Travellers yearning for a taste of the exotic this summer could find their dream holiday within reach, according to Caribbean tour operators.

Airlines keen to boost demand for flights to the region, together with hoteliers ready to lower off-peak rates, means that prices over the next few weeks could fall to remarkably low levels. Virgin and British Airways are just two of the airlines that have been running special promotions, and many of the package deals include airport transfers once you arrive at your destination.

“We’re seeing particularly good deals through all operators to the Caribbean over the next six weeks,” said Paula Whitehead, managing director at Elite Island Resorts.

“As European destinations hit peak prices during July and August, the Caribbean can be terrific value at this time, with prices significantly lower than they are in the British winter months.”

She added: “Many resorts – including St James’s Club and The Verandah in Antigua – are doing more to attract families this summer, with child-friendly menus, storytelling workshops, cookery classes and bigger children’s clubs.”

Examples of offers already available include a seven-night all-inclusive stay at the four-star Almond Beach Club & Spa in Barbados, departing from Gatwick with Virgin Atlantic, for £995; and a similar deal at the four-star Smugglers Cove in St Lucia at the end of August for £899. Both offers are available from Hayes & Jarvis.

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A new survey of British Airways (BA) passengers has discovered that the Caribbean is the most attractive destination for summer holidays.

South Africa wasn’t too far behind though in the minds of the airline’s customers and Florida, London and the Maldives rounded off the top five.

The findings are good news as BA is launching additional services to Barbados, St Lucia, Antigua and Jamaica from London Gatwick this summer, and spokesperson Claire Bentley said the appeal of the Caribbean is strong while the weather in the UK continues to disappoint.

“The thought of relaxing on a stunning beach in the warm and friendly Caribbean is a real draw as the summer weather continues to be a bit of a let down,” she said.

Florida’s appeal is similar with its beaches and good weather of its own, as well as the obvious Disney attractions and other theme parks, while three extra flights to Orlando per week are also being added to BA’s schedule from Gatwick.

And Ms Bentley was keen to point out the allure of second-placed South Africa, describing it as a ‘dream destination’ and highlighting places like Cape Town and Table Mountain and the Garden Route.

Overall, the poll showed that a high volume of people prefer beach getaways where they can relax and unwind on their summer holiday, with romantic city breaks, fun-filled family trips and ‘all-action adventures’ trailing behind the beach break.

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The number of passengers travelling through Gatwick Airport has increased for the 15th consecutive month.

The figures for March show an increase of 3.9%, or 93,400, and are very encouraging, especially given that overall air traffic movements were down 3.5% year-on-year mainly as a result of reductions in charter operations.

Gatwick also posted positive results for the year between March 2011 and March 2012, with 6.9% passenger growth to 33.8 million, and chief executive Stewart Wingate is delighted with the airport’s progress.

“This has been a successful year for Gatwick, having achieved passenger growth every single month despite the economic headwinds being faced in our industry,” he said.

“We have been competing vigorously with other London airports including Heathrow, Stansted and Luton and we have been winning new routes to the UK’s key trading partners, providing direct connections between London and high growth economies.

“In this last year, Gatwick has attracted new routes to South Korea, Turkey, Vietnam, Hong Kong, China and the Caribbean.”

Gatwick was able to offset the fall in long-haul capacity by charter airlines with an increase in short-haul services by budget carriers and the introduction of new carriers from Asia.

Korean Air will begin flying to Seoul towards the end of April and Air China is starting a service to Beijing in May. Hong Kong Airlines also launched a daily service to Hong Kong in March and low cost Italian airline Air One now flies between Gatwick and Milan twice a day.

Winter-weary travellers who want to escape the British weather and head for the tropical paradise of Barbados could do worse than consult British Airways about its range of flights from London Gatwick.

Flexibility is one of the key considerations in the BA schedule, with 12 direct flights every week going from London Gatwick to Grantley Adams international airport in Bridgetown on the Caribbean island.

