Source reader Jason Budsan wrote in with the following question:
It has been reported widely that a $300 voucher will be issued to travelers visiting the Virgin Islands when booking their vacation before October 1, 2017 for the 100th anniversary of Transfer day. Do you know the specifics of this offer, how does it work and who pays for the voucher?
A centennial-themed promotion being offered by the V.I. Department of Tourism has indeed gotten a large amount of media attention over the past few weeks. CNBC, The Huffington Post, Cosmopolitan Magazine, and Thrillist are just a few of the outlets that have run attention-grabbing headlines like “The U.S. Virgin Islands Will Pay You 300 Dollars to Visit!”
Leaving aside these somewhat misleading headlines, the articles attached to them have, like much else related to the upcoming centennial of the sale of the Danish West Indies to the United States, not been entirely clear.
The UK Telegraph for example ran an article stating that the promotion involved a $300 (£240) voucher to be used for “historical/cultural tours” around the territory, but the article’s author added “there is no specification on the website as to what ‘historical’ and ‘cultural’ activities might entail.”
Tourism’s website lists 28 participating hotels on St. Croix, St. Thomas and St. John that will help visitors arrange the tours covered by the voucher. But it’s true, details are not provided about the tours themselves.
The Source reached out to Alani Henneman-Todman, director of communications for Tourism, to find out more. Henneman-Todman replied with a flyer that listed all of the Centennial promotion’s participating businesses. That list, which the flyer also states is subject to change, is as follows:
On St. Croix
Big Beard’s Adventure Tours
Budget Rent A Car of St. Croix
Bush Tribe
Cane Bay Dive Shop
Captain Morgan Visitors Center
Caribbean Adventure Tours
Caribbean Sea Adventures
Centerline Car Rentals
Crucian Heritage and Nature Tours (CHANT)
Diageo USVI
Dive Experience
Kite St. Croix
Lyric Sails
N2 The Blue
Olympic Rent A Car
Paul & Jill Equestrian Stables
Rhythms at Rainbow Beach
Seaborne Airlines
Sea Thru Kayaks V.I.
Snuba of St. Croix
St. Croix Safari Tours
St. Croix Ultimate Bluewater Adventures
Sweet Bottom Dive Center
Tamarind Reef Resort Beach Shack
Virgin Kayak Tours
Virgin Islands Food Tour
West End Water Sports
Active Island Guided Running/Power
Walking Tours
On St. Thomas
Admiralty Dive Center
A&J Tours
All-In-One Scooters Rental
Ali Thomas Taxi Services
Anchor Dive Center
Art Explorium
Aqua Action Dive Center
Aqua Marine
Bali Bound Day Sails & Catamaran
Sugar Bay Resort & Spa
Banana Boat Watersports
Bikini Yacht Charters
Blue Paradise Charters
Bolongo Bay Heavenly Days Catamaran
Budget Rent A Car
Captain Nautica Excursions
Guided Tours & Boat Rental
Caribbean Tour Services
The Cat
Coki Beach Dive Club
Coral World Ocean Park
Discount Car Rental
Flying Fish Aviation
Fun Water Tours
Great Exploration Tours
Hakuna Matata Charters
Historical Trust Walking Tour
It Could Be Worse Disable Services
JST Taxi
Night Kayak, LLC
Paradise Rental Car
Phantasea Tropical Botanical Garden
Presidential Taxi Services & Tours
Prestige Taxi VI
Red Hook Dive Center
Resort Adventure Centers
Seaborne Airlines
Screaming Eagle
Simon Larsen Historical Walking Tour
St. Thomas Adventure Tours
St. Thomas Diving Club
St. Thomas Food Tours
St. Thomas Jet Riders
Sun Seekers Beach Rentals – Coki Beach
Paradise Point Tramway
Tree Limin’ Extreme, LLC
VI Power Excursion Rafts, LLC.
Virgin Islands Eco Tours
Virgin Islands Power Excursion Rafts
Virgin Kayak
Wahoo Boat Charters
St. John
Concordia Eco Resort
Virgin Islands Eco Tours
There you have it. The connections between V.I. culture and history to some of the items on that list may be ambiguous, but the promotion’s flyer includes a short primer on the territory’s history that may steer visitors in the right direction.
According to a previous Source article, Tourism has spent approximately $60,000 on this Centennial promotional package. That’s a relatively small chunk out of the $1 million Tourism has spent, or committed to spending, on advertising, marketing and promoting the Centennial. (See Related Link: Undercurrents: Centennial Invitations Are Out, So Let’s Start the Party)
Promotional packages are nothing new to the department. Spending credits are frequently offered to visitors who book their trips through certain dates, at certain hotels, using special booking codes. According to Henneman-Todman these promotions are funded by the Tourism Revolving Fund.
The Centennial promotion is being offered all year in 2017 but visitors must book their trips before October. The promotion requires a three-night minimum stay. Visitors who travel to the V.I. in March will also receive a “commemorative centennial souvenir,” but none of Tourism’s promotional material hint at what that mystery item might be.
