News 06.11.18 60
SECONDS WITH...
St Lucia’s big year JOY JIBRILU
director general, The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism (CA150)
WHAT’S THE BAHAMAS’ BIGGEST NEWS OF 2018? The Baha Mar resort destination is now fully open, with three unique hotel brands – Grand Hyatt, SLS and Rosewood – plus the Caribbean’s largest casino and Nassau’s fi rst rooftop lounge. We have special offers available on travel up to December 20, 2018.
WHAT TRENDS ARE YOU SEEING IN VISITS TO THE BAHAMAS? As well as the British Airways direct service four times a week into Nassau, the increased air and ferry connections through the USA to Nassau and around the islands have resulted in more two-centre and multi-island trips. The focus on Bahamian cultural offerings – from the various dining experiences at Atlantis Paradise Island to the arts and activities focus at Baha Mar – is attracting more families to experience the breadth of local and resort offerings. And in The Exumas the famous swimming pigs can now also be found in The Abacos, Eleuthera and Rose Island, only 20 minutes from Nassau.
WHAT’S THE TOP REASON TO VISIT THE BAHAMAS IN 2019? Visitors can take advantage of the Florida/Bahamas $250 air/cruise ferry credit to reach the charm of the Out Islands. Booking period is January 1-31, 2019, for travel between January 2 to October 31, 2019. Experience the unbeatable beaches and clearest waters in the world. Bookable through tour operators and via Majestic Holidays.
14 06.11.2018
St Lucia (CA260) is gearing up for the 40th anniversary of its independence in 2019 with a series of events, beginning with an inaugural horse race from the new track at Beausejour in Vieux Port in February. Groundbreaking work has also begun on the new terminal at Hewanorra International airport. This is expected to take two years and include improvements to the runway. The existing terminal will remain during the new developments. Hotel improvements continue
apace, but heritage and culture takes precedence in the 40th anniversary year – a village tourism initiative begins in January to encourage visitors to experience the real St Lucia.
This goes on trial in Gros Islet, Anse La Raye and the former capital, Soufriere, before being rolled out to another five locations. Art, music, food, craft, storytelling and dance will play a role in promoting the destination’s traditional Caribbean culture.
A governing body for village tourism will be announced by January 2019. Sustainable tourism is also a key part of the promotional message this year.
The island is gearing up to celebrate its 40th year of independence NEW ROUTE
Madrid-Panama City route for Air Europa
Latin American carrier Air Europa (CA330) is launching a new route from Madrid to Panama City, opening up the narrow strip of Central America to European travellers. With promotional fares from £439 return, the Panama flight will depart Madrid at 15.05 arriving at 19.40 the same day. The return leg departs at 21.40 arriving in Madrid at 13.15 the next day. The standard lead-in fare is £542 return.
The service will use new 787-Dreamliner aircraft, and begin with five rotations weekly (Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday), increasing to daily from June 1, 2019.
For British travellers, Air Europa operates twice-daily flights between Madrid and Gatwick; the airline is a member of the Sky Team alliance
The service from Madrid to Panama City will use new 787-Dreamliner aircraft
and has frequent connections to Madrid from other European cities. Colin Stewart, Air Europa’s UK director, said: “Recife in Brazil and Ecuador’s capital, Quito, are the two most recently added destinations to the Air Europa network and have both shown steady growth, with last
St Lucia minister for tourism, information and broadcasting, Dominic Fedee, announced the launch of a new National Tourism Advisory Committee in September, with the aim of sharing ideas and setting standards for best practice in sustainable tourism. He said: “We have brought together the key organisations and departments who contribute to the success of our tourism industry in St Lucia. Together, our vision is to create a sustainable and competitive future for our tourism, in a structured manner by reviewing its effectiveness with visitors and impact on our local communities.” Squaring environmental concerns with visitor arrivals is a challenge as St Lucia reports a 10.6% increase as of June 2018 at 278,194 in total, not taking the high season into account. UK visitors are up 5.1% to 49,656, not including cruise or yacht arrivals. The UK is the second largest international market after the USA.
December and January showing the highest revenue on both routes. “After the Panama launch in February 2019, a new service to Iguazu, Argentina, is scheduled to start in June.”
Travel agents can get involved with an online training course at
onlinetraveltraining.com. There are also quarterly agent incentives with prizes relating to Air Europa’s partnership with the Gaucho chain of restaurants. Drop by the stand to find out more.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80
