Fuel Surcharges Hit Delta's Frequent Flier Program

Escalating fuel prices continue to impact our world economy, everyday life and the airline industry. Due to continued, unprecedented fuel costs, we will add the following fuel surcharge to Award Tickets originating from the U.S. and Canada, effective August 15, 2008:

$25 for Award Travel between the 50 states and Canada
$50 for Award Travel between the 50 states/Canada and all international destinations

This was a difficult but essential decision to ensure we are doing everything possible to offset the cost of fuel which has nearly doubled in the last year. This fuel surcharge will not impact any existing ticketed Award itineraries or any future Award Tickets issued prior to August 15, 2008, regardless of the date of travel. We hope this is temporary, and should fuel prices subside from current levels, we will reevaluate this surcharge.
We are committed to making SkyMiles® the best frequent flyer program in the industry and providing you with the most benefits and rewards. We will continue to expand the destinations and opportunities for Award Travel and strengthen the program as we prepare for our proposed merger with Northwest Airlines®. Additionally, we will keep you updated on the launch of our new multi-tiered Award program and other key initiatives over the next 60 days.

Thank you for your continued loyalty and support of Delta and the SkyMiles Program—now and always.

JEFF



J. W. Robertson



Managing Director, SkyMiles

Airline Travel Becoming Expensive

The travel industry continues to come across more bumps in the road and airlines seem to be one of the hardest hit.
As we head into the July 4th weekend, travel maybe difficult. Higher fuel prices mean fewer flights for airlines across the country and this fall looks like the skies maybe even unfriendlier.

Triple A says airline travel is down 2.3 percent from the same time last year.

Airport analysts say rising fuel prices are causing Tyler Pounds Regional Airport and many others throughout the country to decrease the number of flights.

"Every airline is cutting and even the airlines that have cuts in the system say that they're not done yet," USA Today travel editor Doug Carroll said.

This week the city of Tyler announced American Eagle will decrease the number of departures from five to three.
If your planning on going on vacation, airline industry experts say book your plans now because prices are going to continue to rise well into fall. Experts also say airline fairs are predicted to increase by at least another 25 percent by 2009.
"A lot of airline passengers today will not be passengers two years from now simply because the cost of air transportation is going to go up," aviation analyst Mike Boyd said.

Barack Obama Policy on the Caribbean

Outbound Travel - Outlook for Caribbean Tourism

“A Conversation with Dr. Alan Greenspan”

Dr. Alan Greenspan of the former Chairman of the Federal Reserve is sitting quite comfortably across from Sir Dwight Venner, the Governor of the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank. The scheduled discussion on the economic future of the Caribbean region with a specific focus on the tourism industry promises to be interesting. It has certainly attracted the more notable attendees of the conference. I’ve watched Senator Allen Chastanet the Chairman of the CTO, Vincent Vanderpool Wallace its CEO, Philip Saunders of Caribbean Airlines and other premieres of Caribbean government file into the auditorium. We’re all waiting anxiously for a few pearls of wisdom and groundbreaking thoughts… A day later, I’m still waiting.

Dr. Greenspan certainly knows his economics. His resume speaks for itself, from 1987 to 2006 he was the Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve of the United States and he currently works as a private advisor, making speeches and providing consulting for firms through his company, Greenspan Associates LLC. He’s adding credibility to the conference by being here and they’ve probably paid an arm and a leg to have him speak. But he’s not telling us anything that we don’t already know. “Tourism and the world’s economy are critically intertwined…travel and tourism really reflects the degree of affluence in a society”. If a society does not have disposable income the less individuals within that community will travel. His view is that he rising fuel prices are not about to go down. He notes that we’re currently having immediate troubles (indicated by American Airlines stopping routes to Puerto Rico and other Caribbean destinations) and he believes that we’ll continue to have these problems.

However, similarly to Vanderpool-Wallace and Philip Saunders he doesn’t seem very worried about the future of Caribbean tourism. He notes that our product is good – “what does not change is the paradise that is the Caribbean”. “The real cost of transportation is actually decreasing. Technology allows people to move like never before and the latest data [March 2008] on the US going to the Caribbean is only marginally below the previous year. He notes that even he was surprised by this fact. He also explains why oil prices are rising, it’s not that we’re running out of oil, it’s that we’re eating into the buffer that previously existed to keep oil production and supply steady, as a result, oil prices have shot up. But, this will force the aviation industry to invest in exotic metals that will ensure fuel conservation.

So what’s the future of Caribbean tourism? Greenspan explains that economies that do well are those that ensure property rights are respected. Capital moves to those areas, which are safe and protected. And the tourism industry, despite hiccups, is very stable – annually there are 898 million arrivals in the world and by 2020 we expect this number to grow to 1.6 billion. “If we can get past 9/11 and high fuel costs the Caribbean has vast potential”.

Annual Caribbean Tourism Summit-Opening Ceremony PT2

Annual Caribbean Tourism Summit-Opening Ceremony

And We're Off!

I’m excited and I’m motivated. All of a sudden the rising oil prices and a troubled US economy seems like a really great opportunity for the Caribbean. Why? Because Myles Munroe has just finished speaking and I now feel like I’m about to be a part of something big, something important, and something inevitable. I’m going to be a part of CHANGE. Everyone is captivated. Garcia Thompson-Hendrickson of the Nevis Tourism Authority, to my right, has goose bumps. Dan of Advisors Hospitality Consulting seems to be fixated on the stage and Gloria Minor the owner of the full service travel agency, “Friends Who Travel”, is smiling away and nodding every few minutes. Everyone’s enjoying the show, and as Garcia has rightly noted, he’s touched each of us in a unique and individual way.

Myles Munroe is one of the most positive human beings I’ve ever encountered. Originally from humble beginnings, born into a family of 11 from the Bahamas, Pastor Munroe is now the CEO of his own company of “Myles Munroe International”. If anyone has ever questioned the law of attraction and the power of positive thinking all they need to do is look to Myles Munroe. He puts out positive and as a result attracts positive – he has his own private jet – how’s about that for positive.

The man can find a silver lining in everything, including a cemetery, which he claims is the wealthiest spot on the earth as it contains the most ideas that were never manifested. According the Munroe, everyday people die “full”. His advice? “Live to make a difference” and “die empty”. These are wise words and all of a sudden it makes sense that this man of God has an estimated audience of one billion people. And he’s from the Caribbean. I’m proud of him and so is the Bahamas Tourist Board – I just asked them.

It is, of course, fitting then that he’s opening the Annual Caribbean Tourism Summit and it’s started with a bang. Tourism is dependent on disposable income. It’s a leisure activity and with oil prices steadily rising and the US economy wavering, less Americans can afford to spend on their vacations. As a result, the US domestic tourism is on the rise, meaning a precarious situation for the Caribbean tourism industry. But, Munroe is happy. He’s excited even! This means change and according to him “crisis and change produce leaders”, but more importantly, “crisis creates business”. It always comes down to the bottom line.

Innovation and leadership should be our watchwords for this conference and the future of Caribbean Tourism. With a line up that includes the likes of Dr. Allan Greenspan, the 13th Chairman of the Federal Reserve, Google’s Eastern Regional Director of Travel, David Pavelko, major regional tourism officials and even Munroe himself, we’re starting big! Let’s hope we finish in first place.

Summer in the Caribbean

Michelle Higgins of NY times explains why visiting the Caribbean is a more appealing option during summertime versus spending summer in the US.

