By the Caribbean Journal staff

It was a special touchdown for a JetBlue plane on Tuesday as a flight filled with New York Jets football players, executives, sponsors and fans arrived at Antigua’s VC Bird International Airport.

The Jets-styled plane was on the island as part of Antigua’s first-ever professional sports organization partnership with the team.

Antigua.

“The New York Jets are an important partner for Antigua raising awareness of all our destination has to offer visitors reaching fans in the important northeast corridor and in fact across the United States,” said Colin C. James, CEO of the Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority. “It is a highlight of this multi-year partnership having the group visit and see our many attractions including the beautiful beaches for themselves in sunny Antigua.”

The partnership, called Jets in Paradise, is part of a multi-year initiative with Antigua and Barbuda Tourism.

The group was welcomed by James along with US Director of Tourism Kim Jack Riley, Operations Manager (ag) at the Authority Donyelle Bird-Browne, Chief Operations Officer at the Antigua and Barbuda Airport Authority Edward Gilkes and other tourism and airport representatives.

The post Why the New York Jets Visited Antigua appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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The totally transformed Hotel Manapany has officially reopened in St Barth.

The B Signature Hotels property held its reopening on Tuesday morning, a boost for St Barth’s quickly recovering tourism sector and a return for one of the island’s venerable hotels.

The Manapany has made its return to the island as a luxe eco-boutique, with sleek, colorful, crisply designed 43 rooms and suites facing the ocean and two pools (one exclusively for adults).

Manapany staff celebrate the relaunch.

Set on the bay in St Barth’s calm Anses des Cayes, the Manapany also includes a spa and a restaurant helmed by Chef Edouard Fabius.

For more information, visit the Manapany Hotel.

The post The Manapany Reopens in St Barth appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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By the Caribbean Journal staff

Necker Island, Sir Richard Branson’s ultra-luxe private island paradise in the heart of the British Virgin Islands, is making its own comeback in the wake of Hurricane Irma.

Branson announced this week that the private island, which is available for whole-island rentals, will reopen in October 2018.

“We’re delighted to share the news that Necker Island will be welcoming guests back for both Exclusive Use bookings and Celebration Weeks from October 2018,” Branson’s Virgin Limited Edition brand announced in a statement.

Exclusive Use bookings mean taking over the whole island; celebration weeks are scattered weeks across the year during which guests can rent individual rooms on Necker for seven days.

Work is already underway to rebuild the island, according to Virgin.

The relaunched Necker will include 11 bedrooms in the Great House, including the famous Master Suite, along with a bunkroom that can accommodate up to six children.

The two Celebration weeks will take place in October.

Virgin also said Necker would be adding more rooms throughout 2019.

“We very much look forward to seeing you on island soon,” the company said.

Necker’s return is a big boost for the British Virgin Islands, which has been making a rapid comeback from last year’s storms.

Branson, has been an outspoken advocate in the BVI’s recovery.

For more information, visit Necker Island.

The post Richard Branson’s Necker Island to Reopen in October appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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By the Caribbean Journal staff

Barbados tourism continues to surge, as the destination posted another record-setting year in 2017, according to the country’s Ministry of Tourism.

Barbados reported 663,441 stayover visitor arrivals, a record five percent increase compared to 2016, itself an all-time high for the destination.

That was accompanied by 818,752 cruise arrivals, a 12.9 percent increase over the previous year.

The island has also been boosted by the debut of new, transformed hotels like Treasure Beach, above.

“I am delighted by this news and what it says about Barbados’ tourism product,” said Barbados Tourism Minister Richard Sealy. “It is never easy as a mature tourism destination to maintain growth at these levels in the competitive business landscape in which we operate, but I am pleased that through strategic marketing efforts we have once again proven Barbados’ value as shown by the record number of arrivals at both the air and sea ports throughout 2017.”

While the United Kingdom remained the largest source market for Barbados, accounting for 33.5 percent of the market, the United States contributed a strong 28.4 percent of arrivals.

That was an 11.7 percent increase over 2016, with its 188,970 arrivals from the United States the highest for the U.S. market since 1987.

The post Barbados Tourism Continues Rapid Growth appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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By the Caribbean Journal staff

A huge new hotel project has officially broken ground in the Dominican Republic.

Dominican Republic President Danilo Medina kicked off construction for the new Lopesan Costa Bavaro Resort, Spa and Casino, an estimated $180 million project.

The Punta Cana-area project is the second in the country for Lopesan, best known for its hotels in Spain, Austria and Germany.

Lopesan already runs the IFA Villas Bavaro Resort (top of page).

The groundbreaking ceremony this week.

All told, the Lopesan will feature more than 1,000 rooms and another 100 luxury suites on a nearly 30-acre site in Bavaro.

It will include six themed restaurants, two buffet restaurants and almost 10,000 square feet of infinity pools.

That will be accompanied by a pair of beach clubs, seven swimming pools and exclusive adults-only areas.

The Lopesan will also feature a shopping boulevard, a 600-seat movie theater and a discotheque.

It’s the latest major project in what has become the Caribbean’s hub of hotel investment, with more than 13,000 hotel rooms in construction.

The post 1,000-Room Hotel Project Breaks Ground in Punta Cana appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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