The Saint Lucia Tourist Board is welcoming increased flights and special fares to the island from Atlanta on Delta Air Lines. The US carrier is increasing service between Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport and Saint Lucia’s Hewanorra International Airport from 7 to 10 flights per week.

DL421 departs ATL at 9:40AM and arrives UVF at 2:22PM

DL426 departs UVF at 3:22PM and arrives ATL at 8:10PM

*DL491 departs ATL at 8:35AM and arrives UVF at 1:17P on Saturdays, Sundays, and Mondays

*DL548 departes UVF at 2:07PM and arrives ATL at 6:54PM on Saturdays, Sundays, and Mondays

*Will operate from June 12th to August 15th

Director of Tourism Louis Lewis said “We welcome the additional airlift to the island. Delta’s Atlanta hub provides connections for passengers to our island from the east and west coast, making the island even more accessible.” He noted that Saint Lucia expects record tourism arrivals in what is generally regarded as a slow summer season for the Caribbean.

“With our Carnival and Homecoming celebrations set for July, we believe Saint Lucia will continue to build on the excellent US growth we have been realizing since last November,” Lewis added.

Effective May 12, 2010 Delta will offer a special US$488* round-trip fare* between Atlanta and Saint Lucia. The fare is valid only for travel between May 19 and July 31. Tickets must be purchased by May 31.

In the magazine’s Editor-In-Chief’s 2010 Awards, Saint Lucia received the number one selection, while Soufrière’s Jade Mountain was named the Best Caribbean Resort.
“With its dramatic scenery, rich history and vibrant culture, Saint Lucia truly is a Caribbean gem,” said Bill Panoff, publisher and editor-in-chief of the Fort Lauderdale-based magazine. “You can never forget your first sight of Saint Lucia’s majestic Pitons rising from the sea. With its many attributes, Saint Lucia is poised to develop even more as a major cruise destination in the eastern Caribbean.”

Senator Allen Chastanet, Saint Lucia’s Minister of Tourism and Civil Aviation, said “this recognition tells us we are moving in the right direction. We have made strong progress in improving our cruise tourism product, and continue to work towards ensuring our visitors have the best experience.” Congratulating Jade Mountain for chalking up yet another accolade that puts Saint Lucia on the map, Senator Chastanet added: “We have set a goal to become a marquee tourism destination in the Caribbean, and these world class recognitions confirm that we are right on track.”
Magazine Names Saint Lucia Number One in the Caribbean
From cover to cover, Porthole Cruise Magazine features expertly written, sophisticated cruise and travel editorial for savvy consumers worldwide. Seasoned travel writers feature stories, opinions, tips, and insights into the places they go and adventures they experience. Writers and columnists cover everything from the latest trends in cruise travel to ship reviews, cuisine, popular culture and entertainment, luxury travel tips, and humor.
The Saint Lucia accolades appear in the magazine’s February 2010 edition which is currently available on newsstands across North America.
Read more at http://www.porthole.com/html/EICPages/Awards_EditorInChief_2010.htm

In expressing his excitement about the series, Tourism Minister Allen Chastanet explained that he was “extremely pleased with the manner in which the Saint Lucia Tourist Board had worked tirelessly behind the scenes to ensure the successful and timely filming of the episodes. What’s even more commendable is the cooperation received from a number of resorts and restaurants on Saint Lucia which will be featured prominently over the two episodes.”

Since the series premier last week, Saint Lucia has received a tremendous amount of press, particularly in the US. Below is a link to an episode of “Entertainment Tonight” that aired on Jan. 5, which highlights the lush landscapes of Saint Lucia.  “Entertainment Tonight” is a leading entertainment news show with several million viewers nightly. The narrated segment features The Bachelor, Jake, running along one of the beaches on Saint Lucia, as well as standing against a gorgeous backdrop of the Pitons. You can you view the clip here: http://showroom.multivisioninc.com/share.do?id=120074&key=afY67Msy2RwNoMs4uIbnqFc7A9g1bkwA&email=jcook@currentlm.com