HOUSTON in summer can be a miserable place.“It’s 100 degrees and 100 percent humidity — in the shade,” said Crystal Hadnott, a career counselor for a scholarship fund. That’s why many Houstonians often head to the beaches of Galveston, about an hour’s drive away, in search of a temporary respite from the city heat.

But last Memorial Day weekend, Ms. Hadnott and a few of her friends skipped the traffic jams and got on a plane instead — and soon found themselves at a hotel on the Caribbean island of St. Thomas, enjoying the sparkling turquoise waters, the nearly empty beaches and, most important, the cooling ocean breezes that kept daytime temperatures in the high 70s and low 80s. “It was beautiful,” Ms. Hadnott said. And not expensive: the entire cost, including airfare, hotel, airport transfers, all meals and drinks, was roughly $1,100 a person.

The experience was so great that this year, she and several of her friends went south again for Memorial Day, this time to Aruba.

The Caribbean in summer? It’s a more appealing option than you might think, especially if you’re looking for a bargain vacation this year. Here are a few reasons:

1. Prices are lower, with some hotels and resorts cutting as much as 60 percent off their winter rates.

2. Temperatures are typically only a few degrees higher than they are in the peak travel months of January through March. And they can be even lower than you’ll find at popular beach spots back in the United States. (For example, last Sunday, the temperature hit 93 in New York; it was 88 in Montego Bay, Jamaica and 88 on St. Lucia.)

3. The threat of hurricanes is certainly real, but perhaps not as great as you might imagine. Only one has hit the Caribbean before July 8 in the last decade — Hurricane Dennis, a Category 3 storm, which passed just east and north of Jamaica on July 7, 2005, producing hurricane conditions on the island. (This year the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration projects a “near normal or above normal” hurricane season, which runs from June 1 to Nov. 30 with the peak typically occurring from mid-August to mid-October.)

4. Did we mention that prices are lower?

This summer, rooms at Ritz-Carlton Golf and Spa Resort, Rose Hall, in Jamaica can be had for as little as $199 a night compared with $509 in mid-March. Starting rates at the Four Seasons Resort in Nevis drop to $335 a night from $490, and families traveling with children 18 or under can get a second room for half the cost or as low as $167.50 a night.

Despite the overall trend in rising airfares, prices of Caribbean packages, including airline tickets, are down 16 percent compared with peak travel, according to CheapTickets.com. That travel Web site is offering five-night getaways from Chicago starting at $769 a person to the Gran Meliã Puerto Rico in San Juan in June, and $1,345 a person at Aruba’s Hyatt Regency hotel in July from New York. FunJet Vacations has been offering three-night trips including airfare for as low as $650 a person from New York to Aruba or $765 a person to Barbados.

In some cases, practically entire islands are on sale. St. Maarten, the United States Virgin Islands and the Cayman Islands are all offering island-wide summer promotions including a night free at a bevy of resorts and discounts for tourist activities. (Information at www.vacationstmaarten.com, www.usvitourism.vi, and www.caymanislands.ky.)

The islands themselves are getting a lot more aggressive about trying to lure visitors over the slower summer months with festivals that show off what the island has to offer in the way of food, history, culture or music. Each summer, for example, Barbados celebrates Crop Over (www.barbados.org/cropover.htm), a festival that can be traced back to the late 1780s, as a way to mark the end of the sugar-cane cutting season. Today, it’s a tourist draw involving calypso competitions and parades. Last year, Bonaire created the water-oriented Dive into Summer event (www.bonairediveintosummer.com), which it plans to repeat this year. Grenada’s Carnival, one of the island’s biggest festivals, begins in July and gains momentum leading up to Carnival Sunday, usually in the second week of August.

Other islands try to draw visitors with big-name stars. In July Jamaica hosts the Reggae Sumfest, which has featured such popular performers as Mary J. Blige, 50 Cent and Missy Elliott. And for the first time this year, the Cayman Islands will host a championship-boxing event — Cayman Knockout, to be held on Friday, June 20. In a super middleweight bout, the Olympic Gold medalist Andre Ward will fight the former Olympian Jerson Ravelo, and in a heavyweight match, Eddie Chambers will take on Raphael Butler. “We want tourism to the Caribbean to be a year-round exciting experience for travelers,” said Hugh Riley, a chief operating officer for the Caribbean Tourism Development Company.

Of course, there can be drawbacks to summering in the Caribbean. Some nonstop flights that run all winter long go on hiatus, requiring travelers whol want to fly from Philadelphia to St. Lucia, for example, to make an extra stop or two. Once on the island, travelers may find that a number of restaurants or shops are closed for the season, resorts are undergoing construction, and staffing may not be quite as robust as it is during the winter.

That said, summertime brings some tourist opportunities that are simply nonexistent any other time of year. From March to August, visitors to St. Lucia can take a Turtle Watch tour run by Heritage Tours (www.heritagetoursstlucia.org), where guests camp overnight on the beach and help measure the leatherback turtles and count the number of eggs they lay. Rain showers bring cool respites and lushness to the islands not usually found during the winter. And all deals aside, the dip in tourists during the summer allows for a sense of solitude that has become increasingly rare in the islands.

see more of this post on the following link:
http://travel.nytimes.com/2008/06/15/travel/15carib.html?ei=5087&em=&en=8f1bfa259681abfe&ex=1213588800&pagewanted=all

The Perils of Air Travel

I know quite a few people that have problems when flying. One friend in particular is actually terrified. It's a mixture of the unexpected turbulence and the lack of control of her own life when sitting patiently in economy class and, despite that statistic that states you're more likely to die in a car, I think she'd rather take her chances on Trinidad's roads. Risky, I know. Therefore, I haven't told her of a previous discussion I'd had with Francois Pariseau of Caribbean Airlines that most planes never fly at 100%. This apparently is fact and, trust me, I'm not one to judge. I rarely "fly" at 100% and I'm going to hazard a guess and say that very few people actually do. On a good day, it's more like 80% and, when I'm traveling and had a 4 AM start, it's close to 40%. If this is the case, then why did I decide to travel to Washington D.C for the Annual Caribbean Tourism Summit on American Airlines via Miami? I'll tell you why - it was the cheapest ticket. But unfortunately the biggest obstacle course.

Problems started at check in. The Miami route is always popular, especially on a Friday, so Piarco International Airport was packed at 5 AM. But I manage to spot my friend and companion for the trip. She's at the counter and American has refused to confirm her seat on the plane and check her luggage. The credit card holder with which the ticket was bought must also be present and guess what? She's not she's home sleeping. I can't fault the ground staff for this, it's the airline's policy and it's in place to minimize card theft. Very important. But what annoys me is the defensive attitude that they use to convey the issue. Immediately, everyone in the situation is struggling to stay calm and civil. It's almost as if our ticketing person is used to customer complaints...

We make it through our first hurdle. The credit card holder is awoken and shows her face in time for us to make our flight. It was close, but we're tough and the adrenalin in now pumping. Who needs caffeine anyway! Now, I'm a very moody traveler, I don't like strangers to talk to me while I'm traveling, as the poor New Yorker that was sitting next to me found out. But, I do like to be greeted by a flight attendant when I board the plane. It's customary and I'm all one for tradition. However, apparently this is one of the cut backs that American Airlines has imposed and I would still be in Trinidad if I were waiting for someone to greet me onto the flight. Also, I'm of the belief that if you're going to ask people to pay for everything including a pack of Lays potato chips, you could at least be pleasant about it. That's a second strike for the attitude of the American Airlines staff.

