The Tourism Department wants public input on a five-year rolling tourism development plan for the territory. With that goal in mind, the department will hold a series of meetings to develop a strategic vision for the territory.
The sessions will be held March 19 to 22 at University of the Virgin Islands video-conferencing facilities on St. Thomas, St. Croix and St. John.
“It is critical for us to develop a strategic plan which not only analyzes the visitor experience, trends, sustainability, emerging markets, and other aspects affecting our economy, but also takes into account the views of our stakeholders,” said Tourism Commissioner Beverly Nicholson Doty.
“The future of the Virgin Islands is collectively our responsibility so it is crucial for everyone to be involved in the process of creating this valuable road map,” she said
The stakeholder meetings are designed to elicit ideas and recommendations from the community on a wide range of topics relating to the territory’s tourism industry.
Each session will feature a facilitator, roundtable discussion and input from experts with time for questions and answers.
Tourism Department spokesman Allegra Kean-Moorhead said, “It’s going to be very structured so we can have a productive meeting.”
She said that while the department has met with various segments of the tourism industry in the past, including the dive, bridal, historical, and culture bearers, this strategic vision series gives the public a chance to have its say.
The results of the meetings will be incorporated into the 2012 Governor’s Conference on Tourism to be held later this year and included in the five-year plan.The final plan, incorporating the research and information from the stakeholder sessions and the tourism conference, will be presented before year-end.
On the St. Thomas campus, sessions will be held in the Administrative and Conference Center, Rooms 142-B-1B and 146-1A. It is located on the top of the hill on the left just before John Brewers Beach.
On the St. Croix campus, sessions will be held in the Melvin Evans Center, Room 401.
St. John residents can attend at the UVI facility at The Marketplace shopping center.
Members of the public who cannot attend but would like to submit their ideas should email comments to feedback@usvitourismplan.com.
The March 19 session will be held on St. Thomas with St. Croix and St. John participating via video conferencing.
– 8 to 9:30 a.m. – Niche Markets Part 1 (weddings and honeymoons, groups and incentives);
– 10 to 11:30 a.m. – Education and training;
– 12:30 to 2 p.m. – Revitalization and development of towns;
– 2:30 to 4 p.m. – Medical tourism.
The March 20 session will be held on St. Thomas with St. Croix and St. John participating via video conferencing.
– 8 to 9:30 a.m. – Film industry;
– 10 to 11:30 a.m. – Retail and craft development;
– 12:30 to 2 p.m. – Cruise and airlift development;
– 2:30 to 4 p.m. – Transportation.
The March 21 session will be held on St. Croix with St. Thomas and St. John participating via video conferencing.
– 8 to 9:30 a.m. – Gaming;
– 10 to 11:30 a.m. – Research and data collection;
– 12:30 to 2 p.m. – Sports tourism;
– 2:30 to 4 p.m. – Hotel development.
The March 22 session will be held on St. Croix with St. Thomas and St. John participating via video conferencing.
– 8 to 9:30 a.m. – Geotourism (environment, culture, history and agriculture);
– 10 to 11:30 a.m. – Niche Markets Part 2 (dive and culinary);
– 12:30 to 2 p.m. – Technology;
– 2:30 to 4 p.m. –Activities and attractions.
Marketplace Excellence, a public relations and marketing firm working with the Tourism Department since last year, will facilitate the public sessions andmanage the development of the Tourism Development Plan.