Saint Lucia was noted among online reports of the new season, with mentions of Saint Lucia as the destination for the final rose ceremony. Please see below for direct links for your reference:

• Access Hollywood (4.8 MM impressions): http://www.accesshollywood.com/dish-of-salt-thursday-tv-round-up_article_26581
• IslandMix.com (47,300 impressions): http://www.islandmix.com/backchat/f6/abc-reveals-bachelor-finale-st-lucia-207835/
• DigitialSpy.com (3,100 impressions): http://www.digitalspy.com/ustv/s77/the-bachelor/news/a191666/abc-reveals-teasers-for-new-bachelor.html
• Examiner.com (11.5 MM impressions) : http://www.examiner.com/x-11850-Bachelorette-Examiner~y2009m12d11-ABC-reveals-Bachelor-finale-in-St-Lucia-Jake-Pavelka-takes-girls-on-InStyle–Six-Flags-dates
• RealityTVWorld.com (423,900 impressions): http://www.realitytvworld.com/news/jillian-harris-ed-swiderski-aid-jake-pavelka-on-bachelor-premiere-10078.php
• TVGrapevine.com (5,700 impressions): http://www.tvgrapevine.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=5908:the-bachelor-on-the-wings-of-love-season-premiere&catid=121:the-bachelor-2010&Itemid=100

Fans can follow the current Bachelor series on ABC every Monday night at 9:00 p.m. local time. For more on the series, log on to www.abc.com.

The Saint Lucia Tourist Board reports its preliminary tourism arrival figures for November 2009.

Stay-Over Arrivals

The preliminary stay-over figures revealed a 9% increase in arrivals for the month of November, increasing from 19,803 in 2008 to 21,556 in 2009.

In reviewing performance by markets, the US was the only main source market to record an increase in arrivals; stay-over arrivals increased from 5,622 in November 2008 to 8,101 in November 2009. This 44.1% increase in arrivals however, is characterized by a 56% increase in persons on vacation, 49% increase in business arrivals and a 25% increase in persons visiting family or friends. This increase can be attributed to the additional airlift from Jet Blue which began in the last week of October this year.

The German market experienced a 142% increase in visitor arrivals, from 222 in the same period last year, to 537 in the month of November. This significant increase can be attributed to the re-introduction of the weekly Condor flight direct from Germany, which began on November 1st. Several other individual countries also recorded an increase in arrivals for the month of November including France, Austria, Trinidad & Tobago and Guyana.

The other three main source markets of the UK, the Caribbean and Canada recorded marginal declines in arrivals, when compared with previous months. Arrivals from Canada fell by 8.6% to 2,204 visitors, while the UK market recorded a 5.5% decrease, dropping from 6,700 arrivals in November 2008 to 6,330 this month. The greatest loss experienced however, was from the Caribbean market, where arrivals fell from 3,814 in 2008 to 3,065 in 2009, indicating a decrease of 19.6%.

Cruise & Yachting Arrivals

The cruise sector continues to surpass its performance each year. There were 10 more cruise calls this month in comparison to the same period in 2008, which resulted in a total of 78,213 cruise arrivals; an increase of 11.3%.

The Yachting Sector also performed well, with 104 more yachts docking in Saint Lucia this month than in the same period of 2008; a 36% increase. This has resulted in 1,656 arrivals – 17.1% more than last year.

YEAR-TO-DATE FIGURES (JANUARY–NOVEMBER 2009) STAY-OVER ARRIVALS BY MARKET

Year-to-date figures for the period January to November 2009 show an overall 6.9% decline in stay over arrivals, from the same period one year ago, falling from 269,588 in 2008 to 250,935 in 2009.

The greatest loss experienced was from the UK market, which fell by 14.9% from the same period last year, bringing arrivals for this year to 65,295. The US market also recorded a similar decrease in arrivals over the eleventh-month period; at 89,515, arrivals fell by 11.4%.

