The program also provides guests who want to learn local languages with a language immersion pin identifying the guest as an Authentically Local participant; team members will then speak to the guest in the local language. Packages also include English/Spanish/Portuguese/Papiamentu dictionaries and a list of area language schools.

Guests can also pursue hiking through a forest at the Hilton Papagayo Costa Rica Resort & Spa or snorkeling in local waters at the Hilton Curaçao, or opt for tango lessons at Hilton properties in Brazil or seek rumba lessons at Hilton hotels in Colombia.

Authentically Local “culture consultants” are available at each property to provide guests with menus of local experiences. To book the packages, guests can contact participating hotels directly or call a local Hilton Reservations and Customer Care office, and request an Authentically Local package.

The private villa estates range from two to four bedrooms and offer 3,000 to 6,000 square feet of space with views of the Caribbean Sea and the surrounding islands.

Each villa features a large balcony and terrace plus Subzero, Wolf and Viking appliances; enclosed rain showers; and infinity-edged or plunge pools. Villa interiors feature local artwork, custom furnishings, king-size beds with luxury linens, natural stone flooring, bamboo ceiling fans and 42-inch flat-panel televisions.

Rates start at $2,550 per night and can accommodate up to 10 guests.

Rehydrate with true coconut water before the Caribbean Breeze Spa Treatment only in May and June

Virgin Gorda, B.V.I. – Guests that book the Caribbean Breeze Spa Treatment this May and June at Sense, A Rosewood Spa® at Rosewood Little Dix Bay, will receive a complimentary and local treat. Rehydrate before your spa treatment when a coconut is selected from the surrounding lush gardens, opened just for you and served with a straw. Drink coconut water directly from the source instead of a carton, this May and June, only with the Caribbean Breeze Spa Treatment.

The taste of the fresh coconut water is enhanced when it is sipped while relaxing next to the two-tiered infinity spa pool before your treatment overlooking the Caribbean below.

Once you are refreshed, the relaxation continues with the 90-minute Caribbean Breeze Spa Treatment which takes place in an open-air treatment room offering spectacular views.

The treatment begins with a head-to-toe exfoliation with Pineapple Papaya Enzyme Scrub followed by a full-body wrap of aloe, ginger root and antioxidant-rich green tea. As the nourishing mask soothes the skin, the scalp is massaged with warm Coconut Oil and then the body is misted with hydrating coconut milk and massaged with Kukui Lotion.

The Caribbean Breeze Spa Treatment will be available only during May and June 2012 including the complimentary coconut for $180.

Sense, A Rosewood Spa® overlooks the sparkling waters of Sir Francis Drake Channel and offers an array of Caribbean specialties and indigenous treatments such as the Virgin Gorda Goat Milk & Honey Wrap and the Salt Island Scrub. The spa’s relaxation area features a two-tier infinity pool and an exclusive Cliff Spa Suite is available for couples.

The spa also hosts Yoga, Pilates and meditation classes. Spa services are offered daily 8 a.m.-8 p.m. and rates at Rosewood Little Dix Bay start at $495 per night. For more information or to make reservations Rosewood Little Dix Bay, please contact (284) 495-5555 or visit www.littledixbay.com

Located on Virgin Gorda in the British Virgin Islands, the timeless resort offers discerning clientele an arms-length respite from day-to-day stresses amidst lush foliage, a half-mile crescent-shaped beach, and a colorful barrier reef. Guests can choose from a wealth of elegant villas and guest rooms, including hexagonal cottages and two- and three-bedroom villas nestled along gorgeous gardens and shaded footpaths.

The resort’s three dining venues specialize in fresh Caribbean cuisine, including the open-air Pavilion, the intimate Sugar Mill, and the Beach Grill, which serves light-fare on the white sands. SENSE®, A Rosewood Spa offers the finest in beauty and recuperative programs in a dramatic setting, with treatments that utilize indigenous botanicals plucked right from the resort grounds. Complimentary services include a wide array of watersports, use of the on-site fitness center and tennis courts, and more. www.littledixbay.com

On this trip by AdventureWomen, Inc., guests cruise the British Virgin Islands on a marvelous luxury yacht, the Cuan Law, the world’s largest trimaran sailboat that’s equipped with every amenity. Women can soak up the sun and scenery while choosing from adventures like sea kayaking, scuba diving and snorkeling, dining on decadent cuisine, or enjoying the views from the canopy deck onboard the boat. $2995 pp ($800 deposit). Departure date: March 4, 2012. Learn more about AdventureWomen’s 30th anniversary trips in 2012 at www.adventurewomen.com

MLT is promoting its Caribbean product in an effort to build on an impressive year in the Caribbean in 2011, when the company grew business in the Caribbean by 46 percent over the previous year.

MLT Vacations offers a variety of hotels, rental cars and activities in the Caribbean. MLT Vacations manages multiple vacation brands, including Delta Vacations, in partnership with Air France Holidays and Alitalia Vacations, United Vacations, and Worry-Free Vacations.

For more information, call 800-727-1111.

