St. Lucia Villa Rental - UK Airlines Lobby To Abolish APD

The tourism industry in St Lucia and the Caribbean have for a long time been trying to get the Airport Passenger Duty (APD) abolished in the UK. Now they have some support from the major airlines.

Virgin and British Airways (who both fly to St Lucia) and other airlines are trying to lobby the UK Chancellor to scrap the APD as they believe it affects jobs and the industry. George Osborne, the Chancellor, is putting together his budget for the year and is coming under extensive pressure to avoid a triple dip.

The UK was placed last (out of 139 countries) in the World Economic Forum report on ticket tax and airport charges. So this is cannot be good. The airlines hope to convince the Chancellor that by removing the APD the economy would be boosted with an extra 60000 jobs and the UK GDP would grow by 16billion pounds. These figures were calculated by PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PWC) using the UK Treasury’s own economic model – so there must be some truth in it.

It has to be remembered that this year that the APD will raise 2.9billion pounds – not a sum the Chancellor will want to give away easily.

As Caribbean’s premier luxury villa rental we are keen to support anything which increases tourism for the region and hope the airlines are successful in their lobbing. This will help to increase jobs in the UK and the Caribbean.

If you would like to book your holiday in St Lucia then just complete the form on the site for your quote from the owners of the villa.

Everyone likes to get the most value for their money so why would you turn down the chance to get free flights from the UK to St Lucia.

If you fancy the chance of getting a free flight then get down to Victoria Station on Monday 28th January 2013. For 7 days you can enter the British Airways competition to win free flights. From 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. you can enter the BA Ticket Giveaway. Play their flight simulator game and the best score every 15 minutes wins. Tickets are going to be available for flights to a host of places including St Lucia,Barbados, St Kitts, Tobago, Sri Lanka and Orlando. Every winner will get a pair of tickets.

The destination may vary every day but you can check on London Evening Standard and Metro where the tickets on offer are for.

The flight simulator is B777 so go and get some practice in first if you are serious about this.

If you cannot get to Victoria then all is not lost. Take a look at British Airways Facebook for details and the chance to win your free tickets.

As an extra bonus the Owners of Akasha, St Lucia’s best known villa will give you a discount of 25% if you go and play, that’s right you don’t have to win the free flight, just enter. We just need to see the entry ticket. That’s 25% off your booking to Akasha.

So if you fancy a luxury holiday in St Lucia staying at the island’s most luxurious villa then get yourself down to Victoria and book Akasha.

BA travels from Gatwick all year round to St Lucia but it recently announced a new First Class service on the St Lucia route. This comes via the way of the Premium Cabin.

The route will use Boeing 777-200 aircraft and its new First cabin offers a 60 per cent wider seat, private wardrobes, personal electronic blinds and balanced privacy that creates an intimate experience. Now that’s luxury fit for a King (or Queen) and superstars.

British Airways also recently introduced food and drink enhancements in its World Traveller Plus premium economy cabin on all long haul flights from Gatwick. You start chilling as soon as you step on board as customers are now offered a welcome drink before take-off. While in the air you will get the choice of two entrees from the Club World menu.

So now when you rent a luxury villa like Akasha in St Lucia you will have the choice of making it a totally luxury vacation. Let us add some more icing to this cake and arrange helicopter transfers in St Lucia, along with that spa treatment you deserve. For the evening why not complete the luxury line up with a personal chef.

Make it a luxury holiday all the way.

To try and help future guests at St Lucia’s most exclusive holiday villa, Akasha, we thought it might be helpful for UK guests to have some information of how to get to St Lucia.  The team in St Lucia are waiting to meet you at the airport.

St Lucia is becoming even more popular with the British and not so long ago British Airways recognised this and increased the number of flights to St Lucia from England. Virgin also fly from the UK and have been a big supporter of the tourism industry in St Lucia.

To check out the prices and schedules visit British Airways website  - easy to use.  Daily flight depart from Gatwick Airport.  Access to Gatwick could not be easier by road or by train from central London.

Virgin fly three times a week – on Tuesday, Friday and Sunday also from Gatwick.

Gatwick Express is a non-stop service between London Victoria Station (Central London) and London Gatwick Airport which runs every 15 minutes. The journey takes 30 minutes (35 minutes on Sunday).

The train is modern and comfortable, with air conditioning, spacious carriages, and drinks and refreshments being served in both Express Class and First Class. First Class passengers will also have the advantage of large, reclining seats with tables plus complimentary refreshments and newspapers.  Prices start from just £16.90 for a single ticket and £28.80 for an open return ticket. Tickets can be easily booked online at Gatwick Express.

If you are travelling from London Victoria station you can even track the status of your flight before boarding the train on the screens displaying Gatwick flight information, including the airline, flight number, departure time, terminal and the destination.  How helpful is that!  The rail terminal at the airport is located right below the South Terminal.

If you are coming by car then there is on site and off site parking.  Off site tends to be more reasonable with regular shuttles to the terminals.  Alternatively why not look for a local hotel or B&B and leave your car there for free – usually a good idea when you are catching an early morning flights and also if there are children travelling.  Its all part of your holiday so make it last and enjoy the journey.

Once you arrive in St Lucia and clear immigration our Taxi Driver will meet you and take you to the Best Holiday Villa Rental on the Island – Akasha.  During your journey north he will make a stop at local view point so you can begin to take in the beauty of the island – and perhaps sip on a cold local beer.  For those you have booked the helicopter transfer, you will be met by a representative from the firm and taken to the helicopter.  This is a really awesome way to start your stay at St Lucia’s most prestigious holiday villa rental.  On landing in the north of the island again our Taxi driver will meet you and take you on the short trip to Akasha.

