In a major move for the Caribbean tourism sector at large, the island of Jamaica is reopening its borders for travelers beginning June 15.

Jamaica Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett announced the decision in a letter from the Ministry of Tourism to stakeholders.

Jamaica reopened its borders for the repatriation of nationals on June 1.

The reopening would make Jamaica the largest Caribbean destination to reopen its borders so far.

Saint Lucia is planning to reopen for tourism June 4, as is Antigua and Barbuda, while the United States Virgin Islands reopened for tourism on June 1.

“I congratulate Jamaica on the reopening of our borders on June 15 2020 to all international travelers,” said Adam Stewart, deputy chairman of Sandals Resorts International, the Jamaica-based resort company.

Sandals Resorts had announced plans to reopen the vast majority of its resorts in the Caribbean on June 4 (excepting its properties in The Bahamas and Turks and Caicos).

Stewart said Jamaica’s newly-developed COVID-19-focused health and safety protocols were over 100 pages.

“From transportation, restaurants, villa operators, tour providers and of course all sizes of hotels and resorts, it’s a world-class document that will guide safety for all in the hospitality sector,” Stewart said.

Bartlett said the protocols were “perhaps,the most rigorous set of protocols that could be available anywhere in the world to protect, not just the workers… but the whole country.”

While not all major air carriers have announced their plans, Southwest Airlines just said it would be relaunching some routes to Montego Bay, Jamaica’s tourism hub, beginning July 1.

And Delta Air Lines has officially revealed plans to relaunch daily flights from Atlanta to Montego Bay this month.

The move means resorts can now begin to reopen, like the iconic Half Moon.

“We are continuing our liaison with the Government of Jamaica to ensure we are painstakingly diligent in the phased opening of our property,” said Guy Steuart, Chairman of Half Moon, told Caribbean Journal.

A spokesperson for Half Moon also confirmed to Caribbean Journal that the property’s website and reservations team were now “open for bookings to international travelers, beyond the June 15 date as announced by the Jamaican government.”

Just before the pandemic, Half Moon had debuted its highly-anticipated new Eclipse at Half Moon resort.

So what does the announcement mean for Jamaica’s all-important tourism sector more broadly?

Bartlett recently suggested Jamaica could receive another two million visitors through the end of the year.

More importantly, it’s a boost for the hundreds of thousands of Jamaicans who are employed in the sector.

That would be “somewhere around 50 percent of last year, if we can have a summer start, between June and August,” he said.

Jamaican officials, led by Bartlett, have publicly stated a desire to be a force in the global tourism recovery post-COVID, even branding the new wave of travelers “Generation C.”

The region has to prepare for the “ushering in of a new era,” Bartlett said.

— CJ

The post Jamaica Is Reopening for Tourism on June 15 appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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Curaçao hotels are working to prepare for the eventual return of visitors, according to the Curaçao Hotel and Tourism Association.

CHATA recently ran a series of site inspections across the Dutch Caribbean island to examine how hotels have been implementing new health and safety protocols.

The wide-ranging operational changes apply to everything from check-in to food ordering and interactions between staff and guests.

Curaçao has not yet announced a planned reopening date for its tourism sector.

“CHATA and the sector is pending to receive the green light to be able to welcome visitors back to the island under the protocols approved by the Government of Curaçao,” CHATA said in a statement. “Once all the site-inspections have been completed, the properties will have to be approved and then the staff can continue with a training given by GMN on the procedure and implementation of the protocols.”

“This shows that Curaçao is indeed ready to welcome visitors,” the organization said.

— CJ

The post Curaçao Hotels Working to Prepare for Return of Visitors appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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Mexico’s popular tourism destination of San Miguel de Allende has begun what tourism officials are calling “Phase 0” of its COVID-19 “reactivation plan,” which for now is limited to the local population.

The first phase includes activation of the local economy for local residents, and officially begins June 1. 

The city will see most of its business infrastructure reopen, including markets, eateries, shopping centers, offices and public transport. 

Hotels, bars, cantinas and clubs will not yet reopen, however. 

The reopening comes with a slate of hygiene requirements for businesses, from international-grade sanitation protocols (including shoe-cleaning) to provision of face masks to hourly disinfecting of public spaces. 

Access to the city has been closed since March to non-residents. 

“We still haven’t opened the doors to our visitors,” said the city’s mayor, Villarreal García. “San Miguel is not opening to tourism, not yet; We will do it gradually. Gradually and responsibly, as the number of infections marks us.”

The post Mexico’s San Miguel de Allende Begins First Phase of “Reactivation” appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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St Croix might be your best bet if you’re thinking about heading to the U.S. Virgin Islands soon after the U.S. territory officially reopened to visitors on June 1.

