My Barbados Blog

The Hilton Caribbean's Tee-Off Time package is available now through Dec. 31 at five Hilton Caribbean hotels and resorts.

The Hilton Barbados Tee Off packages starts at $389 per night, and includes accommodations, daily breakfast for two, two rounds of golf including cart rental or caddy per person, as well as transfers.

Rates for other Hilton island properties are as follows:

British Colonial Hilton Nassau, Bahamas from $314; The Hilton Kingston Jamaica from $259; The Hilton Ponce Golf & Casino Resort, Puerto Rico from $299; and The Hilton Trinidad & Conference Centre from $325.

Leave on Fri, Jun 13 - Return on Sun, Jun 15
$617.77 per person  ($1235.54 total)

Stay at Barbados Plum Tree Club
The Rockley Plum Tree Club offers apartment-style accommodations situated on the grounds of the Rockley Golf & Country Club, approximately six miles from Barbados International Airport and Bridgetown.

Other properties available at additional cost - however in our estimation - this is the best choice!

All prices are per person, double occupancy, and priced in USD. Package prices include all taxes & fees.

*Extra-person or extra-bed charges may apply if you reserve one hotel room for more than two people (including children).

Last minute vacation offer tremendous savings. If you don't see what you are looking for on the island of Barbados, or other Caribbean islands - bookmark this site and check back every 14 days. We usually have a great inventory of last minute deals on unsold hotel rooms and available airline seats.

Also don't think you always have to plan at the last minute. Plan your vacation, and check out last minute deals within 2 weeks of travel, and save up to 60% - Linda

Check out Last Minute Deals 

NOTE: While other airlines are raising rates, Southwest Airlines has refuted any changes to their baggage policy - it still allows passengers to check up to two free bags when they fly with Southwest and the airlines has no plans to change that - Kudos to them! - Linda

United Airlines initiated the 16th attempt to hike airfares late last week, and over the holiday weekend.

Continental Airlines, US Airways and Northwest Airlines matched, according to the airfare monitoring website FareCompare.com.

United's fare increase ranged from $10 to $60 roundtrip. City greater than 1,500 miles roundtrip (750 miles one-way) have been increased by $30 or $60; city pairs between 800 miles and 1,500 miles roundtrip (400-750 one-way) have been increased either $20 or $40 and city pairs under 800 miles (400 miles one-way) have been increase $10 or $20 roundtrip.

American Airlines also increased what appears to be mostly Southwest overlap routes by $6-$8 roundtrip.

AirTran raised fares by $50 across the bulk of its route system in the same airfare distribution. Alaska Airlines matched the increase increasing airfares ranging from $30 to $60 roundtrip.

Frontier Airlines has also added a $25 fee for a second checked bag, and Midwest Airlines also announced that it will charge a $20 fee for customers choosing to check a second bag.

Rick Seaney, CEO of FareCompare.com, said the timing of the increase, which came on the heels of low customer satisfaction, and American Airlines contentious $15 first check bag fee this week – is at best a bit tone deaf - underscore the desperate measures airlines are likely to take if oil prices continue rise unchecked.

Seaney said airlines have no choice but to pass on the cost of fuel to consumers and when passengers do begin to push back in significant numbers the airlines have no choice but slash capacity by that same amount.

However, he said that a bright spot for passengers is that airlines have to keep the planes completely full and that means those willing to travel on off-peak days like Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday and off-peak times of day can still get reasonably priced tickets if they don't procrastinate and start shopping a few months before departure.

For more information, visit www.farecompare.com

From honeymooners looking for a private, beach front suite in St. Lucia, to families looking to reconnect in fun-filled Jamaica, to individuals looking for a quiet escape from the frenetic pace of every day living in the Virgin Islands, or  Barbados.

Find out more about timesharing in the Caribbean at our website . . .

http://www.travel2thecaribbean.com/CaribbeanTimeshares.html

I agree with the survey results that money is not the main factor when celebrating a second honeymoon. We have booked six couples celebrating second honeymoons for Barbados this year.