The Caribbean continues to perform relatively well, having recorded positive growths for the past four months. To date, 54,494 arrivals have been recorded from this market, indicating a 0.1% increase over 2008’s arrivals. The largest contributors thus far, have been Martinique (18,149), Barbados (8,500) and Trinidad & Tobago (8,480). Significant increases have also been noted from the Bahamas (123%), BVI (85%), Puerto Rico (72%) and St. Maarten (69%).

Canada is the island’s fourth largest market, totaling 24,858 arrivals for the year. This is one of the few markets to record significant increases in arrivals over the one year period. To date, visitor arrivals are 11% higher than in the previous year, due mainly to the airlift coming out from Canada earlier this year.

Visitors from Germany have increased by 30.6% from the previous year and it is anticipated that this figure will continue to show signs of improvement, with Condor’s direct flight from Germany to Saint Lucia extending into the new year. France also showed a strong growth in arrivals of 26.7% for the first eleven months of this year, compared to the same period last year.

CRUISE & YACHT ARRIVALS

Cruise passenger arrivals increased by 15% from 512,600 in 2008 to 589,451 in the same period in 2009. This coincided with the 31.5% increase in cruise ship calls during 2009.

Arrivals by yacht continue to show steady growth, with increases being recorded every month for the last eleven months. To date, arrivals have increased from 20,217 in 2008 to 28,453 in 2009, indicating a growth of 40.7%.

Former Tourist Board Financial Controller Donovan Lorde was extradited back to his St Lucian homeland yesterday afternoon, after appearing before a Port of Spain magistrate.

Lorde, 39, accused of embezzling over 300,000 East Caribbean dollars from the St Lucia Tourism Board, had fled that country since July this year. Following the incident St Lucia Tourism Minister Allen Chastanet called for more government audits of statutory bodies like the Saint Lucia Tourist Board.

Lorde was arrested on a provisional warrant around 3.50 p.m. on Wednesday in the Port of Spain area, during an exercise which involved detectives of the Counter Drug Crime Task Force and Organised Crime Narcotics and Firearms Bureau.

When he appeared in the Eleventh Court yesterday, Lorde, who resides in Castries, did not contest his extradition and was taken directly to the Piarco International Airport, where he boarded Liat flight 772 at 3.30 p.m.

The annual Mr. and Miss SLHTA pageant has always been the most rewarding of pageants here in Saint Lucia and this year has been no exception. The nineteenth edition of the event was held on Saturday October 24 at the Gaiety on Rodney bay and was a resounding success this year, with a good attendance and high quality performances. The eventual winners were Andreas Francis of Windjammer Landing who was crowned Mr. SLHTA and Miss SLHTA, Leona Constable of Coconut Bay beach resort and spa.

On Sunday afternoon the SLHTA organized the prize giving ceremony at Coconut Bay where all nine contestants were hosted for a day of fun and relaxation by the resort.

In attendance were the nine contestants; Miquel La Porte of Sandals Regency, Andreas Francis of Windjammer Landing Beach Resort and Spa and Vejay Sydney representing the Hotel management Services, Leona Constable of Coconut Bay Beach Resort and Spa, Miguelda St. Ange of Windjammer Landing Villa Beach Resort and Spa (first runner up), Glenda Abbott of Sandals Resorts (second runner up), Vernessa Gilbert of the Marina at Marigot Bay, Velma Soody of the Association of Travel Consultants and Ria Herman representing the Intimate Inns of Saint Lucia.

The event was also attended by chaperones, sponsors, the Executive VP of the St. Lucia Hotel and Tourism Association McHale Andrew, Daniel Belizaire Special Events Chairman of the SLHTA, Kingsley Pawlette, one of the founders of the pageant, Vishal Bhalla General Manager of Coconut Bay, Joe Dubois chairman of the SLHTA pageant committee, other committee members and invited guest. Following brief remarks by Joe Dubois and McHale Andrew who both gave this year’s event the thumbs up the contestants were all presented with certificates and gifts. The big winners, the Mr. and Miss SLHTA, Andreas Francis and Leona Constable were given the big prizes which included their personal trophies and hotel trophies compliments First Caribbean bank. They each also received a two year scholarship to attend Monroe College Saint Lucia, jewelry, cell-phones, watches, weekend passes to luxurious hotels, dinners and spa treatments.

