The Caribbean Hotel Association has released a contingency plan to sustain regional tourism as the possibility of a U.S.-Iraq war heightens.
Member countries, including The Bahamas, are being advised to embark upon a public relations campaign to emphasize the safety of hotels and resorts, as well as destinations, flight access from key U.S. cities, and airport security.
“It’s imperative to stay attentive to trends, not panic and try to maintain as much as a ‘business as usual’ attitude as possible,” said the CHA in an online statement.
“If war does occur, an integrated and consistent plan must prevail for tourism to be successful to the region’s hotel product. Basic efforts must continue and public relations plays a key role in increasing awareness of association members in a time of national crisis in the U.S.,” the CHA advises.
Seemingly, the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the United States had little impact on Bahamas tourism, which grew by a record 4.5 per cent, according to Ministry of Tourism statistics derived from immigration arrival cards.
The World Tourism Organisation reported that tourism around the world hit a record last year despite fears of terrorism, though travelers stayed closer to home, made shorter visits and spent less.
For the first time, the number of international arrivals broke the 700-million mark, reaching nearly 715 million, said WTO, of which The Bahamas is a member. That marked a 3.1-per-cent rise from 2001, when the Sept. 11 attacks triggered a 0.6-per-cent drop from the previous year.
The CHA is dedicated to excellence in hospitality, leadership in marketing, and sustainable growth in tourism, to the benefit of its members and that of the wider Caribbean community.
Its key contingency messages are to:
* Emphasize the Caribbean’s vicinity to the U.S.
* Focus on key attributes that families can do together (i.e.
family resorts that emphasise “family time”)
* Focus on the “get away from the madness” aspect and
emphasise the soulful aspects of the Caribbean
* Cost value ﾖ an affordable vacation experience
* Steps being made to make
travel more safe (i.e. airport screening, etc.)
* Friendliness of the people
* Diverse hotel product
On the question of how will a war with Iraq (or anyone else for that matter) affect travel and the hotel business to the members of the Caribbean Hotel Association, the CHA said:
“Many things can happen ﾖ infrastructure changes in the market, the loss of a large contract with a key supplier to the region (either airline partner or tour operator) or those things that could significantly change the status quo in your tourism market can certainly make for an unpredictable year in our industry.”
The implications of the 1991 Gulf War was profound on regional tourism.
Travel came to a screeching halt after the war began. A large corporation issued a memo to all employees, advising them that if they were on the road they should return home and all business travel was suspended until further notice.
Fortunately, that war was relatively short. That may not be the case this time, said the CHA.
“The travel industry is just beginning to recover from the changes in travel patterns associated with 9/11 and the economic downturn. Combine that with the growing concern over recent evidence of probable terrorist attacks that could be associated with this war and it could spell disaster for those who don’t plan.”
Following 9/11, many hotels and destinations lost a great deal of business because they stopped their public relations or advertising efforts, the CHA said.
It also observed that travel to and within the Caribbean is safe, but there is much more that members can undertake to enhance both the reality and perceptions of travel safety.
“A PR campaign can emphasize the safety of the hotels and resorts, as well as the destination, the sellable aspects of your resort as well as flight access from key U.S. cities. Also, airport security for each country should be detailed on an easy-to-read fact sheet that can be distributed to journalists on an as-needed basis,” said the CHA. “What’s also important is the consumer outlook on affording a vacation experience to the Caribbean region.”
The CHA said that a survey will be undertaken to gather current travel-supplier initiatives from those who are suppliers to the Caribbean region, and that the results should be shared within the destination, and where appropriate, the media.
It said ongoing travel industry analyses of the impact of the war on the U.S. travel industry will be compiled and shared within the destination.
Locally, the CHA suggested that a comprehensive local campaign should also be executed. Some suggestions include:
1. Encourage travel and tourism industry leaders as well as hoteliers to lobby government officials to showcase the significance of travel and tourism’s scope and the interdependence of its segments. Persuade government to appropriate funds for tighter security measures and also put forth initiatives for safety and unified communication.
2. Encourage industry leaders to recognize the need for a unified approach in advancing tourism’s interests to a wide variety of target audiences.
3. Encourage hoteliers, restaurateurs, excursion companies, shop owners, etc. to help their employees understand that they are employed in an important industry, and recognize the value of their own role in providing hospitality and service to all travellers, in particular international visitors.
By Lindsay Thompson, The Nassau Guardian