When you land in Miami Airport be prepared to walk and wait in long immigration lines. As you disembark from the plane, you walk for what seems like forever and then you stumble upon a room filled with lines, upon lines of people from all over Latin America. The trick is to pick the right line. Even short lines can be misleading - these can also take forever as my colleague discovered. It's times like that that I thank God and my parents for my Green Card. My line consisted of 4 people and it was quick. For me, Miami was a breeze. Until of course, that breeze blew in lightening and thunder that grounded all planes for approximately three hours. I'll admit it - even I'm no match for Mother Nature. I know when I'm beat.

The flight from Miami to D.C was reminiscent of the flight from Trinidad to Miami. You have a sneaking suspicion that you're viewed as cattle rather than people, and I find myself looking longingly at the Singapore Airline's advertisement promoting their luxurious, customer oriented approach in my magazine. Not even American Airlines' plug of Grenada in their in-flight magazine American Way ("Grenada: Sun. Rum. Fun") can save them from this terrible experience. Fortunately, the journey wasn't all a loss. The gentleman to my left looks like a West Indian and, therefore must be going to the Annual Caribbean Tourism Conference. As a result, I'm willing to start up a conversation with him even if he is a stranger. He's Rodrigue Jeanty from Haiti and, yes, he's traveling up to Washington for the conference. Haiti promoting tourism? Well certainly, they need the money. But, according to Monsieur Jeanty, they have the resources to develop their tourism industry, their issues are more political - a corrupt government (in the Caribbean? Never). Why is he here? His main market is America. I look forward to speaking with him further at the conference to see how much potential business he can generate and I wish him "bonne chance".

In fact, as I begin to look around the plane I see some very obvious West Indians and almost, as if on cue, I hear someone "steups". It seems that first Annual Tourism Conference has attracted a truly regional audience, which I'm excited about. I've spotted the CEO of the Caribbean Tourism Organisation, Vincent Vanderpool Wallace talking to individuals from the Spanish Caribbean and when we finally arrive, I spot the lovely Harriet Banfield of the CTO, indicating that there's certainly a Barbadian presence. Fantastic. All in all, it was a struggle; we've arrived late, but with our luggage (a small victory)! With rising oil prices having a direct impact on air travel and Caribbean Tourism I think this conference is going to be a fascinating experience, making this perilous journey all worthwhile.

Faith Tourism?

Certainly, niche marketing is the most effective way to market any product or service. I've said this many times and if you were to read Laura's post, "Painting the Caribbean Pink" (which you should as it's very interesting) you'll see the success of such a practice in for California's tourism sector, in which they targeted the gay community.

I think it quite funny therefore, that we've been musing over the homosexual community and Senator Allen Chastanet (St. Lucia's Minister of Tourism and the current Chairman of the Caribbean Tourism Organisation) has his sights set on faith tourism. Admittedly, this is a group of people that do add to any community that they visit, "the social and humanitarian mission of the California-based Miles Ahead organisation...recently took 300 volunteers, including 80 medical professionals, and some US$5 million in free medical equipment, pharmaceuticals and health care to Jamaica. The volunteers, which included specialist doctors, pediatricians, surgeons, dentists and nurses, held free clinics and served local communities."

Also, there would be a lot less resistance from local communities - no more picketing from Bahamas and Tobago residents at gay cruiselines or Elton John - but I'm going to hazard a guess and say that gay visitors would be a lot more fun!

Cuba’s Varadero Becomes First Choice of Russian Tourists in the Caribbean

Varadero beach resort has received the 2007 Star Award granted by the Russian Travel Portal travel.ru. Thousands of tourists voted on the Internet for the Cuban route as the Best Caribbean Destination.

Varadero was the first choice of Russian travelers, who were to pick between several destinations in Mexico, Jamaica, the Dominican Republic, Barbados, and other Caribbean islands, according to Prensa Latina news agency.

The award was received in Moscow by the Cuban Ministry of Tourism representative Carlos Oscar Hernandez, who said Cuba is willing to welcome everyone who chooses it. The most important destinations, airlines, and tour operators of the world take part in this annual award, which has been previously granted to Varadero in 2004 and 2005.

According to the Travel.ru survey, Internet surfers also chose Cuba as the second cleanest island only behind The Maldives. Nearly 30,000 Russian tourists visited Cuba in 2007, and the figures in the first months of 2008 show a steady increase.

Article courtesy of Caribbean News Digital

Painting the Caribbean pink

It was reported recently that attorneys-general in the Caribbean might soon be reviewing legislation regarding homosexuality. Currently, the majority, if not all, the English-speaking Caribbean countries regard homosexuality as a crime.

And, apart from the fact that the Caribbean has a sizeable and growing number of homosexuals, society at large, due to primarily religious reasons, reject the lifestyle wholeheartedly. In islands like Jamaica, for instance, being openly gay could lead to death and is punishable under that country’s sodomy laws. Just recently Jamaican Prime Minister stated in an interview in the UK that he would “never” accept gays in his Cabinet, thereby underlining the prevailing sentiment in that island.

In other islands, gay people, while not accepted, just get on with life quietly, hosting their own private parties, hanging out in their own spaces, moving with their own kind.

In reviewing the legislation, Caricom, the body leading the initiative, hopes to decriminalise homosexuality, which would assist a great deal in fighting HIV/Aids among that community. But it may also be a huge step to eventually pave the way for societal acceptance of that group of people. And in that acceptance lies an implication for Caribbean tourism to open itself up to a market other countries have been exploiting for years: the gay market.

Gay-tourism is a huge industry. “Gay travelers tend to take trips more often, stay longer and spend more than other travelers, according to a survey by Community Marketing Inc., a research firm specialising in the gay travel market. Gay travelers took a median of five overnight trips in the last 12 months ending in August 2006, compared with four trips for Americans in general, and spent a median of $6,273 in travel expenses, compared with roughly $3,000 for all travelers,” said a report in the New York Times.

Greece has certainly seen the benefits of gay tourism. A report from the Greek daily newspaper Eleftheros Tipos, for instance, says visits from homosexual couples add up to $1.5 billion.

Research, the report says, had shown homosexuals spend two or three times more money than other tourists. Large portion of the Gay Tourists (three per cent internationally) choose cruises on the Aegean.
Recognising the importance of the gay market, tourism officials in California are capitalising on the lifting of the ban on gay marriage and luring gay couples to the State.

Los Angeles mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and LA INC, the Los Angeles Convention and Visitors Bureau, announced a new web marketing campaign designed to make Los Angeles the nation’s top destination for same-sex weddings, a LA Times report said, quoting a press release from the mayor’s office.

“The California State Supreme Court’s recent ruling which legalised gay marriage is expected to spark a tourism boom as nearly 70,000 extra visitors come to California in the historic new era of marriage rights and equality. In recognition of this fact, LA INC has created a one-stop shop at www.discoverlosangeles.com where visitors can now find the information they need to make wedding plans and travel arrangements.”

“The same-sex marriage boom could bring as much as $684 million to California in the next three years, the release said, extrapolating figures provided by The Williams Institute at the UCLA School of Law. Estimates for Los Angeles, when you factor in ceremonies, food and lodging for brides and grooms and families and friends, gifts, honeymoons and related tchotchkes, come to an additional $57 million per year.”

