NEW YORK (Feb. 16, 2012)-The past week was a packed and eventful one, beginning with meetings in New York and Philadelphia with the U.S. Virgin Islands’ (USVI) Department of Tourism team.
In the City of Brotherly Love, we discussed and implemented initiatives to drive visitors to the territory during the spring season and had a most productive session with the historic African-American newspaper the Philadelphia Tribune. The meeting with its editorial team helped elevate the charge to woo African-American and Caribbean travelers to the territory.
At the weekend, we were rocked by news of the passing of the Queen of Pop, Whitney Houston. Barely dried eyes were glued to the Grammys the following evening as saddened entertainers paid tribute to the superstar. Many were impressed with Jennifer Hudson’s moving tribute to Houston, who touched the lives of so many throughout the world, including us in the Caribbean who grew up listening to her music.
The Caribbean influence at the Grammys was notable, from Jamaica’s Stephen Marley winning the Reggae Grammy, Barbadian Rihanna’s provocative attire, LL Cool J’s classy MC duties (he is of Bajan descent) and Trinidad’s Nicki Minaj, who left many asking, “What the heck was that?” after a bizarre, irreverent performance that set social media on fire.
British singer Adele dominated the Grammys, and big props must be extended to homeboy Barbadian Miles Robertston, her music director and keyboardist. I have been having some difficulty getting in touch with him of late, but a search on YouTube reveals he is most likely still in the musical mix.
On my return to New York, it was off to a reception-yeehaw, Texas style-at Hill Country Barbeque in Manhattan, where Spirit Airlines celebrated the launch of new service between New York’s LaGuardia Airport and Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. They entertained journalists and travel partners with country music and some good old smoked barbecue.
“We are excited to be liberating even more customers from high fares as we continue to grow the number of cities we serve from Dallas/Fort Worth,” said Spirit Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer Barry Biffle. “Our cheap base fares give consumers the opportunity to save money on travel, and our range of optional services for a fee allows customers the freedom to choose only the extras they value.”
Next stop? The daily grind.
See you next week!