Island Routes Soars in Debut Year
Mark Rogers

Island Routes Caribbean Adventure Tours was born when Adam Stewart, the CEO of Sandals Resorts International, was visiting Zambia. He was struck by the pride the Zambians showed in their country, and their assumption that Stewart would want to take advantage of as many excursions as possible to see the countryside. “My wife and I ended up taking five excursions in three days, including a safari on the Zambezi River, a helicopter ride over Victoria Falls, and a journey on an old steam train operated by the Royal Livingston Hotel, where we were staying,” remembered Stewart.

On the plane ride home, Stewart got to thinking about all of the beautiful opportunities the Caribbean offered, and how they were being underutilized. Then and there he made the decision to create a company that would offer excursions on par with those he experienced in Africa. Stewart tapped fellow Jamaican marketing guru Dominique Peterkin as general manager and Miguel Arthurs as director of operations to execute his vision of a luxury, adventure tour company. In seemingly no time at all, Island Routes was operating on Jamaica, Antigua; Exuma, The Bahamas; St. Lucia; and Turks and Caicos.

The numbers are impressive for a company that reached its first birthday this month. “We’re booking 900 bookings a day,” revealed Stewart, who is the CEO of Island Routes Caribbean Adventure Tours. “In 18 months we’ve spent $12 million on just water-based product, such as our catamarans.”

They’ve also picked up a notable nomination as “World’s Leading Caribbean Attraction Company” at the upcoming 2010 World Travel Awards, as well as receiving the Six Star Diamond Award from the American Academy of Hospitality Sciences. Island Routes is the only adventure tour company to ever be honored with this prestigious award. The company currently offers a wide range of tours, including catamaran sailings, ATV tours, Jeep safaris, bike tours, deep sea fishing, horseback riding and zipline adventures One tour is especially close to Stewart’s heart. Remembering his good times on the Martha Brae River, he created the Bamboo River Rafting excursion. As a boy, Stewart would spend hours rafting on the river with friends, and hurtling from rope swings into the water. Locals would come out with handicrafts and refreshments. “It was a whole other world and we spent a fortune recreating it,” said Stewart. The Island Routes rafting excursion takes participants on a scenic, romantic raft ride through three miles of lush forest. The unique, 30-foot bamboo rafts are skillfully piloted by experienced raft captains. Prices start at $76 for the 1 1/2 hour rafting
excursion.

Island Routes has an additional niche-line of adventure tours they’re preparing to unveil. These include Romantic Routes (horseback riding and a sunset catamaran sail tours for couples) Family Routes combining fun and learning (Bellefield Living History and Culinary Tour, and the Dolphin Encounter) and Community Routes that will be especially close to the heart of the company, which will include visits to a farm and an eco-friendly school, supported by Island Routes and Sandals.

Getting Down to Business
While Island Routes is a Sandals-backed company, it’s actually independent from the all- inclusive resort giant. Island Routes independence and confidence in its product is exemplified by its move into a greater number of islands, including islands where Sandals doesn’t have a presence. In 2010 Island Routes will add six new destinations: Aruba; The Bahamas, Nassau; The Cayman Islands; the Dominican Republic; St. Maarten; and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Island Routes will also be opening tour desks in resorts that are often considered Sandals competitors.

For example, the company recently announced that beginning September 1 it will partner with the Fiesta Hotel Group to offer luxury catamaran tours to guests at the hotel group’s two resorts in Montego Bay: the Grand Palladium Jamaica Resort and Spa and the Grand Palladium Lady Hamilton Resort and Spa.

A Certified Partner Program and comprehensive selection process has been developed by Island Routes to ensure a high standard of safety. Stewart and his team brainstormed a 100 point safety checklist and make sure the company’s partners follow this list to the letter. Island Routes’ insurance coverage also gives clients and agents peace of mind. The company provides three to four times the insurance coverage of its competition. The reason they get this amount of coverage is because they exceed industry safety, training and equipment standards.

“We partner with the best out there,” said Stewart. “Because we’re from the Caribbean, we knew who were the serious players, and those who would be a liability. Some excursions we own, some we don’t.” The company’s “One-Stop Shopping” approach to tours makes it easy for agents. Island Routes provides one convenient source for agents to book all their clients’ tours across numerous islands in the Caribbean.

Pre-booked Island Routes tours are fully commissionable to agents at 10 percent. “One agent said to me that he used to just tell his clients to go the Sandals tour desk and book their excursions,” said Stewart. “Now this same agent is making commissions on excursions. Island Routes excursions are not low-end, so these bookings can add up to a nice over-all boost for agents.”

Island Routes also offers travel agents a “Simply Anywhere” guarantee that assures the company will service an agent’s client visiting the Caribbean, no matter which hotel, villa or cruise line they choose.

Stewart invites travel agents to inquire through Unique Vacations (305-284-1300) to arrange complimentary Island Routes excursions as part of an independent fam.
www.islandroutes.com