Mercury Holidays announces the launch of their first Caribbean product - Antigua & Barbuda.

Antigua & Barbuda will be included in the launch as one of Mercury Holidays first Caribbean Destinations which will be featured in their brochure from May 2015 onwards. Hotels will include between others Verandah, St James's Club, Jolly Beach Resort and Spa and Halcyon by Rex Resorts. Mercury Holidays Deputy Managing Director, Geraldine Stimson, says "we chose Antigua as we see a great potential to grow business to this island which has a wide range of products at an affordable price. Not many islands can boast such beautiful beaches, alongside many interesting things to see and do."

Jean-Marc Flambert, Vice-President Sales and Marketing UK & Europe, says "we are honoured that this incredibly successful company, best known for Malta and other Mediterranean destinations as well as the Indian Ocean including Sri Lanka and Mauritius, has chosen‎ to add the Caribbean and are starting with us."

Guests of Mercury Holidays can explore Antigua as a family with a jeep safari tour across the island's rugged landscape, journey through the rainforest on a zipline or explore the beaches on a Segway. They can visit the local villages and photograph the many picturesque spots along the way. A boat trip to Barbuda is also a fantastic way to spend the day. Nesting season for the Hawksbill turtle runs from June to October with turtle tours running every Friday from July to the end of this period.

For more information on Antigua and Barbuda, visit www.visitantiguabarbuda.com.

-ENDS-

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First Public Relations

Alexander Gray

T: 020 8877 4504

E: alexander@firstpr.co.uk  

W: www.visitantiguabarbuda.co.uk

Notes to Editors:

High resolution images available on request.

Mercury Holidays sell through the trade and are also known as Sunspot Tours.

Additional activities in Antigua:

Antigua Rainforest Zip Line Tours run over the top of the rainforest canopy and afford stunning views with 9 zip lines, some in excess of 200 and 300-feet long, criss-crossing the gorge varying from 200 - 350 feet high www.antiguarainforest.com. The Obstacle challenge course is the perfect way for active family's to bond or if parents would rather sit out and let the children have all the fun there is also a bar on-site to relax at! 

Segway Antigua tours are another option for a truly unique way to experience the Island together as a family. These eco-friendly tours ensure visitors to Antigua move efficiently around the island in a fun, exciting and a refreshing way www.segwayantigua.com.

The Dows Hill Interpretation centre provides an educational alternative for the whole family and is the only one of its kind in the Caribbean. The audio-visual presentations at the centre are geared towards children, taking them through various phases of Antigua's history with the parents sure to learn a thing or two also! Continue on to the only working Georgian dockyard in the world at Nelson's Dockyard National Park with a museum, nature trails and a sight-and-sound show that presents Antigua & Barbuda's detailed history. While keen sports fans can enjoy a family day out at the national Sir Vivian Richards Stadium and take in a cricket test match amongst the infectious excitement of the Antiguan spectators.

A boat trip to Barbuda is also a fantastic way to spend the day. Its unique pink-sand beaches and the Frigate Bird Sanctuary, the largest of its kind in the western hemisphere home to over 170 species of birds will delight young budding wildlife experts.

For those keen to learn to sail, what better place to do so than the sailing capital of the Caribbean? Many resorts offer complimentary windsurf and kayaking lessons, while sailing and diving lessons are also available for novices through to experts, ensuring the whole family can learn together in a group. To see the coastline without having to do any of the hard work, take the family out on a catamaran tour of Antigua where the crew can point out all the notable sights including Devil's Bridge, a natural limestone arch.  Or, play pirates with the kids and set sail to Deep Bay on the Black Swan with 'Pirates of Antigua' www.piratesofantigua.com, where families can enjoy rope swinging and walking the plank. There is even the opportunity to snorkel above a real shipwreck and search for buried treasure!

Nesting season for the Hawksbill turtle runs from June to October with turtle tours running every Friday from July to the end of nesting season. Witnessing a mother turtle laying her eggs or newly hatched babies making their way to the water's edge is a truly memorable childhood experience.

Resorts that offer free kids clubs and family entertainment and/or all inclusive packages include: Nonsuch Bay's new EpicTeen Challenge, the Grand Pineapple Beach Resorts, The Verandah Resort and Spa, Carlisle Bay, and Jolly Beach Resort and Spa.