A blueprint for sustainable tourism was laid out Tuesday by experts who talked about social networking, customer service and air travel at the V.I. Tourism Department’s Small Hotels and Business Development Conference at the Divi Carina Bay Resort and Casino on St. Croix.
Jonathan Tourtellot, the geotourism editor for National Geographic Traveler, coined the phrase “geotourism,” which he defined as “tourism that sustains or enhances the geographical character of a place – its environment, culture, aesthetics, heritage and the well being of its residents.”
Tourtellot talked about St. Croix’s opportunity to offer a style of tourism that highlights the natural beauty of the land and sea, history, culture, music, art, archeology and other features through tours and people “with unique knowledge.” He said methods of implementing a plan include converting old buildings into hotels and restaurants and hiring residents as employees or vendors.
“The key thing about geotourism is thinking about your place,” Tourtellot said.
“People want to come to St. Croix for these experiences,” he told the audience of business and hotel owners and tourism students.
Tourtellot warned against a tourism plan that values the numbers of visitors more than the quality of the experience. Overlooking aesthetics is the most common mistake, he said. Billboards, power lines and litter spoil the beauty of the island.
A well-planned geotourism program must be a collaboration with the private sector, community organizations and government, Tourtellot said. The plan should “enhance and sustain” the well being of the residents and the environment.
The immediate benefit of geotourism is found in a study that indicates these types of visitors are more affluent and spend more money on vacation. Three visitors staying three nights in a hotel spend more money than 40 cruise ship passengers – overall 15 times more, Tourtellot said.
“Tourism can enable more businesses to serve the community,” he said. Place-based tourism creates a motivation to protect the environment if businesses act responsibly and financial benefits are available to more than a few select residents.
Tourtellot said the reinvention of the St. Croix Heritage Trail should be the first step and, next, the local businesses should pump up marketing and social media networking. 
Courtney Fennell, who works with travel clients, cruise lines and hotel groups for Google.com, said travelers use the web for “inspiration and planning” trips. They look first for pricing and then special activities.
She said 68 percent look for information before deciding their destination and that most book their lodging online. Consumers want fast-loading websites that are suitable for all devices, she added.
“Offline is important but you can see digital (search) is growing,” Fennell said. After Google, the second most popular online source of information, for more than half of the travelers, is YouTube, Fennell said.
Explaining the Google search page, Fennell pointed out that the right side is paid advertisers and the first two listings, on the left, pay a fee for their placement.
The importance of social media was discussed by several other presenters. More than 50 percent of travelers look to Facebook for photos and advice before planning a trip, said Josh Rosenbert, social media marketer. He said a third change hotel reservations after reading reviews on websites such as TripAdvisor. He told the businesses to open a Twitter account and follow it daily.
Shomari Moorehead of Crucian Point and MyVI talked about communication devices and said businesses should use tablets instead of a cash register and create a website layout that adjusts to smart phones and tablets.
Brittani Wood of Development Counsellors International advised linking pages of a website to each other, with “strong” pages linked to “weak” pages. She talked about keywords that anchor text and said Google+ is the best search engine because information is indexed immediately after it is entered.
Other presenters included Bijan Vasigh from Aviation Consulting Group LLC, who explained how airlines do or do not make a profit.
“The cost of fuel, random shock and an economic recession are some of the factors that have made the future of air transport uncertain,” Vasigh said.
Steve Curtin, author of “7 Simple Ways to Raise Your Customer Service from Ordinary to Extraordinary,” said “customer service is its own reward.”
According to Tourism Commissioner Beverly Nicholson-Doty, the conference included business owners for the first time this year.
“We wanted a conference that had these incredible experts in several areas, mixed with local presenters familiar with the challenges in our market place,” she said.
Miles Whitfield of Colonial Danish Holdings attended the conference for the second time.
“A lot of it is applicable. I’d like to hear newer ideas how to promote the island as a regional destination as opposed to mass marketing,” he said.
According to Bevan Springer of Marketplace Excellence, a marketing agency and conference moderator, the Tourism Department will publish a five-year report of potential tourism markets around January. The study will consider prospects for weddings, activities such as diving, culture, food, film, medical facilities, sports and retail or craft-based tourism.
It will report on education and training needs, hotel development, available technology and other subjects, Springer said, adding that the plan will be updated annually to take into consideration new participants and ideas.
The conference will continue Wednesday on St. Croix with a special session on the bridal market. On Thursday, the conference will move to St. Thomas at the Frenchman’s Reef Marriott Resort.
