PHILIPSBURG:--- From July 7 - 11, a delegation of representatives from St. Maarten, comprised of Gina Illidge, Marketing Officer of the St. Maarten Tourism Bureau (STB), Jacqueline Louis, STB's Caribbean Agent (IMBRACE) and Sjaoel Richardson, Director of Operations FIT, Rising Sun Tours, partnered with representatives from Air Century to embark on a series of sales calls and informative presentations. Geared towards raising awareness and increasing tourism among distinct target audiences throughout the Dominican Republic, these promotions also highlighted Air Century's services to Aruba, Curaçao, Puerto Rico, and Cuba, with select trips starting at only $149.
"The purpose of these meetings and informative presentations is to strengthen the connection between St. Maarten and the Dominican Republic while also highlighting the benefits of these promotional efforts for the advantage of both destinations, considering the many family reunions and business relations that take place between these two islands," expressed Felipe Gutiérrez, Commercial Director of Air Century.
During this destination marketing promotion, over 40 major travel agencies and tour operators with direct connections to over 500 travel agents were deeply engaged in presentations, sales calls and in-depth discussions to stimulate the awareness, knowledge and dedication towards promoting St. Maarten as a unique destination among their individual, group and business clients.
"St. Maarten is a melting pot with a lot to offer. I'm truly pleased that we succesffully achieved our mission to provide pertinent information about our beloved destination and inspire these agents to actively promote and sell our tourism products," shared Gina Illidge, who passionately delivered compelling presentations in fluent Spanish, along with professional support by Ms. Louis and Mr. Richardson.
Through this joint team effort, Air Century hosted a half-day seminar, as well as a series of sales visits, over the course of three days, to several agencies. This allowed the St. Maarten delegation, aka "Team St. Maarten," to share insightful details regarding the distinct features of St. Maarten, as Air Century highlighted their connecting routes and promotions. Presentations were framed around the common historical and cultural ties - which incited the interests of the agents, the close geographic proximity, as well as, the direct connections and specials being offered by Air Century. Also highlighted, were the distinct features that set St. Maarten apart from other destinations, including the diverse multi-cultural society, culinary prowess, extensive rage of cultural activities, entertainment, upcoming events, quality service-oriented hospitality, investments, trade, and opportunities for regional cross-cultural exchanges, with St. Maarten serving as a hub within the Caribbean.
"With consideration of the geographic proximity, history, culture, family, friends and business relations, the ties that connect St. Maarten to the Dominican Republic are endless. Building upon these countless connections, our aim is to leverage the D.R.'s growing prominence and forge mutually-beneficial partnerships to target distinctive groups, particularly those with disposable income for inbound and luxury travel," shared Jacqueline Louis.
Working energetically together, "Team St. Maarten" were very well-received with enthusiasm from the Travel Agents; who are looking forward to ongoing collaborations, cross-promotions, marketing tools with unique selling points and creative content to share destination St. Maarten as an additional product throughout their large networks of agents and clients.
Additionally, all partners are working together on ongoing awareness campaigns and package deals to further promote and sell the extensive range of unique products and services offered by St. Maarten.
"We recognize the potential of the Dominican market. Many travelers are not aware of all that St. Maarten has to offer. Therefore, it was of pivotal importance to sit in front of the vendors to share about St. Maarten and the full services offered by Rising Sun Tours," shared Sjaoel Richardson.
Intra-Caribbean travel is of paramount importance for sustainable tourism and trade throughout the region, and beyond.
Therefore, STB invites stakeholders to participate in these marketing and sales initiatives to further highlight their specific businesses, products and/or services.
For further information on the Caribbean marketing promotions please contact, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
