March 16, 2009 — A delegation of V.I. tourism officials is in Miami this week for the Cruise Shipping Conference, the biggest annual event and trade show in the cruise industry.
Formerly known as Seatrade, the Cruise Shipping Conference draws about 4,000 consumers, 225 members of the media, and 2,000 cruise-line owners and operators for four days of demonstrations, workshops, interactive exhibits and more. It runs from Monday through Thursday in the Miami Beach Convention Center.
Representatives from the Department of Tourism, V.I. Port Authority, West Indian Company Ltd. and the Economic Development Authority will use the conference to meet with key cruise and airline executives, travel agents and media in Miami.
A highlight of the Virgin Islands' participation at this year's conference will be an all-new trade show exhibit showcasing the look and feel of a traditional V.I. house. While conducting business, conference attendees can sample Cruzan rum and enjoy local music. Although the exhibit was created specifically for the Cruise Shipping Conference, it has been designed for reuse at major conferences throughout the year.
A primary goal for the week's activities will be to engage in serious dialog with cruise executives. Tourism has scheduled meetings with leaders of the cruise industry to strengthen existing relationships, aggressively pursue a prime position for the territory on cruise itineraries and ensure growth of overall cruise visits.
During the week, the department will also meet with airline-industry executives to build on efforts of the public-private sector airline committee established by Gov. John deJongh Jr. To date, the committee's efforts have resulted in a four-percent increase in air capacity to St. Thomas over the previous year's figures. Efforts to restore service to St. Croix have been similarly successful, with all but five percent of proposed reductions restored.
Additionally, meetings have been scheduled to take place throughout the conference with key media, including Travel Weekly, Cruisecritic.com, Cruise Industry News, the Miami Herald and the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. These meetings are an opportunity to convey why St. Thomas remains a premier cruise destination; share updates, including St. Croix's reemergence in the cruise industry; and provide information on infrastructure improvements in the territory.
Tourism will host an event for cruise executives and Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) travel agents during the conference. Representatives from WICO, VIPA and EDA will attend and have the opportunity to network with the attendees.
"In this economic environment, it is critical to cultivate strong partnerships with our tourism-industry partners," said Commissioner of Tourism Beverly Nicholson-Doty. "While attending the conference, we are taking advantage of every opportunity to build key tourism relationships and stay at the forefront of consideration for cruise executives, cruise lines, relevant media and airlines. We plan to apply information learned from the week's activities to strengthen our position in the marketplace."
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