Antigua and Barbuda received unprecedented number of visitors at NY Times Travel Show

NEW YORK, New York – Antigua and Barbuda, recently named the Caribbean’s Most Romantic Destination, is dedicating 2016 to romance travel, also in line with the industry, as the Caribbean Tourism O

NEW YORK, New York – Antigua and Barbuda, recently named the Caribbean’s Most Romantic Destination, is dedicating 2016 to romance travel, also in line with the industry, as the Caribbean Tourism Organization has declared 2016 as the Year of Romance.

The twin islands of Antigua and Barbuda have successfully started the year off at the 2016 New York Times Travel Show, the largest and longest-running trade and consumer travel show in North America with over 500 exhibitors and 28,000 travel professionals and consumers. The travel show took place January 8-10, at the Jacob K. Javits Center. The Travel Show began on Friday, January 8, with a Trade Day open to travel professionals and media, with doors open to the public on Saturday and Sunday.

The New York Times Travel Show was the debut of the newest campaign, “Winter Love Awaits” identified by the hashtag #WinterLove365, promoting destination weddings. Appropriately, Antigua and Barbuda’s booth and information was designed around an all-white theme of beautiful drapery and romantic flowers along with information about weddings and honeymoon packages currently available. Antigua and Barbuda are ideal for destination weddings as there is a no residency requirement. The campaign features wedding packages with over 14 different options available, starting from $699 through to the luxury options. Packages include legal fees, organization of the wedding at the resort, marriage licenses, cake, flowers and other wonderful activities and amenities to make that special day or honeymoon memorable.

To engage with all the visitors, each day featured the opportunity to win prizes such as tickets to Antigua on JetBlue or free stays with hotel partners. Enticing local cuisine and refreshments from Antiguan chefs and steel drummers directly transported visitors aurally to the twin islands. For Instagram fans, there was a selfie frame featuring the Antigua and Barbuda Twitter Handle along with relevant hashtags specifically for booth visitors to take pictures with.

Featuring the lowest airfares from the New York Tristate area to the Caribbean, with fares starting as low as $263 round-trip, attendees were shown why Antigua and Barbuda are the top destination to visit in 2016, whether planning a destination wedding, honeymoon, family trip, or weekend getaway. Antigua and Barbuda have something for everyone from 365 pristine white sand beaches to gastronomy to a vast portfolio of properties to culture and history to a breadth of activities including snorkeling, diving, swimming with stingrays, to kite surfing.

Beyond the New York Times Travel Show, The Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority North America office has been aggressively promoting the destination targeting both digital and print ad campaigns with several notable publications to include, the New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Brides.com and Budget Travel that is exponentially increasing the visibility of the twin islands and is set to result in a landmark tourism year for 2016. Antigua and Barbuda will be an exhibitor at the Boston Globe Show next month, also one of the largest trade and consumer shows in the northeast market.

Antigua (pronounced An-tee’ga) and Barbuda (Bar-byew’da) is located in the heart of the Caribbean Sea. The largest of the Leeward Islands, Antigua & Barbuda comprises 108 square miles. The 365 white and pink sand beaches, one for every day of the year, are just the beginning of the treasures that await visitors. Antigua’s rich history and spectacular topography provide a variety of popular sightseeing opportunities. Nelson’s Dockyard, the only remaining example of a Georgian fort commissioned by the British in 1755, is perhaps the most renowned landmark. Betty’s Hope, built in 1674, is the site of one of the first full-scale sugar plantations on Antigua, and offers a chance to step back into time by visiting the restored mills. Another unique attraction is Devil’s Bridge, located at the eastern tip of the island in Indian Town National Park, where Atlantic breakers have carved out a natural limestone arch. Antigua boasts a varied tourism calendar including events such as the World Class Antigua Sailing Week, Classic Yacht Regatta, Antigua Sports Fishing and also the annual Carnival; known as the Caribbean’s Greatest Summer Festival. Island accommodation ranges from luxury, boutique resorts and all-inclusive hotels to smaller more intimate boutique guesthouses and cottages.

For information about Antigua & Barbuda visit visitantiguabarbuda.com or antiguabarbudabuzz.com and follow on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

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Linda Hohnholz

Editor in chief for eTurboNews based in the eTN HQ.

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