If you’ve ever been to the southwestern corner of Saint Lucia, you’ve seen them. You’ve felt them. 

Because the pair of volcanic spires called the Pitons emit some kind of otherworldly energy, a mystical glow, an aura. 

This place, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is truly one of the wonders of the Caribbean, a pair of towering green monuments that are the rare stationary objects you can watch. They do not move, and yet you can’t take your eyes away from them. (They’re even more wonderfully enjoyed from a three-walled suite).

Our latest edition of Caribbean Moment takes you on an aerial journey to this magical place in Saint Lucia, the sort of place whose beauty we can all escape with right now. 

Take a digital vacation to the Pitons of Saint Lucia in the latest CJ Video below:

The post Caribbean Moment: In Saint Lucia, a Journey to the Pitons appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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Amid the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, Caribbean hotels showed double-digit performance declines during the weeks ending with March 14 and March 21 2020, according to preliminary weekly data from STR.  

Before we get into the details of that impact, it is important to note that STR is temporarily publishing weekly data for the Caribbean based on preliminary data.

This preliminary data represents a percentage of STR’s total sample for the region. Once monthly processing is complete, data points will likely appear different.

Week ending March 14

During the week of 8-14 March (compared with 10-16 March 2019), occupancy in the region dropped 18.4% to 65.7%, and average daily rate (ADR) fell 20.2% to US$240.9, resulting in a 34.9% decrease in revenue per available room (RevPAR) to US$158.40. 

Among data-sufficient islands within the Caribbean region, the Bahamas saw the steepest year-over-year decline in demand (-19.5%), which resulted in the second-largest decline in occupancy (-19.4% to 70.4%). That coupled with the largest drop in ADR (-25.4% to US$261.19), caused the steepest decline in RevPAR (-39.8% to US$183.75).

Puerto Rico experienced the greatest decline in occupancy (-20.9% to 61.2%) and one of the largest decreases in ADR (-11.3% to US$209.18), which resulted in a substantial drop in RevPAR (-29.9% to US$128.04).

Barbados was among the least affected Caribbean markets but still recorded a double-digit decrease in RevPAR (-14.4% to US$237.22) due to decreases in occupancy (-7.2% to 81.6%) and ADR (-7.8% to US$290.64).

Week ending March 21

During the following week (15-21 March 2020 compared with 17-23 March 2019), the region saw further double-digit declines in each of the three key performance metrics: occupancy (-61.3% to 30.6%), ADR (-29.1% to US$217.34) and RevPAR (-72.6% to US$66.45). 

During that week, the Bahamas experienced the steepest decreases in occupancy (-72.7% to 22.1%) and ADR (-19.5% to US$292.58), which led to the largest decline in RevPAR (-78.0% to US$64.67).

Barbados was one of the only Caribbean markets to maintain an absolute occupancy above 50% and experienced only a relatively mild decline in ADR compared to the rest of the region. Barbados occupancy declined 41.6% to 52.2%; ADR decreased 6.9% to US$293.76; and RevPAR fell 45.6% to US$153.42.

An STR webinar for the Caribbean & Mexico will be held on 3 April.

Rico Louw is client account manager at STR. He can be reached at rlouw@str.com.

The post STR: How Coronavirus Has Impacted Caribbean Hotel Performance appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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The sound of the surf, the smell of the salt air; the feeling when your toes hit powder-soft sand. 

Beaches are more than just places, more than scenery; they’re their own states of mind, their own dimensions. 

And we could all use a beach right now. And even when we’re not traveling, the Caribbean’s transcendent beaches provide that fantasy, that yearning; they provide aspiration and, most of all, a reminder of what we all, eventually, will come back to. 

For now, you can dream about these beaches from across the region, from Aruba to St Croix to the far reaches of The Bahamas.

What’s your favorite beach in the Caribbean? Let us know yours (and explain why) with an email to news@caribjournal.com and we’ll start featuring your favorite beach memories. If you have a photo, send it along! 

Sandy Point, St Croix St Croix is a diverse, wonderful destination, and its beaches are as varied as its topography. But no stretch of sand is more spectacular than Sandy Point, the seemingly endless white sand just outside of Frederiksted on the island’s western coast. Imagine you’re the only people you can see, listening to the lapping of the waves and sipping on some Cruzan rum. 

The post From Aruba to St Croix, 10 Beaches to Dream About appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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St Kitts and Nevis has ramped up its efforts against the novel coronavirus with the imposition of a State of Emergency in the twin-island federation. 

The declaration imposes a curfew for all citizens between 7PM and 5 AM every day for the next 14 days. 

St Kitts and Nevis’ Emergency Powers Regulations “require every person to remain confined to their place of residence, inclusive of their yard space, to avoid contact outside of their family except in stipulated circumstances such as essential travel to the doctor, grocery store, bank, credit union, money services, business, pharmacy or to refuel vehicles,” according to a statement from the government. 

The move comes after St Kitts and Nevis shut down its borders earlier this week through April 7.

St Kitts and Nevis has already imposed social and physical distancing protocols as part of its response. 

— CJ

The post St Kitts and Nevis Declares State of Emergency to Fight Coronavirus appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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