By the Caribbean Journal staff

Two of Mexico’s hottest destinations are getting a boost from Southwest Airlines.

Southwest has officially launched new nonstop flights from both San Jose, Calif. and Sacramento, Calif. to Cabo San Lucas/Los Cabos, while additionally launching new flights between San Diego and Puerto Vallarta.

The Four Seasons near Puerto Vallarta.

The new service to Cabo San Lucas will operate weekly on Saturdays, according to a statement from Southwest Airlines.

The new San Diego-Puerto Vallarta service will operate daily, however.

Heading to Mexico? Check out our picks for where to stay in Cabo San Lucas  and the top hotels in Puerto Vallarta.

The post Southwest Airlines Launches New Cabo San Lucas, Puerto Vallarta Flights appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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By the Caribbean Journal staff

Canadian carrier WestJet has launched its first-ever flights from Calgary and Vancouver to Mexico City.

The new flights, which began last week, keep WestJet as the Canadian airline with the most flights to Mexico.

The Calgary service is operating with four weekly flights, while Vancouver-Mexico City flights will operate three times weekly.

Beginning April 29, both routes will move to daily service.

“WestJet is proud to be at the forefront of expanding on vital trade and tourism linkages between Mexico and Canada,” said Ed Sims, WestJet President and CEO. “Non-stop, year-round flights from Calgary and Vancouver to Mexico City connect the country to one of the most important major markets in the Americas and expand on growing opportunities for Canada/Mexico tourism. We welcome our first MEX and YYC-bound guests today knowing these flights are a win for business and leisure travellers on both sides.”

WestJet now services 11 cities in Mexico from a total of 15 cities across Canada.

The post WestJet Adds Two Routes to Mexico appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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By the Caribbean Journal staff

Saint Lucia is the fastest-growing tourism destination in the Caribbean right now, according to the latest data released by the Caribbean Tourism Organization.

The “Helen of the West Indies” reported a total of 386,127 stayover tourists in 2017, an 11 percent improvement that was the highest growth rate of any destination in the region, with Belize a close second.

It was a strong statement for an island that has long been one of the favored honeymoon destinations in the region and now seems to have transcended that into an all-around getaway, particularly a new leader in the Caribbean event space (like its high-profile Saint Lucia Food and Rum festival).

The Landings, Saint Lucia.

That’s along with a slate of exciting new hotel projects, from the recently-debuted Harbor Club hotel in Saint Lucia (which is soon joining Hilton’s Curio Collection) to the already-underway Sandals LaSource St Lucia project, which launched last year. (Sandals also announced last week that golf legend Greg Norman would be transforming its recently-acquired course in Saint Lucia, as well.

Last year, the island saw debuts of a pair of new resorts from Canadian brand Royalton and an expansion of the popular Coconut Bay with the adults-only Serenity at Coconut Bay resort.

Reduit Beach in Saint Lucia, home to the Bay Gardens resort.

Saint Lucia also posted very strong growth on the cruise side, with a total of 668,006 cruise passenger arrivals last year.

That represented a 13.6 percent increase over 2016.

The post Saint Lucia Is the Caribbean’s Fastest-Growing Destination appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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By the Caribbean Journal staff

It’s getting even easier to get to Aruba from the Northeast.

Delta has confirmed plans to operate a new weekly Saturday service between Boston and the Dutch Caribbean island beginning in June.

A beach on the eastern coast of Aruba.

The new service will be Delta’s sixth destination in the Caribbean operating out of Boston.

It’s the latest expansion by a U.S. carrier to Aruba, which has seen new flights launched this year from carriers including Southwest Airlines (out of Fort Lauderdale) and Sun Country Airlines (out of Minneapolis), among others.

The post Delta Adding New Boston-Aruba Flights appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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It almost sounds impossible — combining all-inclusive convenience with classic Bajan charm.

But that’s precisely the case at Elegant Hotels’ Crystal Cove boutique all-inclusive resort in Barbados, a colorful, warm property set on one of the most beautiful stretches of Platinum Coast sand.

The classic, pastel-colored layout has the feel of a village, and the recently-transformed rooms are bright and inviting.

And then there’s the party piece – the spectacular cave pool replete with a grotto bar.

This is the essence of a boutique all-inclusive.

This is Crystal Cove.

See more in the latest CJ Video at the top of the page.

For more information, visit Crystal Cove.

— CJ

The post VIDEO: Checking in to Barbados’ Crystal Cove appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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