Tourism office promotion
targets the French Antilles
MARIGOT--The St. Martin Tourism Office in conjunction with the Hotel Association (AHSM) has launched an intensive 65,000-euro multimedia promotional campaign to recoup the tourism business from Guadeloupe and Martinique, Secretary-General and spokesman for the Hotel Association Philippe Thévenet explained at a press conference Wednesday.
Thévenet noted that after the United States and France, the French Antilles ranked third in frequency of visits to the island.
The media campaign which lasts until the end of July 2007 includes 30-second advertising slots on television stations RFO Guadeloupe and ATV Martinique, and newspaper advertising. Radio station Trace FM will also be running advertising spots, while an informative travel package “Vacances à Saint Martin” will be delivered to 80,000 letter boxes in Guadeloupe and Martinique.
Tourism office official Jerry Desbonnes noted that historically Guadeloupeans have been more loyal to St. Martin while Martinique vacationers tended to opt for St. Lucia, or other destinations, and therefore there is more emphasis on persuading Martinique vacationers to come back to St. Martin.
The Tourism Office is also looking at promoting the niche markets for conferences within the business sectors of the French islands.
“This is a campaign we did two years ago and have restarted it in a different way,” noted President of the St. Martin Tourism Office Roméo Fleming. “We decided to do it this time through the visual media, whereas before we did it with travel agents. The image of St. Martin/St. Maarten is still very good in Guadeloupe and Martinique but a lot of those clients have been trying other destinations and our objective is to remind those islands that we still have a very good product to offer.”
