Pandemics make unexpected bedfellows, the latest example being a unique nautical pairing of Bermuda and Fort Lauderdale, which have launched a co-operative marketing agreement that highlights both destinations “as harbours for sun-seeking visitors of all sorts – those permanently part of the jet set crowd and travellers who enjoy a vacation setting dotted with yachts and superyachts.”
The partnership between the Bermuda Tourism Authority and Visit Lauderdale is designed to “elevate both destinations’ desirable yachting lifestyle” through marketing, public relations, and events, and is a pre-cursor to a new “Go Where the Yachts Go” marketing campaign that will leverage key events like the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show (FLIBS) in October and Bermuda Grand Prix, April 24-25.
Plans are also underway to jointly host events for media, yacht owners, brokers, and crews at FLIBS and other shows, while partnering on public relations and marketing initiatives. Combining efforts in this way gives both destination marketing organizations amplified reach and exposure, while spending less than they would have otherwise.
“As Bermuda and Greater Fort Lauderdale engineer tourism recoveries, this kind of collaboration is particularly meaningful,” says Bermuda Premier David Burt. “It’s a fantastic example of two destinations finding greater success collaborating with one another rather than competing.”
During an online press conference to launch the partnership, Visit Lauderdale President and CEO Stacy Ritter said that the project was the first of its kind for the tourism organization. And while Ritter acknowledges that Bermuda and Fort Lauderdale are “friendly competitors” that share same type of visitor, she notes that they don’t share the same seasons – with high season being November to April in South Florida and May-October in Bermuda.
Indeed, it hoped that the campaign will entice the owners of super yachts in one destination to head to the other (it can take up to two weeks to sail the 1,600 km between the two) or to stop on the way when transitioning from Florida to the Mediterranean.
“Attracting superyachts to Bermuda as well as the kind of visitor who enjoys a chartered yacht vacation are important National Tourism Plan objectives for our organization over the next few years,” says Glenn Jones, Interim CEO of the Bermuda Tourism Authority. “I’m optimistic this partnership… helps us to reach our goals sooner and speed up the tourism recovery. Simultaneously, the publicity we generate will make Bermuda relevant to countless more travellers attracted to our island lifestyle at a variety of price points.”
“Yachts attract tourists,” Broward County mayor Steve Geller says simply, and Ritter adds that the affiliation will help Fort Lauderdale as it continues to develop branding around the introduction of new luxury hotels, restaurants and retail offerings.
“Bermuda is synonymous with yachting, sailing and the luxury lifestyle, and Greater Fort Lauderdale is known as the Yachting Capital of the World, so the cooperation of our two destinations serves to elevate both,” she says. “It’s a win-win for both destinations.”
Moreover, Ritter adds, the unique partnership will also show the tourism industry “that you can do this – you can be competitors and still work in partnerships and show that our visitors in both Bermuda and Fort Lauderdale have the best possible experience.”