BTA: “Younger Vacationers Flying To Bermuda”
“An influx of younger vacationers is flying to Bermuda in 2016 and the local tourism industry is benefiting from the economic impact,” the Bermuda Tourism Authority said.
“Seventy-eight percent of the visitor growth through the first six months of the year comes from travellers under 45 years-old, an age group that enjoys experiential travel, adventure activities and cultural events like Bermuda Carnival.”
Chart: BTA/Immigration Landing Cards
“While visitation is up, spending is up and hotel occupancy is up, the average age of the Bermuda visitor is going down,” said Victoria Isley, chief sales and marketing officer at the Bermuda Tourism Authority [BTA]. “This is very good news for the sustainability of Bermuda tourism.”
“As we’ve said all along, we are aiming to attract the next generation of traveller to Bermuda and introduce them to island life.
“The resulting demographic data gives us confidence that the generational shift is successful; we are wooing larger numbers of younger visitors while maintaining momentum with older audiences.”
“Increased airlift, a fresh, more youthful brand, targeted marketing and new experiences like Bermuda Carnival in June have all worked together to appeal to younger travellers.”
The BTA said, “Here is an abbreviated list of marketing activations that have helped fuel growth from younger travellers:
- #BermudaSummerFridays Campaign
- Daybreaker Dance Parties
- LA Nuit Rose Festival
- Uber Promotion
- NBC 1st Look
- New Yorker Content
- Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series New York
“Marketing efforts have focused primarily in the New York media market where airlift increased 43% in the first six months of this year, compared to the same period a year ago. Over that same time period air visitors from New York and New Jersey are up 41 percent and 24 percent respectively.
“The spending of younger travellers is good news to adventure experience providers like Kinezumi Adventures, which launched this year, and stylish retailers like Urban Cottage on Front Street,” the BTA added.
“Urban Cottage had an influx of spending from visitors over the Bermuda Carnival Weekend,” said Nicole Golden, the store’s owner. “I noticed an increase in sales from visitors the Friday and Saturday of Carnival Weekend.
“On Sunday I went in to tidy up from the previous day because normally Urban Cottage is closed on Sunday. There were customers knocking, begging to get in. I obliged at 9am and didn’t close my doors until 6pm that evening!
“This was a direct influx in visitor spending as a result of Carnival Weekend. Visitors were purchasing apparel in preparation for the themed parties and events going on around the island.”
Leisure air visitor spending is up 15 percent in the second quarter of 2016. The second quarter includes Heroes’ Weekend’s Bermuda Carnival, an event of which the BTA is a major sponsor.
“Bermuda Carnival and Kinezumi Adventures are two examples of how our product and experiences team works in concert with the sales and marketing team,” said Pat Phillip-Fairn, chief product and experiences development officer at the BTA.
“As we invest in entrepreneurs who can create culture and adventure tourism here at home, our marketing team targets audiences who favour those kinds of experiences. This is the strategy that helps drive visitor spending and brings a positive impact to a wider cross-section of the tourism economy.”
“Overall leisure visitor spending is up 12 percent year-to-date through June 30, 2016. That amounts to $10 million more for the local economy in the first six months of 2016 when compared to 2015,” the BTA said.
“While attracting younger visitors, Bermuda has maintained a solid footing with visitors 45 years and older. In fact, in all age categories, vacation air arrivals are ahead of where they were last year at the same time.
Chart: BTA/Immigration Landing Cards
It makes good PR for BTA to list their marketing schemes but the only one they can attach a visitor number and age to is the Uber promo. BTA gave 80 Uber users in NYC an all expense paid 3 day trip to the Island. It will take years to get a positive return on that freebie. The same for La Nuit Rose and early morning dance parties held at upscale venues are little more than party time for BTA staff. Easy to check them out online! BTA has no ROI numbers to attach to any marketing scheme or hundreds of freebie trips they regularly giveaway. If you are a Bermuda taxpayer did you get a positive return from your BTA investment?
You obviously know nothing about marketing. I would encourage you to do some research before commenting. Call other marketing firms , or companies, Coca Cola, for instance you think they get an ROI number on the giant banners they do in Times Square. It is impossible to measure. Leave the marketing to the marketers.
We all know that younger people came here, who else was involved in all the independent sporting events and Soca + Reggae concerts that have been attracting the younger crowd since January 2016.
Total air arrivals for the quarter rose from 71,972 to 75,730. The extra 3758 visitors had nothing to with the BTA. Please award those independent organizations that made the difference and stop trying to take all the applause BTA.
Is this the applause for the BTA or the independent organizations that promoted and paid for the events?
“Seventy-eight percent of the visitor growth through the first six months of the year comes from travelers under 45 years-old, an age group that enjoys experiential travel, adventure activities and cultural events like Bermuda Carnival.”
You realize that the BTA part funded socs vs reggae right?
BTA funds and gives grants to Promoters of Carnival weekend and many of the other independent organizations you refer to. So educate yourself and give the BTA a pat on the back for doing a good job and helping stimulate economic growth in the tourism industry.
My question is who benefit from the money made from the events? If the BTA is giving grants out like free cookies! Did the BTA ask for a % back after the events are over? Where can the public find out how much each grant is? PATI
which is a bunch of horse crap……..since each Department can decide how much they want the public to know!
The people who receive the grants only get part of the money up front and the rest after they prove they’ve delivered on their promises: number of visitors, economic impact, etc. It was explained in the BTA TV shows on ZBM.
Clearly supporting entrepreneurs who have their own skin in the game and are assuming the risk of failure is a far smarter use of money than a fully funded music festival at the tune of $1 million plus of taxpayer money. Wouldn’t you agree?
It is actually posted on their website.
I believe someone may have mentioned it before, those “parties” were not in Q2, Except for Heros weekend which BTA help fund, and which brought in 500 visitors.
They should measure stats on how many young people visit because of tourism marketing vs. how many are visiting their friends who are ex-pats. In the last 12 months I have had 23 visitors.
The younger traveler. A tough one to get as a return visitor. When younger you tend to be looking for something new all the time. As you get older you tend to return to places where you had a good time or are content to return to the familiar.
I guess the trick is to give them a great experience the first time around in the hope of getting them to return later in life when they are in search of their youth again.
Let’s hear the complainers now.
Younger people are more likely to take advantage of free or exceptionally low bargains…which shows in the increase we have enjoyed.
Let all hope they enjoyed themselves enough to come back….
Good.
Okay so marketing efforts are primarily focused in New York…..we also have most of our flights out of New York so wouldn’t it be safe to say we have NY on lock and people are coming from there (even though ever time I go NY no one knows about Bermuda…nevertheless). So why continue to market there? Where is the diversification into other markets that have young millennials with money? Why do we have all our eggs in one market and why doesn’t the BTA make an attempt to penetrate in other markets so maybe someday we can get flights to stay longer than two weeks in summer and come from somewhere other than New York?
You’re a piss in the cornflakes kinda person arn’t you or are you just doing it make the BTA look bad?