BY GUY BRITTON

It’s a booming industry in the Caribbean, and cruising shows no signs of slowing down. That’s particularly true in Jamaica, which has spent significant resources in recent years in an effort to improve its standing as a leading Caribbean port of call. And that’s to continue, with plans to expand capacity, both for large and small-ship cruises, and upgraded port facilities across the country. To learn more, Caribbean Journal caught up with Jamaica Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett.

What makes Jamaica a special destination for cruisers? 

Jamaica had over 150 distinct attractions, likely the most in the Caribbean. Supported by warm welcoming people and advanced infrastructure. Also there are 5 ports of call, which allows visitors to see different aspects of the culture. The new North South Highway connects visitors arriving on the North coast to Kingston, which they couldn’t have done before.

Jamaica has big plans to upgrade its ports. Can you talk more about that?

We have plans for several of Jamaica’s cruise ports:

Port of Montego Bay Master Plan

•       Increased berthing capacity

•       New cruise terminal buildings

•       Increased ground transportation

Kingston Port

•       Increase cruise ship/passenger capacity

•       Deep dredging to accommodate larger ships

Port of Ocho Rios

•       Infrastructure improvements to enhance visitor experience

•       Artisan Villages

Port of Falmouth

•       Opened in 2011 as Jamaica’s first custom built port

•       Georgian town with historic areas

•       Highly rated on Trip Advisor

Port Antonio

•       Ideal for smaller luxury cruise lines and yachts

•       Master Plan in development

 

What is cruising’s overall impact on Jamaica Tourism? 

Jamaica welcomed over 1.6 million cruise passenger to island in 2016 with an economic impact of 2.55 billion. The advancement of the cruise industry has facilitated the further development of towns as we develop our ports, which allows Jamaicans to provide goods and services to the entire cruise industry passengers and crew; for example Falmouth Cruise has stimulated new tourism offerings such as walking and trolley tours and more visits to previously under visited attractions.

 

What is cruising’s impact on Jamaica’s local markets, business and people?

With tourism as a major economic driver in Jamaica, we must do more to build out the capacity of Jamaican businesses and industries, the small and medium tourism enterprises to reap the benefits from tourism.  We will be working with the cruise partners to develop our human capital with training and such that more Jamaicans can be employed by the cruise lines outside of Jamaica.  Additionally, through our linkages network we will connect businesses and entrepreneurs to be able to supply the demand that a growing tourism brings for goods and services to satisfy customers.

 

What effect has the cruise port in Falmouth had on that area? 

Falmouth provides an inviting and highly attractive gateway to the town from the port. Many Jamaicans have established businesses at the port from restaurants to retailers to craft artisans. It has been helpful to bring the community culture into the port and provide cruise passengers with more access to the community.

 

What does the future hold for Jamaica and the cruising market?

To become the premier cruise destination in the Caribbean, increasing cruise visitors to 2.5 million by 2020.  Build out the capacity of the destination in order to attract more cruise lines as well as increase employment. We will also see improved destination assurance to deliver a superior experience for our visitors. Our future vision also includes the creation of new partnerships and alliances with other destinations within the region to offer new cruise experiences. And most importantly, to further develop Kingston as a tourist destination and visitor cruise port, and attract boutique cruise lines to Port Antonio.

 

The post Jamaica’s Big Plans for the Cruise Industry appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

Powered by WPeMatico

 

An accomplished roster of speakers, including a top executive from Virgin Atlantic, a leading authority on tourism intelligence and a host of respected hoteliers, will address delegates attending the annual Caribbean Hospitality Industry Exchange Forum, slated to take place from June 2 to 4 at the Hyatt Regency Miami.

The Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association reports that Britain’s Mark Anderson, Executive Vice President at Virgin Atlantic, and Trinidadian Dr. Auliana Poon, Managing Director of Tourism Intelligence International, are among the list of speakers for the forum, which features a number of educational sessions.

At CHIEF, the region’s hospitality industry assembles to network, learn, share ideas and collectively brainstorm creative solutions to current challenges.

Caribbean hotelier Sir Royston Hopkin, KCMG, will keynote the conference, addressing the importance of excellence in Caribbean tourism.

Tourism executive and former CHTA President Simón Suárez, Vice President of Institutional Relations and Projects of Grupo Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic, will also address conference-goers, along with Bonita Morgan, Director of Resource Mobilization and Development of the public sector Caribbean Tourism Organization.

Ewald Beimans, Owner and Managing Director of Aruba’s award-winning and environmentally friendly Bucuti & Tara Beach Resort; Sandro Fabris, General Manager of the acclaimed Half Moon in Montego Bay in Jamaica; and sustainable tourism specialist Denaye Hinds, Director of Sustainability of OBM International will also participate in the conference.

