| Tourist Board has new promotion | | Print | |
| Thursday, 05 May 2011 11:56 | |||
 As the current tourist season continues to soar, the Tourist Board will be spending $400,000 on new destination promotions, as well as launch a “massive” advertisement campaign on Providenciales for the family islands. “Tourism is a global, competitive industry, and we are working hard to keep the Turks and Caicos Islands relevant,” Acting Director of Tourist Board Ralph Higgs told Providenciales Chamber of Commerce members during a May 2 meeting. The new, streamlined Tourist Board is moving in a new direction, doing more public relations activities, press trips and travel agent visits, Higgs said. The board will also start advertising the family islands on billboards and in print to encourage visitors to Providenciales to enjoy the nation’s other islands. “The board recognizes that our sister islands of Salt Cay, South Caicos, North Caicos and Middle Caicos by themselves are not strong enough brands to put into the marketplace individually,” Higgs said. Higgs said the board also will be supporting more local cultural events such as the Provo Summer Festival and South Caicos Regatta, and working with the National Trust and Department of Environment and Coastal Resources to identify sites such as protected areas to develop as tourist attractions. The plan for the slower summer months will be to target South America, specifically Brazil, which enjoys colder winter months when our summer is just heating up, Higgs said. “People know of Turks and Caicos in Brazil,” he said. The board is also hoping to attract more Europeans who traditionally travel in the summer months. The board is even looking as far away as China for a potential tourist market. “The whole Caribbean is looking towards China as a future market opportunity,” he said. However, increasing European and Asian long-haul visitors will require completion of the airport expansion to allow larger planes to visit the TCI. The destination is on track to exceed the 1 million visitors per year mark later this year. Higgs says the TCI is doing as well as any destination in the region and better than most. “If we continue to work together, we can be the most sought after destination in the region,” he said. The board was restructured last year, and its budget and staff have been reduced by around 60 percent. Higgs pointed out that 55 percent of the nearly $3 million budget is earmarked for marketing and promotions, which is consistent with Caribbean averages.
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