The Caribbean
With its warm climate, unspoilt beaches and
relaxed lifestyle the Caribbean is one of the fastest growing long-haul
destinations for UK tourists. The Caribbean is a major centre for cruising and
major tour operators now offer cut-price package holidays and charter flights to
this destination.
Location of The Caribbean
The Caribbean Islands are located in the
Caribbean Sea in the Western Atlantic Ocean, the Islands stretch from Florida in
the U.S.A to Venezuela in South America.
The Islands have all been colonised by a number
of European countries, including Britain, France, Spain, Portugal and the
Netherlands. Many of the Islands retain the character and customs of their
colonising countries, which makes visitors feel immediately at ease when on
Holiday. Each Island is very different in character, from bustling destinations
to undiscovered Island paradises well away from the pressures of modern life. As
well as their natural attractions, the Caribbean Islands offer visitors a
variety of water-based sports and activities, including scuba diving, sailing,
wind surfing and fishing.
The Main Tourist Areas in the
Caribbean
The Bahamas
The Bahamas are a group of more than 700 islands
spread across a 750 mile stretch of the Atlantic Ocean from Florida to Haiti.
Many are low lying and are covered with lush vegetation. The beaches in the
Bahamas are among the finest in the world, attracting tourists throughout the
year from all parts of the globe. Most visitors to the Bahamas stay in the main
resort areas on New Providence and Grand Bahama Islands, including the capital
Nassau. The islands are also a magnet for cruises, being the first port of call
for many ships that set sail from Florida. Watersports are well catered for in
the Bahamas, with sailing, parasailing, powerboat racing, diving, swimming,
snorkelling and water skiing all widely available.
Barbados
Barbados is the most Easterly of the Caribbean
Islands and is part of the Windward Islands chain. The Western coast of Barbados
has sheltered, coral beaches of fine, white sand, while along the East of the
Island there is a lively surf that pounds a rocky shoreline. It is a
predominantly flat Island with fertile plains supporting a variety of crops
including sugar cane.
Bridgetown, the Capital of Barbados, has a
decidedly English appearance and character, the result of its former British
sovereignty. The island is equally popular with staying tourists and cruise
visitors, who enjoy its fine beaches and crystal clear waters that offer a wide
range of water-based activities such as swimming, scuba diving, jet skiing and
water skiing. Other sports on offer include cricket, golf, tennis, horse riding
and horse racing.
Jamaica
Jamaica is the third largest island in the
Caribbean, located to the South of Cuba and West of Haiti. Most of the Island is
forested and mountainous, rising from 1000 metres in the West to the Blue
mountains in the East reaching 2256 metres in height. Most of the beaches are
found on the North and West Coasts of the Island where the principal resorts of
Montego Bay, Ocho Rios, Negril and Port Antonio are located. Montego bay is one
of the world's great resorts and is the jewel in the crown of Jamaica's tourism
industry. The Island's capital, Kingston, is on the South Coast and is the site
of one of Jamaica's two international airports. It is the largest
English-Speaking city in the Caribbean and an important business and
administrative centre. Like many Caribbean Islands, Jamaica welcomes both
staying and cruise tourists, who enjoy its varied nightlife, relaxed way of life
and numerous sporting opportunities.
The Dominican Republic
The Dominican republic occupies the Eastern part
of the Island of Hispiola, which it shares with Haiti, and is the second largest
of the Caribbean states(after Cuba). Its popularity with visitors from the UK is
growing rapidly, with many of the larger tour operators promoting the Dominican
republic as an all year round destination, with package holidays and regular
charter flights. Its main tourist attractions are its unspoilt beaches, e.g.,
around Puerto Plata with the popular resort of Sosua and along the Samana
Peninsula, both on the North Coast. Inland, the landscape is forested and
mountainous, with many valleys, plains and plateaux. the capital, Santo Domingo
was founded in the fifteenth century and the old, Colonial part of the city has
been restored to its former glory. the modern part of the capital is a bustling
port city, offering visitors a variety of nightlife and cultural experiences.
Tourism has developed much later in the
Dominican Republic than in other Caribbean destinations. Consequently, many of
its tourist facilities and tourism infrastructure are not fully developed.
Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago are sister Islands situated
off the coast of Venezuela in the Southern Caribbean. Trinidad is the larger of
the 2 islands with its capital, Port of Spain, dominated by mountainous terrain.
Elsewhere, inland Trinidad is a relatively flat, agricultural landscape with
unspoilt beaches on its North and east coasts. Tobago is a very small Island
with quiet, sandy beaches and a mountainous interior with lush, tropical
vegetation. the Islands particularly Trinidad are renowned for their carnivals
and music festivals, and boast a good selection of restaurants serving local
delicacies. The Islands are also noted for their Flora and Fauna, with more than
600 species of butterfly and 700 varieties of orchid. Hummingbirds are found in
abundance in Tobago.
St Lucia
St Lucia is the second largest of the Windward
Islands (after Dominica), located in the Eastern Caribbean between St Vincent
and Martinique. It is rich in tropical vegetation and has a mountainous
interior. One of its main attractions are its unspoilt, palm fringed beaches
surrounded by the warm clear Caribbean Sea. the Island has a great variety of
plant and animal life, including orchids and parrots. the mountains are
intersected by rivers that form broad fertile valleys in some parts of the
Island. the capital, Castries, is a busy, land-locked harbour surrounded by
Hills. It is a major port of call for
cruise ships, which dock at Pointe Seraphine. St Lucia has 2 international
airports, Vigie and Hewanorra, 2 and 42 miles respectively from Castries.
Choose Your Favourite
Caribbean Island or Country and carry out the following
1. Which UK tour operators
and airlines offer tour programmes to the place you have chosen
2. Make detailed notes on the
tourist attractions and the most popular resorts for the place you have chosen
(Minimum 500 words-Maximum 750 words)
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