The US Virgin Islands has reported a profitable exhibiting at this yr’s Caribbean Tourism Organisation (CTO) Annual Caribbean Week in New York Metropolis.
From vibrant Carnival pop-ups in Instances Sq. to thought management on regional development, the Division of Tourism, led by Commissioner Joseph Boschulte, used the high-profile platform to advertise each its cultural richness and its strategic imaginative and prescient for Caribbean tourism a launch from the division stated.
The week started with an unforgettable cultural activation at Citi Subject throughout a sold-out Mets recreation, the place reportedly 43,224 followers had been handled to the sounds and sights of the USVI. Cultural dancers and towering Moko Jumbies turned the stadium right into a mini-Carnival, giving 1000’s of New Yorkers a style of what the islands have to supply.
Based on tourism division the spectacle was greater than leisure, it was a strategic outreach to the Tri-State space, the Virgin Islands’ largest supply marketplace for tourism. And that outreach continued throughout a number of occasions throughout the Caribbean Tourism Group’s (CTO) annual Caribbean Week.
In Instances Sq., Commissioner Boschulte opened the week with a name to motion for Caribbean nations to work collectively extra intently. “Annually, the workforce at CTO curates a significant occasion that brings collectively the Caribbean’s high leaders and changemakers,” Boschulte stated.
“As a proud member of the CTO, the US Virgin Islands stays dedicated to deepening cross-regional partnerships that not solely improve our tourism sector but in addition contribute to the long-term development of our native economic system,” he stated.
Boschulte then joined leaders from throughout the area on the high-profile “Across the Caribbean in 60 Minutes” panel, moderated by Emmy Award–successful journey journalist Peter Greenberg. Discussions centered round shared alternatives and challenges, together with regional airlift, sustainability, and branding.
The USVI’s affect prolonged into training and legacy-building. On the Jean Holder Memorial Scholarship Luncheon, hosted and sponsored by the Division of Tourism, Boschulte and Deputy Commissioner RoseAnne Farrington pressured the significance of investing within the area’s future. The occasion featured outstanding New York-based Virgin Islanders together with Pastor Gilford Montrose, religion advisor to the NYC mayor, and DJ Whutever of iHeart Radio.
Past the convention halls, the USVI additionally co-hosted the favored AFAR Completely happy Hour, turning a Manhattan venue right into a vibrant Caribbean lounge with island-themed cocktails and cultural performances.
The grand finale got here as dancers and Moko Jumbies as soon as once more took to Instances Sq. for the CTO’s first-ever Caribbean Cultural Showcase, an electrifying efficiency that introduced the essence of Carnival to the world’s busiest pedestrian intersection.
The Division of Tourism used the visibility to bolster not simply cultural delight, but in addition financial technique. The USVI has been increasing inter-Caribbean airlift, with new routes to St Kitts and Nevis, Anguilla, Dominican Republic, and Saint Barthélemy, a transfer geared toward enhancing regional connectivity and customer move.
With cultural swagger and a transparent imaginative and prescient for tourism-driven development, the US Virgin Islands positioned itself as each a vacation spot and a pacesetter throughout one of many Caribbean’s most essential tourism gatherings.
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