ANTIGUA & BARBUDA TOURISM AUTHORITY

Get to Happy’ Highlights How Planning a Vacation and Visiting Antigua and Barbuda Will Result in Improved Life Happiness

New York, NY (May 3, 2016) – For an early start to the busy summer season, the Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority New York Office has launched a compelling new marketing campaign called ‘Get to Happy’. The premise of this campaign is driven by statistically proven data that states positive vacations lead to increased happiness. The promotion will target consumers and travel agents and highlight all the “happy” attributes Antigua and Barbuda has to offer which will in turn entice visitors to book a trip to the destination this summer and fall. This integrated marketing campaign will be a 360 promotion that will target several consumer and trade touch points that will include email marketing, public relations, social media, offline activations and print advertising. To maximize the impact of the new campaign, ‘Get to Happy,’ will focus the majority of the digital marketing and advertising in the destination’s key markets in the U.S. With the destination experiencing amazing double-digit growth for the first quarter of 2016, ‘Get to Happy’ is expected to continue this positive momentum in growth and popularity as the destination of choice by increasing Antigua and Barbuda’s presence in the digital space. ‘Get to Happy’ will drive engagement with continued conversation about Antigua and Barbuda that will increase awareness and bookings.

To give everyone a chance to ‘Get to Happy,’ the campaign will feature an online sweepstakes offering an all-inclusive trip to ‘happy’ on Antigua and Barbuda. The winner will receive a 5 day, 4 night stay at the luxurious Inn at English Harbour for two, round-trip airfare, VIP service and round-trip ground transfers. The campaign and supporting information is housed on www.antiguabarbudabuzz.com. Launched in participation with award-winning partner hotels, restaurants, tours and attractions, visitors to the Antigua Barbuda Buzz website will find additional information about available packages and great deals offered by partners. To make booking even easier, visitors to the site can book their travel directly with dedicated partners, Expedia and JetBlue Getaways.

The ‘Get to Happy’ campaign will also feature a special promotion in June in celebration of 10 years of June as the ‘Month of Romance’ in Antigua and Barbuda highlighting Antigua and Barbuda’s strengths as a destination of choice for Romance travel including destination weddings and honeymoons. This sub-campaign appropriately themed ‘30 Days of Love’ will feature a Facebook Contest where engaged couples will get the chance to win an all expenses paid wedding in Antigua and Barbuda in June 2017 where applicants will be asked to share their unique love stories in order to win. Sponsor partners for this exciting giveaway are Jetblue Getaways and the Blue Waters hotel. In addition, given that there is a no residency requirement in Antigua and Barbuda, throughout the month there will be a variety of special wedding and honeymoon packages available that are particularly lucrative for those in the market for destination weddings, making the process much easier for planning.

CEO of the Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority, Colin James, is particularly excited about this campaign, “As a country our goal is to share how wonderful our twin islands are, from our stunning 365 beaches, to vast range of activities that include swimming with some of the largest stingrays to award-winning spas, to the full gamut of dining options, to perhaps most importantly the warmth and hospitality of the people of Antigua and Barbuda. We are passionate about sharing the magic of Antigua and Barbuda as we legitimately believe that we are improving lives for visitors by offering them truly amazing experiences, and ‘Get to Happy’ highlights just how beneficial visiting is.”