By Guy Britton

This week saw the U.S. Virgin Islands’ 24th annual destination symposium in St. Thomas, and the takeaway was clear: the USVI has big tourism plans, buoyed by strong growth.

The United States Virgin Islands Department of Tourism unveiled its new marketing plans for the coming year, with “Real Nice” as the theme for the campaign.

It follows this year’s successful campaign that focused on the 100th anniversary centennial commemoration of Transfer Day in 1917, which included the now-ongoing promotion that gives travelers large spending credits if they book trips to the territory.

Travel Industry officials including hotel and tour operators, airlines and attractions were in attendance, all on hand to get a sneak peek at next year’s creative images and videos.

USVI Tourism Commissioner Beverly Nicholson-Doty led the marketing and public relations presentation, with a workshop-style discussion between the audience, Alani Henneman Todman, director of communications, Canika John, Director of Marketing and Luana Wheatley, director of film.

In addition to unveiling plans for “real nice” the team discussed strategies and plans currently in place and coming for the near future.

That included a report on tourism performance for the first quarter, which showed a 5 percent increase year-over-year both in occupancy and ADR.

The commissioner went on to review a 13 percent gain in tourism arrivals in the month of April year over year.

She also discussed new airlift for the summer season including United Airlines increasing their flights from 4 to 7 weekly and American Airlines’ putting larger aircraft into service into the USVI.

They also discussed in detail what could be one of the destination’s biggest growth sectors: culinary tourism.

That includes 2 food tour operations in St. Thomas, the DineVI program, which features special events and many discounts running this fall, along with the farmers market, food and farm tours in St Croix.

The latter has been perhaps the Caribbean’s fastest-growing cuilnary destination, with St. Croix becoming a hub for talented young chefs and gastronomic adventurers, most notably with last year’s debut of the Balter restauant led by Chef Digby Stridiron.

The verdict? A very optimistic outlook for the near future, thanks for what is a unique level of cooperation between the public and private sector tourism associations in the USVI.

The post The US Virgin Islands Has Big Tourism Plans appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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Fast-growing Panama-based carrier Copa Holdings has announced an order for 15 new Boeing 737 MAX 10 aircraft.

The company will be the first airline in Latin America to operate what is the newest addition to Boeing’s MAX portfolio.

“Due to the long-term success we’ve had operating 737 NG we had placed a sizable order of 737 MAX aircraft for our future, and the 737 MAX 10 provides additional flexibility for certain segments of our network,” said Ahmad Zamany, Copa Airlines’ Vice President of Technical Operations.

The MAX 10 will be introduced around 2020, with what Boeing bills as the “highest efficiency, reliability and passenger comfort in the single-aisle market.”

Copa provides service to 75 destinations in 31 countries through its operating subsidiaries, including much of the Caribbean.

“We are thrilled that Copa Airlines is one of the launch customers for the 737 MAX 10,” said Van Rex Gallard, vice president, Latin America, Caribbean and Africa Sales for Boeing Commercial Airplanes. “The 737 MAX 10 will be the most profitable single-aisle airplane, offering the lowest seat costs ever and will help Copa Airlines grow their business and win market share in the competitive single-aisle market.”

— CJ Staff

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Atlantis Paradise Island is in the midst of a major relaunch, with the biggest change set to debut on July 16 when the rebranded Coral Towers become The Coral hotel.

The Coral is a transformation of the former Coral Towers, with a new Lobby Lounge including an ice cream parlor and bakery, along with redesigned contemporary rooms and suites.

“We’ve taken a step back to look to the future of Atlantis and truly understand what motivates today’s travelers to choose a destination,” said Howard C. Karawan, President and Managing Director of Atlantis, Paradise Island.

The rooms come in either King or double queen configurations with a variety of views including terrace, harbor and water, along with bathrooms with new flooring, vanity accents and modern showers and bathtubs.

