Hotelier urges Caribbean to carry on romantic reputation

Veteran hotel operator Eroline Lamontagne echoes tourism officials by saying Saint Lucia and the Caribbean area must continue to focus attention on its year-round reputation as a romantic destination.

"We need to think creatively to increase our share of world tourism," said Lamontagne, owner and operator of the award-winning Fond Doux Holiday Plantation in Soufriere, Saint Lucia.

She was endorsing the opinion of  Saint Lucia Director of Tourism Louis Lewis who stated "it will not be business as usual in 2012."

"We cannot rest on our laurels," she said. "And we must redouble our efforts to position our country and our region as the ‘go to’ destination for weddings, honeymoons, renewal of vows as well as exclusive romantic excursions." 
 

Few markets provide a hotel or destination with a constant flow of new opportunities like the bridal market, said Caribbean weddings expert Jacqueline Johnson, president and CEO of MarryCaribbean.com.
 

"It is a year-round business … and with the steady increase of destination weddings and the close proximity of the Caribbean, destinations with a strategic (approach) will benefit from this ‘perfect customer’," Johnson said.
 

MarryCaribbean.com reports "romantic" customers heavily outspend the average leisure traveler.

The association suggests a strategic approach to marketing, including the use of social media. 
June and September are the most in-demand months for weddings, says the 2012 US Wedding Market Insight Report. The report also said a trend is for couples to want simple events with a touch of formal and traditional. The group also says rustic and vintage affairs continue to have high demand.

 "Our team of wedding planners and coordinators here at Fond Doux offer just that – vintage wedding experiences with all the modern conveniences," Lamontagne said. 
 

She said Fond Doux has prepared several comprehensive packages – available online, across the social media community and via travel agents and tour operators. 

Fond Doux Holiday Plantation is a 19th century eco-friendly colonial plantation nestled in the heart of Saint Lucia. The Green Globe-certified resort sits in a 250 year-old working plantation and features an assortment of 10 uniquely crafted cottages, two onsite restaurants and a collage of outdoor swimming pools.

Rescued from demolition, Fond Doux maintains intricate French Colonial wooden buildings more than 100 years old. The buildings were painstakingly dismantled and transported to the estate, where they were lovingly restored as guest accommodations and today stand as monuments of the island’s rich colonial history.

The Guardian Newspaper in the United Kingdom rated the organic estate and eco-resort as the number two "Plantation Retreat" in the world.

Fond Doux’s location is near Sulphur Springs  —  the Caribbean’s only drive-in volcano. It is also in the neighborhood of the world-renowned twin peaks, the Pitons, which offers the best diving sites on island  —  all within the prestigious UNESCO World Heritage Site, say the owners.

Fond Doux encourages guests to actively engage in the day-to-day running of the cocoa plantation  —   experiences enjoyed in 2008 by Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall.

By David Wilkening