Visit Montserrat E-Newsletter

Special St Patrick’s Week Ferry Trips

Special ferry trips from Antigua, with discounted fares of EC$200 (approx US$75) have been arranged for the upcoming St Patrick’s Week celebrations on Montserrat. On Friday March 12^ththe ferry will depart Antigua at 6:30 p.m. and overnights in Montserrat. On Saturday March 13^ththe ferry will depart Montserrat at 7:00 a.m., returning from Antigua at 5:00 p.m. and then leaves Montserrat at 9:00 p.m. On St Patrick’s Day, Wednesday March 17^th the ferry will depart Antigua at 8:00 a.m. and return from Montserrat at 7:00 p.m. “With the Old Road Football Team from Antigua coming over to play Montserrat on Saturday March 13^th from 5:00 p.m. at the Blakes Football Field, we expect to see several supporters and family members of the team coming over,” commented Montserrat’s Director of Tourism, Ernestine Cassell. For the St. Patrick’s Week special trips, discounted fares of EC$200 return for adults and EC$100 for children under 12 years will apply. The ferry will depart from the Deep Water Harbour in Antigua, with the trip to Montserrat taking approximately 75 minutes. Check in time is 60 minutes prior to departure and no advance ticketing is required. The normal ferry services on Mondays and Thursdays will remain the same, and the full ferry schedule and other information can be obtained from www.visitmontserrat.com or by calling 268 721 0756. Montserrat has the distinction of being the only country outside of Ireland to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day as a national holiday, and the island of Montserrat comes alive with Caribbean flair for the annual event. The full schedule of St. Patrick’s Week events can also be found at www.visitmontserrat.com

Deuces Wild Dive Special

Visitors can dive and explore areas covering more than 13 miles of Montserrat’s coastline with the island’s two dive facilities, Green Monkey Dive Shop and Scuba Montserrat’s Deuces Wild dive special. The five-day joint aquatic adventure includes two-tank dives for two days with Scuba Montserrat, two days of two-tank dives with The Green Monkey Dive Shop, one kayak excursion and a boat tour of the former capital city of Plymouth, now submerged under volcanic mudflows. The dive special does not include accommodations and is valid now through December 31, 2010 at a rate of $420 USD, per person. To book or for more information contact Emmy Aston at scubamontserrat@gmail.com or Melody Schroer at info@divemontserrat.com

Volcano Hazard Level Drops

The volcano hazard alert in Montserrat has been dropped, giving the green light for some residents who had only been given daytime access to their homes since last December, to move back in. The National Disaster Preparedness and Advisory Committee (NDPRAC) announced last week that the hazard level has been reduced from level 4 – the second highest – to level 3, easing the access to Zone B, which incorporates Isles Bay, Waterworks, parts of Old Towne and lower Happy Hill. Last December, the Committee raised the hazard level to 4, after recording increased activity at the Soufriere Hills Volcano. The latest decision was taken at a recent NDPRAC meeting at which the Director of the Montserrat Volcano Observatory (MVO) revealed that the partial dome collapse on February 11^th, 2010 had significantly reduced the hazard and risk to the area. For updated information on activity at the Soufriere Hills Volcano and hazard levels, visit the Montserrat Volcano Observatory’s website at www.mvo.ms

Montserrat Promoted in the Boston Area

The fact that Montserrat continues to be open for tourism business, and upcoming St Patrick’s week celebrations, were the two main themes during a recent media and sales blitz in Antigua and Boston by the Montserrat Tourist Board (MTB). On February 17^th the Director of Tourism and Marketing Manager appeared on the Antiguan ABS’s Good Morning television show for about half an hour, followed by interviews on ZDK Radio and with the Antigua Sun Newspaper. The team then traveled to Boston and conducted a number of high profile interviews with media including the Boston Globe Newspaper and Smarter Travel Media. From February 19-21, the MTB team, ably assisted by Boston-based Montserratian Jadine Greenaway, represented Montserrat at the Boston Globe Newspaper Travel Show. This was held at the Seaport World Trade Centre in Boston, and is the largest consumer-attended travel show in the US, welcoming over 17,000 consumers and 1600 travel trade professionals (travel agents, tour operators, and media). The MTBs booth was decorated with a large banner promoting St Patrick’s Week 2010 and had special St. Patrick’s Week flyers promoting vacation packages and information on how to get to Montserrat. The MTBs main brochures, branded luggage tags and pens, as well as local fudge and guava cheese were available as giveaways.