By Gerard Best
CJ Contributor

PORT OF SPAIN — A group of global and regional technology organizations are partnering to help Caribbean professionals get more out of the Internet economy.

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) spearheaded the launch of the Virtual DNS Entrepreneurship Center of the Caribbean (VDECC). The term DNS refers to the domain name system, a core component of the technology behind the Internet. The DNS automatically translates human-readable website addresses into the numeric machine addresses that computers use.

VDECC aims to open up new money-making opportunities in the DNS industry for Internet businesses and entrepreneurs across the region, including Internet service providers, web hosting companies, top-level domain operators, domain name registrars and resellers, web developers, digital marketers, e-commerce startups and Internet legal experts.

“With the right mindset, a wide range of Internet stakeholders can take advantage of emerging opportunities to offer their services. Entrepreneurs with the right vision taking the right action can create new and sustainable business ventures,” said Albert Daniels, Stakeholder Engagement Senior Manager for the Caribbean at ICANN.

The initiative was launched in Port of Spain on Feb. 19, in partnership with the Latin American and Caribbean Country Code Top-Level Domain Association (LACTLD), CANTO, the Caribbean Telecommunications Union, and the Caribbean Network Operators Group (CaribNOG), the volunteer-based community of computer network administrators from across the Caribbean.

Daniels described VDECC as the fruit of ICANN’s collaboration with organizations such as CANTO, CTU and CaribNOG. Delivering opening remarks at the launch, representatives of those bodies also voiced a desire to build strategic partnerships with ICANN.

“The VDECC initiative represents a new wave of possibility for how the Caribbean region is represented on the global DNS marketplace. We have the chance to engage a new cadre of entrepreneurially minded computer engineers, who are interested in playing a part on the global scale but may not fully understand the pathway to getting there,” said Bevil Wooding, Caribbean Outreach Liaison at the American Registry for Internet Numbers (ARIN), and one of the founders of CaribNOG.

Meeting sessions covered a range of topics, such as the domain name aftermarket, and how to become an ICANN-accredited registrar. Plenary question-and-answer sessions peppered the agenda, creating a rich atmosphere of free-flowing dialogue among an audience that included a mix of technical, policy, legal and business interests. A number of online participants from across the Caribbean and Latin America also joined the dialogue through a live video stream. The open discussion identified a number of potentially lucrative business opportunities but also pinpointed specific hurdles that have to be overcome.

“We have a long road ahead, and this is just the first step,” said Daniel Fink, Stakeholder Engagement Senior Manager for Brazil at ICANN.

The post Building an Internet Economy in the Caribbean appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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By the Caribbean Journal staff

Carnival Cruise Line’s Carnival Fascination ship has returned to San Juan, Puerto Rico for a year-round schedule of Caribbean cruises.

The ship recently underwent an “extensive” multimillion-dollar dry dock that added a host of new food and beverage concepts, according to the company.

The newly-added concepts include Guy’s Burger Joint, a poolside venue developed with celebrity chef Guy Fieri; the RedFrog Rum Bar, the Mexican eatery BlueIguana Cantina and the vintage-themed Alchemy Bar.

The upgrades also added Cherry on Top, a candy shop, and Bonsai Sushi Express.

Carnival Fascination sails week-long cruises around the Caribbean departing on Sundays, with stops in ports of call including Saint Lucia, Barbados, St Kitts, St Thomas and St Maarten.

“We’re delighted that the Carnival Fascination has returned to year-round sailing from San Juan better than ever with a wide range of great new dining, beverage and retail options for our guests to enjoy,” said Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line.

Prior to its dry dock, Carnival Fascination had been stationed in St Croix to house relief workers.

The post Carnival Fascination Returns to San Juan After Dry Dock appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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By the Caribbean Journal staff

More and more travelers to Bermuda are looking to homesharing options like Airbnb, according to new data released by the Bermuda Tourism Authority.

The number of visitors to Bermuda who chose vacation rentals last year surged 133 percent compared to 2016, according to the data, which was provided by Airbnb.

“Bermuda represents an incredibly important and growing market for Airbnb. Through our partnership agreement with Bermuda’s government and tourism authority we have significantly grown our supply and increased the number of visitors for Bermudian homeowners. In 2018 we plan to further develop our partnership in Bermuda and engage the community with more home sharing educational seminars across the island.”

While the number increased dramatically, vacation rental stays accounted or about 10 percent of total visitors last year, according to the BTA.

Indeed, hotel occupancy actually increased, with year-end hotel occupancy in Bermuda passing the 60 percent mark for the first time since 2007.

