Hotel & Tourism SMARTreport #32

AMERICAS & CARIBBEAN INBOUND
TRENDING DESTINATIONS
Hermitage bay Antigua
Mingling with the locals as the
sun sets at Shirley’s Heights
THE BEACH IS JUST
THE BEGINNING
Antigua Barbuda offers a wide diversity of attractions
and authentic experiences
Celebrating 35 years of independence after British rule,
the Antigua Barbuda Tourism Authority is promoting
“authentic experiences”. We asked Jean-Marc
Flambert, Vice-President, Sales & Marketing, UK & Europe to
tell us more…
Antigua and Barbuda are gems
in the Caribbean and possibly
not known enough. Being a
former British colony, the British
know the islands rather well, but
we are really trying to share this
message globally. We have 365
beaches in Antigua – as we say,
one for every day of the year, and
we talk about Barbuda as our
twin island.
We are only seven and a half
hours from Europe, and we are
very well connected, with BA
and Virgin, Thomas Cook from
Manchester and Condor from
and we also of course have
American and regional carriers.
Our regional strength comes
from the fact that Antigua is
really a hub for the Caribbean,
and our airport is very modern
and efficient.
People predominantly come
to relax, for the warmth and
guaranteed sunshine, and for the
twin island experience. A lot of
people dream of island hopping,
and if that means crossing
international borders, the process
can be cumbersome and lengthy.
But travellers can take a fifteenminute
flight from Antigua to
Barbuda as a domestic flight
and spend the day there, and
we have other islands within our
territorial waters.
What are some of the key
attractions?
The area around English Harbour
has just been given UNESCO
World Heritage status, as it is the
longest running naval dockyard
in the world, so that is a good
reason to visit, and there are
many ‘different’ sea-based
activities, such as swimming with
the stingrays.
On land, there’s hiking & cycling
– in fact you can cycle around the
whole island in a day. Importantly,
at Shirley’s Heights lookout point,
every Sunday, the place comes
alive with a steel band, barbecue
and sunset drinks – an activity
that the Antiguans do – and you
are invited to join… it’s not an
artificial thing just for tourists.
You get to meet the people of
the island and live as they do •
Jean-Marc
Flambert
Vice-President,
Sales & Marketing,
UK & Europe, Antigua
Barbuda Tourism Authority