In an age when high fuel prices are forcing major airlines to cut down on flights, and other areas of the world are emerging as alternative tourist spots to the Caribbean, embracing the gay market may be a lucrative move for the region, especially now that the region is a preferred destination for cruise ships, and the cruise industry is actively courting the gay market. There are many gay charters, and cruises not specifically aimed at the gay market are increasingly booking gay travellers.

While some destinations are profiting from these cruises, many Caribbean islands are losing out because of protest action against them as happened in the Cayman Islands in 1998 where a gay cruise was not given permission to dock. That same year a cruise ship carrying lesbians was met by protestors in the Bahamas.

While tourism officials discuss ways to boost the region’s tourism product, this is a market that cannot, and should not, be ignored. Only time will show the islands brave enough to tap into this lucrative product.

Caribbean Calm

The sky is falling! Literally. Al Italia has taken a loan from the Italian government to stay afloat; American Airlines is in state of crisis, frantically charging for checked luggage, desperately searching for other sources of revenue; the business class carrier Silverjet’s share prices have plummeted; and Air Canada has been forced to raise ticket prices for some routes. All because the price of oil is rising and as of today, it’s a record breaking US$140 a barrel. Some would call it Armageddon!

But not Philip Saunders and Francois Pariseau. They’re quite calm actually and, I must say, very pleasant company. Why? Because Caribbean Airlines has had a fantastic first quarter and is scheduled to break even by the end of the year. They’re very happy with their progress and they should be. Since taking to the skies in January 2007, Caribbean Airlines has developed at a tremendous rate, boasting an 80% market share in point to point business flights and as of July 2008 CAL will run 114 international flights per week, up from 62 with a recently extended fleet of seven Boeing 737 jets. Not bad. Not bad at all.

However, I can’t help but wonder how this newly established carrier, is not only surviving, but also doing extremely well amidst the airline industry’s precarious situation. Saunders admits it himself, quoting a fellow industry head - it is the “most serious challenge ever to face civil aviation”. He goes on to note that according to the International Air Transport Association (IATA) fuel prices accounted for an average of 13% of total airline costs in 2002, this figure had jumped to 38% by 2008. There is no question about it rising fuel prices are affecting everyone, especially the aviation industry. So to get back to the original question, why is Caribbean Airlines doing so well? The answer is simply that they’re buying oil at hedged prices for the foreseeable future, meaning they’re paying a fixed rate. The rising oil prices haven’t hit them as hard as its hit other industry players.

As a result, Saunders can concentrate his energies in other areas. First and foremost on his agenda: creating a full service airline. For him, service is the way forward, ensuring passengers have a pleasant travel experience and that there are no hidden extras. Basically, Caribbean Airlines will not be charging to check luggage anytime soon, we can all expect a hot meal during the flight, that we’ll arrive on time and our luggage will be at the other end of our journey waiting for us. My internal voice is having doubts… delayed flights are now the norm. But then Saunders backs up his statement by claiming that CAL flights now have a punctuality rate of over 90%. A Trinidadian airline on time! Pigs are flying somewhere.

Caribbean Airlines have also expanded their international routes. Certainly the “visiting friends and family” group, or as I fondly call them, the Diaspora, are some of the most important visitors to the Caribbean region. They return regularly and they have disposable income that they readily pump into our small island economies. They keep us afloat; hence, we like them to keep coming. As a result, Caribbean Airlines has developed routes to do just that. They are now the only carrier to fly daily to both Miami and Fort Lauderdale and this summer will offer 10 flights a week to Toronto. They’ve also spread into the South American market, offering flights to Venezuela and Guyana. Their rationale for these routes? Building Trinidad as a transfer hub. Well, why not? That’s what the new Piarco airport was built for wasn’t it…?

I’m surprisingly calm and admittedly a bit disappointed. They seem to have everything under control. I was expecting a little more drama than this. An anguished look about the oil situation at least. So, let’s shake things up a little. This is an Armageddon piece remember? Let’s talk about the environment. Everyone’s frantically trying to “Go Green” to save the Earth and mankind. Emphasis is on conservation because if you believe the news EVERYTHING except carbon dioxide emissions is running out.

Saunders and Pariseau are nodding. They both look quite concerned, as the environment is crucial to them also. In fact, Saunders claims that other industries could probably learn a substantial amount from the aviation industry about conservation. This industry only accounts for 2% of global carbon dioxide emissions. It’s actually in their best interest to conserve fuel. According to IATA “opening new more direct flight routes and re-aligning others to reduce fuel requirements can save the industry US$1billion and reduce fuel emissions”. So what is Caribbean Airlines doing to keep their fuel emissions down? Well, several things actually. First off, their new planes are modern, unlike American Airline’s gas guzzling jets; theirs have “winglets that improve the plane’s aerodynamics by 5%”. Secondly, they’re working with air traffic control to decrease congestion and increase flying times. Additionally, they were recently given permission to incorporate the Extended Range Twin Operational Performance System (ETOPS). CAL can now fly shorter routes that were previously off limits to twin engined aircrafts. Whereby, saving fuel by cutting flying times and according to Pariseau they’ve saved 443 kilos of jet fuel from their Toronto route by using such practice. More interestingly, however, and certainly worth mentioning, Caribbean Airlines gone even further in their “greenness” by supporting the Guyanese Iwokrama forest – one of the last pristine rainforests that Mother Earth has to offer. Saunders states that it is their way of making a statement as a corporate citizen.

All in all, they’re doing their bit. They’re making substantial headway with the newly formed airline, they’re happy with their progress and they’re giving back to the regional community and trying to save the planet at the same time. No wonder they’re so relaxed and friendly. But I suppose for these two; it’s all in a good day’s work.

The Annual Caribbean Tourism Summit

The event will be hosted by the Caribbean Tourism Development Company (CTDC). The CTDC is a marketing and business development unit, owned equally by the Caribbean Hotel Association (CHA) and the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO). Its mission is: To own, promote, protect, advance and enhance the Caribbean brand.

About the CTDC: The CTDC combines the resources of the Caribbean region’s destinations, accommodations and service providers to create a viable, cohesive, business unit that is able to identify commercial opportunities and allow the members of CHA and CTO to benefit collectively from those opportunities in ways that individually they could not. In all its endeavors the company will engage only in activities that honor the Caribbean brand and benefit the members of CHA and CTO.

The CTDC released the following press release on the ACTS Conference:

WASHINGTON, DC, June 10, 2008 – Leading industry authorities from around the world will discuss Caribbean innovation investment opportunities during a prominent panel on June 23 at the inaugural Annual Caribbean Tourism Summit (ACTS) in Washington, DC. The conference, organized by the Caribbean Tourism Development Company (CTDC), the marketing and business development unit owned equally by the Caribbean Hotel Association (CHA) and the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO), will be held from June 21 to June 24, 2008, at the International Trade Center in the Ronald Reagan Building. Dr. Auliana Poon – one of the Caribbean’s most respected international tourism consultants – will moderate a panel that will focus on how the Caribbean is implementing new ideas to create business opportunities in healthcare, innovative partnerships and communication. Dr. Poon’s experience as managing director and senior partner for Tourism Intelligence International, a travel and tourism consultancy firm, provides a strong platform for a panel discussion on innovation investment. As Managing Director for Johns Hopkins Medicine International, Timothy Dentry will begin the discussion by building a case for innovative healthcare. He’ll talk about how Johns Hopkins Medical Center’s venture at Hospital Punta Pacifica in Panama can provide a blueprint for building a medical infrastructure in the Caribbean that serves both citizens and visitors.

