US Virgin Islands Hotel & Tourism Association
Membership and CMI Committees: Upgrade your USVIHTA Allied Membership Status Today!
Do you want to get the most out of your allied membership with USVIHTA? It’s time to review your business’s needs and consider upgrading today! We are excited to introduce our new membership dues structure which easily identifies all of the amazing benefits you receive at each tier of membership.
All of our members receive the same great base benefits you know and love, but as your business grows, shouldn’t your outreach to consumers and online grow as well? Being a USVIHTA member opens countless doors for your business. By upgrading your membership, you can continue to open doors on new opportunities by increasing your web presence.
Our internet presence and outreach has grown tremendously from 2014 to 2015. In that time, our website traffic sessions increased by 357 percent, with page views increasing by 319 percent. Our organic search engine traffic also grew exponentially, increasing over 1000 percent on Google. Additionally, total Jack Rabbit referrals increased by nearly 30,000.
The statistics speak for themselves, and this year is no exception. We continue to experience consistent growth, and we want you to be a part of it! Click here to learn more about membership dues and how your business can benefit from increased exposure! To download the allied application, click here, or visit our website to view each application.
Education and Training Committee: USVIHTA and STR are working together to track the lodging performance of the USVI and also assist hoteliers to understand the importance of benchmarking. At the Star Report Training Seminar on March 8, Fatima Thompson, associate director of business development and Newton Kam, director of client services at STR, demonstrated the importance of benchmarking and the vital role it plays in your hotel’s revenue management strategy. The session covered why benchmarking is important for your hotel, how to participate and how to read the STAR Report.
“We’re excited to partner with the USVI Hotel and Tourism Association to elevate the global benchmarking capabilities of the USVI hotel community through STR’s advanced data tools and training services,” said Thompson.
If you would like to participate with STR or would like to schedule a free training session for your hotel, please contact Fatima Thompson at fthompson@str.com. Click here to view the complete presentation from the March 8 session.
Tommy Gala Committee: The Tommy Gala Committee released a request for a proposal to members and the community to find a video production company for the 15th Annual Tommy Star Awards and Gala on Dec. 3 at the Frenchman’s Reef and Morning Star Marriott Beach Resort. The chosen company will record interviews with each nominee as well as the Award of Excellence recipient, and will manage production at the event on Dec. 3. If you are interested, or if you know of a company outside of our membership that would like to participate, please review the RFP and contact Nyka Jn-Baptiste at nyka@usvihta.com. The deadline is May 10.
Environmental Committee: Water Bay and Coki Beach Clean-up
Coral World Ocean Park, Blue Flag USVI, the Virgin Islands Conservation Society – Smith Bay Watershed Project, the Smith Bay Community Action Foundation and community volunteers will join forces in an Earth Day event and clean up at Coki Point on April 23 at 8:30 a.m. This year’s theme is “Trees for the Earth,” focusing on the importance of vegetation in watershed management and conservation. Educating the community about how our activities on land directly affect water quality in the sea around us is one way we can help to improve water quality and preserve our marine-based tourism economy.
There will be three simultaneous land and in-water clean-ups:
- 1st area – Water Bay – in water
- 2nd area – Coki Point Road and Mangrove
- 3rd area – Coki Beach and Coki Point
The first 30 participants will get a free admission pass to Coral World. Land volunteers are meeting in the Coral World parking area at 8:30 a.m. Bring sun protection and gloves, and we will provide the rest. Volunteer divers and snorkelers will meet at Coki Beach Dive Club at 8:30 a.m., and available equipment will be provided free of charge. First come, first served.
Non clean-up participants are encouraged to join the park activities that day as well. Coral World will offer discounted admission – $5.00 for adults and $3.00 for children with local ID.
During the daily exhibit presentations, we will help make the connection between watersheds and the impact they have on various topics, from turtles and sharks to mangroves and coral reefs.
Anyone can participate in Earth Day and we encourage your support. If you would like to get involved, please send an email to Valerie Peters at marketing@coralworldvi.com.