Authenticity is the name of the game in the Caribbean, as island states begin to push their individual identities. During the celebration of Caribbean Marketplace, last week in St. Lucia, island government authorities announced a new branding. Building upon the tourism tagline of “Simply Beautiful,” the Prime Minister, Ministry of Tourism and St. Lucia Hotel & Tourism Association launched a new country brand and logo with the colors of the flag at the leading Caribbean hotel booking event. “People, land and the light,” will be the new message behind the 2009 brand that is part of a national vision plan where tourism is a major component.
?What is most important is to build pride and ownership of what the country is offering among local communities,? St. Lucia Tourism Minister Allen Chastanet said during the launching of the new brand. The new strategy incorporates major programs to integrate community with the tourism industry, as the country moves away from agriculture into tourism, financial services and real estate development.
?The plan is to galvanize the population behind the brand and the ideals?, explains Colin Hunte of the STHTA. The idea of the flag is ?to bring on the nation?.
Authenticity is happening across the board. Even Ritz Carlton confirmed at Marketplace that it has shifted with the times to focus more on local authenticity, moving away from classic designs more identified in the past with the brand. Several of the newer projects will now move away from the expected “Ritz Carlton” look. This is evidenced, for instance in the design of the planned Los Cabos property that models a Mexican hacienda. “The idea is to give a sense of place” to the design, senior vice president for Ritz Carlton for the Caribbean, Ezzat Coutry explained at the event. Likewise, Coutry said the new Ritz Carlton Reserve brand offers additional flexibility in customizing the design to reflect the local culture.
Director of Tourism of Bonaire, Ronella Tjin Asjoe-Croes stressed that growth needs to come while maintaining nature and culture. Bonaire is focusing on their national parks in their promotions.
Richard Skerritt, Tourism Minister of St Kitts said at the conference that “the message out there is for authenticity, sustainability and competitiveness.” During Marketplace, he announced a program to support small hoteliers with tax free imports of inputs needed for the hotel, but at the same time requiring them to improve their product, and participate with the government in collaborative marketing efforts and stats gathering. He explained the program was implemented because the government is in the understanding that if only the large hotels survive the present crisis, the very nature of small hotels that are an attraction by themselves in the Caribbean would have disappeared. Skerritt also spoke of how their focus is now on nature, culture and history.