GRENADA is often overlooked as a holiday destination – despite direct UK flights and being one of the safest islands.

And the Caribbean destination is set to be big next year, according to experts.

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Around 180,000 tourists visited the island in 2023 – compared to 1.26million visiting Aruba.

According to Grenada Tourism, while more than half of tourists are America, UK tourists are higher in luxury resorts.

Grenada Tourism CEO Petra Roach said: “The British visitor will stay longer which means their contribution is quite strong.

“We really want to continue to focus on this and grow the market more.”

New resorts have opened in this year, including Six Senses La Sagesse in the south of the island, with 56 pool suites and 15 villas.

There was also Silversands Beach House, with 28 suites on top of a cliff, so expect amazing views.

Otherwise the already opened Silversands Grand Ans is home to the Caribbean‘s longest pool, with an 100 metre infinity pool.

And new in 2026 will be a third Silversands resort as well as an InterContinental hotel.

Luxury travel experts have also said Grenada is to be a big destination for 2025.

OvationNetwork travel advisor Sylvia Lebovitch told Forbes: “With the opening of the new Six Senses La Sagasse and the Silversands Beach House, Grenada is back on the map.”

Grenada is known for being a great place for chocolate lovers, with six cocoa plantations on the island.

Every May, there is even the annual Grenada Chocolate Festival with workshops and activities as well as free samples.

It doesn’t have to be a pricey holiday either, with this year’s Post Office report finding a bottle of beer will cost you just £1.50 on Grenada.

Don’t skip out on the rum either, the Grenada being home to the oldest rum distillery in the Caribbean.

Otherwise the island is also known for its beautiful waterfalls, one of the most famous being Annadelle Falls, as well as turtle watching and diving.

With 40 beaches to choose from, make sure to visit Grand Anse Beach, named one of the World’s 50 Beaches.

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You might even spot some celebs. Back in 2019, Robert Downey Jr was spotted on the island, with other famous faces including Morgan Freeman and Eric Clapton.

And Richard Branson also visited the island to celebrate the launch of Virgin flights to Grenada back in 2002.

Flights from the UK can be found from London Heathrow, taking around 11 hours.

Both British Airways and Virgin Atlantic offer the routes, with a short one-hour stop in Barbados although passengers remain on the plane.

They also both offer package holidays, along with TUI who have seven nights from £1,271pp.

Sun Travel goes to Grenada

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Hayley Coyle visited Grenada earlier this year.

“A ten-hour flight away from the UK, Grenada is touted by locals and returning holidaymakers as the “safest island in the West Indies”.

“It is arguably the friendliest, too, with everyone eager to wax lyrical about their homeland.

“I was spoilt by Grenada’s intensely rich, dark chocolate — for the Land of Spice, as it’s known, is also home to six trailblazing cocoa plantations.

“Cacao — the raw, unroasted version of cocoa — is grown within 20 degrees of the equator and this island’s warm weather, rainforests and mountains provide the ideal environment for it to thrive.

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“May is the perfect time for a chocoholic to visit, when the annual Grenada Chocolate Festival is in full swing.

“So, if you are looking for a treat during Easter, why not ditch the eggs and splash out on a trip to this island?”

We’ve found the cheapest Caribbean island for all-inclusive holidays, which are as little as £774pp.

But if you don’t want to go that far, here is the holiday destination a few hours from the UK dubbed the “cheaper Caribbean”.

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AN AIRPORT in New Zealand has introduced a time limit on how long passengers can say goodbye to their loved ones.

Dunedin Airport on New Zealand‘s South Island has imposed a three-minute time limit on cuddles in its drop-off zone.

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The tongue-in-cheek policy has been introduced to help improve passenger flow in the drop-off zone.

A sign in the drop-off area reads: “Max hug time 3 minutes. For fonder farewells please use the car park.”

The sign was introduced in a bid to avoid the usual threats and fines passengers will have seen previously in the airport.

