Director of Tourism, Mrs Amelia Vanterpool-Kubisch, and Marketing and Research Officer, Ms Ernie T. Hodge recently participated in a 4-day workshop in Antigua from October 1st to 4th, 2002.

The workshop, which forms part of an OECS Tourism Internet Improvement Project was held under the auspices of CTO, and included an Executive e-Marketing Seminar, an e-Marketing Training and Skills Workshop, and an interactive training and design workshop in the use of QUING, a new marketing program for use with the internet.

The seminars were geared towards reinforcing the urgent need to implement quickly and effectively Internet technologies in the OECS countries and to generate the top-level support and understanding of the situation crucial for the success of the programs and implementation teams. They included feature addresses, summaries and training delivered by experts in the respective areas.

The Workshop represented the third phase of a three-stage project which entailed an official destination web site review by the company CWPartnership.com, and an onsite-visit from senior officials of the Caribbean Tourism Organization’s Information Technology System and representatives of the Consulting firm. According to the review, Anguilla’s web site was rated as informative, inviting and user friendly, although there was still room for maximizing the effectiveness of the site as a market research tool.

Anguilla’s participation in this workshop was made possible through a grant from the Caribbean Tourism Organization and the Anguilla Tourist Board.

Frangipani Beach Club has been named among some 190 hotels from the Caribbean, North America, the Pacific, Mexico and Bermuda which have been identified as Recommended Hotels by Conde Nast Johansens.

According to Lesly O’ Maffey-Keyes, Vice President and Publisher for North America, Frangipani was selected for its individual charm, character and superior standards, as well as its impressive hospitality.

Frangipani will be given a full page featuring full-colour photographs and detailed information relating to accommodation , amenities and tariffs.

The publication is especially geared towards discerning travelers who seek quality service and outstanding facilities, and is promoted through an extensive media advertising program.

ANGUILLA SUMMER FESTIVAL REPORT

Summer Festival 2002 was viewed by most as one of the more successful events in recent history. This success was not entirely from a financial standpoint, but also based on general participation and sub-committees’ organization of the various events.

According to Festivals’ Coordinator, Fritzroy Tomlinson, “the major objective of Summer Festival 2002 was to continue highlighting the Anguillian culture in a creative and attractive manner. The sub-committees were able to present one of the better Summer Festivals cost effectively. In comparison to previous years, expenses were much reduced while there was marked increase in revenue for show events.”

While the bottom line still remains somewhat pink, due largely to a number of bills which have been carried forward from previous years, as well as contributions still owing to the Festival for 2002, the Government’s contribution of EC$150,000 to the Festival has gone a long way in helping to cover the costs of this $450,000.00 production.

What is even more satisfying, notes Tomlinson, are the comments received informally from vendors, ferryboat operators, shopkeepers, clothing stores, car rental agencies, restaurants and bars, and other retail outlets concerning the increased business generated during this period by the Summer Festival.

Mr Tomlinson and his assistant, Joan Richardson, commended the various sub-committees on a job well done for 2002, and expressed their interest in continuing to work with them for the continuing success of the Summer Festival.

He also applauded the general public and the business sector who made major donations to this year’s Summer Festival. “I would like to say thanks to all those persons, company’s etc. that made Summer Festival 2002 a success and look forward to more involvement in Summer Festival 2003.”

ANGUILLIAN STUDENT RECEIVES SUNY SCHOLARSHIP

The ATB extends heartiest congratulations to Ms Chrislyn Connor, a student of Travel and Tourism Marketing at SUNY Cobleskill in New York, who has been named as a recipient of the Ambassador Program Scholarship which is awarded by the College. Ms Connor is a former Visitor Services Assistant with the Anguilla Tourist Board.

The Student Ambassador program is made up first, second, third and fourth year SUNY Cobleskill students. Ambassadors are students who have been selectively chosen based on outstanding academic achievements and community or civic involvement. There are 22 new and 20 returning Ambassadors. Each Ambassador has received a working scholarship, which covers the cost of his or her shared double residence hall room. The scholarship is renewable each semester for two years.

