It’s been one of the greatest tourism success stories of the pandemic — and tourism continues to sizzle in the United States Virgin Islands. 

Last year was a banner year for travel in the territory, according to new data released by the destination’s Department of Tourism. 

Indeed, the USVI reported just under 740,000 air arrivals for the first 11 months of last year, a 102.5 percent increase over the same period — and, even more notably, a 30 percent jump over the same period in 2019, before the pandemic. 

USVI Tourism Commissioner Joseph Boschulte said he was looking forward to receiving the final statistics for 2021, since preliminary data showed that December was a “particularly impressive month for the territory.”

The destination’s success was buoyed by its class-leading Travel Screening Portal, which registered more than 1 million submissions last year and, Boschulte said, “has been critical in protecting not only the lives of visitors and residents, but also the livelihoods of all Virgin Islanders.”

The territory continues to see strong airlift, with new routes from a wave of major cities across the mainland United States. 

Boschulte thanked USVI Governor Albert Bryan Jr for his “smart and sensible stewardship of the Territory throughout the pandemic,” along with cabinet colleagues like Commissioner of Health Justa Encarnacion. 

“We must also give thanks to the dedicated team at the Department of Tourism who played a key role in our chalking up numerous accolades throughout the year,” said Commissioner Boschulte.

The strong performance comes as the USVI is set to welcome the debut of the highly-anticipated Divi Carina Bay Resort, a rebranded adults-only all-inclusive that officials say will boost interest in the USVI’s “Big Island.”

That’s along with the opening of the Lovango Resort and Beach Club on the private Lovango Cay near St John and the relaunch of the Concordia Eco-Resort in St John. 

Later this year, the iconic Frenchman’s Reef Marriott will reopen in St Thomas, a long-awaited relaunch for one of the territory’s most popular hotels. 

The post US Virgin Islands Tourism Is Sizzling appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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Best Western is in the midst of a major expansion in the Caribbean, and now it’s added two more hotels in the region.  

The company has debuted a pair of Best Western Signature Collection hotels in Aruba and Curacao, its first in the Dutch Caribbean. 

They’re also the Caribbean’s first BW Signature Collection hotels, a brand featuring experiential properties with their own authentic personality.

The first is the new Aruba’s Life Vacation Residences, a BW Signature Collection in Noord, Aruba. The condo-style hotel features fully-equipped accommodations, including a living space, bedrooms and kitchens with full-sized appliances. 

It’s set in Noord, a short drive to both Palm Beach and Eagle Beach, close to restaurants, shopping, golf and other cultural attractions. 

“We’re proud to represent this beautiful property that welcomes guests to ‘experience Aruba like our residents do’ in our growing presence of Best Western brand family hotels in the Caribbean,” said Bill Clegg, regional director of development for Best Western Hotels & Resorts. 

The Best Western Signature Collection brand is ideal for this hotel, allowing it to maintain its own culture, identity, and hyper-local sense of place, while benefiting from all of Best Western’s representation and support resources.”

Amenities at the Aruba hotel include a 25-meter lap pool that’s connected to a kids’ pool, a pair of beach tennis courts, a barbecue area, a bistro and bar and the “comforts and convenience of home,” the company says. 

“Aruba’s Life Vacation Residences is managed by Dushi Tera Resort & Condo Management LLC, and we are proud to be affiliated with Best Western Hotels and Resort as the island’s first BW Signature Collection by Best Western, and to be able to offer our guests all the benefits of Best Western Rewards,” said Willie Chin, president and managing director of Dushi Tera. “We are always looking to optimize performance and value of our hotels, plus the recuperating strong leisure demand in Aruba coupled with the brand will represent an outstanding growth opportunity for Aruba’s Life Vacation Residences in 2022 and beyond.”

In Curacao, Best Western has unveiled the Brion City Hotel, a Best Western Signature Collection Hotel, in the heart of the island’s historic capital, Willemstad. 

The fully-renovated, 72-room hotel is a chic, boutique-style property with 29 newly-built rooms. 

It’s located at the base of the Queen Emma Bridge in the most famous square on the island. 

Rooms have harbor views, with modern accommodations, upscale complimentary breakfast, high-speed, free Wi-Fi and free parking. 

“The quality of Brion City Hotel is not by accident or chance,” says Nathalie Fahria, co-owner along with her partner Akash Soemeer. “It is the result of an intelligent effort, by all parties involved, in refurbishing and renovating the hotel in order to accommodate the needs of all potential guests. Brion City Hotel becoming a member of the Best Western Signature Collection adds additional quality to the guest experience.”

