DiscoverUSVIMagazine.com

U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS BRING LOCAL FLAIR TO ATLANTA
~ Sales and media blitz to showcase the variety of islands’ attractions ~

ST. THOMAS, U.S. Virgin Islands, January 15, 2008 — From the beautiful scenery of the islands to the sight of a dancing mocko jumbie and infectious rhythms of the steel pan, America’s Caribbean will heat up Atlanta from February 6-8, when the Department of Tourism launches an intense three-day media and sales blitz throughout the city.

Among the planned activities is a media reception at the Georgia Aquarium where travel agents and journalists from leading travel and lifestyle publications, TV stations and Web sites will have a chance to learn more about the destination while enjoying Caribbean inspired dishes, Cruzan Rum Punch and live entertainment. The event will promote the rich culture, world-class hotels, quaint inns and attractions that make the U.S. Virgin Islands one of the most popular destinations in the Caribbean.

“Georgia is one of the top ten geographic markets for the destination with over 110,000 visitors in the last 5 years,” states Commissioner of Tourism Beverly Nicholson-Doty. “Our initiatives in Atlanta, as well as those cities we plan to visit in the upcoming months, create an exceptional opportunity to directly influence potential visitors from our most important markets.”

Rounds of sales meetings with local travel agents as well as broadcast media appearances are also planned during the blitz. Led by Department of Tourism Director of Sales Loán Sewer and Director of Marketing Chantal Figueroa, a number of industry representatives traveled to Atlanta to support the department’s efforts including representatives from Secret Harbour Beach Resort, The Buccaneer, Bolongo Bay Beach Resort, Carambola Beach Resort, Wyndham Sugar Bay, Frenchmen’s Reef Marriott, Holiday Inn Windward Passage, The Palms at Pelican Cove and The Westin St. John Resort and Villas, along with Delta Airlines and Delta Vacations. The destination will also receive significant advertising exposure throughout the city on the radio, on billboards in buses and in the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport terminal and in Atlanta’s various print publications, including the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Atlanta Magazine.

Additional outreach to this market is scheduled throughout the year, including a promotion with Atlanta’s 95-5 The BEAT which includes sweepstakes for listeners to win one of 20 trips to the U.S.V.I., a bookable travel packages that will be promoted on-air throughout the month of June, and a three-day live broadcast from the U.S. Virgin Islands in August. Similar initiatives are planned for other key markets for the destination including Dallas, Philadelphia, Boston, Miami, Chicago and Washington, D.C.

For information about the United States Virgin Islands, visit usvitourism.vi. When traveling to the U.S. Virgin Islands, U.S. citizens enjoy all the conveniences of domestic travel—including on-line check-in—making travel to the U.S. Virgin Islands easier than ever. As a United States Territory, travel to the U.S. Virgin Islands does not require a passport from U.S. citizens arriving from Puerto Rico or the U.S. mainland. Entry requirements for non-U.S. citizens are the same as for entering the United States from any foreign destination. Upon departure, a passport is required for all but U.S. citizens.

For more information contact:
Shone Jemmott/Yale Frederiksen
M Booth & Associates
300 Park Avenue South
New York, NY 10010
(212) 481-7000
usviteam@mbooth.com