Dan De Bono, who is the chief executive of Dunedin Airport, told Radio New Zealand: “We’re trying to have fun with it. It is an airport and those drop off locations are common locations for farewells.

“There’s no space left for others. It’s about enabling others to have hugs.”

Even with its cheeky tone, the new sign has caused a stir among both locals and passengers, leaving some stunned.

In a post on Facebook, one person wrote: “Good, Lord! They’re trying to regulate everything, aren’t they?!”

While on a separate post, another user commented: “You can’t put a time limit on hugs, that’s inhumane.”

Other social media users didn’t see a problem with the three-minute time limit, with one writing: “I love it. It shows warmth and compassion.”

Back in 2016, Aalborg Airport in Denmark introduced nearly identical signage, limiting kissing and hugging to three minutes.

AIRPORT DROP-OFF CHARGES

Earlier this year, an exclusive report by The Sun revealed that drop-off charges at some airports had surged by up to 20 per cent compared to the previous year.

The report compared the cost of drop-off fees at 28 UK airports, with seven upping their charges.

These included Aberdeen Airport, Birmingham Airport, Bristol Airport, Gatwick Airport, Glasgow Airport, Glasgow Prestwick Airport and Leeds Bradford Airport.

Bristol Airport upped its costs by £1, with a 30-minute stay now costing £6.

Drop-off prices also increased at Gatwick Airport, with 15-minute stays costing passengers £6.

In Scotland, Aberdeen Airport increased its charge from £5 to £5.50.

And over in Glasgow, Glasgow Airport increased its 15-minute drop-off by 50p up to £5.50, and Glasgow Prestwick’s rose by 50p to £4.

Leeds Bradford Airport also increased its charge to £6.50 for a 10-minute stay.

The highest airport drop-off cost was at Stansted Airport where passengers are charged £7 for a stay of up to 15 minutes.

Almost all UK airports charge drivers a minimum of £3 to drop off passengers, with some airports fining motorists who fail to pay the charge.

According to the report, Inverness, Newquay and Cardiff airports don’t impose a drop-off charge.

Meanwhile, here are the eight hidden airport charges adding up to £592 to your holiday bills – and how to avoid them.

Travellers love this bag that they claim prevents them from having to pay for hand luggage.

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THE London Underground is essential when you want to travel around the capital.

Some who aren’t experienced in taking the tube may struggle with reading the maps but the drivers know exactly what they’re doing.

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How much do Tube drivers earn?

During the initial 12-16 weeks training, trainee drivers can earn up to £32,375.

They can also obtain free travel around London for themselves and a partner as well as having overtime rates of around £36 an hour.

As of October 2024, drivers earn £67,500 but rejected a proposed pay increase to £70,000 in August.

A night train operator earns around £55,000 to £59,999 per year according to the Transport for London’s (TfL) Copy of Job Titles and Responsibilities of Senior Staff.

Inspectors and operators earn from £60,000 to £64,999 a year.

There is another role, known as a trainer, and this person is in charge of not only offering training to newcomers, but also the whole driving team, to always keep them up-to-date with the latest updates.

They earn the same salary as an inspector.

They can retire on a reduced pension at the age of 50 or a full pension at 60 years old.

What hours do they work and how much holiday do they get?

Drivers tend to work 36-hour weeks and have 43 days of annual leave, including bank holidays.

Shifts can start as early as 4.45am and end as late as 1.30am.

The drivers cannot drink alcohol for eight hours before a shift starts.

They are sometimes asked to work as many as 17 weekends in a row.

What are conditions like on the Underground?

Tube drivers are expected to maintain a high level of concentration in a dark cabin with nobody for company.

The work is repetitive, with the amount of driving varying between lines.

They also have to maintain a good level of focus and not be feared by the fact that they are responsible for many passengers aboard on the train.

How do you become a Tube driver?

Unless you already work for TfL, applying for a job can be difficult as they don’t tend to be advertised to the public.

Publicly advertised TfL roles include applying to become a customer service assistant.

You can look for TfL vacancies on their website.