Ashanti Interview

©RD/Dziekan/Retna

Nassau County Launches Their First Ever Tourism Campaign With The Help
Of Grammy Winner and Long Island Native Ashanti


To kick off this fun filled campaign to promote tourism in Nassau, Mr. Tom Suozzi introduces Miss Ashanti Douglas as Nassau Counties Ambassador of Music and Nightlife. Ashanti is joined by nine other Ambassadors ranging from Fishing and Surfing to a Naturalist and Golfer.
Ashanti, along with the other Ambassador's have invited five families visiting from abroad, from Japan, Netherlands, Toronto, Belgium, and Australia, on an exclusive tour of all that Nassau has to offer.


Retna: Ashanti, how does it feel to have such an important role in this campaign?

Ashanti: Amazing! It is a great way for me to give back to my home town, Long Island or Strong Island as I like to call it. I actually just donated 75,000 dollars to The Boys and Girls Club of America, to help fund their plan to put a studio in each of their centers.

Retna: How would you compare Nassau's nightlife to that of NYC's and L.A.'s?

Ashanti: It's just a lot different. For one thing I feel a lot safer in Nassau then NYC and L.A., Long Island is the kind of place where we keep our doors unlocked at night.

Retna: NYC and the Hamptons are very popular tourist spots on the east coast. Do you think Nassau can compete with these established tourist places?

Ashanti: Nassau is very different then the Hamptons and NYC. It is very family oriented. It is a more relaxed atmosphere then NYC plus when you come to Nassau you get to beat all that Hamptons traffic!!

Retna: If you had to suggest one place to tourist as a must see, what would it be?

Ashanti: I would have to split it in half between two places, because both Morgan Beach and The Miracle Mile are must see places in Nassau. Plus there is a street named after me, you should definitely check that out!

Retna: Finally, when the time comes for you to settle down and raise a family, would Long Island be the place for you?

Ashanti: Absolutely, Long Island is a wonderful place to raise a family, and again is a very safe place to live, plus it is where I grew up so I would want the same for my family. *