The event ended with guests and contestants mingling at a cocktail reception which brought the curtains down on this year’s edition of the SLHTA pageant.

The German Office has thus far covered four major cities in the German speaking markets including Vienna (Austria) on September 28, Zurich (Switzerland) on September 29 Fuerth (Germany) September 30, and Essen (Germany) on October 1st Representatives from Almond Resorts, Anse Chastanet/Jade Mountain, Coco Resorts,Marigot Bay and Sandals Resorts, as well as Condor Reps out of Austria and Switzerland, all participated in this leg of the German Road Shows.

Karolin Troubetzkoy, Executive Director, Marketing and Operations of Anse Chastanet/Jade Mountain and soon to be sworn in as German Honorary Consel for Saint Lucia, was present at the events and expressed her satisfaction with the organization of the various activities, “I wanted to thank you (SLTB Germany Team) for having organized this fantastic road show over the last few weeks. I was particularly impressed with the agent turn out and the great organization of all of the activities.” Troubetzkoy remarked that, “The cooking schools could not have been chosen better, and I feel we have certainly made a very good impression on all of these agents.”

The evening functions were held in trendy cooking schools, where the guests experienced an interesting mix of workshops, presentations held by the SLTB and its partners, and cooking lessons held by professional cooks who taught participants how to prepare typical Saint Lucian dishes.

According to Anjte Rudhart, of the SLTB’s Germany Office, “The atmosphere was very relaxed and unique, and the feedback from the trade and press was extremely positive,because this form of workshop was “beyond the ordinary”.”

“We wanted to ensure that only highly qualified agents attend the events, so we invited the top tour operators of each country – Ruefa, TUI Austria and Sunny Islands in Austria; Kuoni and Caribtours in Switzerland; DERTour and Meier’s Weltreisen in Germany to bring along their best selling agencies,” Rudhart added.

A combined total of 137 travel agents and tour operators were trained during the Germany Road Shows. Several members of the trade press were also in attendance, which afforded the local resorts the opportunity to share valuable information on their properties and Saint Lucia in general.

Director of Tourism Louis Lewis is also very pleased with the outcome of the activities inGermany. He says, “the positive feedback generated from the travel trade in Germany and the press the island will receive as a result, can only augur well for Saint Lucia’s thriving  tourism industry, which is also expected to experience an increase in arrivals from the German market with the re-introduction of Condor’s weekly service from Frankfurt into Hewanorra International Airport from November 1 this year.”

The Road Shows are just one aspect of the Saint Lucia Tourist Board’s marketing plan,which is targeted towards the discerning traveler. The US/Canada leg of the Road Shows, which also began in September, will continue throughout the next few months.

More great news from Air Caraïbes the regional airline of the French Caribbean. Not only has the airline managed to defy a trend; losses suffered by other regional and international carriers, but this summer Air Caraïbes has successfully operated charter flights bringing hundreds of French holidaymakers to St Lucia. The airline has been recognised as one that can accommodate travellers at the spur of the moment – whether their journey was planned or not – and particularly in St Lucia.

Flights to George F L Charles Airport and hotels in the north accommodated well over 900 passengers and flights to Hewanorra International Airport and Coconut Bay Beach Resort & Spa took this figure well over the thousand mark. What makes this achievement more outstanding is that some of the passengers were headed for other destinations, but due to the live radio programmes with RCI in Martinique promoting Coconut Bay Beach Resort & Spa – with their own catchy jingle on the French waves – the potential French traveler became inquisitive.

The Travel Agents in Martinique and Guadeloupe consistently promoted St. Lucia and provided very attractive packages to the island. Martiniqcans were very curious which ultimately resulted in their vacations being re-directed to St Lucia.

Thanks to all staff involved – Air Caraïbes, Coconut Bay Beach Resort & Spa, resorts in St Lucia’s north and south, The Travel Boutique Inc and other local operators – Air Caraibes rose to the challenge in making every charter bounded north or south a success and exposed St. Lucia with flying colours!