Both hotels are included in the company’s Best Western Rewards program. 

“More than 50 million members of our loyalty program, Best Western Rewards, are constantly seeking enjoyable and authentic stay experiences,” Clegg said. “These hotels add two more exciting destinations for them to enjoy.” 

For more, visit Best Western Caribbean.

The post Best Western Opens New Hotels in Aruba, Curacao appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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It’s five o’clock on the edge of Nassau Harbour; the cruise ships have begun pulling out to sea, a must-watch maritime performance.  

And here, high above the water, are the best seats in the house. 

This is the Graycliff Sky Lounge, the newest entry to downtown Nassau and the Caribbean’s coolest new rooftop bar. 

An expansion of the legendary Graycliff hotel just up the hill from downtown, it’s a sleek, chic rooftop bar and lounge that’s also home to its own cigar lounge. 

From the moment you get off the elevator on the 10th floor of the Margaritaville Beach Resort, you’re transported somewhere else entirely, an energetic bar that offers never-before seen vistas of the capital’s turquoise waters. 

The high-fashion servers greet you and take you to your table or corner seats, offering a broad menu of everything from crafted cocktails to bottle service fine cognacs and rums. 

And because it’s Graycliff, naturally there’s great wine on offer too, sourced from the only winery in The Bahamas — and cigars, which are a major component. 

There’s an impressive cigar shop just across from the bar, curated by Graycliff and its renowned cigar factory, along with a selection of cigar accessories for purchase. 

A few steps down the patio is an indoor cigar lounge, too, a plush, luxurious corner for a more private puff.

It’s a major addition for a downtown area that has been in the midst of a renaissance in recent years; and the Graycliff Sky Lounge is a sign of just how far the area has come — a world-class rooftop bar that would easily be at home in New York or Paris. 

But only here can you sip on a cocktail or Prosecco, puff on a fine cigar and look out at the most beautiful water on earth. 

For more, visit Graycliff. 

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The clack of dominoes; the knock of stringed shells; the cut of fresh Queen Conch. 

There’s a percussive ritual to Potters Cay, the historic fishing dock under the Paradise Island Bridge that just so happens to be the crossroads of the world’s best conch.

Rows of stalls and purveyors line the dock in the heart of Nassau Harbour, where conch, the prized, pink-shelled mollusk, arrives each day from all over the islands of The Bahamas for fresh purchase and consumption. 

There are colorful shacks and tables, with names like Bang’s and Wendell’s, one-word guarantors of world-class conch, most endorsed by the country’s famous Kalik beer. 

Some are larger, with indoor tables overlooking the brilliant turquoise between Nassau and Paradise Island; others are counters; some, like Blue Wave, are tables in the sun. 

Blue Wave is where Leslie, or “Les,” as he’s known, makes his fresh conch salad. 

And it’s conch salad that’s Potters Cay’s biggest draw, The Bahamas’ flagship dish: a mix of chopped peppers, tomatoes, onions, citrus juice and, of course, fresh conch. 

The recipe changes from stall to stall; chefs decide their seasonings; lately, some are even experimenting with new additions like pineapple. 

Les has had a location here for three decades, but a fire burned it down, leaving him with a makeshift table and the most scenic spot in all of Potters Cay. 

The conch salad he’s making today uses Exuma conch; over at Donnie’s, the conch today hails from Abaco. 

Further down the dock, the conch shells today came from the Berry Islands. 

“These are young and tender,” the vendor tells me. 

Just about all of Nassau’s conch comes right here, or to Arawak Cay just west of downtown, another top spot for conch.

Over at Donnie’s, a patron named Tara is lunching on conch salad. She’s been coming here for 20 years, since high school, fiercely loyal to Donnie’s salad. 

Everyone has their preferred spot in this hyper-competitive, but endlessly friendly, conch marketplace, from the renowned Mackenzie’s right at the entrance to the Cay to Les’ stall in the sun. 

“Nobody does it better,” Les promises me. 

Of course, there’s more than just conch here; just about every stall has a broader seafood menu with Bahamian signatures: fish fingers, cracked conch (the battered, deep-fried preparation of conch), fresh whole snapper; grouper; hog fish. 

“We do the down home stuff,” Donnie says of the stalls on the Cay. “This is the real thing.” 

And then there are the copious beers and cocktails: Bahama Mamas, Goombay Smashes. 

And it’s all enjoyed right at the edge of brilliant blue water, with that captivating soundtrack of the harbor.

I ask Les how he knows if a conch is one of quality. He doesn’t hesitate. 

“If it’s moving.”

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