Tracy Berkeley has recently been appointed as the Authoritys CEO, and spoke to Travel Bulletin on her new role and strategy for Bermuda.
Hot on the heels of her celebratory appointment to CEO for Bermuda's destination marketing organisation, Tracy Berkeley spoke to Travel Bulletin at House of Bermuda, Bermuda Tourism Authority's immersive takeover of the Hoxton Hotel in London, showcasing the North Atlantic island.
Berkeley has been part of the Authority for the last three years, working as interim CEO for the last nine months, and her appointment is a landmark one as she earns the mantle of the organisation's first female CEO.
"I said in my inaugural speech that it's a new day, it's a new organisation, it's a new time. Tourism in Bermuda is undergoing a renaissance."
"I first joined the organisation in 2020, during Covid-19. So during 2020 and 2021, what I was seeing was not only the impacts from the pandemic but also the impacts from a slight complacency about promoting the destination. Around mid-2021, we started to think about what 2022 and beyond look like: what do we need to get to where we want to be?
"I was thinking about it from a different perspective, we were in a completely different world at the time. What are the things we need to do to position the destination in recovery? How do we grow from there? London and this landmark event was a great way to start."
The House of Bermuda event comprised a unique pop-up at The Hoxton Hotel's Apartment space, which hosted local Bermudan experts from the worlds of cuisine, wellness, sport and conservation. One lucky agent left the trade-exclusive event on March 16 with a holiday to the North Atlantic archipelago.
On the choice to showcase Bermuda to agents with a dedicated trade evening and a public open day at House of Bermuda, Berkeley explained: "For us, the London market in particular, and the UK market more broadly, has seen the most upsurge in terms of the demographics returning back to travel and to Bermuda. We thought it was hugely important right now to reengage with travel and trade, and beat the drum that we're open for business again. We never closed, but we're really open for business now!"
The Bermuda that guests returned to post-pandemic was a refreshed and revitalised one, with the newly-appointed CEO elaborating: "Starting in early 2022, we began to think about a refresh. The product had become a little dated, and there were a lot of things we wanted to do in the hospitality space. We started to reach out to our stakeholders and our visitors, and understand what they were saying about the destination. What do visitors want? What's the Bermudan sentiment on- and off-island? How much should all of this be a part of the new campaign going forward?
"I guess you could say, as a destination, we had a bit of an identity crisis. We always positioned ourselves aspirationally, not authentically. That was the thing we wanted to change with this campaign."
The result of the brand refresh is 'Lost Yet Found': the new campaign highlighting the island's culture and way of life, of course referencing the infamous 'Bermuda Triangle' that hadn't been a focus or consideration to highlight in prior campaigns.
"What the campaign does is make people lean in, and try to figure out the value proposition. A lot of people, when they think about Bermuda, they think of the triangle. We decided to take that preconception, and flip it on its head. 'Lost Yet Found' embraces the mystique of the island, I think it's a phenomenal way to play on the notion of losing yourself and getting lost."
"We're working on breaking away from seasonality visits, improving our hotels and routes, and really reengaging everyone to discover Bermuda."