The Travel Boutique Inc, a full service Travel Agency & Destination Management Company has handled the French market in St Lucia for the past five years and has provided exclusive sales and marketing for Coconut Bay Beach Resort and Spa for the last four years. The Travel Boutique Inc is equally responsible for the recent increased flow of French tourists to St Lucia, with other hotels in the north of the island benefitting from its exclusive representation. Cleopatra ‘Judy’ Mason, Managing Director of The Travel Boutique Inc and Air Caraïbes’ local Manager commends the ground operation at GFL Charles and Hewanorra Airports. The presence of a uniformed Air Caraïbes representative, French and English announcements and cultured assistance, comforted passengers and will ultimately encourage passengers’ returns.

As a destination, St. Lucia promotes its unspoilt beauty, its people’s friendliness and charm and with the economic gains from the US dollar fluctuating, opens up to clients from mainland France – St Lucia is becoming the hot ticket for French travellers. It’s the total Air Caraïbes experience that makes the airline stand out from the crowd.

They operate an innovative customer service package that begins before passengers set foot on their ATR’s. Air Caraïbes’ Director of Ground Operations Mr. Richard De Gryse plans to make St Lucia the third biggest passenger provider after Martinique and Guadeloupe from Paris, and under Ms Mason’s direction his aim is quickly becoming a reality.

During the flight passengers are treated to impeccable hospitality, individual video screens, adjustable head rests, leather seats, French and English speaking staff and delicious French-Creole cuisine.

Castries, Saint Lucia – Tuesday April 28^th, 2009 – The Saint Lucia Tourist Board would like to assure the public – Jazz enthusiasts who plan to participate in next week’s Jazz Festival, as well as those who have booked vacations to Saint Lucia – that there have been NO reported cases of the Swine Flu currently threatening Mexico and certain parts of the US and Canada.

As indicated by the National Emergency Management Organization (NEMO), the Ministry of Health and other relevant agencies, Saint Lucia is adequately prepared and equipped to handle any such cases should they be detected.

The Saint Lucia Tourist Board would therefore like to allay the fears of all who have travelled, planning to, or have bought tickets for the 18^th annual Saint Lucia Jazz, that plans are being fine tuned to ensure that all the requisite provisions are being put in place to ensure the safety of all Saint Lucians and visitors.

Managing Director and founder of The Travel Boutique Inc. Cleopatra “Judy” Mason remarked on the launch saying ‘despite the economic climate affecting Global Travel, this really is an exciting day for the St Lucian travel industry. We have designed a website that cuts out the hassle of booking your travel, and in doing so, opened up the travel industry to many more people not just locally, but regionally and internationally. No more calling around to find out rates for Travel services, http://www.the-travel-boutique.com/ caters for all ages, abilities interests and languages. The website was designed by a local web solutions firm Advanced Intellectual Methods (www.aimstlucia.com) -who have several years of experience in the Travel marketing Industry. Project Manager for Advanced Intellectual Methods, Keitha Glace states: “Working with The Travel Boutique Inc to develop this website was a great experience as they were very engaged throughout the development process. It’s a true testament that great things can be accomplished when clients are involved in the developmental process.” So take some time and call, visit and most importantly visit http://www.the-travel-boutique.com/ we guarantee you, we’ve got something for everyone!’

About the Travel Boutique Inc.

Established in April 2004, The Travel Boutique Inc. has a team of young and dynamic professionals with over 15 years of combined experience and service in the Travel and Tourism Industry.

The Travel Boutique’s operations are not limited to the classical Destination Management. We focus on Corporate Clients as well as the avid traveler. We are also a full service Travel Agency with a strong French connection promoting and selling Travel & Leisure Services, Cruises, Weddings & Honey Moons, Linguistic Holidays, Medical Tourism, Event Planning, etc. Because we believe that the Tourism and Travel Business is an ever-changing one, The Travel Boutique Inc. aspires to develop other areas of the industry.