Business
Caribbean destinations advised to target Black tourists
Hughes said it’s unfortunate that some Caribbean countries still subscribe to a tourist fitting the profile of being American, Caucasian and over 40 years old.
“The perception is that this is still the template of the primary and most lucrative tourist market,” he said. “There is absolutely nothing wrong with that tourist profile. However, if this is the only type of tourist that a destination is targeting, then you may be selling yourself a little short.”
Commissioner of the United States Virgin Islands (USVI) Department of Tourism, Beverly Nicholson-Doty, agreed with Hughes, adding that the territory is expanding its marketing tools to target this niche group.
“One of the things we do is look at the African-American, African-Canadian and Caribbean Diaspora as a very specific target market and we collaborate and create linkages, not just in advertising, but in sponsorship events so that we can integrate our overall strategy into targeting this market,” she said.
“In the last two years, we have seen more Black tourists all over the islands. We see them as an incredible resource to our current and future marketing activities. We definitely are reaching out to this diversified market.”
Tourism is the main source of revenue in the USVI, accounting for more than 70 percent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
