Tourism officials in Anguilla have put high stakes on a possible big increase in visitor arrivals in the island following the release of the Bachelor Show in the United States by the ABC Television Network on Valentine night, Monday, February 14.

Government, CuisinArt personnel and others watching the Bachelor Show at CuisinArt Resort and Spa

The show is widely recognised as one of the most-watched reality programmes in the USA, with an average viewership of 10.4 million per week. It is regarded as the number one choice in the highly coveted bracket of women between the ages of 18-34, with a household income of over US$125,000. Many persons in Anguilla, who watched the show, commented on the wide publicity it provided for the island as a tourist destination, showcasing many of its romantic scenes and attractions.

The promotional show was filmed in Anguilla during the period October 21-27 2010, with a cast of some 110 persons including the film crew, the star of the programme and the six women in the romance. They were all accommodated at CuisinArt Resort & Spa, the major sponsor, and where most of the filming took place.

Tourist Board Chairman, Eustace Guishard and Candis Niles at Press Conference on Bachelor Show

Commenting on this, the resort’s General Manager, StephaneZaharia, was delighted that the film crew and participants were accommodated at the property. He noted that about 100 minutes of the 120-minute production was filmed at the resort. “It is phenomenal for the resort, but especially for the island,” he added.

Chairman of the Anguilla Tourist Board, Eustace Guishard, and Director of Tourism, Candis Niles, told reporters at a press conference on Monday this week that a bonus to the show was a segment of the highly-anticipated Sports Illustrated Swimsuit edition which hit the newsstands in the USA on that day. That segment featuring the ladies of the Bachelor Show was also shot in Anguilla.

Cost of the Show
Guishard and Niles revealed that the initial cost of the show was budgeted for approximately US$880,000. However, this amount was significantly reduced due to the support of industry partners. More than 50% of the actual budget was covered under an agreement with CuisinArt Resort & Spa to underwrite the accommodation costs and 50% of the meal costs, to the tune of US$501,736. The remainder of the fees was covered as follows: Investment from the Government of Anguilla: US$249,204.26; cash contributions from the private sector (Caribbean Commercial Bank, National Bank of Anguilla and Social Security): US$25,000. The total cash investment (including the US$501,736 from CuisinArt) amounted to US$775,940.26.

Government, CuisinArt personnel and others watching the Bachelor Show at CuisinArt Resort and Spa

Contributions in kind, which helped to reduce the overall budget, were received from a number of businesses. These included assistance with cell phones from LIME; complimentary vehicles from Triple K, Island Car Rental, Thrifty Car Rental, Highway Car Rental and Connor’s Car rental; boat services from Cap Juluca; and complimentary boxed meals from Tasty’s, E’s Oven, Anguilla Great House and Straw Hat Restaurants.

Value
The two tourism officials, Guishard and Niles, made the point that the value of the investment could not be disputed. “When one considers that a 60-second TV spot at prime time, on a major network, can cost anything upward of US$500,000, an investment of this amount for two hours of exposure is something we could never have afforded,” they said. “Based on 77 minutes of exposure (counting out advertising), this amounts to a value of 61 million US dollars.”

Impacts

Hon. Othlyn Vanterpool and wife with Mr. Roland Webster

Guishard and Niles reported that the economic impacts of the Bachelor Show were expected to be far-reaching on all sectors of the economy. “Based on the production, cash is expected to flow into businesses in all sectors of the economy as a trickle down effect from business generated within the tourism sector as a function of the multiplier effect,” they stated. “In addition, increased exposure in the market leads to increased demand for Anguilla as a vacation destination. In turn, this leads to increased business for the tourism sector, which in turn generates revenue and profits and, by extension, creates increased capital for the people of Anguilla to inject in businesses throughout the economy.”

Preliminary Results
The Tourism Board Chairman and the Director said that Anguilla had already begun to see the benefits of investing in the promotional Bachelor Show.

“The Tourist Board’s website, which was newly reconfigured to optimize the collection and coding of data generated by the internet traffic, recorded a significant spike in hits on February 8, following the announcement that the show was moving to Anguilla,” they went on. “Over 3,000 hits were experienced that day, with visitors spending an average of 4 minutes on the site. Monday night’s figures revealed 72,927 page views, with viewers spending an average of 3.5 minutes on the site. Of that number, 9,099 were unique or first time visits; 2,000 visits were also made to the CuisinArt accommodation page. This indicates significant interest in the destination.”
In its acknowledgements, the Anguilla Tourist Board stated that the production would not have been possible without the Board’s USA office in New York and its Director, Marie Walker, and the Public Relations Firm PMG and Noel Mignott. Others listed included Parliamentary Secretary, Haydn Hughes, the Government and the Ministry of Finance; the National Bank of Anguilla, Caribbean Commercial Bank, Social Security Board; Directors and Staff of the Tourist Board; members of the Hotel and Tourism Association; Customs and Immigration officials; the Airport & Seaport Manager and Supervisors; and the Royal Anguilla Police Force.

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