Bermuda Tourism Authority and Visit Lauderdale will pair their nautical strengths in a new partnership designed to elevate both destinations’ desirable yachting lifestyle. Through marketing, public relations and events, Bermuda and Greater Fort Lauderdale will be highlighted as harbors for sun-seeking visitors of all sorts—those permanently part of the jet set crowd and travelers who enjoy a vacation setting dotted with yachts and superyachts.
The two-year partnership, jointly signed today in Bermuda and in Fort Lauderdale, is a pre-cursor to a new “Go Where the Yachts Go” marketing campaign which will leverage key events like the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show (FLIBS) in October and Bermuda Grand Prix presented by Hamilton Princess, a sailing race that marks the start of SailGP’s one-million dollar winner-take-all professional sailing league.
The two ideally located maritime destinations with non-competitive peak seasons (November through April for Greater Fort Lauderdale and May through October for Bermuda) will use the “Go Where the Yachts Go” theme to entice vessels leaving one destination to head to the other. Similarly, non-nautical visitors to each place will be acquainted with the allure and beauty of the other; both seaside, luxury lifestyle places, but with distinctly different aesthetics.
Plans are 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.
“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,” says Stacy Ritter, President and CEO of Visit Lauderdale. “With Bermuda firmly established with leisure travelers in the luxury lifestyle consumer segment this affiliation helps in our branding as Greater Fort Lauderdale continues to build new luxury hotels, restaurants and retail. It’s a win-win for both destinations.”
Leaders from both destinations agree there is a great deal of synergy since they appeal to similar audiences at different times of the year and travelers who have only been to one of the destinations would find the other appealing. For seafarers departing from or headed to Fort Lauderdale by yacht, Bermuda is an important port-o-call for vessels in transition to and from the Mediterranean.
For its portion of the joint campaign, Greater Fort Lauderdale will work with NBC Sports Network anchor Townsend Bell, who covers the annual FLIBS event for the network, to produce new video content featuring the area’s on-the-water lifestyle and laid-back luxury to enhance its existing destination content. Bermuda brings strong contacts to the partnership in the area of marine industry and luxury lifestyle marketing.
The two destinations will work with Marine Industries Association of South Florida and Informa Markets, the respective owner and operator of FLIBS, to build added presence for Greater Fort Lauderdale and Bermuda during the 2021 show, which takes place October 27-31, 2021 in Fort Lauderdale, as well as future boat show and other event opportunities.
