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Fast-growing Turks and Caicos-based regional carrier interCaribbean Airways is expanding again, this time with new service to the island of St Vincent.
Beginning Oct. 1, the carrier will be operating flights between Barbados and St Vincent.
interCaribbean will be running the flights on Embraer 120 aircraft, the company said.
It’s part of a wider expansion for interCaribbean at Barbados’ Grantley Adams International Airport that also includes new service to Grenada, Dominica and Saint Lucia, helping to fill the void of now-shuttered regional carrier LIAT.
The company now services 27 cities across the wider Caribbean region.
For more, visit interCaribbean.
— CJ
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… Puerto Rico’s territory status is being slammed by a fellow Puerto Rican … approach for Puerto Rico to decide on … Puerto Rican descent, and Velázquez, who was born in Puerto Rico … Puerto Rican voters.
“This body would develop a long-term solution for Puerto Rico …
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The question of how and whether to reopen for tourism remains an existential question for Caribbean destinations — and it’s not an easy one to answer.
But those who do can look to Saint Lucia as an exemplar for tourism reopenings amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Almost three months after reopening its borders for international tourism, Saint Lucia continues to be a model in the fight against COVID-19.
The country is one of just eight countries globally to receive a Level 1 COVID-19 rating from the CDC, meaning over the last 28 days new cases either decreased or stabilized.
So far, Saint Lucia has reported just 26 cases and no deaths — or about 1.42 cases per 10,000 population.
Saint Lucia received its first commercial flight on July 9, with a host of strict protocols for incoming visitors, including a requirement to effectively quarantine in their hotels, and a stay in a maximum of two different hotels.
That’s along with the requirement of a negative COVID-19 test up to seven days before the date of travel; airport screening; a pre-arrival form.
“This is even more validation of our country’s success in the management of COVID-19,” said Saint Lucia Prime Minister Allen Chastanet. “We have to keep following our protocols and ensuring that pre-testing is done before visitors arrive in Saint Lucia. This takes the support and cooperation of all the stakeholders in the travel industry.”
So far, Saint Lucia has received just under 5,900 travelers through its approved ports of entry, of whom 4,413 were visitors.
“It is an honor to see that the Strategic approach to responsible reopening the tourism sector, dedication and sacrifice of the Government, frontline workers and the cooperation of the public is topical in international jurisdictions. All measures by the government are geared are ensuring that livelihoods are restored while keeping local communities protected from the virus,” said Saint Lucia Tourism Minister Dominic Fedee.
The island has also begun to open up more sectors of its tourism industry, including diving and snorkeling.
And the island’s diverse hotel product, consisting mostly of low-density, smaller-scale luxury and boutique hotels, is another asset in the age of social distancing.
Saint Lucia now has 17 hotels currently COVID-19 certified and open for travelers, most recently the Fond Doux Plantation in Soufriere.
Saint Lucia remains in “Phase 1” of its reopening plan.
You can find Saint Lucia’s COVID protocols here.
For more, visit Saint Lucia.
— CJ
The post Why Saint Lucia Is a Model for Reopening Tourism in the Caribbean appeared first on Caribbean Journal.
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Barbados has seen “significant, serious and positive interest” in its new “Barbados Welcome Stamp” program, which offers one-year visas for remote work on the island.
Barbados Home Affairs Minister Wilfred Abrahams said 1,079 applications had been processed so far for the program since it launched July 18.
Of those, 764 were individuals and 315 were family “bundles.”
“The five leading countries seeking entry under this program are the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Nigeria and India,” Abrahams said. “The USA, Great Britain and Canada account for 788 applications, which equates to approximately 73 per cent of total applications.”
So far, Barbados has denied about 60 applicants, “based on the fact that they were seeking employment in Barbados,” and, “or derogatory reports,” Abrahams said.
The visa is only available for those who are able to work remotely — not for those actually looking to work for Barbados-based companies.
So far, there are already 12 people living on the island who have already been approved for the program, which looks to help fill the void left by decreased tourist arrivals amid the pandemic.
For more, visit the Barbados Welcome Stamp.
— CJ
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