All flights operated by British Airways now run out of the £76 million extension to Gatwick’s North terminal. The revamp also includes a new approach to customer service designed to give travellers more control of their journey as part of a more innovative experience.

Customers at the North terminal are now able to do more things – like checking in, picking seats and printing bag tags – on their own. The design and organisation of the new system has been drawn up to make things simpler for passengers.

With flights to Bridgetown taking about nine hours, and with most departures in mid-morning, sunseekers can be relaxing by the pool in the Barbados heat by early afternoon.

British Airways can also make travelling to Gatwick accessible and hassle-free for customers from all over the UK through its extensive network of connections from regional hubs the length and breadth of the country.

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British Airways passengers flying to Mauritius will now have to take a bus to Gatwick rather than Heathrow to catch their flight this winter.

BA has moved its UK base for flights to the popular Indian Ocean holiday destination as part of plans to boost Gatwick’s reputation as a leisure break hub, while return flights from Mauritius will depart 12 hours later this winter to give tourists more time in the idyllic holiday hotspot.

With more time to kill before catching their flight home, Britons will have plenty of opportunity to take a bus to the airport and subsequently arrive at the terminal refreshed and relaxed before boarding the plane.

The move follows the recent completion of a terminal extension at the west Sussex airport, which was commissioned to raise customer service levels and generally improve passengers’ flying experience.

Those air passengers flying out of Gatwick now have the opportunity of carrying out many pre-flight procedures themselves, including checking in, choosing seats and printing luggage tags.

Silla Maizey, BA’s managing director for Gatwick, revealed the measures are all part of plans to transform the airport into a hub for “great high-end holiday destinations”.

She said: “Moving the Mauritius flight here helps us to strengthen this position as it will now sit alongside destinations such as the Maldives and the Caribbean.”

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Liberal Democrat peer Floella Benjamin has called for changes to be made to air passenger duty so that it doesn’t discriminate against people visiting the Caribbean.

Currently, people travelling from a UK airport to the Caribbean pay more tax than those travelling to California, for example. This is despite the distance to the Caribbean being significantly shorter.

The Treasury is consulting on proposals that would see countries placed in tax bands according to the distance of their capital from the UK.

Speaking in the House of Lords, Baroness Benjamin, who was born in Thailand, said: “Any negative impact on tourism in the Caribbean will have far-reaching consequences. If jobs are lost and alternative employment is not available, we all know this will have a cost – to governments in supplying welfare as well as the potential increase in crime.

“The UK is home to around 800,000 members of the Caribbean diaspora and they view APD with a huge sense of injustice. Many of these citizens were encouraged to come to the UK in the 50s and 60s and have spent their lives working in public service.

“Now in retirement, the money they have saved to pay for visits, often for funerals, weddings or to see sick relatives, suddenly does not go as far because many of them have been low-income earners.”

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The Duke of Cambridge is back at work just four days after getting married to Kate Middleton in a ceremony that sparked celebrations across the country.

William has returned to his job as a search and rescue helicopter pilot after spending a quiet weekend in a secret location within the UK alongside his new wife.

The couple decided to postpone their honeymoon to a later date. The destination of the honeymoon has not yet been revealed.

Cheap flights to the Caribbean from airports such as Stansted, Luton and Gatwick are becoming increasingly popular among holidaymakers, and the newlyweds are hotly tipped to emulate this trend.

Bookies slashed the odds of William and Kate sunning themselves on a Caribbean island for their honeymoon to just 8/15, while Kenya, which was previously the bookmakers’ favourite, is now at 7/2. Jordan is looking less likely with odds of 5/1.

A Ministry of Defence spokesman said of William’s first day back: “It will be a normal day at work for him after the wedding, nothing special planned.”

It will be a chance for William to thank his colleagues from the RAF for their special tribute on his wedding day however – the surprise helicopter fly-past as he drove his new wife the short distance from Buckingham Palace to Clarence House in his father’s Aston Martin.

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