… Miami, whose territory includes Puerto Rico, said in her introductory … The Battle for Paradise: Puerto Rico Takes on the Disaster … used by Puerto Ricans and to stay in Puerto Rico.”
This contrasts … in certain sectors in Puerto Rico.”
JunteGente’s Manifesto of …
Powered by WPeMatico
By Caribbean News Now contributor BASSETERRE, St Kitts — At a press conference last week, leader of the opposition, Dr Denzil Douglas, said that, during a recent visit to the Middle East, he discovered that citizenship agents were advertising that St Kitts and Nevis economic citizenship can now be obtained for as little as US$37,500. […]
The post St Kitts-Nevis passports being sold for US$37,500 in the Middle East, says opposition leader appeared first on Caribbean News Now.
Powered by WPeMatico
GEORGETOWN, Guyana (DPI) — Fly Jamaica flight OJ256, which departed the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) in Guyana for Toronto, Canada, at 2:10 on Friday morning, declared an emergency landing 43 minutes into the flight. The flight, which was estimated to arrive at its designation at 6:55 am, immediately requested permission to return to the […]
The post Fly Jamaica flight makes emergency landing at Guyana airport appeared first on Caribbean News Now.
Powered by WPeMatico
By Dana Niland
CJ Contributor
Richard Branson’s new cruise line, Virgin Voyages, has unveiled the first look at its culinary offerings — and its plans to change the on-board dining experience.
With a total of over 20 food choices onboard Virgin Voyages’ first ship, Scarlet Lady, the company released new designs for their restaurants, seaside lounges and casual eateries.
“We want our eateries to delight and ignite serendipitous experiences for our sailors, so have set out on a mission to capture the spirit of dining in the best cities of the world and bring it to sea,” said Tom McAlpin, president and chief executive officer for Virgin Voyages. “Because food is the fuel for our bodies and souls, and we’re Virgin Voyages, naturally it all had to be included within your ticket price.”
The brand “does not believe in paying more for great food” and ditched the traditional upcharges levied when dining in speciality restaurants at sea.
That’s a departure from much of the industry, where some fine-dining eateries require an extra charge.
Virgin Voyages has designed all eateries on board to offer made to order eats and opted to include all restaurant food in the voyage fare, the company said.
The Virgin Voyages “Rebellious Luxe” experience is rooted in the modern romance of sailing: a new take on the ocean liner heyday when ships were at the forefront of both technology and luxury.
The Scarlet Lady will set sail from PortMiami for the 2020 season with 2,770 sailors and 1,160 crew on a journey to the Caribbean, which will include stops in Havana on select voyages.
“There’s a Virgin twist on everything you’ll see aboard the Scarlet Lady, which means there will be no stuffy formalities, boring buffets and no main dining rooms. Sailors are not going to want to leave our ship after they experience how we’ve designed our restaurants and tasted the dishes we are going to be serving up in 2020,” Branson said.
Virgin Voyages aims to bring “city-like eatin’g to sea and throw out the traditional cruise dining rule book, with no buffets, no main dining room, no forced formal wear, no assigned seating, no assigned dining times and, perhaps most importantly, keeping restaurant doors open until well into the night, and, in some cases, the early hours of the morning.
Virgin Voyages has expanded its Creative Collective to include the world class AvroKO Hospitality Group, AvroKO’s strategy arm, Brand Bureau, and their very own Michelin-starred chef Brad Farmerie.
Farmerie of AvroKO Hospitality Group came in to help develop the overall culinary programming strategy and identify culinary experts in the various cuisine types to execute each of the menus.
AvroKO Hospitality Group’s portfolio includes Saxon + Parole, Genuine Liquorette, and Ghost Donkey.
“When working with the Virgin Voyages team, we were inspired by some of the best dining spots around the world but also had to gaze into what the future of dining would look like to bring the most alluring restaurant concepts to sea,” said Farmerie said. “Each restaurant will not only serve delicious food, they will also have a unique vibe and energy to them to satiate sailor’s hunger for excitement and restoration while on vacation.”
From experimental and haute cuisine to healthy quick bite options, the onboard eateries are tailored for sailors to realize new experiences that are grounded in values of discovery, transformation, intimate connections and Vitamin Sea – the brand’s approach to well-being for people and the planet.
Sailors can dine at a table or opt to enjoy their meal at the bar, which nearly all restaurants on board feature, another refreshing change.
Each restaurant will be helmed by a leading chef who “leads their kitchen with passion and artfulness,” the company said.
The post How Virgin Voyages Plans to Change Cruise Ship Dining appeared first on Caribbean Journal.
Powered by WPeMatico
By Rico Louw
CJ Contributor
Caribbean hotels reported double-digit performance growth as demand rose well above the levels seen during a hurricane-ravaged September in 2017, according to new data from STR.
In year-over-year comparisons, occupancy was up 6.9%, and average daily rate (ADR) rose 3.4%. This resulted in a 10.5% jump in revenue per available room (RevPAR).
On the islands where STR maintains a sufficient reporting sample, the Turks and Caicos Islands registered a 101.2% jump in RevPAR, driven by the highest rise in occupancy (+75.0%) and the largest lift in ADR (+17.3%).
The Sands at Grace Bay in Turks and Caicos.
When looking at Puerto Rico, the island recorded the second-largest increases in occupancy (+17.3%) and RevPAR (+32.5%) as well as a double-digit rise in ADR (+13.0%). Puerto Rico as a destination continues to do an excellent job of filling beds, showing it can bounce back from situations like the Zika outbreak and the devastation of Hurricane Maria. Good performance in U.S. markets also leads to confidence for Puerto Rico moving forward. Year to date through September, Puerto Rico reported an occupancy level of 75.2%—meaning that the island is selling more than seven of every 10 rooms on average.
Other islands reached similar levels in the metric through the first nine months of 2018: Aruba (76.7%), Curacao (71.1%) and Barbados (67.8%).
When looking at declines specifically for September, St. Lucia experienced the largest drop in occupancy (-16.3%), resulting in the largest decrease in RevPAR (-12.0%). Rates were, however, 5.1% higher in St. Lucia.
What we’re seeing is there is a lot of “noise” in the data, but this is going to change moving forward. The numbers are starting to stabilize a year after the hurricanes, and markets and their properties are coming back online and preparing for 2019 and beyond.
Currently, there are 46 hotels accounting for 11,449 rooms under construction in the Caribbean.
Rico Louw is client account manager at STR. For questions regarding hotel data reporting in the Caribbean, please contact him at rlouw@str.com.
The post Turks and Caicos Pacing Caribbean Hotel Industry appeared first on Caribbean Journal.
Powered by WPeMatico