The majority of the six have been married for over 20 years, and let's face it - you want something really special after that length of time. Five couples have booked at The Crane, with the remaining couple booking at Crystal Cove.

Hawaii topped the list for second honeymoons in the survey, but since we specialize in Caribbean travel - with a strong emphasis on Barbados, our results are obviously slanted towards this region. But I wholeheartedly agree that travel agents are the first to notice trends, and those of use who specialize in one particular area are less affected by new trends in travel.

While the Caribbean is not the first destination Americans choose for travel, our travel business continues to be strong for 2008. The main downside we see is the weak dollar forcing many Americans to travel closer to home, or in the case of the Caribbean, look for cheaper markets and travel specials - Linda

For overall travel, here's the results of ASTA's survey of agency owners and managers . . .

In its annual “Hot Spots for Summer” survey, the American Association of Travel Agents (ASTA) polled 585 travel agency owners and managers to determine the most popular second honeymoon destinations and uncover other emerging travel trends for 2008.

“Agents typically recognize travel trends long before anyone else,” said Cheryl Hudak, CTC, ASTA president and CEO.

“However, ASTA conducts these surveys to keep all of its members informed, especially those who specialize in one or two specific areas of travel and are generally less affected by trends. When agents are aware of current consumer demands, they are able to prepare and assist any client regardless of their travel expertise.”

According to respondents, Hawaii was the most popular second honeymoon destination with 24.4% share of the total response. While Hawaii can be more expensive than other destinations, respondents reported that money was less of a determining factor for couples who were taking a second honeymoon destination, compared to couples taking their first.

Cruising was ranked number two, with 11.6% share of the total response. Respondents routinely book cruises for second honeymooners because this type of vacation offers variety, convenience and, on-shore excursions, dining and shopping excluded, an all-inclusive package.

The third most popular second honeymoon destination, the Caribbean, also offers travelers endless options due to the number of islands that comprise this tourist-friendly oasis.

Jamaica and Cancun, ranked fourth and fifth respectively, rounded out the top five most popular second honeymoon destinations.

Although in the bottom half of the top 10, Europe, ranked number six, and Italy, ranked number seven, prove that interest in European vacations is still strong despite the current weakness of the US dollar.

With 3.5% share of the total response, Mexico claimed the number eight position. Tahiti, with 3.2%, and St. Lucia, with 3.0% of the total response, fell into ninth and tenth place respectively.

Saw this posting at Terry Breen's blog, and thought it was certainly worth posting. Terry is popular on the cruise lecture circuit, has written a cruise friendly onboard guide, and has sailed around Cape Horn 39 times, and through the Panama Canal 61 times! - Linda

The cruise ship terminal in Bridgetown, Barbados is so large it can now accommodate eight ships at one time. Not only are they calling on the island for traditional one day port stops, many cruise lines are now using Barbados as an embarkation and debarkation point port as well. Departure out of Barbados allows ships a chance to visit Caribbean and South American ports not accessible from Miami or Ft. Lauderdale on a typical seven day cruise.

Terry says that "one such itinerary that particularly caught my eye was offered by Fred Olsen Cruises" - From Barbados the Braemar sails to Manaus and back in fifteen days. All the Amazonian stops are included like Santarem and Parintins including an encore presentation of the ever popular Boi Bumba Festival.

Though most of the guests are coming from the United Kingdom, the chance to see the Amazon with the convenience and added savings of flying round-trip out of Barbados makes the opportunity an attractive one not to mention the opportunity to spend a few extra days in Barbados!

Source: Terry's Blog
 

Visit Cruise Friendly Onboard Guides

Air Jamaica is running a Springtastic Sale cutting up to 35% off vacation packages from the U.S. to all of its destinations in the Caribbean.

The sale is being offered through Air Jamaica Vacations and other tour operators. Packages are valid for travel from April 1 through June 30, making spring travel particularly affordable. Packages must be purchased by March 20.