Google’s eastern regional director of travel, David Pavelko, will speak on sustaining an online relationship with “out-of-the-box” online ventures providing opportunities to support marketing strategies, develop new products and enhance revenues.
Dr. Joseph J. West, dean from the School of Hospitality & Tourism Management at Florida International University, together with Dr. Sherma Roberts, program coordinator for Tourism and Hospitality Management at the University of West Indies, will focus on how a comprehensive educational system that combines integrated local training with global educational opportunities is fundamental to sustained economic success. The third technique to be examined for building success through innovative partnerships is “voluntourism,” a term for tourists volunteering to give back to a destination. Travelocity’s Chief Marketing Officer Jeffrey Glueck and the Honorable Glen Beache, minister of tourism for St. Vincent & the Grenadines, will discuss how the Caribbean region can tap into the growing trend of voluntourism to expand the tourism market and provide assistance to local communities.

In closing, the panel will discuss long-range strategies, opportunities and levels of investment needed to effectively use current communication systems and incorporate new technology to benefit citizens, businesses and travelers. Philip Lewis, Manager of IP Service Development for Cable & Wireless Barbados, J. Patrick Cozier, secretary general for Caribbean Broadcasting Union, and Ru-El Buford, CEO for ndustrimobile media group, will speak to the trends in communication development.

For more information on the first Annual Caribbean Tourism Summit and to register for
all events, visit www.ACTSdc.com or call 800/603-3545.

Gas Prices also affecting Canadian airlines

In recent weeks, Canadian airlines also announced fuel surcharge hikes, citing the rising cost of fuel. Air Canada raised its round-trip ticket prices by $40 for short-haul flights and $80 for flights of more than 1,601.6 kilometres.

Calgary-based airline WestJet is raising its round-trip ticket prices by $20 for short-haul flights and $45 for long-haul flights.

Alitalia the next airline to go under?

BBC has just reported on the serious issues facing the Italian carrier AlItalia:

Alitalia calls for urgent support:


Alitalia is struggling to cope with large debts.
Debt-laden Italian airline Alitalia has warned it needs an urgent injection of capital on top of a recent government loan in order to survive. It was recently saved from collapse by a 300m-euro ($473m; £238.8m) government loan, which is under scrutiny to see if it breaches European state aid rules. The collapse of a proposed takeover by Air France-KLM had left it in an "uncertain" situation, the firm said. The carrier also unveiled a net loss of 495m euros for 2007. This was less than the 626m-euro loss it made in 2006. The airline, which is struggling with 1.35bn euros of net debt, said the losses were due to the rising cost of fuel, passengers being put off by industrial disputes and competition from low-cost rivals. Italian newspaper reports suggested the Intesa Sanpaolo bank could be involved in a new bid for Alitalia. The head of Air One, Carlo Toto, who made an earlier offer for Alitalia, could finance a new offer, along with the chief executive of scooter-maker Piaggio, Roberto Colaninno, media reports said. Alitalia failed to complete a deal with its preferred bidder Air France-KLM after the Franco-Dutch carrier could not agree terms with Alitalia unions over plans to reduce costs and cut jobs.

Virtual meetings saving costs

Travel buyers are bracing for the difficult economy through tighter controls on expenses as well as reducing the number of trips through remote conferencing, according to a panel of Corporate Travel 100 travel managers meeting during the Business Travel News' Corporate Travel World and the Assocation of Corporate Travel Executives' Global Education Conference collocated here last month.

Debra Goldmann, senior specialist of travel services for Verizon, said her team is employing a number of tools to push travelers to virtual meetings whenever feasible, particularly following a cost-analysis study regarding the associated savings. "We found a face-to-face meeting is five to 35 times more expensive than a Net meeting," Goldmann said.

Verizon launched a variety of virtual meetings tools, including audio- conferencing appropriate for weekly meetings, videoconferencing good for one-on-one reviews and Web- conferencing tools good for training seminars, she said. In addition, the team modified Verizon's travel policy for soft mandating, including recommended use of the tools and a pre-trip approval process in some groups, Goldmann said.

The team now is looking at further synergies with its booking tool, GetThere, for enhanced messaging to notify travelers of the virtual meetings options when they book travel, she said.

John Guarneri, vice president of global travel services for Philips International, said his company also is using remote conferencing technology as one of several strategies to reduce travel costs by 20 percent.

Philips also has been reviewing such policies as the allowance of business class travel, cracking down on travelers who do not book more than seven days in advance and reducing the number of refundable tickets purchased, which he said was costing the company in the long run. "Out of those people buying them, 65 percent never changed their reservations," Guarneri said.

Debra Reid, U.S. travel services manager of Shell Oil Co., said her company is pushing virtual meetings as well, to reduce travel costs and the company's carbon footprint. Although her industry is not as affected by the downturn, Reid said buyers should not wait until difficult times to employ demand management strategies.

"Like most companies, we've enjoyed very lenient and generous policies in recent years, but there's always room for change," Reid said. "We're making changes now, before it becomes a mandatory situation."

"Companies are deriving significant and rapid savings from rigorous and comprehensive demand management programs," said Tony D'Astolfo, vice president of worldwide sales for Rearden Commerce. "Demand management enables travel procurement organizations to extend and leverage their capabilities."

Softening in the hotel market is anticipated, said two Corporate Travel 100 buyers and a hotel executive.

"The industry's going to see a softening," said Richard Wooten, director of corporate travel services for Lockheed Martin. "We're all anticipating increased airfares and with that we're going to see a significant slowdown in the travel industry."

Maria Chevalier, manager of travel services for Johnson & Johnson, added, "We're seeing greater controls on our organization from demand management. Our expectation is we're going to be flat."

"We're starting to see a softening on the demand side," said Mike Fegley, vice president of global sales for the Americas for InterContinental Hotels Group. "We were hoping to see a better comeback in the third and fourth quarter. That right now is looking a little more uncertain."

Hotel rate loading continues to be a challenge. Johnson & Johnson has implemented a penalty system in order to ensure hotel rates are loaded properly, Chevalier said.

"We do the standard auditing of hotels to ensure our rates are loaded and loaded accurately," she said. "Those that have failed the audits have been penalized financially and we will continue to do that because of the cost for our organization."
A new article from The Business Travel News Online (BTN) -

The European Union and the United States are involved in "intense negotiations" as the EU wants "a free market as far as aviation is concerned," said Ambassador John Bruton, European Commission head of delegation to the United States and former prime minister of Ireland. The EU is calling on the United States to loosen restriction on foreign ownership in U.S. airlines, allow EU airlines to bid on U.S. government business, allow visa-free access for all 27 EU member states, halt the fingerprinting of EU visitors upon U.S. departure and enable European aircraft maintenance stations to work on U.S. airplanes without additional inspection from U.S. officials. U.S. agreement to these concessions would save the airlines millions of dollars, create a more competitive market and shield travelers from pass-through costs, according to Bruton.

"The fact that an airline may be owned by a European shareholder, if it is operating in the United States, it is subject to U.S. law. There is no need to restrict ownership to ensure U.S. law, in a matter of national security, would be applied," he said.

Cynthia Shumate, director of travel services for Estée Lauder Cos., received the ACTE Corporate Social Responsibility Award for her efforts in developing surveys in the company's hotel requests for proposals to measure vendors' green initiatives as part of her monitoring her company's carbon footprint.

