The Valley, Anguilla, March 29, 2016…..A coterie of journalists descended on Anguilla to experience the popular Festival del Mar seafood festival in Island Harbour on the Easter weekend. The Anguilla Tourist Board (ATB) extended invitations to culinary and lifestyle reporters from the United States, Germany and Italy to join the locals at one of the island’s best loved seasonal events.
The ATB took advantage of the staging of the Festival to introduce the print, digital and broadcast reporters to a variety of culinary experiences, from delectable local Anguillian fare at Tasty’s to the creative flavors of the Caribbean, Asia and t
he Mediterranean at Blanchards; from mouthwatering seafood barbecues at Scilly Cay and the Festival del Mar to a Japanese sushi and teppanyaki experience at CuisinArt. Cultural and heritage attractions included the Hibernia and Devonish art galleries, Fountain Cavern and Mr. Petty’s Heritage Museum.
Among the journalists taking time out to experience Anguilla were Melanie Reffes, the prolific USA Today columnist, whose features regularly attract over a million views; Jenna Blumenfeld, Senior Food Editor of Delicious Living and deliciousliving.com, a print and online publication that garners 275,000 UMVs per month, and Aniesia Williams, contributor to Black Enterprise magazine and publisher of the blog A Global Lifestyle, which attracts 200,000 Twitter followers and over 502,000 Facebook followers.
Additional members were Michelle Jerson, who hosts a weekly radio travel show every Sunday on New York’s AM 970 The Answer, and also contributes to the major food blog The Daily Meal, which attracts 14 million UMVs; and Gwen Pratesi, producer of PratesiLiving.com which regularly attracts over 500,000 UMVs, and contributor to the popular blog SheKnows.com with 1,614,000 UMVs.
Gudrun Renstch from the German publication Artztliches Journal Reise & Medizin was also on island at the invitation of the ATB, along with reporter Patrizia Magi and photographer Giuseppe Passini from Nautica Magazine in Italy.
“We are focused on raising the profile of Anguilla, and our local festivals provide us with an excellent news hook for inviting the media to visit the island,” said Donna A. Banks, Chairperson, Anguilla Tourist Board. “The culinary experience in particular is such an important component for today’s affluent traveler. We also aim to showcase the wide range of accommodations options we offer, from Charming Escapes to luxury resorts and spectacular villas.”
Accommodations for the media were provided by Sheriva Luxury Villas & Suites, Frangipani Beach Resort, Shoal Bay Villas, Zemi Beach House Resort & Spa and the CuisinArt Golf Resort & Spa.
For more information on planning your Anguilla vacation, visit ivisitanguilla.com, call 1-264-497-2759 or email :atbtour@anguillanet.com.
