Dear Source:
While I am glad to hear that there are Virgin Islands tourism ads running in east coast markets, I am still very perplexed at the absence of any advertising in large Midwest markets such as Chicago.
Jamaica, the Caymans, Aruba and the Bahamas are cleaning up with their non-stop media blitz in our area. You cannot watch TV for an hour without seeing commercials for these destinations. Where are the Virgin Islands?
I own a home on St. Croix that I rent to tourists, so I am very interested in promoting the Virgin Islands. There is nothing like a cold and windy Chicago winter to get people thinking about vacations on the beach. This is a HUGE potential market, so why is nothing being done here?
Why is Gov. Charles Turnbull dragging his heels on doing anything to get the tourism industry going again? The economy is desperate for a boost and tourism is the way to provide it. The apathy of the citizens of the Virgin Islands is matched only by the frustration of those of us who can only sit by and watch the whole thing fall apart from bad decisions and even worse management.
The great majority of people I talk to here don't even know where the Virgin Islands are and that they are a U.S. territory. We have so much to offer. It is a crime that we don't promote ourselves to potential visitors.
Sue Seibel
Chicago, IL
