Delta Air Lines is adding a new route from New York to the Cayman Islands, Caribbean Journal has learned. 

The new seasonal service is set to launch June 13, according to the Cayman Islands Department of Tourism. 

It will operate on Saturdays through Aug. 20 between John F. Kennedy International Airport and the newly-transformed Owen Roberts International Airport in Grand Cayman. 

“We are excited to welcome increased airlift from New York City to Grand Cayman this summer, particularly with a long-time international partner like Delta Air Lines that has an extensive network of travelers in the tristate region,” said Cayman Islands Tourism Minister Moses Kirkconnell. “With Delta’s new seasonal service and the Department of Tourism’s annual, destination-wide summer promotions, we are poised to provide even more New Yorkers with a memorable and easily-accessible Cayman Islands vacation this summer.”

The flights will depart New York at 10:55 AM and arrive in Grand Cayman at 1:37 PM; return flights from Grand Cayman will launch at 2:50 PM and arrive in New York at 7:28 PM. 

“Each new flight introduced to Grand Cayman provides visitors with more options to explore our beautiful destination while creating additional tourism and business opportunities among our valued airline partners,” said Rosa Harris, the Cayman Islands’ Director of Tourism. “We thank Delta for continuing to serve and invest in the Cayman Islands, and look forward to bringing even more travelers from the tristate area to experience our sun, sand, sea and Caymankind vibes this summer.”

It’s yet another boost for a destination that continues to see strong tourism success, with travelers, particularly from the United States, continuing to flock to the Cayman Islands. 

And it’s the latest result of a years-long push by Cayman tourism officials to draw new airlift to the destination, one that has drawn waves of new flights from carriers like JetBlue and Southwest Airlines, among others.

“Delta is New York’s No. 1 airline, and this service to the Cayman Islands joins the ranks of our more than 200 daily departures to more than 80 destinations in 30 countries,” said Chuck Imhof, Delta’s Vice President for New York Sales. “Families and vacationers seeking escape from the big city this summer will find the perfect adventure in this culturally rich island getaway.”

— CJ

The post Delta Is Launching New York-Grand Cayman Flights appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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In a year of stirring highs and unimaginable tragedy, tourism in The Bahamas still managed to post a record-breaking year.

In a significant sign for the country’s tourism comeback, The Bahamas is reporting record-breaking visitors arrivals across all sectors in 2019. 

That included the highest-ever recorded amount of stopover visitors in The Bahamas, with 1.78 million, including the most-ever stopover visitors from the United States, with 1.45 million. 

Combined with The Bahamas’ crucial cruise sector, the destination welcomed 7.216 million visitor arrivals, the most ever for the country, and a 9 percent increase compared to 2018. 

“[These are] the strongest tourism numbers in our history,” Bahamas Tourism Minister Dionisio D’Aguilar said at a briefing during the Caribbean Travel Marketplace conference in Nassau. “This is a tremendous accomplishment, particularly in light of the challenging year we, as a country just endured. I stand before you with tremendous gratitude and admiration for every single one of my fellow Bahamians who have showed the world the true meaning of resilience.”

D’Aguilar called 2019 “one for the history books,” pointing to the “tremendous tragedy brought to us by Hurricane Dorian.”

“However, the Bahamian people stood together, remaining strong and resilient, and the world took notice. We are in awe of our country, and deeply grateful for the outpouring of support and assistance from friends, partners, and even strangers from around the globe,” he said. 

The news continues what has been a far longer trend of tourism growth in The Bahamas. 

Since 2009, The Bahamas has seen a 52 percent jump in combined air and sea arrivals, according to data from The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism. 

“This tremendous achievement would not have been possible without the hard work and dedication of the team behind the scenes at the Ministry of Tourism as well as our industry and agency partners,” said Director General, Joy Jibrilu. 

The Bahamas’ strong 2019 was the result of many factors, including what, unsurprisingly, included surging arrival numbers before Hurricane Dorian — and a massive increase in airlift to the destination, on carriers ranging from United Airlines to Delta — a trend that is likely continue in 2020.

“The Ministry attributes this historic success to data-driven, agile marketing, authentic storytelling, and aggressive PR, sales and airlift strategies,” the Ministry of Tourism said in a statement.”

But it was also the country’s quick action to remind tourists of the many islands unaffected by the storm ready for travelers that likely helped soften the blow of the storm — and help lead to record-breaking growth. 

“We began our campaign in the days immediately following Hurricane Dorian and have remained diligently aggressive ever since,” D’Aguilar said. “[We want] to spread the message that The Bahamas is open, beautiful and ready to welcome all with open arms. This sentiment has been embraced wholeheartedly, sparking international headlines and content encouraging travel to our islands.”

It’s major momentum for the country as it kicks of 2020, and as the tourism sectors have already begun to rebound both in Grand Bahama, where almost 1,500 rooms are already back open and, even more notably, in Abaco. 

Indeed, South Abaco has made an admirable tourism comeback: the renowned Abaco Club on Winding Bay and its championship golf course is open and operating again, while the Sandpiper Inn in South Abaco’s Schooner Bay community is also back. 

— CJ

The post The Bahamas Just Set an All-Time Record for Visitor Arrivals appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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The outlook for Caribbean tourism in 2020 “remains strong,” according to the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association. 

The association, which is convening its annual Caribbean Travel Marketplace conference in Nassau, The Bahamas this week, is reporting positive signs for the region’s most important industry. 

That includes a new record for average daily room rates in the Caribbean, which saw a 5.6 percent increase compared to 2018, according to Frank Comito, the CEO and Director General of the CHTA.

And the Caribbean saw the addition of 4,451 new rooms across the region, according to STR. 

Air arrivals to the Caribbean were up 4.4 percent, according to ForwardKeys, with particularly strong signs for the destinations impacted by the storms of 2017. 

The latter is a crucial step, with data showing that tourism performance and hotel inventory in most of the six major destinations hit by Hurricanes Irma and Maria nearing pre-2017 levels. 

And results from the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association’s Industry Performance and Outlook Study show a climate of positivity in the region as the Caribbean kicks off 2020. 

That includes a continued jump in capital spending by hotels, with two-thirds of hoteliers in the Caribbean reporting increases in capital expenditure — including a 61 percent increase compared to 2018. 

This is the 38th edition of Caribbean Travel Marketplace, the regional industry’s most important tourism business event, held this year at the Baha Mar resort.

— CJ

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