Anguilla Tourist Board Hits the Ground Running in 2020

The Anguilla Tourist Board (ATB) team embarked on a series of marketing initiatives early in the New Year, determined to keep the momentum going and build on the successes of 2019.  Tourist arrivals for the year are expected to reach record breaking levels based on the strong performance through the early months of 2019, and preliminary numbers for the months of November and December. The ATB expects to achieve 95,000 tourist arrivals, meeting its 2019 target of a 20% increase on 2016 arrivals, formerly its best performing year to date.

Under the leadership of Chairperson Donna Daniels-Banks, the ATB held a marketing meeting in New York City with marketing representatives from Head Office, the USA, the United Kingdom and Canada, to establish a roadmap for the destination for 2020.   “We have set ambitious targets of a 20% increase in tourist arrivals and a 60% average occupancy level for 2020,” said Ms. Daniels-Banks. “We are very encouraged by last year’s performance, and the enthusiastic response to Anguilla from both the trade and the consumer. We have identified and are determined to pursue a variety of strategic initiatives that will deliver additional business over the course of this year, enabling us to achieve our goals and take our island to a new level.”  

The ATB showcased the island this weekend at the New York Times Travel Show, North America’s largest travel show and trade conference, held at the Jacob Javits Center in New York City from January 24 – 26, 2020.

The Anguilla booth was a hive of activity, attracting thousands of travel advisors and potential visitors eager to learn more about the island and its resorts and attractions.  This year the Tourist Board introduced several new elements, taking advantage of the latest technology.  A new digital display, with stunning video footage of the island, provided an engaging overview of the destination’s experiences and attractions.

Visitors to the booth had the opportunity to enter a sweepstakes contest for an all expenses paid trip for two to Anguilla, courtesy of the ATB and a number of service providers, with accommodations at the Carimar Beach Club, by signing up on one of two touch screen displays.  The draw will take place in the week following the show, and the winner announced by the end of January.

In addition to signing up for the contest, visitors could also select and immerse themselves in a variety of destination experiences. A variety of special winter promotional offers from each accommodations sector were also distributed, illustrating the range of options and price points available to visitors to Anguilla. Featured properties were Zemi Beach House Hotel & Spa-LXR Hotels & Resorts, Shoal Bay Villas, Carimar Beach Club, Long Bay Villas, Spyglass Hill Villa and Tranquility Beach Anguilla.

Rolf Masshardt, General Manager of Carimar Beach Club, joined the ATB booth, sharing information on the Charming Escapes, a wonderful collection of mid-market properties, which complement the island’s resort and villa accommodation sectors.

In addition to a variety of brochures and Anguilla branded collateral, an added attraction was the daily rum punch tasting, which made Anguilla one of the most popular stands at the show. 

The ATB also participated in the “Focus on the Caribbean” round table series sponsored by the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO), part of the comprehensive education program designed for travel professionals attending the show.  Jameel Rochester, Manager, Corporate Affairs, (Ag) delivered a short presentation on Anguilla’s festivals, including a dynamic video highlighting the island’s many exciting festivals, in keeping with the CTO’s continued campaign to promote the region’s cultural events.

The ATB team, led by Chairperson Donna Daniels-Banks, included ATB Board Member Marisa Gumbs, Jameel Rochester, Manager Corporate Affairs (Ag.); Director of Sales, Lorine Charles St. Jules and Jackie Vickers from Turnstyle Marketing Inc.; Steve Defontes and Grace Capuzzo from Big Idea Advertising, and Alison Ross from the PM Group.

For information on Anguilla, please visit the official website of the Anguilla Tourist Board: www.IvisitAnguilla.com; follow us on Facebook: Facebook.com/AnguillaOfficial; Instagram: @Anguilla_Tourism; Twitter: @Anguilla_Trsm, Hashtag: #MyAnguilla.

About Anguilla

Tucked away in the northern Caribbean, Anguilla is a shy beauty with a warm smile. A slender length of coral and limestone fringed with green, the island is ringed with 33 beaches, considered by savvy travelers and top travel magazines, to be the most beautiful in the world. A fantastic culinary scene, a wide variety of quality accommodations at varying price points, a host of attractions and exciting calendar of festivals make Anguilla an alluring and entrancing destination.

Anguilla lies just off the beaten path, so it has retained a charming character and appeal. Yet because it can be conveniently reached from two major gateways: Puerto Rico and St. Martin, and by private air, it’s a hop and a skip away.

Romance? Barefoot elegance? Unfussy chic? And untrammeled bliss?   Anguilla is Beyond Extraordinary.

MEDIA CONTACT: Jameel Rochester, Manager, Corporate Affairs (Ag.), Anguilla Tourist Board, The Valley, Anguilla, BWI, E: [email protected]