BDOT Promotes Island’s Upscale Travel Appeal
The Bermuda Department of Tourism [BDOT] team capped off two days of promoting the island in New York City by hosting more than 75 members of the Luxury Marketing Council.
At a special reception in New York City on September 19, the BDOT team explained why Bermuda holds such high appeal for today’s upscale traveler. This was the second major event held by BDOT in NY last week following an exclusive luncheon on September 18 for more than 45 top U.S. media at the famed James Beard House.
The Luxury Marketing Council [website] is a business-building, revenue-generating global community of CEOs and CMO’s considered the leader in the field of luxury marketing. Member brands include American Express, Sotheby’s Realty International, Mastercard, Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group, Ralph Lauren, Relais & Chateaux, Saks Fifth Avenue, Swarovski and more.
Greg Furman, CEO and Founder of the Luxury Marketing Council, praised BDOT for its efforts to appeal to today’s luxury consumer as he moderated a panel of Bermuda representatives that embodied a cross-section of the island’s products. These panelists included Clarence Hofheins, General Manager of Cambridge Beaches Resort; Isabelle Ramsay-Brackstone, owner of the Bermuda Perfumery; Glen Kelley, representing Goslings, along with Ann Shutte, Director of Global Operations of the New York BDOT office,
Welcoming the gathered group was Director of Tourism Billy Griffith who shared why Bermuda offers “So Much More” for travelers as well as companies who may wish to become marketing partners with the island.
Each of the individual panelists also had the opportunity to share information about their product and their own perspective of Bermuda’s appeal for the luxury market. Mr. Hofheins shared how the resort was catering to the desire of today’s travelers to find what he termed, “Aaah moments” and showcased imagery of the island’s incredible scenic beauty and romance.
Ms. Ramsay-Brackstone highlighted the distinctive charm and atmosphere of the island and addressed the need to make visitors always feel they are having a world-class experience. Mr. Kelley discussed the historic appeal of both Goslings and Bermuda but also how both the destination and the brand were adjusting to today’s contemporary audience, a sentiment echoed by Ms. Shutte who talked about BDOT’s efforts to capture busy consumers who are starved for time and seeking escapes that offer both easy access and value for their hard-earned money.
Attendees at the event embraced the destination’s message with one audience member standing up to address the panel and noting, “If your goal was to make us fall in love with the destination and want to go there, you’ve done it.” Luxury Marketing Council members enjoyed a multi-sensory experience as they sampled fragrances from the Bermuda Perfumery, tasted Gosling’s Black Seal Rum and savored the outstanding culinary offerings of Bermudian chef Keith DeShields of Cambridge Beaches.
This type of informative and multi-sensory experience was also provided the day prior to top U.S. media outlets at Manhattan’s James Beard House. A cookbook author and teacher, James Beard was a champion of American cuisine who helped educate and mentor generations of professional chefs and food enthusiasts. The James Beard Foundation is at the center of America’s culinary community, dedicated to exploring the way food enriches our lives.
At that event Tourism Authority Chairman Designate David Dodwell provided journalists with an in-depth look at the island and its tourism product. Mr. Dodwell had the opportunity to outline the vision for Bermuda’s tourism industry moving forward, including the planned establishment of an independent Tourism Authority. He detailed the Authority’s objective to work as a “non-political force led by industry experts with the goal to reinvigorate the island’s tourism business.”
Mr. Dodwell also discussed key aspects of the National Tourism Plan and journalists were given a glimpse of the tourism hubs defined as a focus of the plan, including Hamilton, St. George’s and St. David’s Island, Royal Naval Dockyard, the South Shore, and offshore activities such as water sports, fishing and diving. Ms Shutte emphasized the desire to evolve the Bermuda tourism product and raise the bar on the quality of the visitor experience, while attracting new hotel investment and other improvements.
In addition to also providing details on the vision for the Tourism Authority and National Tourism Plan, Mr. Dodwell emphasized key selling points including proximity, efficient US Customs and Immigration service, the thriving arts and cultural heritage, abundance of pristine beaches, year round golf product, water sport and outdoor activities as major reasons why people should come and discover Bermuda.
good
Upscale? surely you jest
fix the problems on island first.
When are we going to stop kidding ourselves and the rest of the world about our tourism product? Not only is it outdated and over priced, consumers are not getting the quality/level of service they deserve for the money that they are spending.
Start with the obvious – Leadership, “not” Government spending.
First, focus on “one” directr-flight US city, and get Sister City volume airline fares. Then, maybe otherr cities.
Second, use free, modern, social media to spread the word – Bermuda is “the” Honeymoon-Fun destination, year-round.
Third, arrange Refined-and-Fun “evening” entertainment sites from Dockyard to St. G with local, even student, musicians.
Before First, get “families” to “Set Your Relatives Free” of guns and drugs. Police can’t ever do it alone. Only responsible and strong Family Love, and proud Career opportunities, will defeat angry gangs.