The Bermuda Tourism Authority has named a new chief executive officer, the organization announced Thursday.

Bermudian native Kevin Dallas has been named to the post, set to begin his term in January 2017 following the completion of current CEO Bill Hanbury’s term.

“The Board of the BTA is pleased to welcome back home our next Chief Executive Officer Kevin Dallas,” said David Dodwell, chairman of the Bermuda Tourism Authority. “Kevin is a proud Bermudian who distinguished himself from a talented slate of candidates. His unique combination of global credentials and experience encompasses market development work for South African Tourism, as well as consultancy and executive roles in product and marketing within the digital domain.”

Dallas said he was “thrilled to return home for this opportunity.”

“Having lived and worked not only in Bermuda’s core Boston, New York and London markets, but also across Europe, Asia and Africa, I can honestly say that Bermuda has a unique and special place in the world,” he said. “I look forward to using my experience as a traveler, tourist and global executive and my passion for our island to deliver the next chapter for Bermuda’s tourism product.”

— Caribbean Journal staff

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It’s not just a trend anymore — it’s a fact. More and more travelers are doing so with food as their major motivating factor. It’s convenient, that the Caribbean is one of the world’s great food destinations — even if it doesn’t always get the credit it deserves. So where are the Caribbean’s great food destinations? Where are the places foodies need to go first? In our opinion, you want a place that excels in some area, whether it’s because of the restaurants or because of the street food or simply an overall high quality of food culture. So we have you covered, with our newest rankings of the top food getaways in the Caribbean, from fine-dining restaurants to undiscovered street food and everything in between — and the islands that have all of the above. These are the best Caribbean islands for foodies.

Chef Franck Mear at Le Pressoir, St. Martin’s best restaurant.

St. Martin

Plainly, the French side of St. Martin is the epicenter of great food in the Caribbean. There is no greater concentration of world-class restaurants anywhere in the region — and terrific street food to boot, from the famous lolos to several top bokit food trucks. And that’s just on Grand Case Boulevard. In simpler terms, it’s practically impossible to eat a bad meal here.

The post The Best Caribbean Islands for Foodies appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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The Caribbean is one of the most vibrant places on earth, a diverse region full of history, art and culture. It’s also home to some truly great cities. We want to showcase the Caribbean’s urban destinations with our first-ever Caribbean City of the Year Award. It’s a chance to celebrate the greatest cities in the Caribbean to visit. Our editorial team has done the work to narrow down this year’s nominations, and it’s your turn to choose the winner. So vote and let us know!

Voting ends Nov. 30.

The post Vote for the Caribbean City of the Year 2016 appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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A new tourism hub in the Dominican Republic?

By Alexander Britell
CJ Editor in Chief

A major new tourism development has launched in the southern region of the Dominican Republic.

It’s called Puntarena, and the $1.5 billion project is the brainchild of the Puntacana, Rizek, Selman and Reid groups, aimed at creating a significant new tourism hub in the Dominican province of Peravia.

The project is located specifically in Sabana Buey in the municipality of Bani, with the site covering a total of 15.5 million square meters and boasting eight miles of coastline on its southern boundary.

Its location is crucial, as Bani is just about 30 miles from the country’s capital and air traffic hub, Santo Domingo.

Just six million square meters will be developed, however, safeguarding the remaining 9.5 million square meters, according to developers.

The project has been divided into five stages, with the first stage, Bahia Flamenco, already having launched.

Bahia Flamenco will include single-family residential lots, a condo-hotel with 600 apartment units with mountain and ocean views; a hotel area with 4,400 rooms, recreational areas including a beach club, sports club, restaurants, a yacht marina, stables and ecological trails and commercial and service areas.

It’s estimated to create an average of 1,800 direct and indirect jobs in he short and medium-term, with projections for 4,000 jobs in the long term, according to the company.

The project will also feature an ecological reserve area and a public beach, with all services managed by the GPC Foundation Institute.

According to developers, the vision is to build a “family-oriented destination that seeks to create long-term relationships and loyal guests, in which we serve as a model for sustainable and low-impact development positioning us as one of the leading projects in the Caribbean.”

Given the involvement of the Puntacana group, some are calling this a “second Punta Cana.” And if it comes to fruition, it’s likely that it will become a new pole of tourism in the Dominican Republic.

The post A New $1.5 Billion Dominican Republic Resort Project: Puntarena appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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JetBlue is expanding its service to the Dutch Caribbean island of Curaçao.

The New York City-based carrier will be launching a new nonstop flights between New York’s John F. Kennedy Airport and Curaçao, meaning a total of three weekly flights between New York and the island.

Willemstad, the capital of Curaçao.

JetBlue had been offering nonstop flights on Tuesdays and Saturdays; the new flight will be operating on Thursdays.

JetBlue is the only airline offering nonstop flights between New York and Curaçao.

— Caribbean Journal Staff

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