To show appreciation for the hard working travel agents that book US Virgin Islands land based vacations or hotel stays year-round, the USVI Hotel & Tourism Association (HTA) has launched the It’s Just Easier to Vacation in the US Virgin Islands Travel Agent Sweepstakes. The sweepstakes will run from now until December 15, 2006 for travel April 15-December 15, 2007, and includes stays on both St. Croix and St. Thomas.

Agents interested in entering will need to input their IATAN number, answer a short questionnaire and provide contact information. The lucky winner and a guest will fly compliments of American Airlines from their nearest gateway to the US Virgin Islands, and stay in an amazing beachfront room on St. Thomas at the lovely Secret Harbour Beach Resort. While on St. Thomas, the pair will experience land/sea tours compliments of Coral World Ocean Park, Atlantis Submarine, Paradise Point Tramway and VI Ecotours along with a round of golf at world-famous Mahogany Run Golf Course. After all that excitement, the winner and guest will enjoy a delectable dinner at Secret Harbour’s Blue Moon Café. A short seaplane flight courtesy of Seaborne Airlines takes them to historic St. Croix for two days of additional fun. Divi Carina Bay Resort plays host to the winner, offering a spa treatment at the new Surfside Spa and a gourmet dinner at the Starlight Grill. Sweeney’s Safari Tours will provide an insightful island tour, and Hotel Caravelle’s Rumrunner’s Restaurant will satisfy the appetite with a wharf side lunch. No trip to the US Virgin Islands would be complete without a shopping excursion so the winner will receive $1000 cash to purchase that special piece of jewelry, crystal, or camera that they’ve been dreaming about. Dates are subject to availability.

“We realize the importance of the personal touch that a travel agent offers their clients, said Beverly Nicholson, President of the HTA. This sweepstakes is our way of letting agents knows that we value their endurance and thank them for recommending our islands as a fabulous place to vacation.”

Interested agents can visit the HTA web site at www.virgin-islands-hotels.com to enter. Also keep in mind that September is Travel Agent Month in the US Virgin Islands. The annual event invites agents to spend three complimentary nights on each of the Virgin Islands—St. Croix, St. John and St. Thomas—to get familiar or re-familiarize themselves with the islands’ exciting activities, outstanding accommodations, and first-class restaurants. Information on Travel Agent Month is available at www.sttstjhta.com.
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