Minister of Tourism Kishore Shallow said the Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Tourism Authority (SVGTA) has spent less than $10,000 on the entire exercise of designing its new logo.
The tourism authority launched the refreshed brand identity in Kingstown on Saturday after the new developments were first announced during the country’s independence parade. The financial disclosure followed days of mixed public reactions, with many openly questioning the overall cost of creating the new logo.
During the launch, Shallow that while he could not recall the exact cost of the last SVGTA re-branding exercise, he said that the exercise over 15 years ago costing over $150,000 on an overseas agency.
“I can’t tell you if that was US or EC to be honest, but over $150,000 then was spent to an external company, an oversea company; whereas this entire exercise was done mainly by two local designers for less than $10,000,” Shallow said.
He noted that when adjusted for inflation, that historical cost equals approximately $300,000 today. Shallow explained that the authority managed to execute the project for about 10-15% of the historical expenditure while using local designers.
He thanked the public for their feedback and constructive criticism, as well as the local designers for their work, adding that utilising local talent aligns with the broader goals of national tourism.
“When we speak about tourism, and saying we could have a million visitors here, if all the revenue, a significant majority of the revenue, leave our shores, then it is not working for us. We have to retain the revenue right here in Saint Vincent,” Shallow said.
He noted that the current period represents a highly positive year for tourism throughout the country, and credited the season kicking off when the popular internet streamer Ishowspeed visited the island.
“That I think demonstrated to the rest of the world our rich culture, and suddenly gave Vincentians the confidence that…we have a very attractive brand,” Shallow said, adding that this energy has renewed belief in the Vincentian product, which appeals directly to the rest of the world.
He also noted that the momentum has since sustained itself and that citizens see and feel a “real growing energy” across the country.
“And I want you to understand fully well of how competitive the tourism industry is…other countries, whether here in the Caribbean or throughout the rest of the world, they are not standing still and waiting on SVG to catch up with them,” he said.
Shallow continued his point by stating that rival destinations invest more resources while remaining strategic and innovative in their marketing campaigns, leaving the local sector with no alternative choice but to adopt the same approach.
He said that the team accept where they are as a growing tourism sector and country, and that management has accepted the necessary work required not only to catch up with competitors but to exceed and pass them in the regional and global markets.
Shallow added that a brand new leadership team now directs operations at the tourism authority and noted that former employees, who previously enjoyed their time at the organisation, have expressed a renewed energy for marketing and developing the domestic tourism product. “And that means the leadership is working…right through the ministry and the authority. You see a leadership team that is fully aligned,” he said.
he said that the branding identity will continue to evolve, noting that the authority remains committed to hearing from stakeholders, staff, and the public. “We have always expressed a commitment to our stakeholders to say that we, as a management, as a team at the ministry and at the authority, we are not going to do this in isolation from our people,” Shallow continued.
Shallow said that the re-branding process involved several distinct stages and took months of preparation to complete and that these local creatives and stakeholders were consulted over time with a first and second draft to refine the initial concepts. “And I’ll tell you where we are currently. It is far from where we started, right? And then it is clearly a strategic approach and point where we are now in terms of revealing the logo nationally first and getting feedback from the public,” he said.
He commended London and her team for ensuring that the national consultations took place and said that management is satisfied with the graphic components of the new logo, which represents just one element of the wider re-branding strategy.