Special Springtastic Sale packages are available from all Air Jamaica gateways in the United States and to a number of destinations in the Caribbean including: Jamaica, Barbados, Curacao and Grenada.

Departure cities include:

New York (JFK), Philadelphia, Baltimore/Washington, D.C. Chicago, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Miami, Fort Lauderdale, and Orlando.

Sample packages include:

7 Night Vacation (EP) (Best of Barbados) from New York (JFK) to Accra Beach Hotel & Resort, Barbados -$795

3 Night Vacation (EP) from Atlanta (ATL) for Samsara Cliff Resort, Jamaica, $355

3 Night All-Inclusive Vacation (AI) from New York (JFK) to Holiday Inn Sunspree Resort, Jamaica $515

Richard Sealy, Barbados Minister of Tourism says that Americans stay at brand hotels like the Barbados Hilton, and when visiting China choose McDonald's to eat. To sum Americans up, Sealy says, "That's just how they are, they like brand"

Just got through reading an article in the Barbados Nation News about the Barbados government looking at the possibility of building brand name hotels to attract more American visitors - *smch*

As much as I love Barbados, I get so tired of hearing about the efforts to attract Americans to the island.

Let's be real - tourism officials have only targeted Americans who make more than 100K per year. Last year the president of BTA (Barbados Tourism Authority) said that they know exactly where their target market is located in the U.S. So what's the problem?

I'll tell you what the problem is - The most popular islands that Americans visit in the Caribbean do not target a particular American market - they assume ALL Americans can and will visit their island - "It's Better in the Bahamas", and "Come Back to Jamaica". The average American watches a lot of TV! We Americans know these marketing slogans by heart, because we see and hear them all the time. Americans tend to latch onto things we see a lot - that's because we are bombarded with so much information, and so many advertising images. Hit and miss advertising campaigns do not win in America!

The Jamaica and Bahamas commercials brand the "island, it's people, and the culture" - so it's not about a certain hotel brand, or hardly the desire for a cheap burger. It's about a need to get away from stress, cold weather, and bask in the Caribbean sun and warm waters. It's about a feeling that the background music from these commercials bring - and it's tropical, friendly, entertaining and they want you to come! They tell you over and over again how much they want you to come - so American's do, it's really that simple.

But Barbados tourism has another marketing plan

The target group that Barbados spends all its effort, time and money on are the upscale American traveler who makes 100K per year or more. Now, the first downside is where are they getting these annual salary figures from? I ask because people lie a lot about how much money the make, or will possibly spend on a vacation.  

Okay, for those really in the target group, they love an island like Barbados, but they also love many other destinations in the world - particularly if offering unusual, unique properties with top notch service, food and amenities. This is a restless group that becomes easily bored with the same destination, because they can go just about anywhere in the world to vacation. They investigate destinations, get advice from family and friends, subscribe to upscale travel magazines, are member of elite travel clubs, and have experienced travel agents. Trust me, this group does not get all excited about brand name hotels unless it is something that is "one of a kind", and in the current world of travel, that's really saying something. This is also not the group that travels all the to China to dine at McDonalds - unless the kids really beg them.

Actually there are far more Americans that make less than 100K per year - so the tourism numbers are in this group. These are the travelers that spend thousands of vacation dollars every year in Antigua, Aruba, Bahamas, Jamaica, the Dominican, Puerto Rico, USVI, and other Caribbean islands.

So all along Barbados has been marketing to the wrong crowd of Americans. The upscale group travels to anywhere worth visiting, but only targeting to this group will eventually dry up American tourism numbers because there are only so many of them, and they are always in search of the next best destination.  On the other hand, travelers making less than 100K a year love a great vacation spot where they feel comfortable, that's affordable, and they can get to know the island well year after year. Target this group with the smaller property market on Barbados, add some consistent TV ads, and you have the start of growing more tourism from America.

