Pleasant Holidays Adds Six Destinations, 42 Hotels for 2009

In a departure from the grim economic news pervading the industry, Pleasant Holidays delivered an early holiday gift to its customers by announcing the expansion of its 2009 Caribbean program to include six new destinations and 42 hotels and resorts, 23 of which are in existing destinations in the firm’s Caribbean product line.

The new destinations are Antigua, Anguilla, Barbados, Bermuda, St. Martin and St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Pleasant added hotels in Aruba, the Dominican Republic, Grand Cayman, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, St. Lucia and Turks and Caicos.

Brands include Sandals and Beaches, RIU, Ritz-Carlton, Occidental, Four Seasons, Atlantis, Sol Melia, Starwood, Dreams, Fairmont and Sunset Resorts Jamaica.

That program featured 11 destinations and 89 resorts in 2008. The results of that Caribbean launch far exceeded the April 2008 forecast with revenues in the millions. Travel agent partners asked for more Caribbean product, more destinations and more properties.

As of this month, the Dominican Republic and the Bahamas appear to have the strongest appeal to clients, trends that seem to contradict reports citing downward numbers in the former and flattened figures for the latter.

Unlike its competitors, Pleasant Holidays has not inundated the marketplace with discounted packages and price cuts.