Hotel occupancy rose by 9 percent to 63 for the year.

“While the Bermuda hotel sector as a whole requires further growth to reach sustainable profitability levels, the performance in 2017 was the best in a decade,” the BTA said.

The post Bermuda Seeing Surge in Airbnb Travel appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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By Alexander Britell

Another day, another new hotel project.

If it seems like the Dominican Republic is dominating the hotel investment sphere in the Caribbean, that’s because it is.

While the country has long been the most popular Caribbean tourism destination by volume, it’s also outpacing the rest of the region in hotel growth.

According to the most recent Caribbean-Mexico hotel pipeline report from analytics firm STR, the Dominican Republic had 3,525 rooms in construction in January, more than any other destination in the Caribbean.

So why is the DR able to succeed in attracting investment?

“The Dominican Republic has been successful for a few key reasons,” Javier Coll, executive vice president and chief strategy officer of Apple Leisure Group, told Caribbean Journal. “The country boasts several easy-to-reach beach destinations North American travelers can get to via nonstop flights within one to five hours. In addition to the country’s mix of culture and scenic beauty, it also boasts several destinations that appeal to a variety of travelers, from those seeking an adults-only experience to those craving family-friendly vacation time. Lastly, there is still beachfront land available for hotel development.”

Indeed, Apple Leisure Group’s AMResorts subsidiary has 14 all-inclusive properties in the Dominican Republic, with plans for more.

But it goes beyond the tourism infrastructure, according to Coll.

Javier Coll, executive vice president and chief strategy officer of Apple Leisure Group.

“The Dominican Republic is committed to working with the private sector and its government wants to continue growing its hospitality sector, as the tourism industry is currently the strongest job creator,” he said. “In addition to the country’s competitive tax incentives and exemptions for hotels, it offers easy connectivity as several airlines serve cities across the country bringing travelers from major U.S. cities including New York City, Boston, Fort Lauderdale and more. These conditions make the country highly attractive to potential hotel investors.”

Crucially, Coll said, the Dominican Republic has a “fairly well delineated” application process for new projects, “comparably easier than practically any other Caribbean island, and about the same or better than Mexico.”

It shouldn’t be a surprise, then, that the Caribbean coast of Mexico alone has 3,914 rooms in construction, according to STR.

But there’s a price for fast hotel development – potential oversaturation of the market.

That means the need to focus on brand conversion, Coll said.

“Converting a hotel property to a strong brand with experienced hotel or resort management leaders can bring lasting benefits: improved marketing support, a strong network of travel leaders to drive occupancy and rates, and the vision and tools to upgrade your services and your site,” he said.

But he thought that the Dominican Republic might in fact be able to handle all of this growth.

“The country has created a reliable infrastructure that can absorb the increase of visitor numbers,” he said. “For this reason, we are looking at several different opportunities to expand the AMResorts footprint on the island and provide our customers with more alternatives – that includes new builds as well conversion properties.”

The post Why Apple Leisure Group is Bullish on the Dominican Republic appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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By the Caribbean Journal staff

One of the Caribbean’s most anticipated hotel openings of 2018 is coming in June.

The new Rosewood Baha Mar at the Baha Mar resort complex in Nassau is opening June 1, Caribbean Journal has learned.

The resort is now taking reservations on its Web site.

Rosewood Baha Mar will feature 185 rooms and suites, along with  a collection of five four-bedroom beachfront villas, featuring exclusive services and their own private pools.

The property will also include Sense, a Rosewood Spa, with a focus on “island-inspired” signature treatments.

Dining concepts will include Commonwealth, a farm-to-table eatery; the Pool Grille; Bar Riva and The Library Lounge.

Other amenities will include two pools, two al-fresco event areas and a fitness center. Guests will also have direct and private beach access.

The resort become Rosewood’s second resort in the Caribbean, along with the Rosewood Little Dix Bay in the British Virgin Islands, a property that is currently closed renovations.

Rosewood also has a property in the Mayakoba development on Mexico’s Caribbean coast, and recently announced plans to open a new resort in Antigua.

The resort become Rosewood’s second Caribbean resort in the Caribbean, along with the Rosewood Little Dix Bay in the British Virgin Islands, a property that is currently closed renovations.

Rosewood also has a property in the Mayakoba development on Mexico’s Caribbean coast, and recently announced plans to open a new resort in Antigua.

Rosewood Baha Mar will join the already-opened Grand Hyatt Baha Mar and the SLS Baha Mar, the latter of which made its debut in The Bahamas at the end of 2017.

For more info, visit Rosewood Baha Mar.

The post Rosewood Baha Mar to Open in June appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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