NEW YORK (Sept. 13)–The Caribbean island of Grenada made international headlines at this summer’s London Olympics when Kirani James won the gold medal in the 400 meters track event. Now, the Grenada Board of Tourism is capitalizing on the teenage athlete’s accomplishment by launching a campaign to woo visitors to the Spice Isle.
Titled “Celebration of Kirani: Celebration of Grenada,” the campaign incorporates a specially designed logo featuring James carrying Grenada’s national flag with the tagline “Grenada: Gracious Every Day.” The campaign is being rolled out on Grenada’s tourism website, digital advertisements and social media pages.
Among the elements included in the campaign are a “Quote of the Day” with quotes about James; an island tour of James’ top 10 things to do and see in Grenada; weekly press releases; social media posts; and a video program featuring footage of the athlete’s triumphant homecoming earlier this month.
“Since Kirani James’ gold medal Olympic win and his highly publicized gesture of goodwill toward fellow competitor Oscar Pistorius [the South African sprint runner who has double below-knee amputations] have elicited such an emotional response from people around the world, we have initiated a campaign to capitalize on the awareness built for Grenada,” said Dr. George Vincent, minister of tourism, civil aviation and culture.
“When he asked to exchange bibs [with the South African blade runner], his magnanimous and unpretentious spirit became reflective not just of his own personality, but of all Grenadians as genuine, warm and friendly, thereby increasing the appeal of the island as a desirable vacation choice,” the minister added.
While the Caribbean region as a whole is known to have some of the world’s most friendly and welcoming people, James established that this might be particularly true of the people of Grenada. To leverage the heightened awareness of his Olympic conduct, the web-based campaign is aimed at turning name recognition into more visitors.
Known as the “Spice of the Caribbean,” Grenada has some of the Caribbean’s most beautiful beaches, spices, delectable cuisine, a lush tropical rainforest and a wide range of fun-filled activities such as diving, snorkeling, hiking, fishing and sailing. Romantic, natural and authentic, nature’s best gifts can be found in Grenada, a member of both the Caribbean Tourism Organization and the International Council of Tourism Partners.