BVI gets warm response at US tennis tournament

BVI Tourist Board (press release) – The British Virgin Islands Tourist Board has generated great interest with its presence at the recently concluded 2017 Miami Open Tennis Tournament.

The British Virgin Islands (BVI) was the exclusive Caribbean destination sponsor for this major sporting event which took place from March 20 through April 2.

Long a staple of the tennis calendar for players and fans alike – and often referred to as the “Glamm” – the Miami Open draws more than 300,000 ticket holders annually.

The tournament is played at Crandon Park in Key Biscayne, Florida.

The British Virgin Islands took advantage of the many avenues for promoting the destination both at the event and in the Miami area.

At the tournament, the British Virgin Islands booth featured colourful signature shots of the Territory with several destination collateral pieces on hand along with collateral from participating industry partners.

Attendees visiting the booth had opportunities to win free trips to the British Virgin Islands inclusive of airfare.

The British Virgin Islands Tourist Board also prominently displayed its branding on the main tennis court at Crandon Park and at the speed serve cage located next to the BVI’s booth.

The British Virgin Islands generated buzz from an enthusiastic audience with giveaways at the booth and three giveaways at the Gate C entrance to the main court.

The crowd was also wowed by colourfully costumed moko jumbies who danced, posed for pictures with patrons and assisted in distributing the giveaways.

The booth was manned by BVI Tourist Board US staff and students from the British Virgin Islands attending universities and colleges in the Miami area.

Additionally, on four separate occasions during the open, the BVI took centre stage when representatives from the Tourist Board presented BVI vacation giveaways on the main court to lucky attendees between matches before the thousands of fans in attendance along with millions of television viewers.

On March 29, the BVI Tourist Board hosted 24 VIPs in a decorated Hospitality Suite featuring accents by local designer Kristen Fraser from her Trefle design line.

The guests were able to enjoy an original BVI cocktail called the BVI Coconut Escape.

The cocktail which was available at the Collectors Club and other eateries throughout Crandon Park was created by young British Virgin Islands natives and siblings Sapphire and Ariq Flax Clarke.

The latter is a culinary arts student at Johnson and Wales University (Miami).

During the open, the Tourist Board seized the occasion to give additional exposure to the destination by partnering with Miami-based ride-sharing company Freebee to sponsor rides to select visitors to the Downtown Miami and Brickell areas in BVI-branded Freebee vehicles.

A video on the British Virgin Islands was shown at the beginning of each trip and drivers and BVI Tourist Board staff members were available to answer questions that riders had about the destination.

Destination Managers from the BVI Tourist Board’s North American staff also took this opportunity to conduct sales calls to travel agencies and tour operators in the Miami Area.

“We were pleased with the enthusiastic response we received at the Miami Open and our overall promotional efforts in Miami. There was great interest from persons who are considering the British Virgin Islands for their next vacation and there is definitely greater brand awareness with respect to our destination. It was a privilege to partner with such an established and prominent event as the Miami Open, the patrons of which align very well with the BVI’s guest demographics,” Director of Tourism Sharon Flax Brutus said.

Members from the local tourism industry partnering with the British Virgin Islands Tourist Board for this event included Allamanda Estate, Coldwell Banker Real Estate/BVI Villa Rental, Festiva Sailing Vacations, Mango Bay Resort BVI, Necker Cup, ROMASCO Group, Sotheby’s International Realty, Summer Sizzle BVI, Virgin Gorda Yacht Harbour and Bitter End Yacht Club.