Fahie responds to BVI Love criticism
Following a scathing review of the new Virgin Islands tagline by former Director of the BVI Tourist Board (BVITB) Sharon Flax-Brutus, Premier Andrew Fahie has responded to the criticism.
Speaking at a one-on-one session with the media on Friday, the Premier said he did not have a lot to say on the matter.
“Everyone is entitled to their own opinions but not to their own facts,” Fahie said when asked about Flax-Brutus’ criticism of the new tagline ‘BVI Love’.
The change in the slogan from ‘Nature’s Little Secrets’ to “BVI Love’ has been an initiative spearheaded by the Premier’s office to improve and build on ‘brand BVI’ and to increase the visibility of its tourism product.
For years, the financial services sector, the other main pillar of the Virgin Islands’ economy, argued the wording of ‘Nature’s Little Secrets’ implied the BVI had something to hide.
The territory has been plagued by allegations that it is a tax haven for persons who desire to keep details of their finances a secret, despite strongly refuting these claims.
Flax-Brutus, who now describes herself as a Tourism Experience Curator, said she felt the new marketing slogan does not have an impact on the guests visiting the territory.
While speaking on the Talking Points radio show, she said ‘Nature’s Little Secrets had a lot of cachets and had a lot of marketing and brand equity for identifying the BVI.
The former BVITB Director also noted that when looking at it from a vacation perspective, the name connoted something very special.
Flax-Brutus was adamant the campaign did nothing for the BVI internationally and she had questioned whether there was an appreciation for the distinction between a campaign and a full-on marketing strategy.
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I voting for any government that reinstating ‘Nature’s Little Secret’ as our slogan!
Both slogans are very poor. I suspect very few potential tourists would understand or be moved by either. I suggest a countrywide competition to find a new slogan. Let the talent of ordinary BVIslanders speak.
Natures Little Secret worked for how many years????? This group took over and all of a sudden it needed to change? Suck teeth!
You mean “Natures Dirty Little Secrets’ , keep open pit burning trash, filling in all the bays and reefs with dirt so gov can sell flat land ….
Et tu, Brute? I’m channeling Tina Turner who sang “What’s love got to do with it?”
Sorry, but when photos appear globally of uniformed officers wielding sub machine guns at a Marina dragging tourists out of bed from their charter yachts in the early hours of the morning, BVI Love looks and sounds rather ridiculous.
ASK THE MOORINGS AND NANNY CAY MARINA
But that’s the only way they know to show lol if it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck…….
It’s true. If you work in marine trades, in charter yachting, the slogan is taken as a joke. Between government and yachting, show me the love! It ain’t there – PERIOD!
The territory has been plagued with accusations about dishonesty and corruption stemming from our governance, not from a tourism marketing slogan.
The slogan does nothing for the BVI tourism product. Absolutely nothing! We treat the tourists like we don’t need them. Look how the government with BVI Love allowed St. Thomas to snatch such a large amount of our charter business. The slogan was changed just to say that you all did something. It adds no value to the product or the brand. As a matter of fact it takes away from all the years of hard work.
I’m actually happy with his response. He normally tries to deflect like h e double hockey sticks, but this time I think he knows she had a valid point, so why rebuttal? The BVI been rumored as a tax haven since I was a child. I am now in my 30s. A rumor doesn’t equal a fact and clearly business is still booming so… Can we get our old slogan back? We have nothing to prove!
Everybody is a liar all to the Premier. I do not understand.
I love Nature’s Little Secret.
It states our beauty is one to behold once you visit.
The new slogan should be: Avoid, Avoid, Avoid.
Go somewhere where your contribution to the economy is valued and leads to the improvement of that country. Not to the enrichment of frauds, criminals and an entitled class of bottom feeders.
Like he likes hugging the ladies, that’s the only BVILOVE I see
the thought is appaling
This article is nearly identical to the same article last week. Slogans criticism has not changed in 1 week
I love DRUGS, I Love CORRUPTION, I love SPEEDING,
I love being rude to the POLICE when riding my scooter, I really do LOVE the BVI
The tongue is absolutely powerful. All this negative energy being released in the atmosphere. We are our worst enemy. May the Almighty God continue to watch over these beautiful Virgin Islands. ??
Nature’s little Secrets are there for you to discover. Which means it is a place not a commercial, densely populated, developed as other places. That still stands today though we are beginning to lose it. We don’t need a commercial billboard and “BVI Love” says absolutely nothing that makes it stand out. Nor do visitors need a big sign telling them where they are. Some people just want to experience another culture, not walk into a shopping mall. BVI is actually losing its identity.
LET THE GIG GUY EXPOSE ALL HIS HIDDEN SECRETS , A LITTLE CONFESSION IS GOOD FOR HIS SOUL ? HALLELUIAH ,MAYBE THE COI MISSED SOME OF HIS TALENTS
It should be “Nature’s Little Enchanting Secrets, BVI” or “Nature’s Enchanting Little Secrets, BVI”
Are you sure that’s Sharon Flax Brutus in that photo?
I thought BVI love was a temporary expression. Its disappointing this change to our long standing brand which was unique to something that is tacky and non-descript.
Clearly, the Premier does not understand how rebranding works. It is not just a brain fart in the middle of the night but a process that involves market research, stakeholder engagement, brand testing. I’m still trying to figure out the message or story behind BVILOVE. It does not add value to what BVI has to offer.
We have so much of our commercials and so much literature pushing natures little secret why should we want to discard those and have something printed about now.
I think this should have been decided by the people of this territory and not just a few. We are just changing things wild why haven’t we already changed the name on the hospital as yet? That seems intentional. Come on let’s do better.and let us start now.⁶
Nature’s little secret was great & meant so much more, BVI Love is pretty much mon existent
Both these slogans sound like a high school kid came up with them. There are companies that do this for a living. Hire one (from New York where this is done all the time).
This amateur hour stuff just makes us all look bad.
Watching the charter crowd, “Drink,stink and go naked” would work.