ANTIGUA & BARBUDA TOURISM AUTHORITY

The spotlight will be on Antigua and Barbuda, as the destination’s most recognized views, excursions and party-loving islanders, will be showcased to over 10 million viewers on the British television music competition show, The X-factor in the first week of October.

The show which aims to find new singing talent, is contested by aspiring singers drawn from public auditions within the UK. Created by Simon Cowell, the show began in September 2004 and has since aired annually from August/September through to December.

Antigua’s scenic settings will appear throughout the X-factor and Xtra factor UK shows, when X-factor judge, Nicole Scherzinger, announces which of her 6 contestants in the girls’ category of the show, will make it into her final three, and on to the X-factor’s live finals.

Antigua’s star appeal will  also be on display as globally recognized celebrity Scherzinger, formerly of the Pussycat dolls, was  joined in Antigua by R&B superstar Mary J Blige and other celebrities, for filming of the 10 year anniversary show.

The Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority’s UK Team successfully pitched the destination to producers of the hit television show, as the ideal location from which to host the celebrities and the show’s Judges’ Houses.

Though filming has only just wrapped up, the destination has already benefited from PR coverage, as images of Scherzinger partying at Shirley Heights, and enjoying the island with Blige have been strewn across UK newspapers and online sites. Scherzinger, Blige, other A-listers and members of the crew spent a combined 7 days on island filming.

Marketing and Administration Manager within the UK Tourist Office, Cherrie Osborne said, “We have had to be very creative with our marketing initiatives during the year and when we heard about this opportunity, we had to grab it.  We knew we were competing with other glamorous destinations for one of the four Judges’ Houses spots for this ten year milestone, and with the full support of the Minister of Tourism, the office, alongside our hotel partner, worked really hard to ensure X-factor came to Antigua. The exposure will be unsurpassed.

We are now working on other marketing activities that will allow us to capitalizing on the interest we will receive when the Antigua Judge’s House episode airs during primetime over the October weekend.”

“We are appreciative of the support received from Government stakeholders, the Antigua Dance Academy, Vitus Cultural Performers, the Point & Villa Iron Band, the Halcyon Steel Orchestra as well as all the extras who participated in the shoot at Shirley’s Heights, really making the destination shine”, said Osborne.  She also thanked excursion and location providers, whose sites will be revealed on the show.

CEO of the Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority Colin James said “These are exactly the type of high visibility opportunities that will get our message embedded in the minds of the consumer.

“I am confident that we will receive an inordinate amount of inquiries after the showing and attract bookings to our hotels”. James said the destination would continue the momentum built from having had The Bachelorette in the US Market and now the UK X-Factor, by looking at additional marketing opportunities that would lead to global exposure.

X-Factor UK is the originator of the international The X Factor franchise.