Of the three islands in the USVI — St Thomas, St Croix, and St John — St. Croix has the most hotels currently open, including such prominent properties as the Hotel Caravelle, The Buccaneer, Sand Castle on the Beach, and The Fred, among others.

In fact, St Croix is the rare Caribbean destination with more hotels open than closed.

“Like most Americans, we are cautiously optimistic about re-opening the territory to tourism,” says Topher Swanson, co-owner of The Fred, an 11-room boutique hotel in Frederiksted. “Although not scientifically proven to prevent COVID-19, many of the things that people come to the Caribbean to enjoy — wide open spaces, fresh sea air, plenty of UV sunlight, etc. — are things that many people naturally believe can be used to fight the spread of COVID-19, so I can’t think of a healthier place to be right now.”

(It’s worth noting that St. John has had just two positive COVID-19 cases though May 19, versus 38 in St. Thomas and 29 in St. Croix.)

USVI Commissioner of Tourism Joseph Boschulte announced that although tourists will be allowed to start coming back to the USVI next week, the territory’s COVID-19 state of emergency will remain in place until at least July 17.

Visitors who come to the USVI in June will thus be among the first to experience the “new normal” of tourism in the post-COVID world.

Buffets and live music will be banned at restaurants and bars, for example. Children’s recreational areas will remain closed. Mini-bars in hotel rooms will be shut down. Employees and guests will be required to wear masks in public areas.

Hotels will be required to retain guest information for contact tracing if an outbreak of illness occurs. And any guests who show symptoms of COVID-19 will be required to self-quarantine for 14 days.

“Our goal to ensure our visitors have a wonderful and safe experience when they visit the USVI,” said Lisa Hamilton, president of the USVI Hotel & Tourism Association. “We have extensive safety protocols to ensure this. Visitors can enjoy restaurants, bars, beaches, boat rentals, activities, and attractions. We are temperature checking via thermal imaging on arrival and this will be communicated to [visitors].”

“Likewise, we are testing employees as they come in to work each day and ensuring proper sanitation procedures are followed while on the job,” said The Fred’s Swanson. “We typically allow more than a day between guests in each room at the hotel so that they have a chance to heat up with the A/Cs off before new guests arrive.”

“In general we have stepped up extra cleaning and let me just say … we’re no longer trying to be subtle nor quick with our cleaning efforts,” he said. “If needed, we are prepared to begin screening guests with touchless thermometers and wiping down suitcases with sanitization cloths, but so far that has not been included in the recommendations that we have received.”

Under the guidelines that will be in place when visitors begin returning, masks will be required in order to receive service at restaurants, bars, hotels, and other businesses.

Social distancing mandates will include six-foot seating separation at dining establishments as well as poolside.

“All furnishings have been moved at least 6 feet apart to provide for the greatest amount of social distancing, and we have sectioned off the pool from our restaurant and bar in order to be sure that we can easily maintain the recommended 50 people maximum per area,” said Swanson. “Fortunately, guest volume is typically lower in the summer months so that allows even more opportunity to really spread things out.”

Whether or not to reopen on June 1 is a decision left to individual hotels and restaurants. A number have chosen to remain more cautious. The Bolongo Bay Beach Resort says it won’t open its door to non-emergency personnel until July 1, for example, “which is closer to the date I envisioned from the start,” according to owner Richard Doumeng.

Other hotels that will reopen later include the Ritz-Carlton St. Thomas (July 15) and the Margaritaville vacation club (July 1).

USVI hotels and condos that are already open include:

Emerald Beach, STT

The Green Iguana, STT

Windward Passage, STT

Secret Harbor, STT

Bluebeard’s Castle, STT

Flamboyan on the Bay, STT

The Hills, STJ

Arawak, STX

Holger Dansk, STX

Hotel Caravelle, STX

Sand Castle on the Beach, STX

Tamarand Beach, STX

The Palms, STX

The Fred, STX

Club Comanche, STX

Cottages by the Sea, STX

The Buccaneer, STX

The Inn on Strand Street, STX

Hotels planning to open on June 1 include:

Point Pleasant Resort, STT

Frenchman’s Cove timeshares, STT

Ritz-Carlton Club timeshares, STT

The Westin St. John, STJ

Gallows Point, STJ

Coconut Coast Villas, STJ

The Carambola Beach Resort on St. Croix and the Elysian Beach Resort on St. Thomas will reopen in November.

For more, visit USVI Tourism.

— CJ

The post The US Virgin Islands Is Open for Tourism — Here’s What to Expect appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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