The post New Residential Resort Launches Construction in Turks and Caicos  appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

Powered by WPeMatico

It first opened in back in the 1970s, at the time a pioneer in the still uncharted world of eco tourism. 

Now, well, it’s precisely what many travelers are looking for.

And now, five years after Hurricane Irma, the legendary Concordia Eco Resort is back in the Virgin Islands National Park. 

The resort a mix of studio units and tented units, has some of the most spectacular views in the US Virgin Islands, perched on a hillside between Salt Pond Beach and Drunk Bay. 

For decades, it was a haven for those who wanted to enjoy the natural beauty of one of the region’s most pristine national parks. 

While the resort’s transformation is ongoing, Concordia has already relaunched 17 tents and eight studio units, all “ready and improved,” according to a statement from the property. 

The resort has also relaunched its pool, gift shop and front office, with the restaurant ready to open “very very soon.”

“Concordia is back,” the resort said in a statement. 

This year, the property plans to rebuild the remaining seven tented units and finishing suites near the pool. 

It’s another boost for St John, which has seen sizzling tourism numbers (particularly in its villa accommodations) since the onset of the pandemic in particular, with travelers drawn to the island’s safety, seclusion and sanctuary.

That’s along with the launch of a new private island just off the coast of St John, Lovango Resort.+ Beach Club, which is launching its accommodations in 2022. 

For more, visit Concordia. 

The post A Legendary Caribbean Eco Resort Is Back in St John  appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

Powered by WPeMatico

Aruba has updated its travel protocols again, this time with a major change: the island is now waiving pre-testing requirements for those with booster shots. 

All visitors who upload a digitally verifiable proof of vaccination (including proof of a booster shot) prior to arrival are exempt from pre-testing requirements. 

Visitors between 12 and 17 need only show proof of vaccination; the booster shot is optional for the testing exemption. 

Children aged 11 years and younger are exempt from testing requirements. 

All booster shots must have been performed at least seven days before travel; approved shots include Pfizer; Moderna; AstraZeneca; Johnson & Johnson and Novavax. 

Alterantively, all other visitors can either show proof of a negative antigen test taken between one day and four hours before arrival in Aruba, or a negative PCR test taken between three days and four hours before arrival in Aruba. 

All visitors must purchase Aruba Visitors Insurance as part of the requisite ED form (you can find the form here). 

The move follows recent steps by another Dutch Caribbean destination, St Maarten, to waive testing requirements for boosted visitors. 

For more, visit Aruba. 

The post Aruba Waives Testing Requirements for Boosted Travelers  appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

Powered by WPeMatico

The Dominican Republic is aiming to welcome more than 7 million tourists in 2022, according to the country’s Tourism Minister, David Collado.

That would be an all-time record for the country, and easily the largest total in the wider Caribbean region. 

The destination had a strong month in January, with more than 500,000 travelers coming to its shores — although it will have to do even better than that to meet the 7 million mark. 

Collado, who was speaking at the latest edition of the country’s DATE, or Dominican Annual Tourism Exchange, conference, said the number would have been higher in January if not for a host of canceled flights from winter storms in the northeast. 

In 2013, also at the DATE conference, the country had set a goal of reaching 10 million annual visitors by 2023; and if not for the pandemic, it might have neared that number next year. 

But even amid the dramatically-changed travel situation globally, the country continues to outperform, buoyed in party by the Caribbean’s most liberal entry protocols (there is no entry test required to visit the Dominican Republic). 

To reach the 7 million number, the country will have to see a rebound from Canada, one of its strongest source markets. 

But Collado says the Dominican Republic is also seeing a more diverse tourism visitor, including strong improvement out of the Colombian market, which sent 20,000 travelers to the country in both December and January. 

“We are compensated with other countries,” Collado said. “Russia has compensated. In December 2019, 22,000 Russian citizens arrived, in December 2021, 52,000 arrived, and in January the same thing is happening.”

Reaching the 7 million milestone will also entail broadening the country’s tourism hubs beyond Punta Cana, something the Dominican Republic has been working on for several years.

Most of those efforts have focused on Santo Domingo, which has seen very strong growth in recent years, driven by broad new airlift.

The post Dominican Republic Eyes 7 Million Tourists in 2022  appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

Powered by WPeMatico

The Bahamas doesn’t have an overwhelming number of all-inclusive hotel options, but what the archipelago nation lacks in quantity it more than makes up in variety. Basic to high-end, intimate to extravagant, the Bahamas has an all-inclusive to match almost any budget and interest, including resorts on private islands and others smack in the middle of the liveliest beaches in Nassau and on Paradise Island.

Sandals Royal Bahamian, Nassau

Recently renovated to up its luxury quotient, this Cable Beach resort has been enhanced with new swim-up suites, new restaurants, the Coconut Grove beach club, and new amenities at the resort’s Barefoot Cay private island. A pair of mid-rise hotel buildings frame two pools, swim-up bars, and a food truck oasis; unique dining options include seafood on Gordon’s Pier and Aralia House on Barefoot Cay. Activities include diving, kayaking, windsurfing, tennis, basketball, a fitness center, and more. The Red Lane spa has a large menu of treatments available at extra cost.

The post The Best All-Inclusive Hotels in The Bahamas  appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

Powered by WPeMatico