Category: Island Life

Caribbean Photo of the Week: Anse La Raye, Saint Lucia

 

By the Caribbean Journal staff

The latest Caribbean Photo comes from Caribbean Journal reader Akshara Moran, who sent in this lovely shot of Anse La Raye beach on the island of Saint Lucia.

Have you taken a great photo in the Caribbean?

Send it to news@caribjournal.com with CPOTW in the subject line, including your first and last name and the location of the photo.

It could be the next Caribbean Photo of the Week!

— CJ

The post Caribbean Photo of the Week: Anse La Raye, Saint Lucia appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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Spirit’s New Daily Nonstop Flights Puerto to Rico

 

By Dana Niland
CJ Contributor

Low-cost carrier Spirit Airlines has quietly become the fastest-growing airline in the Caribbean so far in 2019.

And this week, the carrier was at it again, launching a pair of new nonstop routes to the island of Puerto Rico in another boost for the destination’s tourism recovery.

Spirit Airlines has launched two new daily routes, from both Tampa International Airport and Baltimore-Washington Airport to San Juan’s Luis Munoz Marin International Airport.

Spirit is operating both routes on its182-seat A320 aircraft.

spirit puerto rico flights

“At the Puerto Rico Tourism Company we are extremely pleased with the dynamic expansion plan being implemented with Spirit Airlines Puerto Rico as a destination,” said Executive Director of the Puerto Rico Tourism Company, Carla Campos. “This increase in service by Spirit involves an increase in capacity of 132,860 seats annually, contributing significantly to the growth of our air service, which responds to our commitment to expand capacity in the area of air access and diversifying supply to attract visitors to the island.”

PRTC estimates that the new routes will generate an additional annual impact of $57.7 million to the economy of Puerto Rico as a result of increased arrivals.

spirit puerto rico flights

Old San Juan.

“We are very proud to be serving to Puerto Rico since 2001 and we are excited to be expanding here again,” said Mark Kopczak, Vice President of Network Planning Spirit Airlines. “We are convinced that these new routes from Tampa and Baltimore will provide greater convenience to our guests with more flights from ultra low rates nonstop.”

spirit puerto rico flights

It also means easier access to beach destinations like Cabo Rojo.

The new flights come as the island’s tourism sector is in the midst of a renaissance in the wake of 2017’s devastating hurricanes.

But cruise traffic has returned and, more importantly, airlift has come back to near pre-Hurricane Maria levels.

spirit puerto rico flights

The new OLV Fifty Five.

And new development is underway too, most notably the high-profile debut of the ultra-chic OLV Fifty Five hotel in hip Condado at the end of 2018.

Another new hotel, the all-inclusive Candelero Beach Resort, also recently made its debut.

– CJ

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Luis M. Neco, 87, Dies; Barrier-Breaking Puerto Rican Police Official

“We Puerto Ricans are at the bottom of … , 1931, in Yabucoa, in southeastern Puerto Rico, to Jose Maria Neco Arroyo … of the first wave of Puerto Rican migration to the United States … II, and by the 1970s, Puerto Ricans accounted for more than 10 …

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IHG Pays $300 Million for Six Senses

 

By the Caribbean Journal staff

InterContinental Hotels Group has added a boutique luxury brand to its burgeoning global portfolio.

IHG has paid $300 million for all of Six Senses’ brands and operating companies, a portfolio that includes 16 hotels and another 18 management contracts in the pipeline.

The latter features several in the Caribbean, including Range Developments’ new project in St Kitts.

It also includes Six Senses’ vast spa operations, which includes 37 spas under the Six Senses and LivNordic brands, one of which is at the Puntacana Resort and Club in the Dominican Republic.

IHG said Six Senses would sit “at the top of IHG’s luxury portfolio,” complementing its Kimpton and Regent brands.

“Six Senses is an outstanding brand in the top-tier of luxury and one we’ve admired for some time,” said Keith Barr, CEO at IHG. “You only have to look at its iconic hotels and resorts to see how this acquisition will further round out our luxury offer. With a focus on wellness and sustainability, Six Senses has been voted the world’s top hotel brand for the past two years, which is testament to its impressive management team who bring deep experience to IHG’s luxury operations.”

The deal with Pegasus Capital Advisors was an all-cash transaction, according to a statement.

The post IHG Pays $300 Million for Six Senses appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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