By Alexander Britell

The tiny island of St Barth has been recovering from last month’s hurricanes at a breakneck pace.

And now there’s even better news: you can spend your Thanksgiving vacation there, according to Nils Dufau, president of the St Barth Tourism Committee.

The island will start taking cruise visitors on Oct. 30, but a number of hotels will be ready for guests by Thanksgiving.

The renewed streets of Gustavia.

The group of accommodations that plan to be open by Thanksgiving includes Sunset, Ti Morne, Tom Beach, Le Village St Barth, Les Ilets de la Plage, Auberge de Terre Neuve, Village Lodge 4 Epices, Baie des Anges, Les Ondines, Saline Garden, Les Sucriers and L Nid D’Aigle.

The news comes after Tradewind Aviation, which flies to St Barth out of San Juan, resumed its St Barth flights this week.

“After a surge of exemplary solidarity, which permitted the treatment of emergencies, the clearing of roads, the gradual return of water and electricity to the neighborhoods, a multitude of new actions were launched for the reconstruction of the island,” Dufau said.

Many restaurants, bars and shops have already reopened, and rental agencies and villa owners are working to get their product on stream as well.

Tourism officials also said major nautical events like the Bucket Regatta and Les Voiles de St Barth will be held as planned.

“The task seems daunting for some, but we will not give up,” Dufau said.

The post Yes, You Can Spend This Thanksgiving in St Barth appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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By the Caribbean Journal staff

In a major boost for the region, all British Airways flights between the Caribbean and London are operating regularly.

“Our flights are back to normal between the Caribbean and London,” a spokesperson for the airline told Caribbean Journal in a statement.

The news comes after operations had been suspended to several airports in the aftermath of Hurricanes Maria and Irma.

British Airways flies across the Caribbean from London to destinations including Antigua, The Bahamas, Barbados, the Cayman Islands, the Dominican Republic, Grenada, St Kitts, St Lucia, Trinidad and Tobago and Turks and Caicos.

The post British Airways: Caribbean Flights Back to Normal appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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By the Caribbean Journal staff

Regional air carrier Cape Air has resumed service to several islands in the Caribbean hit by last month’s hurricanes, the Hyannis, MA-based company announced.

Cape Air has launched limited service to Vieques, St Thomas and Tortola, along with San Juan-Mayaguez flights.

Cape Air will be operating the Mayaguez flights with four roundtrips per day, while Vieques, St Thomas and Tortola will see three roundtrips per day.

Service is expected to relaunch to St Croix on Oct. 5.

“The safety of our employees, resuming daily service and offering relief flights in the region has been the sole focus of our company for the last two weeks. We have been strongly committed to the communities we serve in Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands since we began Caribbean service in 1998,” said Dan Wolf, CEO of Cape Air.  “The entire Cape Air family of over 1,000 employees will continue to support the territory through this trying period,” he added.  The airline has capped fares, shipped food, water, clothing and other supplies to the region, and has raised over $100,000 donated by employees and vendors, in support of the victims of Hurricanes Irma and Maria.

The company said it would “continue to work in tandem with authorities to establish an ongoing flight schedule more typical of their regular scheduled service.”

The post Cape Air Resumes St Thomas, Vieques, Tortola Flights appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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By the Caribbean Journal staff

The Caribbean’s leading tourism conference is coming to Grenada next week, with a major focus on recovery and rebuilding in the region in the wake of Hurricanes Irma and Maria.

The Caribbean Tourism Organization’s State of the Industry Conference, which will be held at the Radisson Grenada, will include a major three-hour session focusing on issues and recommendations for Caribbean rebuilding.

“This is the time when not only do we have to focus on the state of the industry as we know it today, but because of the really strong hurricanes that have affected our region this year we have to focus a great deal of attention as well on our economic recovery  as an entire region and how to  rebuild with the resilience and structural integrity to protect ourselves in the future,” the CTO’s secretary general Hugh Riley said.

This year’s conference will have a major theme of “supercharging the Caribbean brand: meeting the needs of the new explorers.”

The conference will be held from Oct. 10-13.

For more information on registration, visit SOTIC.

The post CTO Grenada Conference to Focus on Caribbean Recovery appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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By the Caribbean Journal staff

Delta is ramping up its flight service to Puerto Rico as the island recovers from the damage caused by Hurricane Maria, the carrier said this weekend.

Delta is now operating three roundtrip flights to San Juan from both Atlanta and New York’s John F Kennedy airports.

Delta “plans to continue with this daily schedule,” the company said in a statement.

Delta said that customers would be limited to three checked bags per ticket passenger, however, “in an effort to maximize space in the cargo hold for relief supplies.”

Delta has also extended a fare cap to all continental US markets to and from San Juan, with a fare cap to and from San Juan on nonstop itineraries extending through Oct. 16 at $199 in the main cabin and $399 in first class.

Delta has also capped fares for nonstop flights to and from Atlanta and St Thomas until Oct, 9, as well as for flights to and from Atlanta and St Maarten until Oct. 1.

The post Delta Increases San Juan Flights appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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