This year’s CHIEF offers attendees the chance to be part of intimate professional development sessions on Friday June 2.

During the CHIEF conference, attendees get to customize their experience with a choice of 16 industry-relevant topics throughout the conference.

General session tracks focus on leveraging marketing potential, embedding sustainability into tourism offerings, and LGBTQ travel.

Other more specialized sessions will highlight areas such as branding strategies, cost management, customer service, local sourcing and upselling.

CHIEF will also recognize Caribbean businesses that masterfully implement best practices in the categories of Operations, Sales and Marketing, Environmental Sustainability, and Social Responsibility.

— Dana Niland, CJ Contributor

The post Tourism Luminaries Headed to CHIEF Event in Miami appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

Powered by WPeMatico

 

In many ways, luxury villas are the ultimate Caribbean vacation experience. It’s far beyond — and very different — than spending your time in a resort. A villa means you aren’t just staying on an island — you’re living on an island, and in the best possible way. But not every island offers this kind of luxury villa experience — you have to know where to go and you have to find the right villa management company to help you both plan your trip and manage your experience on the ground, from renting a car to stocking your fridge to ensuring the villa is properly staffed. It’s the latter that truly separates the greatest villa vacations — the top Caribbean villas can include everything from butlers and in-house chefs to on-demand masseuses.

Because when you’re staying in a villa like this, just about everything you can imagine is taken care of. And isn’t that what luxury is all about?

Here are our favorite Caribbean destinations for the ultimate villa experience, with recommendations on the top companies to help you create your dream villa vacation.

St Barth This is just about the pinnacle of the Caribbean villa vacation — while St Barth is small, it is filled with spectacular villas, both in the hills and right on the beach. For the most authentic St Barth villa experiences, try St Barth Properties.

The post The 12 Best Islands for Luxury Villas appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

Powered by WPeMatico

 

More travelers are looking to book packages to Barbados, according to a new report from the Expedia group.

The company said its hotel partners in Barbados had increased their package demand by nearly 15 percent year over year last year.

Destinations like Christ Church saw nearly 30 percent year over year growth, while St. Peter saw 50 percent growth.

The United States remains the key feeder market for Barbados on Expedia, with 20 percent growth last year, followed by Canada at 15 percent growth and Brazil with 25 percent growth year over year.

Mobile demand also jumped to Barbados, particularly from the United States.

“Expedia continues to support Barbados’ growth with the constant rollout of effective solutions like the Expedia® PartnerCentral App and the recently announce Value Add Promotions. As properties continue to benefit from the company’s wide-range of tools, technology and expertise, we continue to build relationships with hotel partners who see the benefit of Expedia,” said Demetrius Canton, Director of Lodging Partner Services for the Caribbean, the Expedia group. “Attending Barbados Connect last week and meeting with industry leaders and valued partners provided our Market Management team with the opportunity to enhance our relationships in the region and further identify the priorities and needs of our partners.”

The post Expedia: Barbados Package Demand Rising appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

Powered by WPeMatico

 

Above, from left: Pinkley Francis, Chairman Invest St Lucia; Kamal Shehada, development director, Range Developments; Mohammed Asaria, vice chairman Range Developments; Allen Chastanet, Prime Minister of Saint Lucia; Bradley Felix, Minister of Commerce; the Honorable Dominic Fedee, Minister of Tourism.

Range Developments, the Dubai-based developer that is spearheading several hospitality projects in the Caribbean, is planning a new resort in St. Lucia.

The company has signed an agreement with the government of St. Lucia to develop the Black Bay project, a hotel and villa development on 180 acres on the southern tip of the island.

The luxury hotel will be developed under St. Lucia’s Citizenship by Investment program and will include 180 rooms.

Range is also developing the Park Hyatt St. Kitts and the Cabrits Kempinski hotel in Dominica.

“This will be our third major luxury development in the Caribbean and we are delighted to be working with the Government of Saint Lucia,” says Mohammed Asaria, Vice Chairman of Range Developments. “Range is aggressively expanding in the Caribbean. The Park Hyatt St Kitts will be completed in the coming months and Kempinski Dominica is advancing with pace.”

The planned hotel operator will soon be announced, and the project could create 500 jobs on construction and a “similar amount” on operation, according to the company.

“We have been working with the developer and are grateful for their patience in working with us on getting to this point of such a project which will benefit everyone,” says Allen Chastanet, prime minister of Saint Lucia. “I am looking forward to the commencement of construction of this project which coincides with our overall development plans for Saint Lucia.”

The post Range Developments Expanding to St. Lucia appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

Powered by WPeMatico