PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad — The upcoming special meeting of the heads of government of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) on the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME) will be the focus of a meeting on Thursday between CARICOM secretary-general Irwin LaRocque and the prime minister of Trinidad and Tobago, Dr Keith Rowley. The discussions will […]

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By the Caribbean Journal staff

The US Virgin Islands is looking to deepen its ties in the cruise industry, and has announced a major new hire to spearhead the strategy.

The USVI Department of Tourism has tapped industry specialist Joe Boschulte to bolster the work of the Ports of the Virgin Islands, which is an alliance between the Virgin Islands Port Authority, The West Indian Company Limited and the Department of Tourism.

In a statement, US Virgin Islands Tourism Commissioner Beverly Nicholson-Doty said the move would help the territory “achieve operational improvements to the cruise ship sector as well as economic benefits to the community.”

Boschulte most recently served as president and CEO of the West Indian Company Limited, one of the Caribbean’s busiest cruise ship ports.

“I look forward to the opportunity to work with the team to build the Ports of the Virgin Islands brand,”  Boschulte said. “As we embark on a new cruise season, the horizon is bright for record cruise passenger growth in the Territory for the next decade.”

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By the Caribbean Journal staff

Sir Richard Branson’s highly-anticipated cruise line has revealed its first-ever port in the Caribbean: Cuba.

Virgin Voyages’ first ship, Scarlet Lady, which will launch in 2020 out of PortMiami, will make Havana its first port of call, the company announced Wednesday.

“We’re going to Cuba,” the company said in a statement.

Old Havana.

Select itineraries on Virgin Voyages in 2020 will include both daytime calls and overnight stays in Havana Harbor, the company said.

“[We’re] giving sailors the opportunity to discover one of the world’s most desired destinations, Virgin Voyages style,” the company said.

A rendering of the new, eco-friendly ship.

Virgin Voyages, which will be an exclusively adults-only cruise line (or as Virgin calls it “adult by design,”, is looking to disrupt the Caribbean cruise industry with provocative design, unorthodox amenities like on-ship tattoo parlors and what seems to be a clear focus on millennial travelers (although not exclusively).

Virgin is looking to change the, well, look of cruise ships.

Virgin has an initial launch planned of three cruise ships, spearheaded by the aforementioned Scarlet Lady.

The company has already launched sales for its first itineraries.

For more info, visit Virgin Voyages.

— CJ

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… afternoon, an attorney for Puerto Rico‘s government admitted … , the head of the Puerto Rico Emergency Management Agency, Carlos … , told a committee of Puerto Rico‘s Congress that, … court Tuesday – five months into Puerto Rico‘s hurricane season — …

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By LK Hewlett BASSETERRE, St Kitts (WINN) –The Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Authority, the highest decision-making body of the nine-member sub-regional bloc, has responded to the recent Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) report that listed five of its members for tax evasion concerns with regard their citizenship by investment (CBI) programmes. […]

The post OECD position on economic citizenship programmes unreasonable, says OECS appeared first on Caribbean News Now.

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