One of the original 10 ACTE members, Michael Spooner, manager of travel and relocation for JCPenney, received ACTE's Advancing the Industry Award for his 20-year contribution to the association, including co-authoring its initial bylaws, articles of incorporation and accounting manual. Spooner served in various board roles.

Guyana Tourism Authority Continues Efforts to Promote Country

From CaribbeanPressReleases.com
http://www.caribbeanpressreleases.com/articles/3405/1/Guyana-Tourism-Authority-Continues-Efforts-to-Promote-Country/Fam-trips-for-operators-and-journalists-on-the-cards.html

The Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA) plans on ensuring that Guyana gains recognition as an emerging ecotourism destination on the world market and in pursuit of this goal, the Authority is embarking on a number of promotional activities.

GTA’s Director, Indranauth Haralsingh noted that the authority is implementing marketing activities that would help to brand and position Guyana. This, he said, is needed especially since Caribbean tourism is popular. He noted it is more important for Guyana to differentiate itself from the famous sun, sand and sea brand.

The Director noted that in an effort to maximise the resources of the authority, it has collaborated with the Guyana Trade and Investment Support (GTIS) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to conduct familiarization trips with overseas tour operators and journalists so that they can sample Guyana’s tourism product.

He said that the fam trips allow the tour operators to decide whether the products they see and experience are what their customers are looking for on their vacations. “They give us valuable input as to areas needed for improvement such as if our tour guides need more training, the upgrading of our facilities and if we need to look at safety,” he said.

There were four fam trips to Guyana recently and these have proven to be very successful. From these fam trips over 30 countries have been actively selling Guyana as an emerging birding destination.

Also as a result, the participants of the fam trips have featured Guyana in a series of popular print and electronic magazines, catalogues, and brochures. “Having these international companies selling Guyana is very good because we are expanding our sales and distribution network,” the Director said.

GTA is also working with the media in the Guyanese diaspora in the United Kingdom, North America and the Caribbean to participate in fam trips as this will enable them to see experience Guyana’s tourism and report on it in various countries.

“There have been a lot of negative news coming out from Guyana and we are hoping that this will counteract it by putting out some positive news and reinforce the Guyana brand and encourage people to travel to Guyana as well as update Guyanese abroad on the changes in their country,” Haralsingh said.

At present the German market is of interest to GTA and a German tour operator, who will be in Guyana for a few months is also eyeing the ecotourism potential as he hopes to sell destination Guyana to his country.

Trade shows have also been successful in highlighting Guyana’s ecotourism. The GTA has been attending the largest trade shows in Europe, North America and the Caribbean.

Recently Guyana attended the world’ largest trade show, the International Travel Bourst (ITB) held in Berlin, Germany. Guyana plans to attend trade shows in London, Utah, and Ruthland, England this year. It also plans to be represented at the Annual Caribbean Tourism summit.

GTA recently re-launched its website with a new, dynamic look. This website it is hoped will make Guyana, through internet marketing, more accessible to the world. Some of the features of the site include translation for 24 languages, credit card processing capability, booking facilities for travellers, ‘flipping effect’ to showcase brochures, audio effect, video streaming, search engine for places and events in Guyana and e-card options.

Links on the website will provide information on location for lodging and dining, special activities and places of interest inclusive of sport events and facilities.

GTA is in the process of creating a special DVD series featuring destination Guyana. The GTA Director said that they are also looking to promote Guyana as a filming destination and as of recent it has been gaining attention as a number of documentaries have been done locally.

Two television features were recently done in Guyana; RICOCHET television from the UK filmed a series called ‘Unbreakable’ and Trek’s in the Wild World filmed a documentary for National Geographic.

Other marketing promotional aspects that have been undertaken by the GTA include currently creating brochures for Kaieteur National Park, Birding tourism, CARIFESTA X, and the giants of the Amazon.
The Director stated that he hopes these will “differentiate us from other destinations and will drive traffic towards Guyana.”

The Brits are back

If you’re familiar with the history of the British economy, you’ll know that until the 1970s the coal industry was very significant, especially to the West Midlands region of the United Kingdom. Even coining the local colloquial name the “Black Country”. However, as the use of coal as the main source of fuel declined, so did the coaling sector. The West Midlands were forced to move away the traditional mass manufacturing models of business, diversifying into small niche markets to salvage their struggling economy. Today, the West Midlands, which includes large thriving cities such as Birmingham and Wolverhampton, is a prime example of how exploring smaller subsidiary industries (glass manufacturing is just one example for this area) can re-vitalize an economy. The West Midlands is certainly a niche marketing success story. And they’re still expanding.

The British High Commission is currently hosting a 12-member business delegation of various Chambers of Commerce from the UK’s West Midlands region from June 4th to June 10th. The purpose? To facilitate business opportunities between the Caribbean and the West Midlands. The trade mission’s fundamental aim is to develop sustainable business relationships within both professional business services as well as creative industries. And with 29,000 registered businesses within the “Black Country”, the West Indian business community will be quite spoilt for choice. This morning the delegates were hosted at the Kapok Hotel and were introduced to Trinidad’s local economy by presentations from M. Hamel-Smith & Co., PriceWaterhouseCoopers and Regency Recruitment Limited. And, of course, the trade drop-in initiative, which ran until 1pm, and allowed local Chambers of Commerce and interested businesses to explore potential partnerships with our British guests.

Fortunately, the opportunity to investigate business possibilities in the West Midlands does not end on the 10th when the delegation returns to the UK. The Caribbean 4 Life initiative is set to launch in November with a conference that will determine the issues and benefits of bi-lateral trade between the two regions. It will then be followed up with Caribbean 4 Life Exposition carded for 2009.

For further information on the delegation while they’re in Trinidad please contact Natalie Dookie (Natalie.dookie@fco.gov.uk) of the British High Commission. Additionally, for more information regarding the Black Country Chamber of Commerce please contact Joy Heatley (joyheatley@blackcountrychamber.co.uk) or the Caribbean 4 Life Expo Michael Barrows (Michael@matrix-mam.com).

Niche marketing in the Caribbean

With rising oil prices forcing a reduction in the number of flights to the region and the US-led global slowdown punch a hole in spending, tourism planners will be forced to compete or perish in a slicker, more cutthroat market. And, despite its steady growth, the region is losing market share to more competitive tourism markets such as Asia and Europe.

Add climate change to the mix, which could actually destroy the physical landscape tourists enjoy, and the local industry could find itself on the ropes. Industry experts say there is one untapped resource that the Caribbean can utilise to stem the tide of declining market share: Niche marketing to Caribbean communities across the globe.

From tourism cross-border investments to increasing demand for regional tourism by marketing on Caribbean internet sites and tapping into faith tourism, the ideas mooted at the recently concluded 12th Annual Caribbean Media Exchange (CMEx) Symposium on Sustainable Tourism in San Juan, Puerto Rico, forced planners to rethink their strategy.

The set theme of the symposium from May 15-19 was, "Embracing the Diaspora: Connecting Communities.".Terestella Denton, executive director of the Puerto Rico Tourism Company, called for a plan for the region to deal with the challenges ahead, stressing this might include a drive to niche-market the region to Caribbean emigrants abroad, luring them back to the region as tourists. "There’s gold in them there hills," assured Irwin Clare, the Managing Director of the Jamaica-based Caribbean Immigrant Services, Inc. He said the potential economic contribution of Caribbean descendants now living abroad is being masked by the fact that there is little data on their activities.

