BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – FOUR individuals were given added reasons to celebrate Christmas after they were announced winners in the Kantours Christmas Travel Craze Promotion Raffle drawn on Friday December 24, 2010.
Manager of Kantour Tours Jasemin Weekes, who announced the four winners in the two categories, said that on the last Friday of November her company held a travel craze whereby the public was introduced to a number of services being offered.
The first category was for those who wanted to go to Barbados to secure their US visas, and the second was for those who bought raffle tickets to compete for a Caribbean Cruise.
She said on that day, 50 persons who expressed an interest in going to Barbados to secure their US visa next year had their names entered into a draw and Keisah Williams was declared the winner.
Weekes said the package that Williams won is worth EC$1 852, which include airfare, accommodation for one night and transportation to and from the airport in Barbados.
Third place winner in the second category was Sandy Daniel of Gillard, St. Peters. She won a Catamaran tour for two and Belinda Brookes took the second prize, which is a return trip for one to Barbados.
According to Weekes, the second prize is primarily for the winner to lime with one of the groups that would be going to Barbados in 2011 for their US visas.
“This second place prize allows the person to get a feel of what it is in going to Barbados to acquire one’s visas. It is more of a lime, so the person would only spend one night in Barbados. If she does not have a visa it would be an ideal time for her to attempt at securing it,” she said.
The first prize in this category, a seven-night trip on the Caribbean Cruise for two, was won by Leo Joseph of Stone Fort Project, who, according to Adanis Jeffers, had bought five tickets a few hours before the closing date of the promotion.
Jeffers said she was very excited about Joseph’s win, noting that she had encouraged him to make the purchase of the five tickets in an attempt to win one of the prizes.
Weekes pointed out that even if Joseph is not the holder of a US visa, he would be facilitated in getting one because her company would provide him with the necessary letter and transportation to the US Embassy in Barbados.
She said that his seven-night trip would see him visiting four ports - Belize, Mexico, Honduras and Grand Cayman.
“He will take off from Miami, and because of the ports that he will be visiting he would require a US visa. We will do all that is needed to be done to ensure that he gets his visa,” she declared.
Weekes said the promotion was geared towards getting more locals interested and to provide them with a better understanding of what a cruise is.
“Actually, we have found that a cruise is more enjoyable than if you were to go visiting a number of countries via plane. Everything is given to you…food, drinks and you get to partake in everything that is offered on the cruise. One also gets an opportunity to learn to do a number of things too,” she said.
She added that there have been a number of misconceptions on what a cruise entails, noting that many people left wanting to sample the experience.
“I am very satisfied with the enormous and significant response that we got, and I firmly believe that the responses to cruise now would be much different. When you would have taken one you are bound to take another and another, as they are addictive,” she stressed.
Weekes pointed out that over 500 entries were received during the promotion, which ran for one month.
