By the Caribbean Journal staff

JetBlue traffic is showing no signs of slowing down.

The New York-based carrier reported traffic growth of 6.8 percent in February, compared to the same month in 2017.

That came on a capacity increase of 6.8 percent, while load factor remained at 82.6 percent.

Overall, JetBlue repoted 3.691 billion revenue passenger miles, along with 4.47 billion available seat miles.

The carrier’s average stage length was 1,104 miles.

JetBlue has been one of the fastest-expanding airlines in the Caribbean, although it has faced increasing competition from Southwest, which has been on a rapid network expansion push, particularly out of its Fort Lauderdale hub.

The post JetBlue Traffic Keeps Surging appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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By the Caribbean Journal staff

Holland America Line’s new state-of-the-art cruise ship is set for a December debut.

The highly-anticipated Nieuw Statendam will have a capacity for 2,666 guests, with eight more staterooms than its sister-ship Ms Koningsdam.

That includes a redesigned Pinnacle Suite and reconfigured family staterooms, among other changes.

“As with every new ship, we’ve listened to guest feedback and made our own assessments that have led to exciting changes to Nieuw Statendam that will enhance our stateroom experience across every category,” said Orlando Ashford, Holland America Line’s president. “Staterooms should be a sanctuary for our guests, and they are going to appreciate the elegance, functionality and extra-special touches to be found on our newest ship.”

The ship will also feature “spa” rooms and suites, which are located near the ship’s Greenhouse Spa and Salon and even come with yoga mats for use during the sailing.

All staterooms and suites will include bathrobes; premium massage showerheads; flat-panel TVs with video on demand; mini-fridges and Elemis toiletries, among other amenities.

All interiors have been designed by designer Adam Tihany.

The post Holland America’s Newest Ship Set for December Debut appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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By the Caribbean Journal staff

Aruba’s hottest music festival has a major headliner for this year’s edition: global superstar Alicia Keys.

Keys will join a stacked list of performers, including Maxwell and Marlon Wayans, among others, for the festival, which takes place May 23-28.

“Now in its 18th year, The Soul Beach Music Festival has become one of Aruba’s most sought-after events, bringing together world-renowned musical artists and comedians over a span of five days,” said Ronella Tjin Asjoe-Croes, CEO of Aruba Tourism Authority (ATA). “The One happy island welcomes visitors and locals alike to indulge in Aruba’s natural beauty, including Eagle Beach, the No. 4 beach in the world, and cutting-edge arts scene.”

Aruba.

Keys will headline the proceedings on May 26, while Maxwell will headline May 27.

Wayans will headline the festival’s comedy night.

“We are thrilled to be back in Aruba with an impressive lineup featuring Alicia Keys, Maxwell, and Marlon Wayans,” said Mark Adkins, Executive Producer of Soul Beach Festival Productions. “Soul Beach continues to provide an amazing time to hang out with friends and create memories that will last a lifetime. The island of Aruba elevates this event from a Music Festival to a Music Paradise.”

The post Alicia Keys to Headline Aruba Soul Beach Music Festival appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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By the Caribbean Journal staff

The Eastern Caribbean is home to one of the few examples of a regional monetary authority experimenting with blockchain technology.

This week, the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB) announced a pilot project with Bitt Inc., a blockchain startup based in Barbados. The memorandum of understanding with the ECCB calls for testing Bitt’s technology to implement know-your-customer (KYC) and anti-money-laundering (AML) screening. KYC and AML are common regulatory requirements for banks or money transfer businesses.

According to Timothy N. J. Antoine, Governor of the ECCB, “This fintech pilot is part of the Bank’s Strategic Plan 2017-2021. The aim of the pilot is to ascertain the suitability of blockchain technology to help boost economic growth and competitiveness in the region consistent with the ECCB’s monetary and financial stability objectives. Furthermore, as the ECCB promotes the safety and soundness of the financial system in the ECCU, it also has a responsibility to encourage and support innovation consistent with the Bank’s mandate to facilitate the balanced growth and development of member countries. To that end, blockchain technology merits our attention and consideration at this time”.

ECCB member nations include Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, the Commonwealth of Dominica, Grenada, Montserrat, St. Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia and St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

Blockchain is an emerging technology based on a distributed ledger or database.

The database is shared and supported by mutual participants whose concerted efforts are to maintain a communal decentralized digital bookkeeping system. The underlying data structure, called a blockchain, is stored in sequential blocks that are appended through a highly secure cryptographic process or proving mechanism.

To make those blocks reliable and secure, the “trustless” blockchain system appends data to a blockchain that cannot be altered by man or machine.

Bitcoin is the original currency to use blockchain technology on a large scale. There has never been a breach of Bitcoin’s blockchain despite nearly a decade of existence.

Newer innovations in blockchain technology allow for more advanced features to be built into the blockchain, such as AML and KYC mentioned above.

The promise for implementing blockchain technology in a regional monetary system is to reduce cost and time in money transfers.

In 2016, Bitt, Inc raised $16 million in venture financing from Medici Ventures, an arm of Overstock.com, a publicly-traded U.S. ecommerce company.

The post Blockchain, Caribbean Style? appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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By Alexander Britell

In another strong sign for Puerto Rico’s quickly-rebounding tourism sector, one of the island’s most popular resorts has reopened its doors.

The Wyndham Grand Rio Mar Puerto Rico Golf and Beach Resort officially relaunched earlier this month, following the completion of a multimillion-dollar renovation project.

The renovation project included “refreshed” spaces including the lobby, along with an updated Tiki Hut, a renovated Barista Cafe and a new “Caicu Rum Bar,” focusing on rum cocktails and a selection of rare private reserve rums.

The Wyndham also spent $1.2 million renovating the Marbella restaurant.

“It brings me great pleasure to see guests basking under the Puerto Rican sun once again,” says Nils Stolzlechner, general manager of Wyndham Grand Rio Mar Puerto Golf & Beach Resort, told Caribbean Journal “I love hearing the buzz around our new Caicu rum bar, the renovated Marbella restaurant, and watching guests enjoy all of the refreshed spaces on property.”

Its the top golf destination in Puerto Rico right now.

Puerto Rico officials are urging the public that the best way to help the island recover is to come visit — and the Wyndham has strengthened that effort with a donation of every dollar of every room night booked the next two months for the El Yunque Rainforest Restoration Fund.

The Wyndham Grand, long one of Puerto Rico’s top destinations outside of San Juan, is home to a pair of 18-hole golf courses, a 7,000-square-foot spa and a mile of beachfront adjacent to El Yunque.

The post Puerto Rico’s Wyndham Grand Rio Mar Is Open Again appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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