Access has never been better with both Air Jamaica and Delta Airlines’ additional service (see page 25 for details): Air Jamaica reintroduced non-stop service Sundays, Mondays and Thursdays from New York’s JFK International Airport, and Delta Airlines offers daily non-stop service from Atlanta.

In partnership with the rapidly increasing tourism opportunities in St. Lucia, the island will experience numerous hotel and resort openings in the coming years, from the five-star Discovery at Marigot Bay Spa Resort and Marina, to a family-oriented Beaches Resort. Until now, St Lucia Golf & Country Club was the only 18-hole course on the island. The island’s golf offerings will also be expanded with two new signature courses under development; an 18-hole Greg Norman Signature Golf Course and an 18-hole Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Course.(more)

Martinique C’est Magnifique!
By Kathy Feeney
The Isle of Flowers may be more than 4,000 miles from Paris, but its French accent captures the joie de vivre of the City of Lights. If your clients can imagine sipping a Lorraine (not the quiche, the local beer) with baguettes and croissants accompanied by a side of fresh squeezed sugar cane juice on an island of white sand beaches flanked by anses (coves) with names such as Anse Esprit, Anse Ceron and Anse Madam, Martinique may be in their future. One of the most scenic islands in the West Indies, Martinique is an antidote to your clients’ winter blues. At 55 miles long and 22 miles wide, two-thirds of the island is designated as protected park land. It is touted as "a little bit of France in the Caribbean" because of its excellent food, sophisticated style and melodic language. Toss in Martinique's Gallic, West Indian and Creole culture and heritage, beautiful beaches, tropical rainforests, majestic mountains and flowers (anthuriums, orchids, hibiscus, heliconia, frangipani, bougainvillea and poinsettias) mixed with an average temperature of 79 degrees Fahrenheit and - voilà – one of the most magnificent islands on Earth. The Creole language describes life on Martinique as: "la vi a douce, la vi a bel, and la vi a ka mache” (life is sweet, life is beautiful, and life is going just fine).

L'expérience
Whether your clients want to indulge in diving at the site of a shipwreck or shopping for souvenirs, enjoying fine dining or a picnic, exploring museums or simply snoozing in a hammock, Martinique offers a treasure trove of experiences. The island's capital city of Fort-de-France offers excellent shopping selections ranging from hand-made wicker baskets and pottery to world-renown rums to locally grown spices and duty-free items from Paris. Evoking the architectural style of the French Quarter in New Orleans, the port city of Fort-de-France features narrow streets lined with shops and restaurants and townhouses with cast iron balconies and night spots playing zouk, or jazz.(more)