Jamaica’s Ministry of Tourism says it will look to the Chinese market as it seeks to boost earnings in its cruise ship sector by 2021.

This was the message delivered by Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett following his recent tour of Falmouth development projects.

“In September I am going to China, and we are going to talk about the possibility of having Chinese cruise emanating from within our area and going into the rest of the Caribbean,” Bartlett said. “That would enable us to look at other ports.”

Bartlett said that government is projecting $5 billion in earnings from five million cruise ship passengers stopping over by 2021, and noted that Falmouth Pier has been earmarked as a centerpiece for this growth.

“We want to see Falmouth grow to 1.5 million visitors over that period of time, because it has the capacity,” he said.

The projected growth is expected to directly yield 120,000 more jobs, as well as another 300,000 indirectly.

During his tour, the Minister visited the Pier, Tharp House, the site for the Artisan Village at Hampden Wharf, the transportation center, the new market, Market and Harbour Streets, as well as the completed Post Office in the town.

He said the tour was aimed at catalyzing the necessary buy-in from local stakeholders, including the residents, police and leaders of the public and private sectors.

“They must begin to understand that the development of Falmouth is for them, not for some other people. That the value of the experience is for the visitor, but the returns from the experience, the dollar return, is for the people,” he said.

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SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — An esteemed epidemiologist says, unless you are pregnant or planning to conceive, you can have a worry-free vacation in Puerto Rico. Echoing Puerto Rico Tourism Company’s (PRTC) ongoing efforts to educate visitors about zika, Dr D.A. Henderson…

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Jamaica has a big new plan to attract more tourists: entertainment.

According to Jamaica Tourism Minister Ed Bartlett, the plan is to promote Jamaica as the “premier location for guaranteed quality entertainment year-round.”

“What we want to do is to establish the reggae music experience that will bring visitors from all over the world,” he said this week.”Instead of looking at single events, we will be looking now on a product that we can package and… market and it offers some kind of certitude as to the quality and high standards and also it gives a timeline and… a venue.”

One proof of concept in Bartlett’s eyes is the Reggae Sumfest concert event, which he said had been “instrumental” in bringing visitors to the country for 24 years.

“We are going to be having a meeting with all the main providers of international offerings in music and to see how we can pull it all together to produce that product so that the 25th [Sumfest] will be exciting and different and will hopefully bring more of the international Jamaican artistes,” he said.

— CJ Staff

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It’s one of the most hotly-anticipated real estate developments in the Caribbean: One Ocean, the new condominium on Paradise Island in the Bahamas.

The project, which held its grand opening earlier this month, includes two and three-bedroom residences, along with four-bedroom penthouses, all set on the water at the edge of Paradise Island.

The 10-story project is higher than any other residential building on Paradise Island, meaning unmatched, expansive views of the harbor and the project’s surroundings.

The property contains everything from underground parking to an outdoor pool, a fitness room and direct elevator access to every residence, all just across the road from one of the Caribbean’s most beautiful beaches, Cabbage Beach (above photo).

Perhaps most importantly, residents can join at the adjacent One & Only Ocean Club golf course.

Prices start at $750,000, according to developer Replay Resorts.

— CJ

The post A Major New Real Estate Development Debuts in the Bahamas appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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The Caribbean has a major new destination: Nelson’s Dockyard in Antigua, the region’s newest UNESCO World Heritage Site.

While it’s long been a destination for travelers in the know, for those in search of one of the most fascinating sites in the Caribbean, the UNESCO designation gives Nelson’s Dockyard a major new validation, and could be a boon for Antigua tourism.

It’s officially known as the Antiguan Naval Dockyard and Related Archaeological Site, consisting of a group of Georgian-style naval buildings and structures in a walled enclosure.

It was a significant strategic position for the British Navy in the early 1700s, thanks to its protected harbor and position at the south of the island.

From 1784 through 1787, Horatio Nelson was sent to Antigua to enforce British law in the colonies; when the site’s restoration began in the 1950s, it was renamed Nelson’s Dockyard.

But the area is also a wonderful tourist destination in its own right, with several charming small hotels led by our favorite, the Admiral’s Inn (which expanded several years ago with its jaw-dropping Gunpowder Suites) along with art galleries, restaurants and museums and remains a big yachting draw.

Shirley Heights Lookout

And no visit to the area is complete without stopping at Shirley Heights Lookout, atop a hillside in view of the dockyard, and home to a very popular Sunday barbecue party.

The post VIDEO: Another Big Reason to Visit Antigua and Barbuda appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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