By the Caribbean Journal staff

A major tourism training push is set for the United States Virgin Islands next week, as Aquila’s Center for Cruise Excellence launches a three-day training program for tourism industry professionals in the territory.

The program, supported by the US Virgin Islands Department of Tourism, will entail “Customer Service and Frontline Training” sessions that will help polish the skills of the “meeters and greeters” who are the face of tourism across the territory.

The sessions, which will take place at the University of the Virgin Islands’ St Croix and St Thomas campuses, will take “customer service professionals, such as tour and taxi drivers and hospitality sales staff, through issues such as how to make a lasting impression on visitors and inspire them to return, handling challenging situations, and being mindful of cultural differences,” according to a statement.

“We are committed to providing customer service training for our hardworking professionals in the tourism industry,” said Commissioner of Tourism Beverly Nicholson-Doty. “We’re in a global competition with other destinations, and today’s discerning travelers make decisions based on many factors, including their expectations of friendly, helpful and attentive service. This training helps us excel.”

The post In the US Virgin Islands, a Tourism Training Push appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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By Alexander Britell

In the biggest flight expansion to the Caribbean in several years, American Airlines has announced plans to launch eight new nonstop routes to the Caribbean this year, along with a huge expansion in frequencies from Miami.

Beginning in December, American, the world’s largest airline, will launch new Saturday service across the region.

That includes flights from Charlotte to both North Eleuthera and Abaco; flights from Dallas-Fort Worth to Aruba; from Miami to St Vincent; and from Chicago to Aruba, Grand Cayman, Nassau and Providenciales.

All of those new routes will launch on Dec. 22, with Charlotte and Dallas flights set to operate year round and Chicago flights to operate in the winter tourist season.

American Airlines will also be operating expanded daily service from Miami to Barbados; Curacao; Grand Bahama; Puerto Plata; Port of Spain; Santo Domingo and Saint Lucia, all of which will begin operations on Dec. 19 for the winter season.

It’s a huge statement from American, which has seen a significant increase in competition in the Caribbean from carriers like Southwest Airlines and JetBlue, both of which have been on massive expansion pushes to the region in recent years.

The Miami-St Vincent service is particularly notable, making it the first regular service by a US-based carrier to St Vincent and its new Argyle International Airport (Air Canada and Caribbean Airlines were the first carriers to launch flights to Argyle in the last year).

See below for a full chart of the new flight launches:

The post American Airlines Is Launching 8 New Nonstop Routes to the Caribbean appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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By Gerard Best
CJ Contributor

Data privacy will be among the items topping the agenda at an upcoming Caribbean Internet Governance Forum to be held by the Caribbean Telecommunications Union (CTU) in Suriname this month.

The meeting is part of an effort by several Caribbean countries to establish and strengthen policies to ensure that Internet users’ personal information is collected, shared and used in appropriate ways.

It will take place from May 21 to 23, days before the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) comes into force in the European Union on May 25. The GDPR is a regulation on data protection and privacy for all individuals within the European Union. But Caribbean stakeholders are already preparing for the fallout across the region’s geopolitical space.

“Although the GDPR comes into effect in Europe, its effect will be felt in the Caribbean, because the region includes Dutch, French and British territories, all of which fall under the EU jurisdiction, and will therefore have to comply with the GDPR from as early as May 25, 2018,” said Nigel Cassimire, Telecommunications Specialist at the CTU.

Because the GDPR has significant penalties for companies found in violation of its data privacy regulations, the law could adversely affect Caribbean companies doing business with European companies.

“The onus is on European companies doing business with anyone in our region to ensure that whoever they do business with have measures in place that will enable them to remain compliant with the GDPR. For the Caribbean, it is urgent for us to understand what requirements will be placed on us,” Cassimire said.

The forum will be held in Suriname, a former colony of the Kingdom of the Netherlands which became an independent nation in 1975.

The agenda will include a range of issues, including service resiliency and network neutrality.

The Caribbean Internet Governance Forum is a multi-stakeholder meeting initiated by the CTU and the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat to coordinate a regional approach to Internet Governance. Since its inception in 2005, the forum has met annually and has focused on the formulation of a regional framework for Caribbean Internet governance policy, the proliferation of Internet exchange points, and the growth of Caribbean influence in the global Internet governance arena.

The forum is part of a series of ongoing policy development discussions across the region. Policymakers met in Miami on April 19 to discuss Internet governance issues at a special Caribbean Forum hosted by the CTU and the American Registry for Internet Numbers.

The post Data Privacy in the Caribbean: What’s Next appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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By the Caribbean Journal staff

It was always a bucket-list destination: Pinel Island, the sandy oasis a short ferry ride off the coast of Cul de Sac on the French side of St Martin.

Pinel Island.

And now, the legendary island is open again — and so are both of its legendary beach bars.

The Karibuni beach bar and lounge.

In a huge step for the island’s post-Hurricane Irma tourism recovery, both the Karibuni and Yellow Beach beach bars have relaunched operations.

That means beach lovers can return to the pair of Cote D’Azur-style beach destinations, replete with freshly-made cocktails, classic French Caribbean food and some spectacular scenery.

Karibuni.

And as always, it means two beach bars for the price of one, and the perfect place to spend an entire day (or more), with lounge chairs, cocktails and calm waves.

The menus have returned, too, with everything from tuna tartare to fresh-cooked marlin.

It all adds up to what is still a must for any lover of Caribbean travel, and a reason in itself to return to St Maarten, where more and more flights are relaunching every day.

As for Karibuni’s namesake hotel, the plans are to return in the first quarter of 2019, according to a spokesperson.

— CJ

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By the Caribbean Journal staff

One of the region’s hottest music festivals is returning for its eighth year.

The Curaçao North Sea Jazz Festival is set for Aug. 30-Sept. 1, with headliners including Damian Marley, Burt Bacharach, Farruko, Patti LaBelle and KC and the Sunshine Band, among others.

Marley, the youngest son of Bob Marley, won his third consecutive Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album this year.

Bacharch, one of the world’s most legendary composers, is making his first appearance at the festival.

Past performers at the popular festival have ranged from Alicia Keys to Stevie Wonder.

For more info, visit the Curacao North Sea Jazz Festival.

The post Damian Marley, Burt Bacharach to Headline Curaçao North Sea Jazz Festival appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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