The Bermuda Tourism Authority highlighted its efforts to sell potential visitors on the island last year in a recently published report.

The BTA 2023 Year in Review, tabled in the House of Assembly last week, noted that there was a 29.1 per cent growth in visitor arrivals year-on-year in 2023 as the industry continued to bounce back in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Air capacity reached 75 per cent of 2019 levels by the end of the year, thanks in part to the launch of BermudAir, while hotel occupancy increased by 15.5 per cent year-on-year.

The report noted that 2023 was the first full year of unrestricted travel and the organisation worked “strategically and diligently” to promote the island as a tourism destination.

The BTA said that over the course of 2023, its website received almost 5.2 million page views from a little more than 2.3 million users, with the “Pink Sale” page listed as the best performing, with 278,381 sessions.

The report said: “The enhancement of the website as an effective sales tool involved several strategic additions.

“Notably, the creation of a PR, Trade and Media section introduced story-pitch ideas and narratives we wish for people to share about us, effectively guiding the narrative and enhancing our brand’s visibility and appeal.

“This section, along with updated content and images on the Meetings and Groups page, aimed to attract the right groups to the island by showcasing Bermuda’s unique selling propositions.”

The BTA also said it grew its social-media presence over the course of the year, with 2,371 social media posts and 1.42 million user engagements.

The report said the top-performing Facebook post was engaged with 118,355 times, while the top Instagram post received 6,595 engagements.

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BTA 2023 Year in Review.pdf

The BTA said its social-media strategy utilised various social-media forms to engage users at “different stages of a traveller’s journey”.

“Instagram and TikTok are pivotal in the dreaming phase, sparking wanderlust with their vibrant visuals and dynamic content, enticing potential visitors with the allure of Bermuda’s beaches, iconic locations and offering a sense of place, landscapes and culture,” the report said.

“Facebook and Twitter [X] provide valuable information and foster community engagement during the planning phase, allowing travellers to gather insights and share experiences.

“YouTube enriches the experiencing phase with in-depth storytelling through videos that offer a deeper dive into what makes Bermuda a unique destination.

“Our tailored approach ensures that each platform plays a specific role in guiding travellers from dreaming about their Bermuda getaway to planning and finally experiencing it, enhancing the overall impact of the BTA’s social media presence.”

The report added that paid media had resulted in 225 million total impressions with a click-through rate of 0.15 per cent.

“Throughout 2023 we ran four unique paid media campaigns each quarter, each with unique objectives,” the BTA said.

“These included HellOOO Summer, Summer Fridays, Endless Summer, JetBlue Summer Promotion, Toronto Roadshow Digital Out of Home, Pink Sale and Cyber Sale.”

It said that each promotion ran unique content on media, search-engine marketing and digital media based on the campaign objectives.

The report also highlighted a range of media coverage of the island over the course of the year in a variety of websites, magazines and television programmes.

The BTA said the House of Bermuda promotion, held at the Hoxton Hotel in Southwark, London, attracted 23 “top-tier media” over two days, along with more than 100 product managers and agents, including JetBlue and Travel Weekly.

Other promotions included a wraparound cover of the Financial Times and a partnership with Saks Fifth Avenue that featured a holiday window display, a “takeover” of the luxury store’s website and on-floor displays.

“Throughout various industry events and conferences, our sales team actively engaged with industry leaders, meeting planners and professionals to raise awareness of Bermuda as a top destination for group business,” the report added.

“The team attended more than 30 events in the US and UK throughout 2023.

“These events included VIP networking with travel agents, various roadshows, webinars and participation at travel trade shows and summits, often in conjunction with industry groups.”