Barbados Draws Bead on French-Speaking Caribbean

The Barbados Tourism Authority (BTA) has reported the successful commencement of a series of charter flights to Barbados from Martinique during the months of July and August 2009.

The service uses a 70-seater Air Caraibes aircraft and is being promoted in conjunction with FOYAL Tours, a major tour operator in Martinique with a network of notable travel agencies including Roger Albert Voyages, Carré D’As and Thomas Cook.

Stacey Hutchinson, business development manager in the BTA’s Caribbean and Latin America department, heralded the service as a breakthrough for the island in the lucrative Francophone Caribbean market.

The program will feature five seven-night trips which will commence on July 17, 24 and 30, and August 7 and August 14, with the last group departing on August 21. Travelers were also being encouraged to book a number of hotels that were featured in the package.

During the period June 12 to 15, 2009, the BTA hosted a group of 12 travel agents representing FOYAL Tours’ three travel agencies. These agents took advantage of the chance to visit the various hotels in the charter program in addition to several attractions including Harrison’s Cave, Barbados Concorde Experience Ocean Park and the Plantation Garden Theatre’s Bajan Roots & Rhythms Dinner Show.

Additional efforts to promote the new charter service included advertisements on Antilles Télévision (ATV), the main television station in Martinique.