The Caribbean market is stepping up its family offering in a bid to compete globally. And, according to suppliers, travel agents now have an opportunity to promote the Caribbean as a real value-for-money destination to clients looking for a family holiday.
One company that has been actively targeting the family market with selected deals is Elite Island Resorts. Director Paula Whitehead says that, particularly with the current high prices in the eurozone, agents could show the value a Caribbean all-inclusive break can offer families.
“The school holiday weeks in May and October are the most aggressively priced,” she says. “For a family that wants to go away for a week, that’s when the Caribbean can compete with other destinations.”
Caribtours managing director Paul Cleary says the market at the moment is “okay, but not brilliant” and the operator, like the market in general, is finding it has to work harder on family bookings.
Unsurprisingly, the all-inclusive market is doing well. “That’s indicative of the market we are working in,” says Virgin Holidays head of product and commercial North America Angus Bond. “People are controlling costs.”
Selling points for the Caribbean include the amount of direct flights, that at around 9.5 hours, are shorter than many customers perceive.
Recently, hotels have adapted themselves to better accommodate the family market. Bond gives the example of Escape at the Gap in Barbados, which has rooms that can comfortably sleep up to six people. “Before, certain Caribbean hotels were trying to get into the family market but didn’t necessarily have the correct room sizes,” he adds. “Now there have been developments so they can comfortably accommodate families.”
The Caribbean is also getting much better at offering family activities. For children who are into football, research the Barbados Sports Camp that runs every year. Many hotels will offer eco-orientated activities for children, such as nature walks.
Established hotels offer a huge variety for children. Beaches Negril in Jamaica has a Scratch DJ Academy, and offers two-bedroom family suites with balconies and living room areas that can sleep up to five adults and three children. Treasure Beach in Barbados has even recently appointed a children’s concierge to look after their every whim.
“No one would have thought of offering something like this three or four years ago,” says Bond.
Family deals
Caribtours offers seven nights at Turtle Beach, Barbados from £1,184 per adult (saving £470), from £533 for the first child (saving £499) and from £795 (saving £230) for the second child sharing a Junior Suite on an all-inclusive basis. Price includes return flights with Virgin Atlantic and private transfers and is valid for travel from September-December. Book by September 23. caribtours.co.uk, 020 7751 0660
First Choice offers 14-night family holidays in Cozumel, Mexico, staying all-inclusive at the 3 Sun Holiday Village White Sands – which has academies for kids aged 0 to 15 years old – from £644 per person, a saving of £545 per person, departing Gatwick on September 25. firstchoice.co.uk, 0871 200 4455
Virgin Holidays offers a ‘kids stay and eat for free’ deal at the Coconut Bay Beach Resort and Spa in St Lucia. Seven nights’ all-inclusive start from £859 for adults and £449 for kids, including Virgin Atlantic flights from Gatwick, based on two adults and two children sharing an ocean view room on departures during November. vhols4agents.com, 0844 557 3859
The five-star Sandos Caracol Eco Resort and Spa in Mexico’s Playa del Carmen offers free kids places and a hotel-run kids’ club with entertainment, playground, arts and crafts and a mini disco. Medhotels offers seven nights’ all-inclusive from £256 per person for selected dates in October and November. medhotels.com, 0871 472 5256
Clinch the sale
If you’re selling the Caribbean to families with young children, here are some tips I picked up from a trip to Antigua that will show customers you know your product:
- Holiday Taxis were unable to get us a taxi with a car seat for a seven-month old baby. Advise clients they will need to take their own car seat. It is possible to get the seat shrink-wrapped before checking in at Gatwick.
- The local shops had limited baby items. Advise families with babies to pack formula milk, pots of food and British-brand nappies. Our health visitor advised using cooled, boiled Evian water for bottles.
- We ordered a cot for our room, but the sheet was a folded adult one and the mattress had a plastic cover, so advise clients to pack their own cot sheets.
- Airlines serving the Caribbean, particularly Virgin, are really geared up for entertaining children with games and ice-cream.
Sample product: Virgin Holidays has seven nights in Antigua, including scheduled flights with Virgin Atlantic from Gatwick, staying at Verandah Resort and Spa on an all-inclusive basis, including transfers. Prices start at £1,079 per person for departures between October 13 – 31, based on two adults sharing a standard room.