Designer Jeffrey Beers has created a new poolscape, with private cabanas, family-friendly water activities and a swim-up bar featuring locally-made Bahamian fruit.

Aimed at families, The Coral will also feature a dedicated family trip planner along with a “Coral’s Kids’ Concierge,” who will “assist families with information about the resort’s purposeful activities to connect them to local Bahamian culture and ecology, opportunities to explore the coral reefs and marine environments and to spend time together in pursuit of indelible learning moments.”

The Coral is part of a wider change that will include a transformed Marina Village set to debut this fall.

While the resort has been around for more than two decades, this year Atlantis sought to cultivate a new identity centered around the “authentic” Bahamas, something that will be a major focal point of the new Marina Village, which will feature an authentic fish fry, conch salad shacks and a local brewery.

Atlantis also recently launched Art Walk, a market where every other Saturday where guests can support local artists and sample local products.

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There’s a major new resort on the Caribbean coast of Mexico: The Grand at Moon Palace Cancun.

Palace Resorts’ newest project has more than 1,300 guest rooms, nine outdoor swimming pools, an adults-only “unique day club” with a live DJ spinning poolside, five swim-up bars, a beach club, a children’s waterpark, a six-lane bowling alley and more than 80,000 square feet of meeting and events spaces.

The property also has 10 new restaurants, ranging from the Asian “Jade” to a steakhouse called “JC.”

Wellness is also a focus, thanks to a new 76,876-square-foot “Awe-Spa” containing a whopping 60 spa suites, along with a hydrotherapy circuit, plunge pools, steam and sauna rooms and more.

The resort, which is located within the brand’s signature Moon Palace Cancun, was envisioned by Palace Resorts’ exclusive designer, Francois Frossard, aiming for a “new standard in “luxury all inclusive” accommodations.

“The Grand at Moon Palace Cancun is without a doubt our most unbelievable project yet,” said Gibran Chapur, executive vice president of Palace Resorts. “Palace Resorts envisioned a property that would truly take luxury, convenience, and entertainment and upscale culinary dining and combine it to surpass any traditional, luxury all-inclusive around.”

Prices start at $295 per person per night, according to the company.

Palace has 10 all inclusive resorts in the Caribbean.

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The Sandals Foundation is partnering with CLEAR Caribbean in an effort to establish two coral nurseries aimed at restoring lost coral coverage in St. Lucia, as well as providing a habitat for marine life inside the Soufriere Marine Managed Area.

Corals and coral reefs play in protecting coastlines from the damaging effects of waves and tropical storms and as a means of shelter for marine organisms.

“We are delighted that Sandals Foundation is supporting this coral restoration project in St. Lucia,” said Dr. Owen Day, Executive Director of CLEAR Caribbean. “Coral restoration is a proven strategy to help propagate and replant corals that have greater resilience to diseases and the impacts of climate change.”

“We all depend upon the Marine environment, especially the Islands in the Caribbean like St. Lucia,” said Jonathan Hernould, Sandals Foundation’s Environmental Officer. “Coral Reefs are an essential part of the Marine ecosystem and without them we would have no fishing industry and our tourism industry would suffer greatly. With the help of CLEAR Caribbean and this coral restoration programme we are helping to restore the coral reefs in St. Lucia that so many people depend upon.”

The fishing industry is one of the major economic contributors in Caribbean countries and is heavily dependent on coral reefs.

With this motivating factor, the Foundation has undertaken a self-imposed mandate of coral conservation through partnerships across the Caribbean.

The project is a partnership between the Government of St Lucia, the Diving Association, the Soufriere Marine Management Association, the Soufriere Fisherman’s Cooperative and CLEAR Caribbean Ltd.

Sandals Foundation has assisted the establishment of five coral nurseries in the islands of Jamaica and St. Lucia, and stated its commitment to bringing public awareness to the harmful effects of environmental negligence while promoting proactive methods for individuals organizations alike.

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