August 7, 2008
Antigua faces a marketing crisis
Here's an article on how Antigua is trying to deal with the effects a double murder has had on its image as a tourist destination.
Caroline Mullany and her husband Ben were shot in their chalet on the last night of their honeymoon on July 27. Now we're beginning to see cancellations and that probably means some people who would've booked trips to Antigua are looking elsewhere.
I don't know what they can do, but I guess their marketing people have a chance to really earn their money now. If you're interested in marketing, you may want to keep an eye out for new Antigua ads and see how they address this issue. Possibilities include trying extra hard to convince tourists they'll be safe and not mentioning Antigua as a honeymoon destination since honeymooners were recently killed.
It kind of reminds me of how some people reacted when Aruba had its problem a couple of years ago. If you read the comments on this old blog entry about Aruba you see some guy wanted to put me out of business (not that paying $200 a month for hosting a free travel blog makes me a business at all). Anyway, I'm not sure what Aruba did to 'fix' its image or even how well it worked. But I suppose Antigua's marketing people could do a case study and try to learn something that might help them.
Posted by James Trotta at August 7, 2008 3:01 PM | TrackBack
Any time a tragedy occurs people get up in arms and decide they "can't go there!" Hate to tell you - but most people find more danger in their own backyard then they EVER will travelling. Sometimes terrible things happen, and there's just nothing you can do to prevent them. But I find that most times, our own behavior, or lack of attention to what's going on around us, is the major culprit. You can usually assure your own safety while on vacation by practicing the same vigilance you would while in a "bad neighborhood" back home. I've travelled all over the world, and visited much more dangerous destinations than the Caribbean, and have never had any problems, because I take the right measures to ensure my own safety. And PLEASE keep in mind - 1 crime that makes the news ONLY does so because it is so outside the norm, not because it is the norm.
Posted by: Linda Bator at August 8, 2008 2:41 AMI agree with Linda on this. Unfortunately, the media can and does over react, as was evident with the Aruba incident. Everyone had a story to tell, an opinion, and advice to give. One thing I've learned in traveling is not to draw attention to yourself, to act sensibly and responsibly; don't act like a fool just because you're away from home! Once the media hype has died down, everyone eventually moves on.
Posted by: Sharon at August 9, 2008 12:29 AMAlthough I was saddened to hear of the newlyweds deaths, I do not hold the people or resorts of Antigua were responsible. There are people all over the world who prefer to use crime as a way of life. I just returned from Antigua June 28 and this event would not prevent me from returning in the future.
Posted by: Dixie at August 9, 2008 8:25 AMwhy are you paying $200 dollars for your site. Here are some ideas to save money:
hosting, www.1and1.com
or combined:
www.typepad.com
Jake - I've been online for enough years to know what kind of web host I need. In fact I learned the hard way that shared hosting just can't handle the traffic this blog gets. I'm paying $200 a month because I need a dedicated server to keep me online.
Posted by: James Trotta at August 15, 2008 8:57 AMI am planning to go to Antigua in the near future. The only way I would hesitate to go is if the police bungle their investigation like they did in Aruba. I would have gone to Aruba if the police had handled it better.
Posted by: Nanch Bush at August 23, 2008 2:43 AM