And Americans are unpredictable, so do not think you know us so well Mr. Sealy, because this later group will also step up to the plate with upscale lodging - especially for a special occassion - so you are missing out big time ignoring them.   

The article also mentions UK visitors in comparison with Americans. From what I personally know about the UK tourism market, Brits tend to stay a lot longer than Americans. Most of them are not wealthy, and they know the Barbados lodging market, and the island quite well. First they make next years reservation as soon as they arrive on the island, or have a standing reservation from year to year. Second, they stay at smaller properties, or rent houses, and manage their budgets quite well for a month or two month stay. They also know where to get the best deals on everything because they have built relationships with local Bajans over the years. So, there really is no comparision between UK and American travelers except they both desire a great vacation destination. But if the Brits can stay for up to two months, surely an average American can have a great, affordable stay for a week or two.


Gov't Looking to 'Brand-Name Hotels' - Barbados Nation News

Last week I posted about airline news in the U.S. and Caribbean. Air Jamaica made a decision to stop its service to St Lucia in April, and I posed the question about continued service to Barbados.

Well that question has been answered - Air Jamaica is increasing  it's service to Barbados, along with Grenada - Linda  

Air Jamaica is increasing its seat capacity from JFK to both Barbados and Grenada, effective April 1, 2008.

Air Jamaica’s Sr. VP announced that the airline will continue to serve the New York - Barbados route with daily non-stop flights, and upgrading the existing A-320 Airbus aircraft to the larger A-321 which carries an additional 38 seats.

“Barbados will continue to have the most convenient schedule to the island from the northeast United States - we’ll be first on the beach and last off the beach,” said VP Pennicook, who explained that the fully dedicated Barbados flights from New York and Jamaica will not be shared with any other Eastern Caribbean nation.

The airline executive explained that the new schedule also opens up daily non-stop flights between Barbados and Kingston, Jamaica - an important and profitable intra-Caribbean business route - and connections from Kingston to the U.S. may also be added.

Last Minute Vacations are booked with 3-14 days of travel. Many travelers think they can only take advantage of "last minute vacations" at the last minute. However you can plan your vacation time well in advance, and then book with two weeks of travel and save up to 60%.

We advise all our travel clients to bookmark the "last minute travel" page of our database, and check back right before their travel dates.

One of the best travel letters was received back in November. A young couple wanted very badly to get away and celebrate a honeymoon they never got to take because of the husbands military service. While they had their sites set on the Caribbean, they ended up taking a trip to Paris for $389 per person! I have to admit that even I was impressed with the price they managed to get.  

That price included air, hotel and taxes. Needless to say they were thrilled going on a trip they never thought they could ever afford. Upon return, both stated they had a wonderful, romantic honeymoon, and even had money left over to buy a few souvenirs. They are sold on "last minute vacations", and will book another in August - hopefully to Barbados.

Here's a listing of "last minute Barbados" vacations, along with several other islands. You may want to bookmark this page, because you never know where you might end up, and you will definitely save lots of money if you can be somewhat flexible on your destination.  

Last Minute Barbados Vacations 

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has begun an important countdown - 100 days to 100% e-ticketing.  100% electronic ticketing eliminates lost tickets, makes itinerary changes easy and enables a wide array of self-service options.

"In 100 days the paper ticket gets put in a museum. On June 1, 2008 we will achieve 100% electronic ticketing," said Giovanni Bisignani, IATA's director general and CEO.

The "Simplifying the Business" program drive by IATA began back in June 2004, with the goals of making travel more cost efficient, along with making travel and shipping more convenient. Back then only 18% of the tickets issued around the globe were e-tickets, but today the number has risen to 93% overall.

The program began with five projects:
1) Bar Coded Boarding Passes (BCBP)
2) Common Use Kiosks for Self Service check-in (CUSS)
3) RFID for aviation, e-ticketing and e-freight with annual industry savings of $6.5 billion.
4) Fast Travel the self service project
5) Baggage Improvement Program

But there are still challenges to getting everyone around the globe onboard. E-ticketing in Africa is 83%, along with the Middle East having reached 84%.

