St James Travel & Tours Ltd

In Depth

St James Travel & Tours was conceived in 1982 and quickly became the Rolls Royce of Barbados’s local organisers, or ‘ground handlers’ as they are known in the travel industry. St James Travel & Tours is at the cutting edge. Their slickness and professionalism comes from almost 30 years of experience in dealing with some of the most demanding clients that visit the Caribbean. With this level of expertise and excellence you can rest assured that you or your clients will be in the very best hands.

A ground handler can make all the difference to how your holiday goes. They can smooth your way from the moment you walk through Immigration to the time when you step back onto the tarmac on your homeward journey. They are on-island ‘fixers’, and what matters when you use them is their efficiency, the strength of their local contacts and their sheer buying power to assure the best quality service. While they handle mostly travel industry business, they can still be very useful for independent travellers who want special service, a tailor-made party for instance, or simply a fast-track link into the best that the island has to offer.

Recognising and facing the challenges of the ever-evolving tourism industry, St James Travel & Tours was acquired by the formidable Caribbean Destination Management Company, Sunlinc in 2009.  Sunlinc has specialised in the MICE industry since 1983 and is headed up by founder and CEO, Helen Shur Parris. A Marketing & Multimedia office is located in Florida and with the merger there are currently operations in Barbados, St Kitts, Antigua and Grenada. The founder of St James Travel & Tours, Marie-Lou Gittens, remained on as COO until her retirement at the end of April 2011.  

The company's offices are in Prior Park, St James, ideally positioned near the West Coast and close to the majority of their client base, although they can just as well look after you wherever you or your clients are staying on the island.  Barbados is now the main Caribbean base and is overseen by Marielle Alexander, General Manager. 

Stay & Sail

The bay is a hub of activity and a safe anchorage and so it makes True Blue a good option for a sail/stay holiday, combining time ashore and time afloat. Its position also makes it popular for those that want to moor in the bay and sail by day but sleep and eat on terra firma. The resort is also located within walking distance of the Spice Island Marina where they have a chandlery, yacht repairs and good haul-out facilities, so True Blue is a good place to stay if you have your yacht at the yard.

Concierge Services

A concierge service can make a significant difference to the quality of a private holiday for the discerning independent traveller, or to the efficient execution of arrangements for executive groups. It takes the weight off your shoulders and smoothes out the wrinkles of travel even before you get to Barbados.

Restaurant, golf and private jet bookings, helicopter transfers, coordinating of groups, ordering and delivery of cakes, wine or champagne, flowers or fruit baskets, VIP meet and greet at the airport, coordination of the specific type of transfer you would like, making arrangements for touring the island or island hopping excursions are all examples of what you will get from a Concierge Service… by simply letting St James Travel & Tours know where and when you would like a particular service.

Please contact St James Travel & Tours for details and prices for your specific requirements.

Destination Management

Destination Management is a service generally provided to travel organisers, but independent travellers may be interested to see the sort of services that are included in a ‘package’ or flight-inclusive holiday booked through a tour operator/travel organiser.

In the UK and Europe it is a legal requirement for all companies selling flight-inclusive vacation packages to provide a local representative/ground handler for their clients, together with 24-hour emergency cover to all travellers.

St James Travel and Tours look after some of the biggest name Caribbean specialist tour operators/wholesalers and their clients. They provide a complete service, which is tailored specifically to portray the company’s image to their clients, while saving the tour companies the expense of supporting their own representative on Barbados.

Representatives (‘reps’) are well-trained, welcoming, faultlessly polite and very cool. Always uniformed – either in the travel company’s uniform or their own – their raison d’etre is to oil the wheels so that each client’s holiday runs smoothly from start to finish. They have to have the patience to cope with every conceivable type of person and situation and consequently they must be consummate negotiators and diplomats. If there turn out to be problems or perhaps a medical emergency, the reps will be in the front line to get things back on track before you can blink an eyelid. St James Travel have 30 years’ experience of providing it.

The services on offer to travel companies, tour operators and wholesalers include:

• Hotel Recommendations
• Contract Recommendations
• Hotel Reservations
• Airport Meet & Greet Service
• Limo, taxi, van & coach transfers
• Welcome Package
• Tours & Excursions
• Reconfirmation of Flights
• Customised Client Services
• 24 hour access and emergency cover

Of course St James Travel can also handle your clients’ transfer needs by providing limos, executive cars, taxis, vans and coaches. All their vehicles are air-conditioned and guides/escorts are available for vans and coaches.

Island Tours

St James Travel & Tours will arrange or book Barbados tours and excursions (including Barbados shore excursions) to suit you or your company’s requirements. Below we set out just a few examples of some of the regular excursions that the company recommends. Please read our guide to Barbados for more details of some of the places mentioned. It illustrates well the breadth and depth of this island, which has an unexpectedly large number of things to do and places to visit. If you wish to go ‘private’, any tour can be adapted and arranged to suit individual requirements and a vehicle to suit the number in your party will be provided.

Barbados Island Tour - Visit several places of interest such as historic Speightstown, Chalky Mount Potteries, Cherry Tree Hill, the rugged East Coast and St John's Church. Itinerary is subject to change.

Cave & Flower Forest - This half day tour takes you through the lush gardens of the Flower Forest and the underground wonder of Harrison Cave.

