t care if a passenger visits St. Croix and St. Thomas and it\u2019s the U.S. Virgin Islands. What we care is that they have very good experiences,\u201d he said, adding,\u00a0\u201cAnd if they\u2019re on St. Croix, and their experiences are uniquely different than that of St. Thomas, but believe that they have not been able to complete their visit and do all that\u2019s available for them to do, and they need to fly back and spend time and stay on-island, that\u2019s the objective that we want to achieve.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mapp continued pushing\u00a0the importance of joining forces with Disney, adding that if the government, community and businesses would partner, much could be achieved.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy view is we\u2019ve been kind of prodding along and moving along trying to get this done. I think Disney has been very effective in doing this in their business model. Everything that they may suggest we may not accept and agree, but I believe that they have tremendous resources and they can provide tremendous technical support if we worked as a team \u2014 the community, the government, and the residents, and the businesses \u2014 we would be able to do much for this destination on the island of St. Croix, and again begin the process of growing our economy further, and growing St. Croix\u2019s destination,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
While tourism is the territory\u2019s\u00a0main and most-lucrative product, Mapp\u00a0said the destination is losing its edge, and that if something isn\u2019t done, it could be lost for good.<\/p>\n
\u201cI want to ensure that our single-most important economy in this territory is given the support and direction, and the resources that it needs so that we can grow,\u201d he said.\u00a0\u201cWe had a competitive advantage, we\u2019re losing it, and if we don\u2019t turn the corner, we will lose it.\u201d<\/p>\n
But Mapp, optimistic and confident in his approach, added, \u201cIt will not happen on my watch. So we\u2019re going to make sure that the things that need to be done are in fact done.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
ST. CROIX — In early March, Governor Kenneth Mapp said a Walt Disney Official offered the Government of the Virgin Islands\u00a0the \u201cfull portfolio\u201d of the company\u2019s \u201ctechnical support system\u201d to help create a\u00a0\u201cdestination experience\u201d on St. Croix. Since then, however, talk on the partnership went cold and there has been no tangible or visible signs […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":24092,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[228,11,191,147],"tags":[2343,1055,2344],"yoast_head":"\n
Disney Partnership To Help St. Croix Become 'Destination Experience' Still Happening, Mapp Says - V.I. Consortium<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"ST. 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