But, the real concern is Russia, and the CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States) that used to be part of Russia - Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan. They are all currently at just 54% e-ticketing because of recent government changed legislation.

For more information, visit www.iata.org/stbsupportporta

l

Air Jamaica is offering "Leap Into the Caribbean" fares, which are available now through Feb. 29.

Roundtrip fares include:

Atlanta to Jamaica: $218; Ft. Lauderdale and Miami Jamaica: $208; New York (JFK) to Jamaica: $238; New York (JFK) to Barbados: $398.

For more information, visit www.airjamaica.com.

Cruise Passenger ID and New Pre Departure Requirements

New Cruise Passenger Pre-Departure Requirement - if you are planning a Caribbean cruise, or have already made reservations for a cruise vacation, please be advised of this new pre-departure time requirement.

As of Feb 18, all cruise passengers departing from U.S. ports must be on board at least one hour prior to sailing, a new pre-departure requirement of U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

Cruise ships are required to provide U.S. Customs and Border Protection a full passenger and crew manifest an hour before leaving port. So when flying into your port of departure, you should factor this new time frame into your airline flight schedule, as well as the time it will take you to get from the airport to the cruise port terminal.

Just so everyone is clear, I will post the travel requirements for land and sea travel, AND air travel from the U.S. again because there is still confusion as to what travel documents are needed versus type of travel. I will also add that the U.S. Government has not done its job in making this information clear to the traveling public, nor have they rolled out the requirement documents in a timely fashion.  

January 31, 2008 - All U.S. citizens 19 or older traveling by LAND OR SEA ports or borders, must prove their identity and citizenship with a valid U.S. passport, or provide TWO other documents that prove identity and citizenship.

Having a valid U.S. passport proves both your identity and citizenship.

If you do not have a passport and plan to travel on a cruise, or cross the borders between Mexico and Canada by land, you need to provide TWO pieces of ID - a valid driver's license or government issued ID AND an original or certified birth certificate. No copies of birth certificates are accepted. As of January 31, oral declarations of citizenship, which were allowed are no longer accepted.

This new ruling should not be confused with the travel requirements from January 2007 which required all Americans who are traveling by AIR to the Caribbean (except U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico), Canada, Mexico, and Bermuda to be in possession of a valid U.S. passport, or TWO pieces of ID that prove both citizenship and identity.

This should also not be confused with the new Passport Card which can be used instead of a passport to cross the land borders between Canada and Mexico. The new Passport Card will not be ready until this Spring, however you can apply for the card at the same facilities that provide passport processing.

This new Passport Card is not valid for AIR travel outside the U.S. - only for land and sea crossing to Mexico and Canada. The cost is $45 for adults (16 and over) and is valid for 10 years. Cards for children under 16 cost $35 and are valid for five years.

And for the latest on passport processing - from the latest indication, U.S. Passport processing is back on schedule. If you apply for a U.S. Passport, or need to renew your passport, the time frame to receive your passport is currently six weeks.  

Bad news from Air Jamaica - Will they continue flying to Barbados?
Air Jamaica Suspends St. Lucia Flights
Air Jamaica is suspending its current thrice weekly service to the island of St. Lucia, effective April 1.

Paul Pennicook, Air Jamaica's Senior Vice President of Marketing and Sales, explained that the carrier was forced to make the difficult decision because of its corporate restructuring, which entails streamlining and route rationalization.

"It is with a heavy heart that we have to suspend the St. Lucia service from both New York and Jamaica," said Pennicook who explained that the decision is part of a new mandate from Kingston for Air Jamaica to become a leaner, more viable national carrier.

