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Tourist arrival numbers continue to surge to Turks and Caicos, Caribbean Journal has learned. 

The destination’s numbers in the first quarter were just about even with what had been spectacular visitor arrivals in the first quarter of 2019. 

Indeed, Turks and Caicos welcomed 138,762 arrivals in the first quarter, which represented 98 percent of the same period in 2019. 

The 98 percent number represents one of the strongest tourism recoveries in the entire Caribbean region.

“The tourism industry is poised for a full recovery,” said Mary Lightbourne, the acting director of the Turks and Caicos Tourist Board. 

“The first quarter, especially March, is traditionally excellent for winter vacationers, and has seen a robust [change] in visitor arrivals, almost paralleling the corresponding month in 2019, which saw the best pre-COVID arrivals for the sector,” Lightbourne said. 

Turks and Caicos has been reporting an average month-to-month increase of 33 percent so far in 2022. 

The United States continues to be the destination’s primary source market, according to data from the Tourist Board. 

“These arrival figures are indicative that the Turks and Caicos Islands continue to be a sort after destination,” Lightbourne said. “We are indeed on pace to increase our arrivals in the coming weeks and months, welcoming all our guests to our Beautiful by Nature isles.”

The growth comes as Turks and Caicos last month lifted its pre-testing requirements for all vaccinated travelers. 

For more, visit Turks and Caicos. 

The post Turks and Caicos Tourism Is Surging Right Now appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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In a significant step, the island of Barbados has removed all testing requirements for vaccinated travelers. 

The move comes as more than 70 percent of the eligible population in Barbados is fully vaccinated, according to Barbados Prime Minister Mia Motley. 

She said removing the entry test requirement would “have positive implications for the country’s tourism experience,” including faster processing times at the Grantley Adams International Airport. 

Barbados has seen a nearly 90 percent decline in tourism over the last two years. 

“[Now we are significantly on our way back up,” Mottley said this week. 

Unvaccinated travelers must still present a negative test to enter Barbados. 

“What this signals to our travelers is that it is safe for them to come to Barbados, and we are in a position where we can comfortably accommodate many of the same measures they are experiencing at home, such as the protocols for mask wearing and testing for certain activities,” said Barbados Tourism Minister Lisa Cummins. 

More and more Caribbean destinations are removing their pre-testing requirements; some, like those in the Dutch Caribbean and islands like Antigua and Jamaica, have dispensed with the rules for all travelers, regardless of vaccination status. 

For more, visit Barbados Travel Protocols. 

The post Barbados Just Waived Testing for Vaccinated Travelers  appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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The long awaited transformation of the Marriott Frenchman’s Reef property in St Thomas is slated to debut this fall. 

Aimbridge Hospitality has announced that it will be opening two new hotels in St Thomas: the Westin Beach Resort and Spa at Frenchman’s Reef and The Seaborn at Frenchman’s Reef, Autograph Collection. 

Aimbridge will manage both properties under the leadership of managing director Kurt Wiksten.

The Westin Beach Resort and Spa will offer 392 rooms, including 28 suites, most of which will offer ocean views, along with six restaurants and lounges, three ocean-view pools; a Heavenly Spa by Westin with 13 treatment rooms and 72,000 square feet of meeting and event space. 

The hotel will also have a private dock with access to nearby islands and what Aimbridge calls a “private adventure beach.”

It will be the second Westin-branded resort in the US Virgin Islands, joining the existing Westin St John Resort Villas on neighboring St John. 

The Seaborn, which was initially slated to be called Noni Beach, will have 94 rooms (including two suites), with four open-air eateries, an infinity-edge pool with a swim-up bar and 13,000 square feet of meeting space. 

Both resorts are being designed by architects Kollin Altomare and The Johnson Studio. 

The two properties are connected by the beach at Frenchman’s Reef. 

“Frenchman’s Reef has served as a pivotal vacation and celebration setting for many years and we look forward to reaffirming its status as a premier luxury destination with two new exceptional resorts under our management,” said Rob Smith, Executive Vice President of Operations at Aimbridge Hospitality. “We are excited to welcome guests to new levels of wellness travel and unique experiences.”

