By the Caribbean Journal staff

Puerto Rico is seeing a surge in travel demand, according to numbers provided to Caribbean Journal by Expedia Group.

Demand from both within the United States and abroad is up considerably, the travel giant said.

That included a 63 percent year-over-year increase in demand for U.S. travelers for Puerto Rico, along with a 60 percent increase in demand for Puerto Rico fro international travelers, as compared to the first half of 2018.

The average booking window for Puerto Rico trips was 34 days, while the average length of stay was two days — reinforcing Puerto Rico’s strong positioning one of the Caribbean’s top weekend getaway destination.

Expedia said the hip Condado neighborhood of Puerto Rico’s capital, San Juan, was the top in-demand market, followed by Isla Verde, Old San Juan, Ponce and the luxury beach destination of Dorado.

Expedia released the numbers on the heels of Puerto Rico’s Annual Conference on Tourism.

“Expedia Group’s platform will continue to offer different tools and solutions to help travel partners to drive incremental revenue and acquire new customers. At the same time, we will continue to work hand in hand with all the stakeholders within the local travel industry, to attract more travelers to this wonderful Caribbean destination”, said Miriam Hernandez, Director of Market Management for Expedia Group in the Caribbean.

The data compares favorably with reports of strong air traffic increases at San Juan’s Luis Munoz Marin International Airport.

Puerto Rico Tourism Company officials could not be reached for comment.

— CJ

The post Puerto Rico Is Seeing a Surge in Travel Demand appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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By the Caribbean Journal staff

Low-cost carrier Sun Country Airlines is continuing its fast-paced Caribbean expansion, Caribbean Journal has learned.

Sun Country has announced plans to launch a new nonstop route from Minneapolis-St Paul International Airport to Nassau in The Bahamas.

The Baha Mar destination resort in Nassau.

The new route is set to launch Dec. 21, according to Sun Country’s Web site. The flights have already launched reservations, according to the air carrier’s Web site.

The new Nassau service will operate once weekly on Saturdays, adding to what is becoming a new hub for Caribbean travel in the midwest: Minneapolis.

The Graycliff hotel in downtown Nassau.

Indeed, last year, Sun Country launched the first-ever flights from Minneapolis to the island of St Kitts.

That came after Sun Country launched the first-ever service from Minneapolis to Belize at the end of 2018.

Atlantis Paradise Island in The Bahamas.

It’s part of a broader growth push for the airline, which this spring ramped up its Caribbean network with new flights from Dallas to both Montego Bay, Jamaica and St Kitts.

Sun Country’s December Nassau launch will be another boost for The Bahamas, which has seen a quick return of travelers to the wider destination in recent weeks, thanks to a major reminder that the vast majority of the destination is “open for business.”

Another carrier, Delta Air Lines, will be also be launching new flights to Nassau the same week, with a planned Dec. 21 launch of new daily service from Boston to The Bahamas. 

— CJ

The post Sun Country Launching New Nonstop Flights to The Bahamas appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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… after devastating hurricane
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Weekly power failures. Hundreds of … of the biggest concerns for Puerto Ricans since reconstruction has not even … , transmission and distribution engineer for Puerto Rico’s Electric Power Authority.
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By the Caribbean Journal staff

Caribbean regional airline LIAT, one of the region’s most crucial transport facilitators, says it will “continue operating across the region” despite what it called “challenges the airline is facing,” according to a statement from LIAT CEO Julie Reifer-Jones.

In a statement released by the company, Reifer-Jones said LIAT was “disappointed to again see media reports circulating about the airline being on the verge of collapse.”

She said the company was “in the midst of a restructuring exercise which included sensitive discussions with its stakeholders.”

LIAT continues to operate its full schedule of flights to more than 15 destinations every week.

Reifer-Jones said discussions with governments across the LIAT network were “continuing as the airline negotiates with territories to contribute through a minimum revenue guarantee model.”

LIAT currently operates 491 flights every week across its network of 15 destinations in the wider Caribbean region.

LIAT has a fleet of 10 ATR aircraft.

— CJ

The post Caribbean Carrier LIAT “Will Continue to Fly” appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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By Alexander Britell and Dana Niland

Saint Lucia continues to be one of the Caribbean’s most sought-after destinations, and the Caribbean island keeps breaking its tourism records.

July saw the highest-ever visitor total for any month in the country’s history, according to newly-released data from the Saint Lucia Tourism Authority.

Indeed, July represented a total of 42,773 stayover visitors, which was a 13 percent increase over the same month in 2018.

Saint Lucia.

But more crucially, it was a 2.5 percent jump over March 2019, which had been the island’s previous one-month tourism visitor record.

In a statement, Saint Lucia Tourism Minister Dominic Fedee said the island is seeing growth for almost every source market in 2019, with the exception of slight declines out of Canada and France.

For the year, Saint Lucia’s stayover arrival total is now up 7.5 percent, which is among the fastest tourism growth rates in the wider Caribbean region.

Jade Mountain.

Fedee said the destination had been buoyed by new airlift from American Airlines out of Miami, a strong carnival season and the introduction of expanded ferry service out of Martinique.

It also shows that the island is taking things to the next level as an even more complete destination — combining what had been arguably the Caribbean’s most prestigious honeymoon sector with a growing portfolio of luxury resorts, one of the strongest all-inclusive sectors in the Caribbean and an expanding focus on experiential travel and authenticity. (That’s along with an impressive local hotel pipeline that is being highlighted by the rapid expansion of the Bay Gardens brand).

The island also got a major boost this summer with the announcement that the developers of Canada’s Cabot Links would be bringing a significant new golf destination to the northern corner of Saint Lucia, centered on a Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw design that could turn Saint Lucia into one of the Caribbean’s major golf destinations.

Cap Maison.

Heading to Saint Lucia? Check out Caribbean Journal’s recent roundup of the best places to stay in Saint Lucia.

For more, visit Saint Lucia.

— CJ

The post Saint Lucia Tourism Keeps Setting Records appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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