ATLANTA, USA — Acting on data from multiple scientific studies in Puerto Rico that show that the zika virus is spreading rapidly and is a major risk to pregnant women and their fetuses, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)…

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JetBlue Airways is continuing its expansion in Barbados.

The New York City-based carrier has announced the launch of new weekly flights between Newark Liberty International Airport and Barbados’ Grantley Adams International Airport.

The new flights will operate during the peak travel period of Nov. 19 through January 7, 2017, subject to government operating authority.

Seats are now available for purchase.

“Barbados continues to be one of JetBlue’s best performing destinations and we know our New York customers will love having even more choices to select from when they book their holiday travel this year,” said Dave Clark, vice president of network planning at JetBlue. “Demand to and from Barbados is particularly strong over the holidays and we are pleased to offer more seats and more choices to serve this peak holiday demand.”

The Colony Club hotel in Barbados

JetBlue first launched service to Barbados in 2009, and now offers nonstop flights to Barbados from New York, Boston and Fort Lauderdale, with the latter the most recent daily addition.

JetBlue has also begun operating its Mint premium cabin service on select flights to Barbados from both New York City and Boston.

“We are truly appreciative of JetBlue’s response to the high demand out of New Jersey, its introduction of this new service and their continued support of our beautiful island,” said Petra Roach, US Director at Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc. “As seen with our previous new gateways, we are fully committed to ensuring its success and long term viability. With another JetBlue milestone and our 50th Year of Independence, now is the ideal time to experience the island of Barbados – and getting to the island is easier than ever before.”

The Newark-Barbados flights will depart Newark at 9:37 AM local time, arriving in Barbados at around 3:29 PM.

The outbound Barbados flights will depart Grantley Adams International Airport at 4:25 PM, arriving in Newark at 8:41 PM, according to the company.

The post JetBlue Launching New Route to Barbados appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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Examining the impact to Caribbean tourism

By Denaye Hinds and Eduardo Lafforgue
CJ Contributors

While the world grapples with understanding how Brexit will take shape and to what level the region may be affected, as tourism destination developers and product specialists, here’s our take on potential impacts on Caribbean tourism.

It is difficult to predict how the exit will play out and if Article 50 of the Lisbon treaty, allowing two (2) years of negotiations, will change the current course of the withdrawal, however what is evident is the immediate impact the vote has caused worldwide.

Tourism Arrivals & Products 

Since the vote the British Pound has dropped to a 31-year low making it worth 12% less. This may have some interesting implications, it may limit the purchasing power of the U.K. middle class, dampening their spending habits on discretionary spending, including vacations.

Should this occur, a result we may see mid-market products suffer, some with weakened purchasing power of British tourists, particularly hotels, resorts, and restaurants with visitors opting for similar but lower priced options. This is not a prediction, but a precautionary note to take stock of for some who may be considering a diversification of their tourism products.

There is also some concern that with some Caribbean destinations recently seeing double-digit increases in U.K. tourists a weaken Pound may result in much slower growth. Additionally, destination entry and departure taxes further limit middle-class purchasing power and mid-market products.

There is an upside however, big ticket purchases will not be limited and luxury destinations traditionally favored from U.K. citizens including BVI, Barbados, Antigua, and St. Kitts will likely not see a severe downfall, as middle-upper to high-income tourists will not be dramatically impacted. As such, those who did not traditionally realize feeder markets from the UK or Europe will also fair seemingly well with perhaps an increase from their US feeder markets. With the above, there are still unknowns when you factor in the direct impact on Caribbean tourism.

Tourism Investment & Interests

With the market volatility caused by the Brexit vote, economic advisors have been predicting a serious economic slowdown in the U.K. therefore, investors are looking for safer investments. This may create an opportunity for Caribbean investment as some British hotel investors may turn their eyes to the Caribbean where the tourism economy is more dependent on the U.S. Dollar than the Pound or Euro.

Although no one can predict how the Brexit implications will play out it is certain that it will keep the market volatile, which creates opportunities for the Caribbean. At first blush, opportunities for investment in Caribbean tourism overall may outweigh smaller and more immediate impacts due to reduced purchasing power of U.K. tourists.

As the Brexit vote unfolds focus is again brought to the need for the Caribbean to increase economic resiliency in tourism by focusing their efforts on long-term, sustainable planning and investment positions.

Denaye Hinds is Director of Sustainability for OBM International. Eduardo Lafforgue is CEO, Territoire & Tourisme International.

The post What Will the Brexit Mean for Caribbean Tourism? appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — June 30 was a historic day for Puerto Rico, albeit an unhappy one. US President Barack Obama signed into law the Puerto Rico Oversight, Management and Economic Stability Act (PROMESA), which imposes a fiscal control board with extraordinary…

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There is no one here.

And it feels like no one has ever been here.

This is White Bay, a secret sandbar off the western coast of Great Exuma in the Bahamas, a beach straight out of a beer commercial, a beach that becomes entirely yours the moment you take your first step.

You can get here only by taking a bonefish charter, but when you do, you’ll feel like you came on a spaceship.

There is an otherworldly quality here, the kind you feel when the only sound you hear is the sound of nothing.

This is a marvelous, ethereal, stunning place. This is White Bay. And this is what it’s like to be here:

The post VIDEO: A Secret Sandbar in the Bahamas appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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