news to use GENERAL Puerto Rico is niche
BY ANDY HOSKINS The number of UK tour operators
featuring Puerto Rico has risen from four to 14, spurred on by the launch of British Airways flights to the capital San Juan, via Antigua, in March. Tourism authorities hope the island
will appear in the brochures of 25 tour operators within the next 12 months, despite the BA service being reduced to a weekly flight from next summer due to lower-than-expected demand. Mario Gonzalez-Lafuente, executive
director of the Puerto Rico Tourism Company, believes the target is achievable thanks to the island’s diversifying hotel product and the consolidation of its promotional efforts on three key European markets, the UK included. Much of Puerto Rico hotel product
is orientated to its predominant US market, but a £600-million hotel boom is set to deliver 15,000 new bed spaces in 2012, with some 20 projects currently underway.
Among the swathe of hotel
developments are the new Ritz- Carlton Reserve Dorado Beach Resort & Spa and a Fairmont Hotel, plus refurbishments to Marriott, Hilton and Ramada properties. “One of our main differentiators to
other Caribbean islands is what we offer beyond the hotels. We are one of the more advanced islands in terms of tourism infrastructure,” said Gonzalez-Lafuente. Nature and adventure are the main
areas for a renewed promotional push, along with niche markets such as diving, golf, surfing, and the weddings and honeymoons sector.
www.seepuertorico.com
Jamaica ready for the fast lane
by showcasing sporting events and hosting specialised sports fams, said tourism minister, Edmund Bartlett. A highlight will be a Jamaica Village
BY LAURA GELDER The Jamaica Tourist Board will
use the 2012 London Olympics as a springboard to further boost its profile among UK agents. The island will focus on sports tourism, capitalising on the Olympics
in London’s Finsbury Park during the Olympic Games, which, said the minister, will be “an expose of Jamaican culture”. Next year’s ‘5-0’campaign will celebrate 50 years of independence for the island, and would provide a “push and focus for agents,” said Bartlett. The 5-0 initiative will showcase key cultural events, including the island's annual Jazz and Blues festival.
www.visitjamaica.com
Halifax receives a flights boost
Air Transat (for Canadian Affair) plans a second weekly flight to Halifax, Nova Scotia, from next April. The new Sunday flight, combined with the current Thursday service, will extend duration flexibility for Canada’s nearest region (under five hours flying time from the UK). The new service is expected to
help boost UK visitor numbers to special events next year including the 200th anniversary of the War of 1812, being marked by the Tall Ships Nova Scotia event (July 2012), and the Titanic Centennial (April 2012). Many rescue vessels left from the city and several Titanic victims are buried there.
www.AtlanticCanadaHolidays.co.uk
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