ANTIGUA & BARBUDA TOURISM AUTHORITY

The group poses with team from Hawksbill by Rex Resorts after site inspection - June 16 - 23 UK Fam Trip

In a fun-filled week organised by The Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority’s UK Office in collaboration with tour providers, agents took to the caribbean seas for adventures on a pirate cruise, buckled up for a thrilling ride across Antigua’s rain-forest by zip-line, and kayaked through the lagoons on the south coast of the island.

“Antigua and Barbuda is an exciting destination with great activities and accommodation to suit a wide range of budgets and we would like to promote it as that”, said Maria Blackman, Tourism Officer, at the UK Office. 

“Prior to the trip, most of the agents sold Antigua and Barbuda, with little or no first-hand knowledge of the destination. Our agents need to be fully-versed on our product, so that they will be in a better position to recommend it to their clients.”

During their trip, agents enjoyed a taste of Antigua when they took part in cooking classes at the Hawksbill Hotel. They sampled dishes created by Executive chef, Sean Weekes that included local fruits, mango and pineapple. A historical tour to Nelson’s Dockyard revealed the ties shared between Antigua and British Naval hero Admiral Horatio Nelson.  And later, agents danced the evening away to the live music at the popular Shirley’s Heights Sunday night sunset party.

Agents enjoyed accommodation graciously provided by Hawksbill by Rex Resorts and The Inn at English Harbour.

The Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority, in conjunction with the Ministry of Tourism and the Antigua Hotel Tourist Association also coordinated a number of site inspections for the agents.

The agents visited, Galley Bay Resort, Sandals Grande Antigua Resort and Spa, Jolly Beach Resort and Spa, Sugar Ridge, St. James’s Club, Blue Waters, Grand Pineapple Beach Resort, Curtain Bluff, Carlisle Bay, The Catamaran Hotel, The Copper and Lumber Store Hotel.

Agents, who participated in this recently concluded trip, came from reputable travel agencies and tour operators to include: Travel Counsellors, Hayes and Jarvis, American Express Membership Travel Services, Co-operative Travel, New Horizons Travel, Worldwide Travel Solutions, Future Travel and Traveleads.

Susan Pye, senior consultant at Traveleads one of the UK’s leading travel companies, who had only just visited Antigua said, she can now happily describe to clients what the island of Antigua has to offer.

“My overall impression of the destination since my return, confirms my initial pre-conceptions of the island, in that Antigua is a beautiful, lush, welcoming island with stunning scenery and beaches offering something for everyone. I was particularly impressed with how friendly and laid-back everyone was towards us and often welcoming us with open arms and a friendly hug,” said Pye.

“I can now confidently promote and sell Antigua to all types of clientele and fit the right property to the client’s needs, whether they are looking for a smaller traditional good value property or an all-inclusive for the more budget conscious, to the more exclusive and luxury style hotel”, she said. 

The UK Office will maintain relations with the group and will run incentives to reward those who make bookings to the destination following their recent trip.

As the Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority continues its aim to grow business to the destination, another group of UK agents have already touched down in Antigua for one more FAM designed to showcase Antigua and Barbuda’s tourism product and activities featured in the UK office’s Summer Gold discount card promotion.

The Summer Gold card, offers holidaymakers fantastic savings and great value added deals between June and September this year.  Summer Gold card holders benefit from exclusive discounts at over 30 participating companies with offers encompassing hotel day passes, diving trips, restaurants, excursions, yacht charters and more.  To find out how you can receive your summer gold card visit www.antiguasummergold.com

Ahoy! Agents take a break from walking the plank to pose with crew from the Black Swan and Ministry of Tourism escort