For instance, in the American census exercise, no category for Caribbeans is included. Instead, there is the catch-all category of black. Business consultant Dr Carlisle Boyce called for a special unit in Caricom to address the development of linkages to the diaspora. Raul Lopez, President of Phoenix Multicultural, a marketing firm, noted that by 2020, more than half of travellers worldwide will be non-white.

Building on this point, Michael Deflorimonte, an emerging markets consultant, noted that the African American market in the US is poised to become a major player in the tourism market. He pointed out that the internet could be a crucial way of reaching this market, with 52 per cent of African Americans browsing the net for business purposes as opposed to 28 per cent of the general American population.

According to Senator Allen Chastanet, the chairman of the Caribbean Tourism Organisation, the Caribbean has wasted too many opportunities in the past. "I’m here today to say the debate must stop. I believe in the next two years there will be things taking place in this world that we'll long for the days we let pass," Chastanet told the more than 100 delegates from the media, tourism industry sector gathered at the Holiday Inn, Isla Verde.

"Times are changing and unfortunately the world economic situation as it is, with oil prices climbing, will have significant implications for this region in the next six to eight months and we don’t have time to waste." Chastanet, who is also St Lucia’s Minister of Tourism and Civil Aviation, warned that American carriers are set to cut flights into the region by 20 percent because of escalating fuel costs.

In fact, this week American Airlines confirmed that it was considering reducing flights on some Caribbean routes, as part of measures to cut soaring costs. Chairman and CEO Gerard Arpey also said that flights from New York and Miami to some (as yet unidentified) Caribbean destinations are likely to be considered for the chop.

The news casts a cloud over the tourism industry, already expected to be hit by the effects of the American presidential elections. "It is always in an election year that business drops in the fourth quarter anywhere between 20 to 30 percent," Chastanet noted. While the world tourism industry grew by nearly seven percent in 2007, this region grew by only two percent, while market share dwindled from four and a half percent to two and a half percent.

"It can be pretty dramatic what’s going to happen in the fourth quarter," Chastanet warned, saying the industry was in crisis. He revealed that all tourism ministers in the region will meet on today in Antigua as well as on June 24 in Washington, leading up to the Caricom summit in July, where one day has been set aside to deal with the tourism issue and where a proposal for a US$188M marketing blitz is also carded for discussion.

Apart from niche marketing, the region must try and capitalise on an emerging trend in the tourism market: Faith tourism. According to Kevin J Wright, of the World Travel Association (WTA), faith tourism is booming. "One in three Americans are interested in faith vacations," he noted.

Another niche marketing opportunity comes in the form of eco or green tourism, according to Junior Minister Carlisle Powell, Nevis Island Administration, as he outlined plans to market his island as a green island tourism destination, given its wind and rmal energy potential. His view is that geothermal energy could potentially power 100 percent of the Caribbean Nevis’ electrical needs. "I don't think tourism is any longer just beaches," Boyce said on the last day of the symposium. "We’ve got to do a little bit more planning".

http://www.stluciastar.com/NewsHome/TravelTourism/tabid/387/mid/900/newsid900/3929/Default.aspx

Now, let's not panic...

I love the Internet. Along with shoes and eating, it's one of my favourite things to have and do. And, as a marketer, first and foremost, I love the unlimited potential of it. But what I love about it the most is its quick nature. I can spread messages and talk to people I've never met within seconds. I can have focused, interesting discussions on Caribbean tourism with international individuals, getting their new and objective perspectives. I'll say it again - I love the Internet.

Glyn from caribbean.ibooking.com and holidayintobago.com is one of my more interesting conversations. He's a bit gloomy, but he's very funny and I have no doubt that he'll persevere until the end to promote the Caribbean online. Glyn sent me this article recently about American Airlines pulling certain carriers out of the Caribbean. According to the article:

"American Airlines will no longer serve Antigua, St Maarten and Santo Domingo with jet service out of San Juan. It will also reduce flights into San Juan from 38 to 18 from September 3, as well as discontinue nonstop daily service to San Juan from a number of US cities. American Eagle will reduce its Caribbean schedule from 55 to 33 daily departures out of San Juan from September 3 and eliminate daily flights from San Juan to Aruba as well as to Samana, Dominican Republic. Both destinations will continue to be served daily from Miami".

My word! Certainly, I'm still a little upset with American for that time that they cancelled my flight in Puerto Rico, while I was sitting patiently at the gate, and then didn't even bother to announce it over the intercom. But, I'm willing to forget my grief for the time being. We both have bigger problems...

Reduced flights mean less traffic from our closest developed-nation neighbour, the United States and we all know that the US is our biggest and best customer. Action such as this, always results in a reaction:

"The developments in the San Juan, Puerto Rico hub were a cause for concern among regional ministers of tourism who met in Antigua last Thursday to discuss the impact of rising fuel costs and the pull out of some carriers from the region."

So that explains Vincent Vanderpool's musings about "raising the price of the ticket" in our interview. It also gives me further insight into the new software they're developing. It is going to both market and organize Caribbean tourism from immigration cards to tour and taxi bookings, whereby cutting major and outdated costs. Ahhh...I think I have a better understanding of their strategy now. We're streamlining Caribbean tourism. We're going to make it a well oiled and functioning machine. Factors beyond our control - rising oil prices and American Airline's poor performance - are threatening to increase our "Caribbean ticket" prices. The only thing we can do to make ourselves competitive is to economically cut our own prices. This is a necessary strategy. It's the only strategy.

It's also a blessing in disguise. In my years on this earth, admittedly still limited, I've realised a few things (surprise!). One of those wonderful life lessons is that real growth, sometimes sadly, only comes from pain. Even though there will be setbacks to the tourism industry - they'll be setbacks in society, at large - we'll be forced to unify and organize ourselves. Then, and only then, we can come back stronger than ever. The very clever Peta Bain, once said to me that the "balance of power" that exists in the world travels in a circular pattern around the globe. As the balance of power that now exists shifts from the United States to Asia, there must be some upheaval. It's to be expected, dynamics and energies are shifting, we just need to remember to stay calm. This too shall pass. But, what I want to propose to you is that when that balance comes back to our side, how about it being ours then? It'll take time. We have a long way to go, but it has to start now and then, and only then, will it be our turn. So, let's start by getting everyone in society really organized - this strategy is tried and tested.

Talk about persevering to the end!

Surcharges won’t ground Brits says travelsupermarket.com

Commenting on recent rises in airline fuel surcharges, Peter Smith, flights manager at travelsupermarket.com said: “It is unlikely that increased costs will put large numbers of people off their annual holiday. In the past we might have expected to see a shift towards bookings to short haul destinations, however current exchange rates still make long haul destinations a very attractive option.

“The increased cost in fuel will inevitably have to be passed onto the consumer by airlines, whether it is labelled as a fuel surcharge or incorporated into other areas of pricing such as luggage check in or allocated seating. We would call for airlines to be transparent in their pricing, as British Airways have been, and explain to consumers where prices have gone up and why.”

Some money saving tips from travelsupermarket.com:

Decide how long you want to travel for and whether you can be flexible in your arrival dates.
Departing or returning a day either side of your original dates can save you a lot of money.
Consider alternative airports to the ones you originally thought of. It can often be cheaper and quicker to fly from a smaller regional airport rather than the big UK hubs such as Heathrow or Manchester.
Try and pay with a debit card as opposed to a credit card - this avoids incurring the extra charge usually associated with credit card transactions.
Travel light. By being able to travel without checked luggage you can save up to £20 per person on many low-cost carriers for a return trip.
Consider using different airlines for your outbound and inbound journeys. Two singles could be cheaper than a return and offer you more flexibility.
Midweek breaks are nearly always cheaper than weekends because there is less demand.
Look out for last minute special offers which companies often sell off cheap.
Consider long haul all inclusive holidays for excellent overall value.
Shop around for the best deals and use a price comparison website such as travelsupermarket.com to find the best price.