Our team in the villa will have prepared the villa for your arrival and show you around when you get there.  All the luxury that are available will be shown to you.  During your stay at the villa you have the option to have the all inclusive meals, any combination of Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner can be booked.  This will truly be your holiday in paradise.

St Lucia is an island which has become more dependent upon the Tourism industry over the last two decades. Akasha, St Lucia’s most modern villa rental was built to service high end traveler who want to enjoy luxury while sampling the culture and beauty of the island of St Lucia not to mention its beaches, Pitons and everything else etc.

Not so long ago the UK government decided to introduce a Tax for holiday makers to St Lucia and other Caribbean islands. This was seen by all the island as a deterrent for the Tourism Industry. The island even sent over a representation to protest about it but to no effect.

The Caribbean has thrived on the tourism from the UK, receiving more than a million British visitors last year. So any impact as the result of additional taxes was not good news. Other islands like Barbados were also affected by this decision and as the main island for UK travelers felt the impact more than St Lucia.

Now the UK has decided to go some way to alleviate the tax and hopefully this will help the industry recover after the impact of the credit crunch. The UK government has announced their new budget will place a freeze on APD charges that were previously resulting in higher aviation taxes for travellers to the tropical islands. So airlines such as British Airways and Virgin were forced to increase their prices when consumers were already feeling the effects of the credit crunch and recession.

St Lucia’s most exclusive villa rental welcomes this news as it feels this tax did deter travelers to the Caribbean as there is no equivalent tax to other holiday destinations. Akasha offers you the option to go all inclusive or mix and match – the choice is yours. Luxury, Quality and Service is our aim.

St Lucia’s tourism industry is booming. So much so that British Airways, one of the islands leading transit links is increasing its flights to St Lucia!

St Lucia is positioned to break its 2005 record for tourist arrivals following British Airways’ decision to increase its airlift to the island.

Public relations manager with the Tourist Board John Emmanuel, says the development is ground breaking.

“We now have as never before a daily non-stop service from British Airways to St Lucia. That means that we are in a position to see a 40 per cent increase as far as capacity to St Lucia,” he said.

“The United Kingdom remains the second largest source market for St Lucia. Last year alone, figures out of that market totalled almost 70 thousand visitors; for us it is an important gateway.”

Presently, tourism accounts for approximately 64 per cent of St Lucia’s gross domestic product (GDP). With the potential increase in tourist arrivals, it is anticipated that the sector’s contribution to GDP will increase.

British Airways’ new daily non-stop flights from London Gatwick to Hewanorra International Airport began on March 27.

Read more: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/business/British-Airways-starts-non-stop-flights-to-St-Lucia_8641379#ixzz1JpTsGuhr

We’re starting the year as we mean to go on! We will be appearing on ITV1 everyday throughout the whole of January, having sponsored the biggest ever prize giveaway on This Morning.

Running every day for the whole month of January, one lucky viewer will walk away with a BMW X1, £52,000 and a luxury all expenses paid 10 day holiday to the multimillion dollar Villa Akasha in St Lucia, provided by pureholidayhomes.com.

Villa Akasha is a newly built luxury home that overlooks the Caribbean Sea and the famous Piton mountain range. The prizewinner can enjoy the sunrise from either 4,000 sq ft of external terraces or the private horizon edge swimming pool. Encapsulating the envious millionaire lifestyle, the villa has been meticulously designed to cater for the world’s most discerning guests.

The fortuitous winner and their five guests will not only get to stay in one of the Caribbean’s premier rental villas but will also enjoy First Class flights to St Lucia, private chef, housekeeper, chauffeur, all food and drink included, plus some of the best leisure activities St Lucia has to offer.

This gorgeous home and unique package was chosen by ITV as it offers their viewers a taste of the ‘X Factor house’ luxury that so few get to experience. The property incorporates over $250,000 with of audio visual equipment that includes a whole home music and video distribution system and a state of the art private cinema room.

So make sure you check out pureholidayhomes.com on This Morning everyday throughout January to stand a chance of winning this fantastic prize.

Akasha St Lucia luxury villa rental is pleased that cruise liners have sailed back into St Lucia to support the communities that were affected by Hurricane Tomas two weekends ago.

The Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association (FCCA) and its member lines quickly restored cruise business in the wake of the hurricane and have also shipped in humanitarian assistance for affected residents. “The quick action by the cruise lines was of enormous help for us and underscored the huge value of tourism to our recovery efforts,” Prime Minister Stephenson King, thanking the Florida-based trade organization for its support of his country’s cruise industry.

Most of St Lucia’s attractions have reopened and, on Sunday, both Holland America’s Noordam and P & O Oceana brought thousands of passengers who were able to experience some of them. They also brought 200 tonnes of water along with clothing, food, furniture, mattresses, sheets and blankets which were distributed to needy communities by the National Emergency Management Organization (NEMO) and the St Lucia Red Cross.

Akasha villa rental is also pleased that the air industry is also doing its bit, tourism got a boost over the weekend with the arrival of JetBlue Airways, American Airlines/American Eagle, Air Canada, Delta Air Lines, British Airways, among other carriers. They are bringing in many tourist to boost St Lucia’s economy which it badly meeds given the damage to the banana crop. The international and regional carriers landed at both the Hewanorra International Airport and George F.L. Charles Airport. So both airports are now open and functioning.

“Tourism is our lifeblood, and we are grateful to our regional and international partners for the confidence they have placed in St Lucia. By returning so quickly, they are assisting the nation recover in the aftermath of the storm,” asserted Minister of Tourism, Senator Allen Chastanet.

St Lucia needs the tourists even more than before and we at Akasha St Lucia’s most exclusive villa rental will be doing our best to help our fellow St Lucians and encouraging even more tourists to come to this beautiful island.