The Antigua and Barbuda Tourist Board is focusing its marketing efforts over the next 12 months on developing its niche products.
The islands are already well established as a sailing and yachting destination, but other products such as weddings and honeymoons, diving and sports tourism will be highlighted at a range of consumer holiday shows and other trade and consumer events.
A series of agent fam trips are also in the pipeline for 2000, which will target specificmarkets.
“Diving is an area where we think we have potential.
“It’s becoming such a popular thing to do now and we really haven’t promoted the excellent diving opportunities we have in Antigua,” said Antigua and Barbuda UK director of tourism Sandra Scotland.
“We’ll be taking several groups of agents down to the islands next year to try out our diving, but we’ll also be targeting the consumer directly by attending the Dive ’99 show at the NEC in Birmingham in October for the first time in many years.
“We also need to get our dive product featured in more brochures. We are not presently in any of the specialist diving programmes, except for Hayes and Jarvis.”
Hot Air Balloon Festival
A number of operators have put together special prices and packages for Antigua’s Hot Air Balloon Festival which takes place at Jolly Harbour from November 22-December 2 this year.
The festival has attracted up to 30 balloons from around the world and for the first time there will be a range of activities on the ground that spectators can participate in.
In the evenings ‘nightglow’ shows are taking place at designated spots on the island. The pinnacle of the festival is the Weekend Gala, an extravaganza similar in style and atmosphere to Antigua’s carnival.
For those wishing to attend the festival, First Choice is offering a 14-night stay, leaving Gatwick on November 21 with a stay at the Royal Antiguan on a room only basis at £769 per person.
Kuoni is also offering special deals throughout the festival, with flights on either British Airways or Virgin Atlantic. Rates for seven nights’ room only at Hawksbill start at £594. Seven nights’ all-inclusive at the Rex Blue Heron leads in at £729.
Sailing and yachting
Antigua is a world-famous sailing centre and highlights of its annual sailing calendar include the Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta and Sailing Week which takes place in April or May, when the world’s fastest and most beautiful yachts congregate for racing and a series of social events.
The island’s warm weather and constant breezes provide ideal conditions for sailing and yachting activities of all kinds and both crewed and bareboat yacht charters are freely available throughout the island.
Sailing specialist Sunsail runs its only Caribbean sailing club, Club Colonna, on the island’s north coast at Hodges Bay. The club, which has recently been refurbished at a cost of £1m, is aimed at all levels of sailor, including beginners.
Sports tourism
The Antigua and Barbuda Tourist Office is planning to host a festival of sports on Antigua next year in conjunction with tour operator Tropical Places and hotel representation company IHM.
Sports Fest 2000 will take place in May at the Jolly Harbour Marina Club and will showcase a wide variety of sports including windsurfing, waterskiing, tennis, scuba diving, golf, sailing and even cricket under the guidance of Antiguan cricket legend Viv Richards.
If successful, the organisers of Sports Fest hope to hold the event again in November 2000 and then quarterly from then on.
“We have held one or two small sporting events in Antigua over the past couple of years and they have been very well attended,”said Antigua and Barbuda UK director of tourism Sandra Scotland.
“We see the Sports Fest as a great way to bring business to Antigua in our slower months and therefore extend our season.”
Weddings
Getting married in Antigua and Barbuda has become easier over the past two years since a minimum stay requirement before the ceremony was abolished.
The legal arrangements have also been simplified so that couples need make only one visit to the Ministry of Justice and Legal Affairs in capital St Johns. The licence fee is around $150 plus a $40 registration fee.
Most of Antigua’s hotels are licensed to perform wedding ceremonies and will have a wedding co-ordinator who can arrange all aspects of the ceremony.
Tour operators that feature wedding packages in Antigua include Tradewinds, Thomson, and British Airways Holidays. Unijet has a dedicated wedding brochure for the first time this year, which includes wedding packages in Antigua.
Kuoni’s now well-established stand-alone Wedding programme offers packages at 10 Antiguan hotels, including Blue Waters, Mango Bay and Sandals Antigua. Prices start at around £295 per couple at Hawksbill Beach.
Diving
Antigua does not spring to mind as an obvious diving destination, but the Antigua and Barbuda Tourist Office is planning to change that.
Antigua boasts around 365 beaches and it is possible to scuba dive along the coral reefs straight from many of them.
There is a wide variety of diving sites, wrecks and reefs, notably Cade’s Reef to the south west of the island, while underwater species include eagle rays, lobster, barracuda, turtles, tiger groupers and nurse sharks.
As a destination Antigua is comparatively undiscovered by the diving fraternity so sites can be enjoyed without the crowds. It is a good place for divers of all levels, while several sites are particularly good for beginners.
There are a number of dive operators across the island that can provide afternoon in-resort courses for beginners, as well as PADI, NAUI, NASDA and SSI certification for more experienced divers.
Hayes and Jarvis includes Antigua in its dedicated diving programme, featuring the Rex Blue Heron and Jolly Harbour Marina Club. Dive packages cost from £177 for five days including the tanks and weights at Jolly Harbour.