Both properties are owned by Fortress Investment Group, which purchased the in May of last year. 

The two openings will only add to what has been a sizzling tourism renaissance in the US Virgin Islands, led by one of the Caribbean’s model destination reopenings after the onset of the pandemic. 

“We are delighted to manage the transformation and evolution of Frenchman’s Reef into an exciting new destination in the heart of the U.S.V.I. and bring two entirely new world-class resort experiences to travelers around the globe,” Wiksten said. “We are committed to ushering in a new era for this beloved property and look forward to opening our doors soon to a quintessential luxury St. Thomas experience.”

For more, visit Frenchman’s Reef St Thomas. 

The post Two New Marriott Hotels to Open in St Thomas This Fall  appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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Iggy Azalea had recently been here, performing in the middle of a new venue perched over a massive beachfront pool. 

And the previous day, Richard Branson’s Virgin Voyages, the world’s hottest new cruise line, had just brought its “sailors” to the beach club, a sparkling destination on the sand straight out of the best beach spots of Ibiza. 

And back at the hotel, travelers sipped cocktails in a wraparound pool at the edge of a marina. 

This is the new Bimini, and it’s a destination that’s carefully marrying the island’s historic calm with a fresh, buzzing energy. 

The centerpiece of the place is Resorts World Bimini, gaming firm Genting’s Bahamian destination, home to a 305-room hotel, a sleek casino, seven dining concepts and some stunning pools, including a rooftop, adults-only infinity pool. 

The food is particularly good, from an excellent curated breakfast buffet at The Tides to the terrific Sushi Bar, where the menu was conceived by Top Chef winner Hung Huynh.

And then there’s the RW Beach Club, the impressive beach destination with pools, bars, cabanas and regular entertainment that’s turned into a world-class party spot just a half an hour flight from Miami. 

It’s regularly hosting special events, from high-profile concerts like Iggy’s to culinary weekends with Chef Adrianne Calvo. 

The beach club was developed in partnership with Virgin; twice a week, it’s reserved for Virgin Voyages guests; but the other five days a week, it’s exclusive to Resorts World guests. 

That means you get the ultimate amenity — your very own beach club set on one of the most stunning stretches of sand in The Bahamas.

The service at the club is outstanding, with a friendly staff that’s drawn team members from all across The Bahamas; the food, particularly at the 360 eatery, is excellent — with locally-inspired favorites like curry grouper. 

It all adds up to a sophisticated, full-service, fun place to stay.

And while the property at the very northern tip of North Bimini has brought new dynamism and new visitors to the island, it hasn’t changed the soul of this island in the stream, a place of fishing, adventure and pristine natural beauty. 

Take a golf cart down the north-south Queen’s Highway and you’ll get a sense of this little sliver of land in the sea, passing by waterfront conch stands like Joe’s and Stuart’s and soup shacks and craft stores; turn to the other side of the island and you’ll encounter Radio Beach, the lovely little shoreline now boasting some popular beach bars. (That’s without mentioning the world-class Edith’s Pizza).

Yes, it’s the same Bimini that drew the likes of Ernest Hemingway and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr years ago, a tiny archipelago just 50 miles off the coast of Miami, a place of quiet beach bars and delicious conch shacks and eclectic, fascinating attractions like the unforgettable Dolphin House. 

In other words, it’s the best of both worlds. You can spend your days at the Beach Club or out searching for shipwrecks or big-game fish on a boat; by night, there’s the always-hopping lobby and arguably the best boutique casino in the Caribbean. 

It’s also remarkably easy to get to, especially if you take one of Tropic Ocean Airways’ seaplanes from the Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport, a bucket-list experience whose prices tend to compare favorably with commercial flights on major carriers. (There’s also regular ferry service from Fort Lauderdale on Balearia).

The difference is, of course, that you land on the water right on the resort, the kind of golden-age, jet-set experience you just don’t really find anymore. 

And the kind of Bimini that didn’t exist a few years ago — a major new stop on the region’s travel radar. 

For more, visit Resorts World Bimini.

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