Deputy Government Commissioner Alida Francis (second right) and St. Eustatius Tourism Development Foundation Product Development Manager Maya Pandt (extreme right) with some representatives of the dive centre and hotels at the meeting.
ST. EUSTATIUS--Deputy Government Commissioner Alida Francis and stakeholders discussed the future of St. Eustatius’ tourism product during a meeting held at Gertrude Judson Bicentennial Public Library on March 18.
Attending the meeting were representatives of Orange Bay Hotel, Old Gin House and Knippenga, as well as representatives of dive shops, the dive centre and the Tourism Office.
Discussed were matters related to the tourism industry, including the COVID-19 pandemic, and the way forward. The new variants of COVID-19 continue to pose a threat. Francis stressed the importance of everyone getting vaccinated, especially in anticipation of the much-needed resumption of travel.
Attendees agreed that being organised, creating a well-thought-out plan and working together to bring that plan to fruition were important. As collaboration reaps more benefits, stakeholders were encouraged to share their vision for the future of the island’s tourism with Francis and Statia’s Tourism Office.
Francis said COVID-19 had wreaked havoc on the industry, resulting in emotional and financial losses for many, and Statia was not untouched by this. She acknowledged that “during this pandemic our dive shops are the ones that have suffered the most, as divers are not travelling,” but said travel will resume and when it does, Statia must be ready.
She encouraged people to not wait to remind potential travellers about Statia, but that individual promotions can start right now.
Alluding to tagline: “#StatiaAwaits”, Orange Bay Hotel Operational Manager Minke Visser said social media can be very helpful to generate new interest and awaken old ones, and with many people having social media accounts, it is easy to use that medium to spread the word about Statia.
Some of the meeting attendees agreed on the effectiveness of social media, but others thought that Statia has a great product and what is needed right now is public relations representation in the US and Europe, with the emphasis being placed more on sales than marketing, post-COVID.
Before the meeting ended, it was again reiterated how important it is to let travellers know that while they were away, Statia was thinking of them. Infrastructure was upgraded, and so were the roads and the airport building in anticipation of their return.
It was a productive meeting and Francis said she looks forward to future discussions as the Tourism Office and industry stakeholders collectively plan the way forward for an improved destination Statia, post-pandemic.
