The U.S. Virgin Islands is still scoring big as a tourism destination, but to keep the passengers coming in, the government has to find a way to make its product bigger and better, officials said Thursday.
Gov. John deJongh Jr. and Tourism Commissioner Beverly Nicholson-Doty said in a press conference Thursday that this was the biggest message taken away from meetings held this week with Florida Caribbean Cruise Association, Royal Caribbean and Carnival Cruise Lines officials.
Nicholson-Doty said that while the territory is consistently ranked high, it is a mature destination that needs to be looking for a "wow factor."
DeJongh said that includes looking at everything from attractions to road projects.
"Right now, with St. Thomas as a marquis port and St. Croix as a port we’re developing, we recognize that we have to differentiate a little more in our product, and we’re having discussions with our merchants and businesses to entice them to do that," he said.
DeJongh said that the destination that is able to work with the cruise lines and get cruise passengers to visit will be ahead of the curve during the next five to 10 years.
"The attraction of the ship is only one aspect of the experience," he said. "The ports are an important aspect that the ships want to offer, so any destination that works with the lines will truly be ahead of the game," he said.
And promoting the rich history of the territory, such as tours through downtown Charlotte Amalie, plays a key role in that strategy, Nicholson-Doty said.
Another issue that officials are trying to get ahead of is the increasing cost of fuel per passenger, which Nicholson-Doty said the cruise lines use as a factor when setting their itineraries. The territory is pretty much set for 2011 and 2012, but the cruise industry is focusing on its ports of call for 2013 and how much it’s going to cost for them to get there, she said.
"As a U.S. destination within the Caribbean, the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico signed off as emissions control areas," deJongh said. "That requires that ships use low sulfur fuel within those areas, which will also add to their fuel costs."
DeJongh said the cruise industry has recognized there is a push to be environmentally friendly, but in the short term is thinking about how it is going to deal with the costs.
Another issue that might come into play in the future is the reopening of Cuba, which could siphon off some of the ships and revenue that would normally come into the territory.
"I think that when Cuba fully reopens, it certainly will be a factor, and it is something we’re watching," Nicholson-Doty said.
She said that the Caribbean as a region is competing against the world and has to "raise the bar" on its entire product.
Public Works Commissioner Darryl Smalls and Police Commissioner Novelle Francis also participated in this week’s meetings and brought cruise officials up to speed with local road projects and efforts to better protect the Coki Point area.
