In days gone by – before the advent of means of mass
communication – most people chose their vacation destination through word of
mouth – if their friends or neighbours had visited a place and liked it, they
recommended it.
If they had a terrible experience, that information too, was
imparted.
The old saying is probably still true – if you tell one
person you may as well be telling seven.
Now add the Internet into that equation and your message is
travelling to a lot more than just seven people at any one given minute.
And that’s something that destinations like the Cayman
Islands and its tourism stakeholders have to be aware of.
We are all tourism stakeholders in Cayman whether we work
directly in the tourism industry or not.
Yes, it is incumbent on resort, hotel and vacation rental
unit owners and managers to ensure their properties offer the best experience,
but it is also important that everyone who comes into contact with a visitor
put our destination in the best light.
You can rest assured that customers are using the Internet
to offer feedback on their vacation experience – both good and bad.
Once that information has gone viral, there’s not much you
can do to change that person’s opinion. But those who are getting the negative
reviews – be it accommodations, eateries, attractions, hire cars or tour
providers – can take that information and use it in a positive way to improve
their products. The future of the Cayman Islands as a tourism destination rests
on its reputation; something money can’t buy.
A good reputation at anything has to be earned and
maintained; and so it goes with the tourism product that is the Cayman Islands.
It’s just one of the lessons taught at the Caribbean Marketplace conference at
Atlantis, Paradise Island, Bahamas.
Our delegation has been their rubbing elbows with our
tourism competition and picking up pointers on how to improve our own product.
Hopefully they will come home with ideas on how we can all
make Cayman the best destination in the Caribbean.
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