Overseas Media Highlights Bermuda’s Appeal
Bermuda’s reputation as a safe, clean and easy-to-access destination ready to welcome visitors post-Covid-19 has been recently featured in major North American media, the BTA said.
“Bermuda Tourism Authority [BTA] engaged top lifestyle and travel-trade magazines, big-city newspapers, and broadcast TV networks to carry Bermuda’s story during the pandemic, in a PR strategy highlighting attributes the island will leverage to attract visitors back when borders can re-open safely,” the BTA said.
“Bermuda led the pack, for example, as the top choice of Travel + Leisure’s Editor-in-Chief Jacqueline Gifford, in an April 20 online feature the magazine headlined, 17 Trips T+L Editors Can’t Wait to Take As Soon As We Can Travel Again. The story previews coverage T+L carries in its physical June issue, now published.
“Bermuda—a destination within easy reach for East Coasters—is like salvation for me and my family,” wrote Gifford in her up-front letter. “We have been vacationing there for years; it’s become our go-to spot, in part because of the flying time [under two hours from New York City], but more because of the friendliness of the locals and the beauty of the island itself.
“The pink-sand beaches. The historic homes, painted all the hues of the rainbow. The winding, narrow roads, marked by limestone walls. When the time is right, we can’t wait to return to this beautiful island, which feels like home,” added Gifford.
“That message is one the BTA’s consumer-facing social @Bermuda channels have zeroed in on, with daily themes, including 15-second video snapshots of the island, island recipes, trivia quizzes, and nuggets of Bermuda’s rich heritage and history. During the US National Travel & Tourism Week [May 3–9], Bermuda participated by releasing custom jigsaw puzzles on Twitter and gotobermuda.com.
“Notably, a video produced by the BTA and launched in April, titled, “We Will Travel Again,” scored big on public sentiment both overseas and locally, shared widely by followers and tourism stakeholders on social media with tens of thousands having viewed it within a couple of days.
“The key message in all our outreach has been that in these challenging times, we will continue to provide the inspiration, beauty, peace and hope Bermuda is known for,” said the BTA’s Chief Sales & Marketing Officer Victoria Isley, who detailed the BTA strategy in an interview with TravelPulse.
“Even if visitors are at home, we are bringing Bermuda to them, offering virtual vacations and a mental escape from the anxiety of current affairs. And when the time is right, we hope that message sticks with them and helps them choose to visit Bermuda in person.”
The BTA’s internal Stakeholder Taskforce created a COVID-19 Resources page on its website after Bermuda restricted its border access March 20, promoting local food & beverage offerings, along with online classes and gift cards for Bermuda-based businesses, essential services, Bermuda-made products for home delivery, and scenic Bermuda landscapes for downloading as videoconferencing backgrounds.
BTA Interim CEO Glenn Jones underscored Bermuda’s message to future visitors in an interview he gave earlier this month to Boston 25 News. “There will be pent-up demand when Covid passes,” Jones told the station. “We think after the crisis passes, when it’s the right time to travel again, people will be very interested in places that are close, that are safe, and are clean. And I think those are three things that Bermuda has always done well.”
More Recent Press Highlights
- CHCH Morning Live Show—A segment ran April 9 speaking to exploring beautiful beaches and walking the Railway Trail [Bermuda comes in around 3:20]
- Family Vacation Critic—10 Momcations We’re Dreaming About Right Now
- Lonely Planet—Lonely Planet—From Our Partners: Series 1
- Reader’s Digest Online—15 Panoramic Webcams That Let You Virtually Travel the World
- Smithsonian Magazine—Ten Animals and Plants Around the World You can [Virtually] Adopt
- Travel + Leisure—7 Easy East Coast Weekend Getaways
- Travelpulse.com—Remote Places to Travel Once the Pandemic Ends
- TravelPulse Online—Live-Streaming Caribbean Webcams to Help You Escape
- VitaDaily—Amazing Places To Visit From Your Couch
Wonder if tourist would still think we’re a safe country if they knew we’ve had a mother missing for over a month with no sign of being found… oh did I mention it was the community that had to put a search committee together to find her
we like to highlight how safe and beautiful we are but hate to publish the ugly truth so I’ll do it. Still a nice island though.
Definitely safer from where there from guaranteed. People go missing every day from the states, and when compared to the Carribean, we are leaps and bounds ahead of the pack when it comes to safety. Certain crimes still don’t happen in Bermy.
You’re making blanket statements about the US .
There are many Bermudians who own homes in the US that they can leave unlocked while they disappear for days on end.
It all has to do with the location , the US is a very large place.
How many places here can we leave unsecured for even an hour ?
What type of person are you? So you are ok with giving the impression internationally that this missing young lady is a situation we deal with two or three times a year? What’s your motive to throw mud around at an already horrible story? Did you join the search for her? Or are you just that person to kick the country when it’s down? Go away.
Good job, Bermuda tourism. This is a lovely way to represent Bermuda.