Remarks by Director of Tourism, Mr. Clive McCoy
Launch of BVILOVE Tourism Campaign

Monday, 21^st September, 2020

During my first meeting with the Premier and Cabinet, as Director of Tourism, the Premier said that I was having my baptism by fire. Indeed I am. But I am built for firefighting.

It is my lot to provide a brief synopsis of the components of our BVILOVE Tourism Campaign.

BVILOVE is the clarion call for Tourism to take on a new look, a new feel, a new image and a new perspective.

BVILOVE is our people, and our people in turn are Tourism. Who we are is Tourism. So, in BVILOVE we will strengthen and prepare the industry in The New Regular, as we reopen our borders and step forward with vigour to welcome those who want to experience BVILOVE.

BVILOVE campaign is designed to bolster BVI’s image locally, regionally and abroad by focusing on what makes the BVI a special destination and business jurisdiction.

BVILOVE is what binds us together. It is a reminder that we are unique.

BVILOVE is a call to action, to grow, to be better, to stand firm where we are excellent, to revamp and improve on where we were yesterday, to modernise, to focus on our strong points, and to remember that our resilient BVILOVE is what keeps us going.

As we move forward with this Campaign, you will be seeing many of our BVILOVE promotional ads as we seek to be the best we can be as a luxury Tourism destination.

We are so proud of our Staycation Programme.

So many of us, fell in love with BVI all over again this year. We have been forced to come to grips with the fact that you just got to embrace BVILOVE.

Our people will be invited to participate in training, surveys, and town hall meetings.

We will harness all our BVILOVE to continue to help our partners to remain in operation. We are all in this together with BVILOVE!

Let me talk briefly about the campaign as you will continue to see it roll out more and more. 

Let’s look firstly at how it will address our Industry locally:

1. As we reopen our borders, we will work to ensure that everyone is aware of the protocols for reopening our industry, for our visitors, for our industry partners and for us as a destination. We have done our homework. We have observed what has worked for other destinations: the technology, the practices, the regulations, the financial requisites, etc. and tailor made our protocols to our unique product and circumstances; With BVILOVE, we are ready.

2. We are establishing a BVILOVE Gold Seal Programme in conjunction with the Chamber of Commerce and the H. Lavity Stoutt Community College to ensure that our training and standards are above what is required and to be able to market our destination and our Tourism businesses as going above and beyond. Look out for the launch of this programme.
    
3. We are focusing on infrastructural improvements and seeking investment appropriate to the markets that we will focus on targeting.

4. We are setting up and will hold quarterly Taskforce, stakeholder, and round table meetings so we can meet with our industry partners more regularly and get feedback and increase collaboration.

And this segues into how we position ourselves internationally:

5. We continue to focus on our mainstay markets of Luxury, Sailing, Diving, Fishing and Watersports, but through a new lens. BVILOVE.

6. We are pushing forward to maintain our market share where we are already strong, while embracing the challenges brought on by the global pandemic.

7. We are launching BVILOVE International - catering to the tastes and culture of each geographical pool of potential visitors, through the BVI lens.
    
8. We are already engaging the mega yacht agents and private jet representatives to increase and organise their flow to and stays in the BVI.

9. We continue to build our solid share in the small groups and incentives market, while paying attention to the difficulties that will come from the unique travel experience.

10. We continue to push for growth within our region with BVILOVE.  

11. Our industry partners in activity and adventure and weddings and honeymoons are mainstay niches that will be fine-combed for new jewels to share and promote, while we assist those who are established in these markets to refresh and find ways to stay relevant and ever new.

BVILOVE is our people. BVILOVE is you. BVILOVE is me. BVILOVE is our Tourism product. BVILOVE is the new BVI.

There is so much to talk about and we could go on and on. I want to stop here and thank you for listening to me, as I have one more element to share with you to bring this altogether with BVILOVE.

Thank you.