Private VIP Barbados Tour - For those that prefer to see the island in the comfort of a chauffeur driven Mercedes, itineraries are tailor-made and you can take things at your own pace. Lunches and entrance fees are extra. Maximum 4 people.

Exclusively St James - A catamaran cruise with a distinct difference, leaving behind the madding crowd. Start with a Bucks Fizz and hors d’oeuvres … stop at a nearly private beach for a little swimming and snorkelling … a delicious buffet BBQ lunch … swim with the turtles. After lunch cold towels are produced to refresh you, and as you set sail for the return trip, desserts and a cheese plate are offered. There’s an open bar throughout the cruise and attentive service. Transfers to and from your accommodation are included. For between 18-45 people on Tuesdays and Fridays from 11am-4pm.

Aerial Trek - An exciting, adrenaline fueled experience which whisks you through the forest canopy. A series of seven cables traverse a gully between eight platforms, with runs averaging between 280-300ft and from as little as 15ft above ground to 100ft when travelling above the gully. Two experienced guides will provide you with information on the area’s eco-system.

Prices for the above tours are available on request. Please contact St James Travel & Tours directly for further information and a quotation.

Island Hopping

Barbados is so well served by international flights that it is a hub for local airlines, particularly for St Vincent and the smaller islands in the Grenadines. One day air tours to the Grenadines, St Vincent & Young Island, St Lucia and Grenada are well worth a try. Overnight packages also available.

The Grenadines excursion is definitely worth a special mention. A very early start by charter plane gets you to Union Island from where your tour begins with a continental breakfast on board the catamaran that is yours for the day, before sailing to islands like Mayreau, Palm Island and other Cays, where there is fantastic swimming and snorkelling.

Food and unlimited drinks are included and it is a great day out. You can also choose the extended option of flying to Mustique for breakfast before flying back to Union Island for the day’s sailing.

Prices available on request.

Weddings & Event Planning

St James Travel have a dedicated wedding department which is one of the best in the Caribbean. As the best Barbados wedding planners, they can organise anything from the simplest to the most extravagant wedding, tailoring it according to your requirements. You have the services of an experienced wedding co-ordinator in Barbados throughout.

Whether you are staying at a hotel or villa, they will hold your hand to make sure that all the paperwork is completed as it needs to be. If you have chosen a Barbados villa wedding they will liaise with the villa management company to ensure that everything runs smoothly. If you wish to marry in a church with a traditional reception or have a Jewish styled wedding complete with a “huppa” on the beach, they will attend to every detail.

The company says ‘Our expertise is our gift to you’. The writer of this review can testify to this, having worked with St James Travel & Tours over many years putting together some very complex Caribbean weddings, catering for as many as 200 people.

The main components of a Barbados wedding plan include:

- Meeting you as soon after you arrival as you wish. At this meeting all points are discussed for arrangements to visit the Ministry, etc. and the coordination of ancillary requests.
- Round-trip transfers to and from the Ministry
- Stamps for Special Licence
- Marriage Licence fee
- Marriage Officer fee
- Obtaining registered copy of Marriage Certificate from Registrar’s Office in Bridgetown and delivering to them to you. If you are departing before the Certificate is available, it will be posted to you by registered airmail.
- Two witnesses are required for the ceremony and St James Travel can provide them if you do not have any of your own.

Of course every wedding can be created to suit the couple and St James Travel also has their special wedding plans to choose from - Frills & Bows, Elegance & Romance or Diamonds Are Forever.

Legal requirements for getting married in Barbados:

- Valid passports or original or certified copies of the applicants Birth Certificates
- If divorced, original Decree Absolute papers must be produced.
- If widowed, the Marriage Certificate and partners Death Certificate must be produced.
- If either party is under 18 years of age, he/she must be accompanied by one of his/her parents.
- Legal proof must be presented if either party has changed their name by Deed Poll.
- A letter is required from the Marriage Officer stating that he will perform the wedding service and indicating which church (for church wedding only) he belongs to.
- If getting married in the court a letter is required from the court in order to get a marriage licence. This is for marriages done by a magistrate only.

Church Weddings require special documents for the church. In the case of Roman Catholics, for instance, a letter from your priest at home is required to prove that you have had counselling. Divorced Anglicans can get married in church as long as they complete an application for Remarriage of Divorced Persons from the Diocese of Barbados.

Corporate Travel / Incentives

Barbados has excellent facilities for corporate clients in all types of group, incentive and corporate travel and events. The island has good international and regional air links, making it easy to get to. Where accommodation is concerned, our featured hotels and resorts each have a different style and atmosphere, and can provide suitable space for meetings. Also, one or two of the larger villas can also make ideal settings for smaller groups.

St James Travel & Tours have a wealth of knowledge and experience in the groups and incentives market. They will help to locate the right venue for your conference and can offer the following the following services: Destination Teasers, Tours & Excursions, Theme Parties, Cruises, Sports & Games, Gifts, Dine Arounds, Banquets, Dinner Theatre Shows, Spouses Programmes and guest speakers. They can also arrange Customs Brokerage, Audio-visual equipment and press coverage.

Video

Travel writer and weddings specialist, Sara Macefield, interview Anne-Marie Thompson from St James Travel and Tours at WTM 2010.