Ambassadors will be actively involved in the recruitment process at SUNY Cobleskill, participating in Tours, Tele-Counseling, Campus Visitation Events, Special Projects and much more. The Ambassador program activities are designed to provide learning experiences and build leadership skills. Ms Connor, who is an Honors student, is also involved in the International Club, CHAT (Culinary Arts, Hospitality and Travel Club), and the Orange Key Ambassador Club.

MISS ANGUILLA 2002/2003 OFF TO MISS CARIBBEAN TOURISM PAGEANT

Miss Anguilla 2002, Vanessa John will be representing Anguilla in the Miss Caribbean Tourism Pageant scheduled to take place in St Kitts on October 26th, 2002. This will be the first regional pageant that Miss Anguilla will be participating in since her coronation in August. During the Pageant Miss Anguilla will be making four appearances in Introductory Speech, Swimsuit Appearance, National Costume and Evening Wear/Interview. She will also be participating in a number of official Pageant activities, including courtesy call on the Governor General, the Prime Minister’s Cocktail Party, and a televised interview on the local television station. Arrangements for Miss Anguilla’s participation have been made by the Queen’s Committee in conjunction with the ATB. She will be accompanied by her chaperone, Mrs Michele Queeley-Roberts, and a large contingent of Anguillian spectators is also expected to be on hand to support her appearance.

OCTOBER
18-20 Marketing meetings in Anguilla
28-31 CTC 25 in the Bahamas

NOVEMBER
3-9 International Arts Festival Finalist Week
9-14 World Travel Market in London
17-23 Tourism Week 2002: Celebrating the Best of Anguilla
22-23 Launch of Tranquility Jazz Festival

SUMMARY:August 2002

The month of August saw an increase in overall visitor arrivals of 12.1%. This is the second largest increase in arrivals to date. This month is typically a time when an influx of visitors come to Anguilla to celebrate its Summer Festival. A total of 9,706 visitors came to the island in August 2002 compared to 8,660 in August last year. Compared to previous years, this is the highest recorded figure since August 1999 when 11,777 visitors came to Anguilla. To date there has been a slight increase of 0.5% or 65,905 in visitor arrivals compared to 65,593 in 2001.

As for previous months, the increase in visitor arrivals for August was primarily driven by Excursionists. There were 6,187 arrivals during this month. This total represents a significant increase of 33.2% from the 4,644 arrivals for the same period in 2001. The year to date total shows an 18.1% increase in relation to the same period in 2001. This category of visitors is steadily on the road to achieving pre Hurricane Lenny and September 11, 2001 figures.

Excursionists to Anguilla through the port of Blowing Point for this period were 6,107, up 35.0% from August last year. Arrivals through this port to date have been recorded at 37,316 compared to 27,531 in 2001.

Tourist arrivals, which make up a larger contribution to the economy has been performing sluggishly for the past eight months. Arrivals for August were 3,519 and showed a decline of 12.4% when compared to the same period last year, when 4,016 tourists came to Anguilla. To date 32,692 tourists have visited our shores, which is 12.8% less than the 37,477 that came in 2001. 69% or 2,428 of the 3,519 tourists that visited the island during August stayed for a period of 4-15 days. 805 visited for 1-3 days and 286 stayed for 16-23 days. For August, the average length of stay was 7.8 days compared to 8.3 days for August 2001.

Tourist arrivals from the United States accounted for 48% of the market share. Canada and the UK both represented shares of 3.2% and 5.5% respectively. The Caribbean, including the French and Dutch West Indies accounted for 27% of the market share. Although arrivals from this region for August fell by 14% it is still the second most important market for tourist arrivals to Anguilla. Arrivals for the other markets declined by 8.3% (USA), 6.1% (UK) and Italy (52%) for this reporting period.

Passenger arrivals through Blowing Point were 16,588 and through the Airport 4,162 for the month of August 2002.

(Excerpted from the Department of Statistics’ monthly report.)