Spirit Airlines Looks to Long Island, NY For Caribbean Routes
I knew it would only be a matter of time before the budget airlines would fly to the Caribbean - mark my words, Puerto Rico is just the start . . . Linda
Spirit Airlines is in discussions with the Town of Islip on Long Island, NY, to add flights out of MacArthur Airport to Caribbean destinations such as San Juan and Puerto Rico.

A representative of Spirit says the airline could strike a deal within two weeks. "Spirit looks at a lot of places when planning routes," the source told Travel Agent. "We're studying Islip just like we study many places."

And here's another start of what's to come
New "Open Skies" treaty between the U.S. and the European Union. The new treaty allows airlines from both continents to fly wherever they please. The United States and Australia have signed an aviation agreement allowing all Australian and U.S. airlines to freely select routes, destinations and frequency of services between the two countries and to other nations.

Qantas Airways Ltd. and United Airlines are currently the only airlines flying nonstop between Australia and the continental U.S. Currently Hawaiian Airlines flies between Honolulu and Sydney.

Look for Virgin Blue, Australia's second-largest airline by revenue, to begin flying to the west coast of the U.S. The carrier has been given the all-clear to launch ten weekly flights to North America by November.

British Airlines has launced an entire new airline called "Open Skies" to compete in the American market. And Lufthansa of Germany is buying a 19% stake in budget airline carrier JetBlue - US law prohibits foreign airlines from owning more than 25% of a U.S. airline's voting stock.

U.S. Airline Merger Games Are On! And it's anyone's guess how the players will pair up
Northwest has an agreement with Continental which states that Continental cannot merge with anyone unless Northwest agrees. Now rumor is that Northwest and Delta are looking at a possible merger, but at the end of last year Delta was going to make a bid for United.

Since Continental and United are co-shares, this could end up being a four airline merger - or both co-share partners could make the proposed deal rather difficult. So what's US Airways and American to do? At any rate, they all better get ready for the foreign airline invasion.     

And Speaking of U.S. Airways . . .
US Airways and BAA are in the middle of a fuel dispute at Heathrow airport. US Airways may launch legal action against BAA, the owner of Heathrow airport, over its inability to secure fuel supplies for a new service it plans to launch next month from the world's busiest airport.

• Way to Go!

STA Travel Looking for World Traveler Intern

STA Travel, the world's largest student and youth travel organization, is conducting a nationwide search for the next ultimate summer intern.

The STA Travel World Traveler Internship takes the winning student through 14 countries during the summer of 2008 as they document their adventures and inspire fellow students to travel the world.

The World Traveler Intern will highlight their adventures through blogs, photos and videos along the course of the trip.

This media will then be available for students to follow on several different online channels including STA Travel's Facebook Group and online social community, www.statravelers.com.

This integrated community of student travelers is an engaging space full of multi-media destination information.

Applications are being accepted through March 1 on www.statravelers.com.

The Coalition for an Airline Passengers' Bill of Rights has issued a challenge to each of the presidential candidates to make public their positions on the rights of airline passengers to not be subjected to more than three hours on airport tarmacs and to be provided a minimum amount of food, water, medical attention and other basic human essential needs during lengthy tarmac delays.

Policy request letters were faxed, e-mailed, and hand-delivered to each of the candidate's campaigns. The only candidate with a known track record on this subject is Senator John McCain, who led a campaign for passengers' rights in 1999, but then he dropped the issue in favor of the airline's self-imposed service improvements.

The Coalition said history has shown that the trust placed in the industry was misplaced. The other candidates do not appear to have a track record or public position on these issues. In related news, the U.S. Senate is reportedly considering an extension to the FAA Modernization Act that will effectively kill passengers' rights legislation this year, despite the fact that tarmac strandings continue to occur.

The group says their members are outraged. Every day that passengers' rights languish on the tarmac, is another day someone may suffer from diabetic shock or develop a blood clot.

The extension also affects desperately needed upgrades to the air traffic control system. Passenger enplanements are expected to increase to over one billion in the next ten years, further taxing an already over-stressed system.

For more information, visit www.flyersrights.org