Caribbean hotelier wants more black travellers

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Dawn Angelique Roberts of the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ).

SOUFRIERE, St. Lucia, Friday July 27, 2012 - One of St. Lucia's popular and classy plantation resorts is putting its efforts into attracting the burgeoning African American market.

Eroline Lamontagne, managing director of Soufriere's Fond Doux Holiday Plantation, says St. Lucia must continue to diversify and tailor its marketing efforts, by targeting communities of color, especially those who have a voracious appetite for "all things Caribbean".

"We are serious about this and would like to see our tourism marketers do more to attract Black and Caribbean travelers of means to our shores," said Lamontagne.

Last month, Fond Doux supported the Associate Member Task Force of the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) during the organization's 37th Annual Convention and Career Fair in New Orleans.

The Task Force is for freelance and part-time journalists, journalism educators, public relations practitioners, as well as other media-related professionals of NABJ.

As part of Fond Doux's sponsorship in New Orleans, Lizabeth Martin, Associate Professor of Communications at Palm Beach State College in Florida, won a three-night stay for two, including full daily breakfast, a couple's massage, sunset cruise and candelit dinner at Fond Doux.

"Fond Doux Holiday Plantation's partnership with NABJ's Associate Member Task Force is important to us, and we are truly inspired by Mrs. Lamontagne's confidence in the African American market," noted Dawn Angelique Roberts, Associate Representative.

The National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) is an organization of journalists, students and media-related professionals that provides high quality programs and services to, and advocates on behalf of, black journalists worldwide.

Founded by 44 men and women on December 12, 1975, in Washington, D.C., NABJ is the largest organization of journalists of color in the United States.

Earlier this year, Fond Doux sponsored St. Lucia's 33rd Anniversary of Independence Gala in Brooklyn, New York, joining the Saint Lucia Foundation, St. Lucians in New York, the government and the private sector to celebrate the milestone.

For further information, visit www.fonddouxestate.com.

About Fond Doux Holiday Plantation
Fond Doux Holiday Plantation is a 19th century eco-friendly colonial plantation nestled in the heart of Soufrière, 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. Fond Doux is conveniently located just minutes away from some of the island's key attractions, including the Sulphur Springs - the Caribbean's only drive in volcano. It is 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. Fond Doux provides guests with an evocative plantation experience, and they are encouraged 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.

The plantation adheres closely to the spirit of eco-building and cultural preservation. 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.

Fond Doux recently earned the prestigious 2012 TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence which honors hospitality excellence, while the Guardian newspaper in the United Kingdom has rated the organic estate and eco-resort as the number two Plantation Retreat in the world.