This week, a team of The BVI Tourist Board & Film Commission’s staff, are taking advantage of the amazing opportunity to increase awareness of destination BVI to one of the most important segments of the Tourism industry…high net worth Travel Advisors.  The team, being led by Deputy Director of Tourism, Rhodni Skelton, includes the North American and United Kingdom Business Development Teams, will be participating in one-on-one virtual meetings with top travel advisors, during the highly-anticipated Virtuoso Travel Week.  This annual event, orchestrated by one of the world’s leading luxury travel consortium, Virtuoso, will take place virtually from August 8 to 13 under the theme “Imagine What Can Be”.

Virtuoso, known in the industry as a Consortia, is one of the world’s leading travel industry luxury networks, with the top producing travel agencies, and members from over 40 countries covering 6 continents.  The Consortia is made up of stringently vetted travel advisors (who specialize in helping to create curated travel itineraries for their very discerning clientele), and also targeted travel partners (hotels, cruise lines, tour operators, destinations, etc.).  Virtuoso partners and advisors are renowned for their world-class customer service and uniquely curated experiences.  Exclusive to the Virtuoso network, the event features personal networking appointments, extensive professional development opportunities, community globetrotting, and a celebration of Virtuoso, the world’s top luxury travel network.  This year, Virtuoso Travel Week will be a hybrid event providing members with the choice of two experiences – in person or virtual.  This allows flexibility for any Virtuoso member to join in. 

In addition to the Deputy Director of Tourism Mr. Rhodni Skelton, the team participating in this year’s virtual event includes North American Business Development Director, Perla George; International Marketing Manager, Odelcer Hanley; and Regional Business Development Managers Hazel Penn (Midwest and Canada), Safrika O’Neal (Mid-Atlantic), Shonda Maduro (Northeast), Tausha Vanterpool (West Coast), Shaekhoya Matthew (Liaison Officer), Myrvina Jeria (UK Administrative Coordinator) and Kyle Harrigan (UK Business Development Rep).

Commenting on this year’s event, Deputy Director of Tourism Skelton said, “We fully embrace the experience of networking with these high value travel advisors, to promote the safe and beautiful destination BVI”.  Mr. Skelton added, “Team BVI joins some 1800 other participants at this ultimate annual global travel community event.  Attendance at Virtuoso Travel Week continues to be a critical part of the British Virgin Islands Tourist Board’s overall marketing strategy to strengthen and deepen the destination’s relationship with partners in the international travel trade.  It is an exhausting endeavor for the team, having to host hundreds of virtual meetings in a short space of time, but one that will reap many rewards for Destination BVI”.

The British Virgin Islands contingent will host over 300 meetings in appointments with travel advisors from The United States, Latin America and Europe.  The team aims to further enhance the image of the BVI as a boutique luxury multi-vacation destination, where guests can have multiple vacation experiences in one destination. 

About the British Virgin Islands

Known as a treasured destination rich in undiscovered experiences, the British Virgin Islands (BVI) is an alluring archipelago comprising 60 islands and cays located in the north-eastern region of the Caribbean Sea. With plentiful private villas and luxury boutique resorts, there is no shortage of accommodations from which to choose, whether for leisure or MICE (meetings, events and incentives) travel. The BVI has long been hailed as the sailing capital of the world for its line-of-sight sailing, myriad boat charter options (bareboat, crewed, powered, traditional hoisted sail) and an array of experiences catering specially to yachties. The BVI is continually recognized with accolades including “Top Islands in the Caribbean, Bermuda and the Bahamas” in Travel + Leisure’s World’s Best Awards 2020, placing #2 on The New York Times' coveted "52 places to Go in 2020' list and ranking "#1 Best Place to Visit in the Caribbean" by U.S. News & World Report in 2017, 2018 and 2019. For more information on how to experience BVILOVE, visit the British Virgin Islands Tourist Board & Film Commission website at www.bvitourism.com or contact 1-800-835-8530.