The Dominican Republic’s tourism sector keeps growing.

The country reported a total of 3,241,671 stayover tourists in the first half of 2017, a 6.5 percent increase compared to the first six months of 2016.

The Dominican Republic has long been the most popular destination in the Caribbean by volume.

About 60 percent of those travelers came from North America, according to the report from the government, while 21.2 percent came from Europe and 12.4 percent came from South America.

Punta Cana was by far the country’s most popular airport, accounting for 67.2 percent of arrivals, followed by Santo Domingo’s Las Americas airport.

— CJ Staff

The post A Strong First Half for Dominican Republic Tourism appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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Jamaica is getting a major airlift boost from the European market.

A pair of carriers are expanding flights to the island out of both Spain and Germany.

Spain-based charter carrier Evelop is launching weekly nonstop flights between Madrid and Montego Bay through Oct. 29, adding 8,000 seats for the season through Oct. 29.

German carrier Eurowings recently launched flights from the Cologne-Bonn area operating every Monday and Friday.

The flights will run through Oct. 27.

— CJ Staff

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Margaritaville is expanding in the Caribbean Basin.

The company has announced the rebranding of the Flamingo Beach Resort and Spa in Guanacaste, Costa Rica, in partnership with Driftwood Acquisitions & Development.

“We are thrilled to combine the fun and escapism of our brand with these iconic locations, and provide additional opportunities for our guests to relax and have a great time, which is what we are all about,” said John Cohlan, chief executive officer of Margaritaville.

The Flamingo Beach Resort has 120 guest rooms and suites, along with a pool and swim-up bar, an oceanfront restaurant and lounge, a family center, watersports, tennis court and spa.

“It’s a dream come true for us to partner with Margaritaville, as we help to rebrand Tan-Tar-A and Flamingo Beach,” said Carlos Rodriguez, chief executive officer of DAD. “The Tan-Tar-A acquisition has helped us reach our 2017 growth goal already, just halfway through the year, and Flamingo Beach has been near and dear to my heart for a very long time.  We’re excited to get underway, working together with the Margaritaville team to help travelers create unforgettable memories in the Midwest and Costa Rica.”

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This is where Hannah brought her horse.

Lindquist Beach has long been one of the best-kept secrets in St. Thomas, a perfect stretch of white and turquoise that gained global attention when model Hannah Davis appeared with a horse in a now-famous DirecTV commercial.

But Lindquist, set inside Smith Bay Park, is still far off the beaten path, and a must-visit for any Caribbean beach aficionado.

It’s set on the northeastern coast of the island, across the water from Thatch Cay.

Hannah Davis for DirecTV.

See more in the latest Caribbean Journal video at the top of the page.

And don’t miss our list of the top St. Thomas beaches.

— CJ

The post VIDEO: The Beauty of Lindquist Beach, St. Thomas appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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After months of decline, American Airlines Group is beginning to show signs of growth in Latin America in the Caribbean, according to the company’s latest traffic data.

American Airlines reported 2.587 billion revenue passenger miles in June, a 1.4 percent increase compared to the same month in 2016.

Available seat miles in the region grew by 2.4 percent to 3.279 billion, while load factor saw a decline of 0.8 percentage points to 78.9 percent.

For the year, Latin America and Caribbean revenue passenger miles are still showing a decline of 2.2 percent iwth a total of 19.5 billion.

American has been facing increased competition from carriers like JetBlue and Southwest, which have been heavily expanding their route networks in the Caribbean.

— Caribbean Journal staff

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