Step right Up! Get your tickets! Get your tickets…

The CEO of the Caribbean Tourism Organisation (CTO), Vincent Vanderpool Wallace, is staring across the table from me. He seems polite and gracious, but I instinctively know that his time is precious so I better make this good. I explain that I’ve come to see him fundamentally to interview him for my Meka blog. It’s focus? I’m planning to explore marketing within the tourism industry worldwide and then apply it to the Caribbean market. Therefore, my starting block needs to be at the CTO to look at the current status of Caribbean marketing and, the way I see it, why not go for the top? Hence – Vincent Vanderpool Wallace.
Truthfully? I’m very scared, verging on a little terrified... So, my strategy is to ease into things. Start fluffy. Let’s do a personal profile. Let’s get to know the current man at the helm…
I’m immediately asked the rationale for asking such as question. Not the response I was expecting…I’m caught off guard and, now I’m officially terrified.
I think it’ll be a good way to get a younger readership to identify with him? Hmmm…not good enough… Tourism, an industry that is so crucial to our region, is bigger than just one man. I don’t get my personal profile.
I recover quickly and get directly into some marketing questions. I’ve done my research, I’m armed with my stats, just in case, and I’m ready.
But so is he. And, he’s been ready for years.

“The Caribbean is the world’s best known, un-owned brand”. That’s certainly true. Not one island in the region can claim full ownership of the Caribbean brand, yet we simultaneously all own it. Because, we’ve all contributed to it. The Caribbean is a fusion of Bob Marley, Fidel Castro and, especially Josephine of the Napolean and Josephine fame. We’re special, world famous even.

If you’ve heard of Vincent Vanderpool Wallace, you’ve heard of his “One Caribbean” vision: a federation, in which companies affected by regional tourism would join and pool their resources. A unified front! This would ensure sustainability of tourism throughout the region. I agree with this. Surely CARICOM and the European Community demonstrate the benefits of working together. But his example is the US and it’s mutli national nature. He’s thinking along the lines of the “United States of the Caribbean”. Interesting. I’m definitely listening. Yes of course, there must be communal ties that we all adhere to – if we’re paralleling this to the United States, the example would be their Federal laws - but the value or “richness” of the US is that each state has it’s customized laws. They appreciate each other’s differences and can live with them. The Caribbean’s cultural differences are certainly unique. We are everything and everyone. “We’re different because of our variety”. Again, he’s right. It’s our strongest selling point.

Ok, so we’ve talked about what we have and why Caribbean tourism has steadily grown at a rate of 3% a year. Like I said before, we’re special, but Vanderpool Wallace thinks we can do better, we can grow by 10% a year. Ambitious and achievable? We’ll see. But, let’s talk about our competition. Asia – Bali, the Maldives, to name a few... In fact, I even posted a previous blog note (“Visit the Competition, Visit Indonesia”) bemoaning the fact that the United States has lifted their travel-warning ban to Indonesia. What will this mean for Caribbean tourism? Surely this will have a significant impact! He’s not fazed. Tourism is a resilient industry. Of course, the Caribbean benefited when the tsunami occurred, not the most politically correct fact, but a fact all the same. Asia’s tourism industry recovered quite quickly. Natural disasters always happen, it’s a part of our life in the Tropics. Warm waters are arguably a double-edged sword. As the US is our closest first world country, it is the biggest supplier of travelers for Caribbean tourism. The World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) report notes that the largest tourism economies in the Caribbean are the Puerto Rico (US$9.0 billion) and the Dominican Republic (US$5.2 billion). The majority of traffic to Puerto Rico is from the US, as well as, a significant amount to the Dominican Republic. The average traveler prefers to spend more on their vacation, rather than their travel. So therefore, our biggest competition is not Asia, it’s within the US. It’s their domestic tourism. Orlando attracts 49 million people every year, “74% of which drive to their destinations”. Tourism in Florida has never been better apparently, this summer it’s expected to attract more visitors with a new form of the British Invasion (see blog post). But wait, he’s now said something that’s caught me off guard again, “there’s no such thing as a US market”. Sorry? Now, that’ll certainly need explaining. It’s important to look at each state separately as their buying power is so substantial. According to Vanderpool Wallace, California, in itself, is the 8th largest economy in the world. Ah, now that is solid and focused marketing thinking... It’s crucial to always be focused on a specific group. Know your customer and then tailor and target your message directly to that specific market.

So he knows our product, the competition and the audience. So how are we distributing our message? Ladies and Gentleman, this is where things get exciting…the Internet.

The CTO has a brand new website, (www.onecaribbean.com), which I know from my research, will be available in various languages that will even include Mandarin Chinese. The site also has it’s own CTO TV on which CTO members can send in video footage to be uploaded and available to anyone who visits the site. I’m particularly interested in this. Especially as I can drop in one of my fast facts – the market research company supply predicts that by 2010 advertisers will spend an average of US$3.3 billion on Internet TV. This is potentially a future money making venture for them and Vanderpool Wallace notes that the Internet does allow the transmission of “rich media” like never before. But he wants to talk about something else. Something bigger…
He’s gotten the approval to split the site into three:

1. A Consumer Site – for the potential traveler. Pertinent information on the Caribbean region.
2. A B2B Site that will facilitate people working within regional the industry.
3. A Diaspora site, which will include a domain name that will be available for use, once again drawing the group back to their Caribbean roots.

We talk for a bit about the Diaspora. Word of mouth is certainly an important aspect of marketing any product and within the tourism industry it’s fundamental. Experiences and recommendations are crucial. As a result, the Diaspora is one of our biggest resources. They’re our traveling recommendations.

But he’s not stopping here. He’s really utilizing the Internet. Let’s revisit that word “experience”. It is the key to the tourism industry. Literally. Providing the traveler/tourist/customer with a positive experience from the “get go” will ensure that they come, enjoy, spend and then come back and hopefully bring a few friends next time. So, how’s he doing that? He’s developing software to show the real or “authentic” Caribbean from as early as the booking stage. He’s thinking about a program that will organize the tourism industry from the grass roots come up. He’s talking, structure and nothing brings sustainability like a good system. My British years taught me that. Couldn’t have done it better myself…I think this is the edge we need.

My pencil is blunt. I’ve been desperately scribbling the entire interview, trying to take in all the facts and stats that have been thrown my way. But then Vanderpool Wallace uses an analogy that completely simplifies the business model of this complex, spiderweb industry. “Barbados is nothing more than a big theme park”. You need to know what your attractions are and then highlight them to increase revenue capture. You also need to provide that great “customized” experience throughout the entire stay. Now, I’ve never been to Disney World or Disneyland. Like I said before, I had the British experience, so I went to Euro Disney. But, what I remember most of all was that spontaneous water fight I had with a French Goofy in front of the Disney Castle. People make memories and therefore, in this sector, every individual is important and of the highest value. Vanderpool Wallace knows this, but from his conversation, you get the impression that the bottom line is also fundamental. And, according to him, “the worst thing you can do [in a theme park] is raise the price of the ticket…”