PHILIPSBURG – The St. Maarten, St. Martin & Anguilla Tourism Offices hosted yet another South American Market familiarization group visit from May 31 – June 6, 2016.
This group consisted of eleven (11) tour operators from various agencies based in Paraguay, namely Arami Turismo, Sky Travel, Inter Express, Interviajes, Ami Turismo, Alondra Turismo, Intertours, Maral Turismo, Oppy, Vipstour & Elatur. These are just a few of the agencies in Paraguay that sell packages on Copa Airlines to the Caribbean. A representative of Copa Vacations also accompanied the group of agents on this familiarization visit as part of the on-going collaborate efforts between St. Maarten, St. Martin, Anguilla and Copa Vacations.
The agents spent the first two days of their visit on the Dutch Side where they did site inspections at six (6) hotels, namely: Sonesta Great Bay Beach Resort & Casino, Sonesta Maho Beach Resort & Sonesta Ocean Point, Algeria Resort, Simpson Bay Resort and Westin Dawn Beach Resort. This was their first time visiting the island and they were very pleased with the amenities the hotels had to offer. They were able to see some of the highlights of the island during their short visit.
Like most Latin Americans, Paraguayans usually travel Punta Cana, Cancun, Cuba and Bahamas for their vacation. Therefore, it was necessary to ensure that while on the island, these agents were exposed to the uniqueness of the island, in order to sell St. Maarten/St. Martin as a new and exciting vacation destination to their clients.
Paraguay’s economy like that of Uruguay remains stable. The country’s population was estimate at 7,012,433 in 2015. Paraguay is considered a good source market for the islands, have the disposable income, they speak Spanish, hence no language barriers and have access to the island with four daily service to St. Maarten on Copa Airlines.
PHOTO CUTLINE: St. Maarten Tourist Bureau representative William Bell (far right) along with tour operators.
