Destination News

COS Nominated for Eight Distinguished Awards

Grand Turk, Turks and Caicos Islands (March 16^th, 2022) – The Turks and Caicos Islands Tourist Board, the exclusive tourism authority for the Turks and Caicos Islands, is pleased to announce that the destination has been nominated for eight (8) distinguished World Travel Awards™.

World Travel Awards™, celebrates its 29^th anniversary year this year, reward and celebrate excellence across all key sectors of the travel, tourism and hospitality industries. The World Travel Awards™ brand is recognised globally as the ultimate hallmark of industry excellence.

Over the years, the Turks and Caicos have won numerous World Travel Awards and, it is with hope, that the destination will win the awards in the various coveted categories.

The categories are as follows:

Caribbean’s Leading Beach Destination 2022: Turks & Caicos Islands
Caribbean’s Leading Cruise Destination 2022: Turks & Caicos Islands
Caribbean’s Leading Destination 2022: Turks & Caicos Islands
Caribbean’s Leading Dive Destination 2022: Turks & Caicos Islands
Caribbean’s Leading Honeymoon Destination 2022: Turks & Caicos Islands
Caribbean’s Leading Luxury Island Destination 2022: Turks & Caicos Islands
Caribbean’s Leading Tourist Board 2022: Turks & Caicos Islands Tourist Board
Caribbean’s Most Romantic Destination 2022: Turks & Caicos Islands

The international voting window for our Caribbean and North America regions opened on Tuesday, 15^th March (see link here) and runs until midnight Tuesday, 3^rd May. Votes can be cast by travel professionals, media and tourism consumers, with the nominee gaining the most votes in each category announced as the 2022 World Travel Awards™ winner.

Director of Tourism, Miss Pamela Ewing stated that: “to be nominated for not just one, but eight awards is truly momentous! This gives credence to the work that we in the Turks and Caicos have been doing over the past year and will continue to do. It is indeed an honor that we were nominated for so many and I am truly proud of the work the team have put in to market the destination.”

Hon. Josephine Connolly, Minister of Tourism stated that: “To be nominated for such distinguished awards speaks to the world-class, exceptional quality of our tourism product. This is a true testament of our Government, Stakeholders and Turks and Caicos Islanders dedication and commitment to the tourism industry. For this, I thank you! I would encourage everyone to vote for the Turks and Caicos Islands as these accolades are well deserved.”

After the close of voting, the winners of each category in this year’s programme will be invited to attend the red carpet World Travel Awards Caribbean & North America Gala Ceremony – the region’s premier VIP tourism gathering – which will take place on 14 June 2022 at Sandals Montego Bay, Jamaica.

Forever Home: Grenada Tourism Authority Launches 473 Connect for Grenadians in the Diaspora

St. George’s, Grenada W.I. – Grenada has one of the most active diaspora communities in the Caribbean. To reconigize their unrelenting support and contribution, the Grenada Tourism Authority (GTA) has launched an incentive program called 473 Connect, targeting the 360,000 1st, 2nd, and 3rd generation Grenadians in the diaspora across the globe.

“These sons and daughters of the destination are a venerable group of ambassadors, suited to reengage their roots and culture, as well as share the island’s allure with their networks,” said Petra Roach, CEO of the GTA. “They are our unsung heroes who are there to support whenever it is needed without expecting anything in return.  It is through their voices that the story of Grenada is organically shared overseas and the ones who without being called, raised their hands and asked at the most vulnerable hour – how can we help? We are here to help our beloved country.”

Participants will enroll via the website (expert.puregrenada.com/473connect)and complete a 12 module training program, which once completed, affords them the status as a 473 Connect Ambassador.

Fueled with this up-to-date information, 473 Connect Ambassadors are then fully armed to recommend friends and colleagues as to why Grenada is a great choice for a holiday destination.  They also have exclusive access to a list of preferred travel advisors who can turn their referrals into bookings.

Participants to the program are eligible to apply for a membership card which offers extensive discounts on accommodations and experiences across the island, so that they can continue to learn more about the tourism product and experience it firsthand.  They will then receive points once their recommended friends and colleagues travel to Grenada, which can be accumulated and exchanged for accommodation, tours, meals and other offerings.

To provide more information and introduce the program further, there will be a series of upcoming webinars as well as promotional evenings in London, Manchester, New York, Miami, Toronto and Montreal.  Fam trips will also be hosted for top performers to Grenada, Carriacou and Petite Martinique.  At the end of the calendar year, the 473 Connect Ambassador with the most referrals from each market, will win a grand prize of an all-inclusive trip for two persons, inclusive of airfare, accommodation, meals, an excursion and transfers.

“If every Grenadian in the diaspora convinces at least one friend or colleague to visit the tri-island state, imagine what that would do for our arrival numbers and the economic benefits that derive, said Petra Roach.

For further details on 473 Connect, please  visit https://expert.puregrenada.com/473connect/. For more information on Grenada or to plan a getaway to the destination, visit www.puregrenada.com.

British Virgin Islands Tourist Board Unveils Newly Designed Website

Road Town, Tortola, British Virgin Islands -The British Virgin Islands’ official on-line presence has been redesigned, refreshed and released! The new design of www.bvitourism.com is part of the British Virgin Islands Tourist Board & Film Commission’s (BVITB) dedication to creating a captivating modern digital experience for the destination and secures a robust and user-friendly on-line location for the British Virgin Islands Tourist Board & Film Commission (BVITB).

The completely revamped website is enhanced by superior visual content and features a cutting-edge platform that provides the enhanced ability to promote local tourism businesses with complete and accurate descriptions of their services.  Visitors to the site will appreciate the improved ease of navigation and the ability to contact businesses directly.  Users will also enjoy enhanced features which will aid them in thoroughly planning their visit, by allowing them to save the businesses they would like to patronize using the site’s geomarketing capabilities.  This key feature of the website’s optimization strategy gives the BVITB the capability to target people by geographic location – an innovative means of enhancing the BVI’s global marketing reach.

“Creating a new and exciting, yet informative experience for all visitors of the BVITB’s website was our priority. This interactive tool allows our Tourism Industry Partners to effectively engage with prospective guests,” said Director of Tourism, Clive McCoy.  “This project began in 2021 and I am pleased to unveil the cutting-edge website that will serve our needs for the foreseeable future.”

The new website will be launched in English and versions in over 10 languages will follow.  Users can also expect new information to be added daily.  The website will be continually monitored and updated for the best possible optimisation.

“Our platform had become obsolete and presented a number of challenges that went as far back as 2017.  I am pleased that our Marketing and Business Development teams now have a fully functioning website.  This site will be used in our call to action and our various marketing campaigns,” said Deputy Director of Tourism, Rhodni Skelton.

The new website comes at a time where much of tourism advertising and interaction is primarily conducted on the internet.  Internet usage for tourism destination leads outweighs traditional means like print and television.  The much-needed refreshing update is timely to the Digital Marking programme.

“Our goal is to have the most complete information portal about the BVI there is,” BVITB’s Digital Marketing Coordinator and project lead, James Kelley commented. “It is indeed a joy for me to see the process of creating this very interactive website come to fruition.”  Mr. Kelly who led the website’s transformation efforts worked with Cendyn, formerly known as Next Guest, to create the innovative marketing tool.