… /political state of Puerto Rico on
… more
Photo: … Contributed Photo
Documentary on Puerto Rico screens in Bridgeport
Walter … , the mass sterilization of Puerto Rican women, the bombing and … of “War Against All Puerto Ricans: Revolution and Terror in …

Powered by WPeMatico

By the Caribbean Journal staff

Jamaica’s hotel development boom is set to continue with plans for 3,000 new rooms in the parish of St Ann.

The government of Jamaica said it had finalized the sale of land in the area of Salem, St Ann, paving the way for hotel developers from Karisma to begin construction plans on a major new 3,000-room, multi-phase hotel project.

Regional travel giant Karisma Hotels and Resorts will be building the project in several phases, beginning with 700 later this year, according to Jamaica tourism officials.

The Karisma project was officially announced at the recent JAPEX Jamaica tourism exchange event in Montego Bay, the island’s largest tourism sector conference.

The long-awaited project could see the development of as many as 5,000 new hotel rooms for its proposed “Sugarcane Project.”

The project could mean as much as $1 billion in new hotel investment in Jamaica.

— ÇJ

The post Jamaica’s New 3,000-Room Hotel Project appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

Powered by WPeMatico

By the Caribbean Journal staff

There’s a new culinary experience to try in Cancun.

Cancun’s Seadust Cancun Family Resort has launched a new “gastronomic tour” that is now running through December, the property told Caribbean Journal.

The newest culinary tour in the Mexican Caribbean will give travelers a taste of every restaurant at the hotel, including its popular French eatery, La Maison de Michelle.

The tour includes the Japanese restaurant Samurai; the New York-style Manhattan; the Mexican eatery El Maguey and the Italian-inspired Lifghthouse.

The family-friendly all-inclusive has a total of 10 restaurants and nine bars.

For more, visit Seadust Cancun.

— CJ

The post A New Culinary Tour at This Cancun Resort appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

Powered by WPeMatico

… . Wednesday for the ports in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgins … Friday and pass north of Puerto Rico on Saturday.
There are no … U.S. Virgin Islands or Puerto Rico unable to depart 24 hours …

Powered by WPeMatico

By Alexander Britell

It’s one of the most sought-after corners of the Caribbean — that famous triangle of Caribbean hotspots: St Maarten, St Barth and Anguilla.

And just two years after Hurricane Irma, the trio of destinations is in the midst of a significant tourism renaissance, in large part due to its hub: St Maarten.

St Maarten has been leading the way, posting tremendous tourism growth of more than 100 percent in the last year, an essential comeback for the wider area thanks to St Maarten’s crucial role as a regional transit hub — centered on its Princess Juliana International Airport.

St Maarten’s numbers represent what is easily the fastest growth rate in the wider Caribbean region, a strong statement even in a year when a number of destinations are posting solid rates of arrival growth. (The resurgence has been accompanied by a similar comeback on the cruise side).

The El Zafiro resort in St Maarten.

Visitors are finding a new energy in St Maarten, from new beach bars like the world-class Roxxy in Simpson Bay to Sonesta’s marvelously restored Maho and Ocean Point resorts, relaunched favorites like the Oyster Bay Beach Resort — and even new hotels on the way like The Morgan, which is targeting an opening date at the end of this year.

And it’s a comeback that has now been spilling over to its neighbors, including Anguilla.

Indeed, St Maarten is the chief port of entry for visitors to Anguilla, which is almost exclusively reached by public ferry or charter boat from St Maarten (although Caribbean luxury carrier Tradewind Aviation offers service from San Juan to Anguilla as well)

Tradewind’s Caribbean network includes Anguilla with a focus on the peak tourist season.

Anguilla’s tourist board this week reported a total of 55,916 stayover visitor arrivals from January through June, which represented a 16.75 percent over the same period before Hurricane Irma in 2017.

Going further back, this year’s totals represent a 26.03 percent increase over the same period in 2016.

“We are delighted to see the results of the intense work we have put into the marketing and promotion of Anguilla,” said Anguilla’s Tourism Secretary, Cardigan Connor. “We are grateful for the combined efforts of both our public and private sector partners, in producing the desired results. With events such as our recent Summer Festival, and the upcoming Anguilla Cup, we are confident that we will continue to attract and grow the number of visitors to our wonderful island.”

The Nevaeh villa in Anguilla.

In a statement, officials told Caribbean Journal that the increase meant Anguilla was “well on its way to achieve its goal of a 20 percent increase in stayover arrivals for the fiscal year 2019.”

The resurgence has come from Anguilla’s robust hotel sector, led by properties like the Four Seasons Anguilla and Cap Juluca (the latter of which reopened at the beginning of this year), and its from historically strong (and growing) villa sector, home to one of the Caribbean’s most impressive collections of ultra-luxe villas like the popular Nevaeh and a longtime visitor favorite, Tequila Sunrise.

Anguilla will soon be home to another new hotel, the boutique Tranquility Beach resort, set to debut for the festive season in December.

But it all comes back to St Maarten, whose resurgence has been crucial for much of the wider region, including smaller destinations like Statia and Saba as well.

For more, visit St Maarten.

— CJ

The post St Maarten Is Leading a Caribbean Tourism Comeback appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

Powered by WPeMatico