Beverly Nicholson-Doty, marketing expert, calls for creative approach to tourism

28-09-22

A seasoned marketing and hospitality industry professional believes this year's World Tourism Day theme, "Rethink Tourism", is a wake-up call for the private sector to focus on "unbridled dynamism and creativity" to ensure a strong and sustainable future for tourism.

"We have a unique opportunity to use our skills to ensure that rebuilding and reimagining the tourism sector after the devastation of COVID-19 puts people, their communities and their environment first," said Beverly Nicholson-Doty, CEO of Figment Design, a leading Miami-based marketing and advertising agency.

The veteran tourism executive, who served as Commissioner of Tourism for the United States Virgin Islands (USVI) for 12 years, and who also served as CEO of the St Lucia Tourism Authority, said that to achieve that goal, "the private sector must partner with governments, communities and non-governmental organisations around a shared vision of a more sustainable, inclusive and resilient sector."

"Building a productive future tourism sector will depend largely on how we shape and spread our messages today," said Nicholson-Doty, who cautioned that there is not much time to think because international tourism is already demonstrating strong performance. "The time is now and we must be intentional about this," she said.

"The lifting of travel restrictions, together with the restoration of consumer confidence, will be important drivers of the sector's recovery. We therefore have both an opportunity and a responsibility to help restore millions of frontline industry jobs around the world, while reducing poverty, enriching history, promoting culture and protecting the environment," Nicholson-Doty said.

She reasoned that creativity, boldness and, above all, commitment are needed for tourism to fully rebound: "We can fuel optimism by doing our best to create and deliver solutions that go beyond what the industry currently imagines is possible.

The marketing executive, whose achievements include the creation of a strategic plan to position the US Virgin Islands and St Lucia as preferred Caribbean destinations through the implementation of robust marketing initiatives, is a past president of the Caribbean Tourism Organisation. She also served as Executive Director of the USVI Hospitality and Tourism Association for over a decade. As Commissioner of Tourism, she presided over the remarkable recovery of the destination after it was battered by Hurricanes Irma and Maria in 2017.