The added properties include Sanctuary at Cap Cana (Dominican Republic), a 176-suite, all-inclusive ocean front resort including five restaurants and bars, five pools, a spa and 18,000 square feet of event space;

Fishing Lodge at Cap Cana (Dominican Republic), located near the Caribbean’s largest inland marina providing sweeping views, designer furnishings and 299 villas;

Golden Bear Lodge at Cap Cana (Dominican Republic), a hotel with studios, one- or two-bedroom suites and two nearby golf courses;

Riu Palace Bavaro Hotel (Dominican Republic), featuring 610 guestrooms at the beach of Arena Gordon, with three swimming pools, two Jacuzzis, four conference rooms for groups of up to 500 people, a solarium-terrace, a gym, a steam bath, sauna and a spa;

Cobblers Cove (Barbados), a Relais & Chateaux property reminiscent of the English Country, with 38 one- and two-bedroom luxury suites, 10 two-story cottages with four suites each and the Great House featuring the Camelot and Colleton suites;

Ocean Two Resort & Residences (Barbados), a new, four-star, beach front resort located on Dover Beach on the south coast of Barbados, with 88 rooms in four room categories including hotel rooms, one-bedroom ocean front suites, two-bedroom ocean front suites and two-bedroom bay view suites;

Tamarind Beach Hotel & Yacht Club (Grenadines), an Italian managed hotel with 40 beachfront hideaways including eight suites and rooms with balconies overlooking the Caribbean Sea;

N Resort (Jamaica), a new, adults-only, all-nude, all-inclusive resort located on Jamaica’s north coast;

Hotel St. Barth Isle De France (St. Bart’s), a hotel on the beach with nine beach rooms, three junior beach suites and four new suites;

and The Palms at Pelican Cove (St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands), a hotel with 40 beach front guest rooms in two freestanding buildings each with its own balcony or patio.

In addition to the new hotel and resorts, Travel Impressions has added Club MoBay, a 10,000-square-foot lounge located at Montego Bay’s Sangster International Airport (MBJ) in Jamaica.

Club MoBay provides a place for air travelers to unwind before departure. Access to the club offers Fast Track Access through security and immigration, complimentary non-alcoholic and alcoholic beverages, complimentary snacks, free unlimited Wi-Fi Internet, business center, kids center, spa treatments and shower facilities. For reservations, call 800-284-0044. For more information, call 888-284-3786.

The Frenchmans Lookout villa in Tortola, B.V.I. is offering “Winter Break” packages featuring discounted rates. For bookings made by Jan. 27, rates start at $200 per person, per night for 10 guests staying from Feb. 1 to 10, March 12 to 17 and April 7 to 14. Low-season rates, from April 15 to Dec. 15, start at $150 per person for 10 guests. Stays must be booked by Feb. 18.

Rates include breakfast, one day on a 35-foot power boat (with captain), daily housekeeping and managerial assistance with rental cars, in-house chefs, spa treatments, and babysitters.

Frenchmans Lookout is located on one of the highest points on Tortola’s west end in a two-story Carolina house with a grand wraparound porch on each floor. For more information, call 866-940-0020.

Lionel Eli, one of Canada’s highly rated and respected tennis coaches and personal trainers, said the Virgin Islands “is not only an incredible vacation spot, but it also is perfect for sports tourism encounters.”

The long-serving Director of Tennis and Operations at Banbury Tennis Club in northern Toronto and Director of Tennis at Tam Heather Curling and Tennis Club in Scarborough, said as his members hunker down for the another cold winter, “there’s nothing like nonstop service from Pearson International Airport into the Caribbean.” The non-stop St. Thomas flights, he added, were “long overdue and right on time for athletic and leisure oriented Canadians seeking warmer climes.”

The former Barbados Davis Cup tennis player and national coach who also works as a rehabilitation/athletics therapist (specializing in brain and spinal injuries), was recently in St. Thomas for the Caribbean Media Exchange on Sustainable Tourism (CMEx) conference where he led a daily morning workout program. Assisting him was yoga enthusiast, Clayton Sizemore, operations manager of CNN in New York.

Eli highlighted sports tourism as a huge opportunity for the Caribbean, and posited with the number of professional athletes the USVI has produced, the territory is a natural choice for sports travelers in Canada.

“People are curious why Caribbean athletes do so well on the international scene … and to visit the Caribbean, train in the Caribbean and enjoy Caribbean food, warmth and hospitality is a dream come true for many,” said Eli.

Using Airbus 319-100 aircraft, Air Canada operates weekly Saturday service from Toronto to St. Thomas with 14 executive seats and 106 in economy.

USVI Commissioner of Tourism Beverly Nicholson-Doty expects a 20 percent annual increase in Canadian visitors with the new flight. “We are very keen on forming alliances with professional, collegiate and club member athletes and sports organizations to boost our profile in our key markets.”

Commissioner Nicholson-Doty added that the Department of Tourism was also keen on exploring alliances with members of the Caribbean-Canadian community to promote travel to the territory.

For more information about the United States Virgin Islands, go to VisitUSVI.com, follow us on Twitter (@ USVITourism) and become a fan on Facebook
(www.facebook.com/VisitUSVI). When traveling to the U.S. Virgin Islands, U.S. citizens enjoy all the conveniences of domestic travel – including on-line check-in – making travel to the U.S. Virgin Islands easier than ever. As a United States Territory, travel to the U.S. Virgin Islands does not require a passport from U.S. citizens arriving from Puerto Rico or the U.S. mainland. Entry requirements for non-U.S. citizens are the same as for entering the United States from any foreign destination. Upon departure, a passport is required for all but U.S. citizens.