St Helena : St Helena - “THE MOST SURPRISING PLACE WE’VE BEEN...”
Submitted by Saint Helena Herald (Public Relations Information Office) 06.02.2012 (Article Archived on 20.02.2012)
This was just one of the comments made by visitors from the two cruise ships that visited last week. Visitors from the Seabourn Quest and Silver Whisper were most vocal in saying they enjoyed themselves during their stay, with many of the visitors from Silver Whisper stating they wished they had had a longer time ashore
NEWS FROM ST HELENA TOURISM
“THE MOST SURPRISING PLACE WE’VE BEEN...”
This was just one of the comments made by visitors from the two cruise ships that visited last week. Visitors from the Seabourn Quest and Silver Whisper were most vocal in saying they enjoyed themselves during their stay, with many of the visitors from Silver Whisper stating they wished they had had a longer time ashore.
A visitor survey undertaken by St Helena Tourism showed that 99% of visitors questioned rated their visit Excellent or Very Good – in fact 92% rated it Excellent. Many visitors commented that their whole visit far exceeded what they had anticipated – one visitor from the Silver Whisper said: “Your island has far surpassed any expectations we might have even thought about giving it”, and another from Seabourn Quest said that St Helena was “So much nicer than the Caribbean”.
Most people (94%) were visiting the island for the first time, but everyone said they would recommend the island to other people. There was a fairly even split between those taking pre-arranged tours and those who did their own thing, and the amount spent by visitors (over above the cost of pre-arranged tours) varied from £5 to £60.
The highlight for many people was seeing the whole island and meeting local people. In addition visiting Longwood House was rated very highly, along with seeing the tortoises at Plantation paddock and walking the Ladder.
It is clear that this mix of Britons, Americans, Swiss, Canadians, Belgians, Australians, Hungarians and other nationalities had a great time, and it is a real credit to the whole island that they left with such a positive experience and impression, with many wanting to return in the future. The fact that everyone said they would recommend the island to others means we have several hundred ambassadors working for us to boost interest in St Helena right across the world, particularly when they felt – as one couple said – “this is the most surprising place we’ve been on a cruise in years”.
We now look forward to the next cruise ship visit on 25 February, when the Melody makes another call to the island.
For further information on any of the above items, or for any information about tourism activities on the island, contact the Tourist Office on 2158. We are now open 7 days a week.
|
