By Dana Niland
CJ Contributor

Antigua and Barbuda is celebrating the start of peak season with a new American Airlines flight from Miami.

The airline launched a second daily round-trip flight from Miami to the V.C. Bird International Airport in Antigua, effectively doubling the capacity from the key gateway.

“We are very excited to be doubling our capacity from Miami to our award-winning V.C. Bird International Airport, just in time for our peak season,” said Minister of Tourism and Investment, Charles Fernandez.

The increased capacity reflects the almost double-digit growth in visitor numbers for Antigua and Barbuda, and is timed to meet the demands of passengers looking to get away for the winter.

“Antigua and Barbuda has shown remarkable year-over-year growth in visitors, and the new flight will help us to continue this forward momentum by providing critical access to the destination,” Fernandez said. “The new flight not only allows Antigua and Barbuda to benefit from more convenient non-stop flight options for the Southeast region, but this new conveniently timed schedule will provide complimentary connections to our key regions including the West Coast, Midwest, Texas and East Coast as well as flights from the international market.”  

Operated by a Boeing 737-MAX8, the new flights carry a capacity of 172.

“This welcomed increased capacity is a result of our continued discussions with airline partners on airlift to meet the demands of our visitors,” said CEO of the Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority, Colin C. James. “It represents the strength of our relationship with American Airlines and the confidence they have in our destination.”

— CJ

The post A New Daily Flight to Antigua appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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By Alexander Britell

The most popular destination in the Caribbean’s most-visited country is getting yet another new hotel.

The Dominican Republic’s impressive hotel development pipeline added another property this week with the groundbreaking for the Infiniti Punta Cana hotel.

Dominican Republic President Danilo Medina, center, lays the first stone.

The new $50 million hotel, which will be set in the Uvero Alto region of Punta Cana, will be the first Caribbean outpost of Spanish hotel company BG Hotels, which has hotels in destinations including Ibiza and Mallorca.

The five-star project, which will be built by Spanish firm Construye Capital, will have a total of 345 rooms ranging from junior suites to premium suites.

A room at a BG Hotels property in Spain.

Dominican Republic President Danilo Medina laid the first stone on the project.

Amenities at the new-build hotel will include seven restaurants, eight bars, a business area, a VIP lounge, a fitness center, several pools and a “wellness zone.”

A BG Hotels property in Spain.

According to Dominican Republic Tourism Minister Francisco Javier Garcia, who was on hand for the groundbreaking, foreign investment in tourism is up more than 54 percent in the last five years.

BG Hotels “won’t regret building in Punta Cana,” Garcia said.

That echoes a sentiment shared by many hotel investors in the Caribbean, thanks to an investment climate that has companies like Apple Leisure Group bullish on its tourism future.

— CJ

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By Caribbean News Now contributor LONDON, England — Dominica-born Baroness Patricia Scotland, the current Commonwealth secretary-general, has lost yet another case in the Commonwealth Secretariat Arbitral Tribunal, adding yet more controversy to her already embattled tenure. The case – Ojiambo v Commonwealth Secretariat – was brought against the Commonwealth by a former deputy secretary-general, Dr […]

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