Anguilla poised to welcome back visitors

The Caribbean island suffered severe damage during the hurricane in September 2017, but all hotels are welcoming guests again, the tourist office has said.

The opening of Belmond Cap Juluca, as well as the relaunching of CuisinArt Golf Resort & Spa and Malliouhana, just before Christmas completed the restoration of Anguilla’s luxury resort portfolio.

Carolyn Brown, UK and Ireland director for the Anguilla Tourism Board, told TTG that all seven of the island’s five-star properties had upgraded their facilities as part of their recovery from Irma, while Anguilla was also benefiting from the launch of more visitor activities.

“Everything is now open – including all the five-star properties, the smaller properties and restaurants,” she said.

Brown organised a fam trip for some of the UK’s luxury operators, including ITC, Elegant Resorts, Carrier and Caribtours, before Christmas to see the island’s refurbished resorts and villas.

“All of the big Caribbean and luxury specialists are also now looking at adding more Anguilla product,” added Brown. “It’s given a lot of operators the opportunity to come back and start offering resorts they may not have featured for some years.”

Brown said the island enjoyed a successful Christmas and New Year period, and had started the “big push” to promote Anguilla through its new “Beyond Extraordinary” marketing campaign.

“The forward bookings are excellent and a lot of enquiries are coming in,” she said.

As well as resorts and villas, Anguilla is highlighting its range of activities including cave tours, nature and hiking trips, art sessions, sailing, diving and golf.

The island’s air access has been boosted by the launch last year of Trans Anguilla Airways’ scheduled flights from Antigua, while Anguilla Air Services’ flights from St Martin are also now available to book via GDS, Brown added.