U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS — INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana (February 10, 2020) – Travel demand for the U.S. Virgin Islands is secure, and forecasts look positive, reports Commissioner of Tourism Joseph Boschulte after completing meetings at Routes Americas, a leading aviation event, on the U.S. mainland last week.
Commissioner Boschulte, who held bilateral conversations with about a dozen airline executives while in Indianapolis, reported that carriers were upbeat about business to the Territory as he delivered important destination updates to help guide their decisions for the next winter season.
“Load factors this winter are strong,” said the Commissioner, who noted that one airline reported full loads into the Territory over the past several weeks.
The tourism chief explained that there was particularly keen interest in St. Croix, and he took the opportunity to update partners on the marketing initiatives which leverage the island’s new brand “St. Croix: a vibe like no other”.
“We have partners that are familiar with all three islands, and we have some partners that we’ve met with that are only familiar with St. Thomas”. He also added, “which is part of the reason why we developed the campaign – because we need people to recognize St. Croix as its destination,” he said.
“So it allows us to improve our airlift into St. hopefully. Croix for the upcoming winter season when we have two major hotels back online with a renewed product – Renaissance St. Croix Carambola Beach Resort & Spa, and Divi Carina Bay Resort & Casino,” he added.
Commissioner Boschulte, who also met with Indianapolis-based travel agents and journalists during his visit, noted: “What we do know are the building blocks … we don’t expect to see eight American Airlines jets on St. Croix next winter, but in three years, we’d like to see eight A.A. jets on a Saturday on the island.”
Routes Americas, now in its 13th year, is an opportunity for airlines, airports, and destinations to come together to discuss new air service agreements.
Dave Appleby, Director – Latin America & the Caribbean for Routes, said that it was critical for islands such as the U.S. Virgin Islands “to be present, to be able to make those connections. Also, to be able to strengthen their case as to why those airlines should be considering them in the future.”
About the U.S. Virgin Islands
For more information about the United States Virgin Islands, go to VisitUSVI.com, follow us on Instagram (@visitusvi) and become a fan on Facebook (www.facebook.com/VisitUSVI). When traveling to the U.S. Virgin Islands, U.S. citizens enjoy all the conveniences of domestic travel – including online check-in – making the trip to the U.S. Virgin Islands more comfortable than ever. As a United States Territory, travel to the U.S. Virgin Islands does not require a passport from U.S. citizens arriving from Puerto Rico or the U.S. mainland. Entry requirements for non-U.S. citizens are the same as for entering the United States from any foreign destination. Required upon departure, is a passport all but U.S. citizens.
CTO Caribbean Tourism Performance Report 2018 & Outlook for 2019
