By the Caribbean Journal staff

Apple Leisure Group is planning to ramp up its development push through its subsidiary, AMResorts.

The company has announced the addition of vice president of development Federico Moreno-Nickerson to its team.

Moreno-Nickerson will support the ALG Development Team, which the company said was “hyper-focused on delivering delivering unmatched hospitality expertise to hotel owners looking to invest in new assets or boost existing hotel property performance across Mexico, the Caribbean and Latin America.”

The company has also unveiled a new Web site, ALGdevelopment.com, aiming to inform owners and investors about the company’s offerings.

“Growing our existing development team is part of our strategic approach to give hotel owners the right partner to grow in the competitive all-inclusive sector and secure strong return on investments,” said Javier Coll, Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer of Apple Leisure Group. “Adding an industry veteran like Federico Moreno-Nickerson to ALG’s development team supports our strategy to reach our goal of signing our 100th resort management deal by 2020.”

Moreno-Nickerson will focus on expanding the company’s footprint, particularly in Mexico, the English-speaking Caribbean and Latin America.

The post Apple Leisure Group Plans Big Development Push appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

Powered by WPeMatico

By Sarah Greaves-Gabbadon
CJ Travel Editor

If you’re hungry for a Caribbean vacation (or just plain hungry) you’ll want to know about the Barbados Food & Rum Festival, scheduled for November 16 to 19.

Now in its eighth year, the event celebrates the cuisine of the island, and will be headlined by Michelin-starred chef Tom Aikens and feature other talents such as Jean-Georges Vongerichten from the United States and Canadian chef Chris De La Rosa.

British-born chef Aikens is one of the hosts of the new Gourmet Safari Dinner series, which, over two nights, will feature food and rum cocktail pairings that highlight the diversity of Caribbean cuisine. He’ll serve up his best at The Tides restaurant, while Vongerichten will tempt tastebuds at The Cliff, and De La Rosa will cook at The Crane resort.

Other highlights of the festival include polo and cocktails at Holders Polo Club; an all-inclusive beach party at Hilton Barbados; a chef’s cook-off at Oistins Bay Gardens; and an event at the Concorde Experience, which will celebrate Barbados as the birthplace of rum with custom cocktails, flavorful food and music.

The post Why You Need to Visit the Barbados Food and Rum Festival appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

Powered by WPeMatico

By Alexander Britell

In a major sign of strength for hard-hit St Barth, the island’s famous Gustav III airport is officially open for commerical operations.

The airport has begun taking commercial flights from carriers like Air Antilles (out of Guadeloupe) and Tradewind Aviation (out of San Juan).

The latter, Tradewind, has been at the forefront of the island’s relief efforts, regularly flying free relief flights for the first three days after the runway was cleared.

The island also got a boost from France President Emmanuel Macron, who visited Wednesday to assess damage and discuss restoration efforts.

“St Barths was hit hard but there is strong will there and desire to rebound quickly,” Tradewind Aviation Co-Owner David Zipkin told Caribbean Journal. “I am encouraged by the progress we’ve already seen and optimistic that a great winter season is still possible and indeed likely.”

The airport’s reopening comes as several other milestones have been reached in the island’s climb to recovery: water production is at full production, as is production at the electrical plant — with Gustavia and St Jean the first to have electricity restored.

The island’s Garbage treatment center is at full production, while all roadways have been cleared and are now accessible.

The island’s commercial harbor is also functional, having received its first shipment on Monday including generators, food and supplies for residents.

“St. Barts is thankful for any support France may provide, as well as volunteers sent by Guadalupe, Martinique and others,” says Nils Dufau, president of the Territorial Tourism Committee of St Barts. “The population of St. Barts has shown great courage and exemplary solidarity in the response to the aftermath of Hurricane Irma.”

A relief flight this week.

The state of the island’s hotel stock is still not clear; most hotels were closed at the time and have not yet released completed full damage assessements.

The post St Barth Airport Reopens appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

Powered by WPeMatico

By the Caribbean Journal staff

Hurricane Irma passed through the Turks and Caicos last week, but the island of Providenciales was spared some of Irma’s wrath.

Indeed, some of the island’s top resorts are already planning to reopen this month.

Hartling Group Resorts, which has three of the island’s leading resorts, has announced a timetable for the reopening of its properties.

The Shore Club, The Sands and The Palms sustained “no major structural damages” during the storm, only extensive landscaping and some water damage.

While they will be closed to allow time for necessary repairs, they are all reopening within a few weeks.

The Sands at Grace Bay and the Palms will open Sept. 23, and The Shore Club will reopen on Sept. 30.

The company said it would be contacting guests and travel professionals who were booked to arrive during the next few weeks to reschedule their stays.

Irma did not leave the island unscathed however, and Hartling Group said it would be working to help staff and local community members who lost their homes and belongings due to flooding and wind damage.

“We are committed to assisting those persons as we all work together to restore this great community,” the company said.

The post Turks and Caicos’ Sands, Shore Club, Palms Reopening This Month appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

Powered by WPeMatico

By the Caribbean Journal staff

The island of Barbuda was totally devastated by the passage of Hurricane Irma last week

Almost 95 percent of the island’s buildings were destroyed, with both private properties and government facilities either destroyed or extensively damaged, while one life was lost.

The situation is severe, though relief and rebuilding efforts have begun.

“The Government will do whatever it takes in the short term to get Barbuda on its feet again,” said Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Minister Asot Michael. “However, the best way to help our islands as we return to normal is for visitors to continue with their vacation plans or make plans to visit us soon to experience at first hand the warmth and hospitality of our people.” (It should be noted that the island of Antigua was spared from Irma’s wrath, and is already “open for business.”

But you can help with direct donations to Barbuda, too.

Antigua’s National Office of Disaster Services is also working with the Antigua and Barbuda Red Cross on Barbuda Relief and Recovery; donations can be made either via the Ticketing app here or made either directly to the Red Cross here.

Antigua and Barbuda’s government has also set up special accounts exclusively for Barbuda donations, information for which can be found below.

For more information on making donations via those accounts, visit Antigua and Barbuda Tourism.

The post How You Can Help Barbuda appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

Powered by WPeMatico