by Brian Major
Last updated: 2:15 PM ET, Fri March 14, 2025
The Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority (ABTA) USA named
10 travel advisors to its Tourism Advisory Committee, effective immediately. The
group’s responsibilities will include the exploration of strategic co-op
advertising campaigns and consumer promotions, said ABTA officials.
Paula McCarty of Travel Smart with Paula, Natalie
Fagglanelli of Bayside Travel, Kimberly Jacoby of Romantics Travel, Donna Blasi
of Blissful Honeymoons and Destination Weddings, Mark Hennigan of Destination
Weddings and Honeymoon Specialist, Kathy Brancifort of First Class Travel, Viviane
Gringer of Travel Edge, Roberta Long-Keileher of Protravel International, Daren
Southgate of Tzell Long Island and Sally Smith of Travelsmiths were named to
the advisory board.
“Their extensive industry knowledge and expertise in the
changing travel landscape will be crucial in shaping initiatives to enhance the
Antigua and Barbuda brand,” said Dean Fenton, Antigua and Barbuda’s tourism
director.
“For the next 12 months, the Antigua and Barbuda Tourism
Authority sales and marketing programs will benefit from the knowledge that the
members of the Advisory Committee have of the marketplace and the experience
their clients seek,” Fenton said.
“Travel advisors have proven invaluable in promoting
tourism to our islands.\,” added Norell Josephs, ABTA’s sales and marketing manager,
USA. “They enhance the experience for their clients, and we are honored to have
this exceptional group serve on our Advisory Committee.”
Antigua and Barbuda enters the spring 2025 season following
a year during which the Caribbean country achieved record visitor arrivals. The dual-island nation hosted 330,
281 overnight, land-based visitors and more than 823,955 cruise passengers in
2024, surpassing “previous records, and the 2019 pre-covid benchmark year,”
according to ABTA officials.
This year, the destination’s air links have also expanded,
as low-cost carrier Frontier Airlines launched nonstop service between San Juan’s
Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport and Antigua and Barbuda’s to V.C.
Bird International Airport. The weekly service offers connections to Caribbean
and the continental U.S. destinations.
“We are delighted to welcome Frontier Airlines to Antigua
and Barbuda, strengthening our connectivity with the United States while also
enhancing regional travel opportunities,” said Charles Fernandez, Antigua and
Barbuda’s minister of tourism, civil aviation, transportation, and investment.
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