A recent 15-nation whirlwind tour by a Black American social media influencer appears to have done more to advertise the idyllic Caribbean tourism product globally than any of the big advertising budgets voted by parliaments each year or by attendance at international events to expose destinations.
In the past two weeks, the 21-year-old YouTube sensation IShowSpeed ably demonstrated how the global media landscape is changing with the growing importance of the social media world compared to traditional promotional and advertising outlets like newspapers, television networks, and billboards, among others.
Speed visited 15 destinations from the Bahamas and Jamaica in the north to the Dominican Republic in the center to Trinidad in the south. He did not travel with Hollywood-type crews, with equipment and production facilities; just on a private jet with a supporting cast, carrying enough devices to broadcast on YouTube Live to resounding success. In one case, he bizarrely visited four of the smaller islands in a single day, exposing their products to his 53 million followers on his YouTube channel and other platforms. Governments and umbrella tourism organizations said they are extremely grateful for the visit and the new level of awareness about where to place their precious advertising dollars.
Every tourism authority, regional government, and media house, as well as social media communities in all 15 countries, turned out in numbers to welcome, facilitate, and support the live-streaming efforts of Speed — born in Cincinnati Ohio as Darren Jason Watkins Jr. — on his acclaimed YouTube channel because they recognize his importance and the changing international marketing and media landscape.
IShowSpeed can do more to promote a product, a destination, or a personality than any government, regardless of how flushed they might be with cash and other resources.
In the Dominican Republic, for example, his livestreaming broadcast of tourism destinations attracted a staggering 2 million live followers, making it one of the biggest for such an event on the channel.
Officials said that Google searches and inquiries from potential tourists from around the world surged exponentially even as the stream was on. They are now more inclined to use influencers rather than pricey advertising agencies to reach audiences.
On his last stop in Jamaica, the livestream in the capital Kingston attracted nearly 3 million views and nearly 200,000 live followers, while also generating nearly 700,000 live chatting sessions and 35,000 new subscribers. Such is his impact, officials say.
In St. Lucia, Louis Lewis, chief executive of the Tourism Association, basically referred to Speed’s brief presence on the island as a blessing. “It is for us now to build on that visibility and continue to market Saint Lucia,” he told reporters. “The event in itself was very important. It gave us visibility in places that we could not ordinarily reach and the returns on investment were one of the highest that we have had in a while.”
The return on the island’s investment on Speed was calculated at 77-1, meaning that the product garnered 77 times more in world viewership than from normal spending on marketing.
“You would have seen reflections of our culture, our history, our culinary experiences, our heritage, all being featured, and of course, the entertainment. For the execution of that event, we also exhibited the warmth and hospitality of Saint Lucians, their adventure and their kindness, and the camaraderie that we display as a people,” said Lewis.
Colin James, Antigua’s tourism boss, said officials must now recognize the changing landscape of sales and marketing as the internet world has taken over. “When you saw him in that helicopter looking on and saying this (the island) doesn’t look real, it’s so beautiful, you can’t pay for that type of advertising,” local media quoted him as saying.
Kishore Shallow, St. Vincent’s tourism minister, shrugged off rumors about excessive spending to have Speed broadcast from the federation with the Grenadine islands. “I won’t give details. It’s no secret, but it didn’t cost US$100,000,” Shallow said. “In the end, it cost us less than $40,000 which … is great value for money.”
James Gregg, a Jamaican vlogger broadcasting on Carib 21, is elated about the 15-nation tour that started on April 25. He said this is clearly the new way to go.
“We are getting historic numbers. The numbers that are coming out of the Caribbean are just huge. The numbers are crazy,” Gregg said. “This is a big deal for the Caribbean in terms of numbers. Speed, at age 21, was able to create generational wealth for his family. This man is a multi-millionaire at 21 years old. This is a big, massive win for the Caribbean. Everybody wins. Don’t be surprised if you see a big travel boom for the next winter travel season. His tour of Africa did not break a record of 2 million people on the livestream. The Dominican Republic broke that record.”
Speed had kicked off his tour in Trinidad and has suggested he might well return for Carnival next February. “I’m enjoying Trinidad. Trinidad has been amazing,” local media quoted him as saying. “I’m having a fun time here. The people lit. The music lit. The food lit. Everybody here is lit. I’m enjoying it.”
The whirlwind tour took him to Antigua, the Bahamas, Barbados, Dominica, the Dominican Republic, Grenada, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, Guadeloupe, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, St. Maarten, St. Kitts, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.