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By Julie Bielenberg
CJ Contributor

ST VINCENT – It was perhaps fitting that the Caribbean Conference on Sustainable Tourism was delayed by a storm.

What was then-Tropical Storm Dorian delayed the beginning of the recent Caribbean Tourism Organization’s 2019 sustainability conference at the Beachcombers Hotel in St Vincent, highlighting the need for a more sustainable — and resilient — Caribbean region.

But what the return of this eminently relevant conference showed was that sustainability is not just about the climate.

It’s about people.

It’ s about managing to fuse the needs of the environment and its people, to effect development in a way that safeguards both communities and economies.

From a stirring talk by Bahamas Tourism Director General Joy Jibrilu to fascinating deep-dives into the essence of eco-tourism, the 2019 edition of this conference was, well, essential.

Diplomats, politicians and delegates of tourism from around the wider Caribbean thoughtfully met in advance of what would become a category five storm (some via satellite) to emphasize the responsibility of this group to utilize forethought and community awareness in future tourism planning and marketability.

Conference discourse included development models for social integration, community-based tourism, the potential for renewable energy, indigenous conversations, people, planet and profit, the tourism evolution, nurturing the nature including emotional and, perhaps most importantly, profound addresses by both H. Elizabeth Thompson, Barbados’ Permanent Representative to the United Nations and St Vincent and the Grenadines Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves.

H. Elizabeth Thompson.

The celebrated Thompson underscored the need to understand the importance and significance of the “route of culture, as culture is pulling the people.”

“When a hotel seeks to destroy and build on the last remaining mangrove area or a special ecosystem is the development denied or allowed; when new tourism villas will cut off the access of local communities to a popular beach, who is given precedence; who in our governments and tourism sectors make the determination of pursuing short term gain over long term sustainability and do we truly appreciate the link between climate resilience, profitability in the tourism sector and sustainability amongst other debatable topics,” she wondered.

Gonsalves, the longtime leader of St Vincent and the Grenadines, greeted storm-anxious, and eager-conference participants, with enthusiasm for his country’s eco-evolution and its calm, methodical preparedness for the hurricane.

Gonsalves pointed to seven challenges that must be addressed for tourism to match its benefit and not capitalize on capacity and trend— climate change, resource scarcity, fresh water, the aging of society, growing inequality, artificial intelligence, capital and unilateralism and nativism.

“There is an understanding, a patience that must be exhibited on our 150-square mile, 110,000 people island,” he said. “We are the smallest country to ever sit on the UN Security Council,” then referencing his country’s next phase of lodging and brands, eco-aware projects and amongst other global items, reiterating what a small, cohesive society can undertake, overcome and how to succeed in the modern era of community, tourism and equal profitability.

Guyana is home to the Rewa Eco-Lodge, one of the most important examples of community-focused tourism on earth.

There is arguably no greater example of a sustainable tourism endeavor than the Rewa Ecolodge in Guyana, a project that has set a new standard for sustainability — and reinforced the definition of the term.

That was the theme of the talk by the Chief of the Toshao Tribe, Rudolph Edwards, who is now the manager of the Rewa Ecolodge,, who explained his community’s depleting natural resources due to rival tribe poaching.

Edwards created his eco-lodge not merely out of hospitality, he said, but out of a need to survive — to survive local challenges and oncoming global implications.

He took a community where even the concept of a hotel booking was an abstract concept, building every aspect of infrastructure possible—transportation, supply, trade, business language and negotiation — and eventually establishing one of the most culturally-sustainable, innovative, and notable community-based tourism projects in the world.

Throughout what was one of, if not, the most profound speeches of the conference, Edwards explained the astronomical challenges and obstacles overcome by his community — a journey that resulted in what is one of the most culturally-sustainable, innovative, and notable community-based tourism projects in the world.

So what was the biggest takeaway for destinations from the world’s largest public gathering, to date, focused on environmentally, ethically and economically-based-issues in the Caribbean?

The most positive social impact and benefit for both traveler and island is about knowing and showing who you are, why you are unique and about all of the facets of community that set you apart from any other island.

— CJ

The post Making Caribbean Tourism Sustainable — And What It Means appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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By Dana Niland
CJ Contributor

Spirit Airlines says it is adding more space to its cabin.

The low-cost carrier has unveiled what it’s calling new, more comfortable seats that provide “additional legroom.”

Spirit’s new seats, created by UK-based Acro Aircraft Seating, integrate “state-of-the-art” design features, including thicker padding, ergonomically-designed lumbar support, and additional pre-recline. 

“Last year I signed a pledge to look at every facet of our guest experience and determine where we could improve,” said Ted Christie, Spirit Airlines’ President and Chief Executive Officer. “This investment in our seats and onboard experience is a direct result of that commitment, and it also allows us to enhance our product value while maintaining our industry-leading cost structure. We have listened to our guests, and we are responding with these new, more comfortable seats.”

Middle seats will also gain another inch of width, and every seat will gain nearly an inch of pre-recline compared to Spirit’s current seating configuration, with exit rows adding even more.

Spirit’s new seats, padded with lightweight foam and made of a composite skeleton, will add comfort without increasing weight, maintaining high fuel efficiency on Spirit’s Fit Fleet.

The new, softer seats include a full-size tray table and an elevated literature pocket and are designed in a matte-black color with border stitching in Spirit’s signature yellow. 

Installation of the new seats will begin in November and continue through 2020 on all new Spirit deliveries.

In addition, Spirit is adding comfort to its “Big Front Seats,” the company said.

Spirit’s updated Big Front Seat will feature a new ergonomically-improved headrest with plush memory foam, additional memory foam in the seat cushion for comfort and thigh support, and sleek Spirit-branded aesthetic with yellow and black stitching. 

“We also believe it is time for our industry to rethink the concept of seat pitch, a metric many industry experts and aviation media have called antiquated and misleading, given the broad differences in seating measurements that more directly affect passenger comfort,” Christie said. “Our research shows that many Guests not only misunderstand the concept of pitch, but strongly believe that comfort derives from usable legroom. Our new seats now offer more usable legroom with their innovative design.”

Partnering with the Chartered Institute of Ergonomics and Human Factors, Spirit Airlines says it conducted in-depth analysis on the ergonomics and comfort of the new seats. 

The seats were designed to curve gently around a guest’s back to create a comfortable posture and make available more usable legroom. 

The study showed that most people, from a sampling of more than 1,000 air travelers, did not know the true definition of “seat pitch,” the space between a point on one seat and the same point on the seat in front of it. 

“Pitch is an outdated industry term for measuring seat comfort, as it does not consider a range of important key factors like seatback curvature, seat width, cushion thickness, and usable space,” said Steve Barraclough, Chief Executive of the Chartered Institute of Ergonomics & Human Factors. “The ‘Usable Legroom’ metric is the distance from the center of the back of the seat cushion to the outer edges of the seat in front. We believe this metric provides a potential basis that all airlines could calculate and could offer the passenger new, evidence-based information about the potential comfort of the seat.”

Spirit has been on a rapid expansion push in the Caribbean, particularly out of Orlando.

— CJ

The post Spirit Airlines Is Adding More Legroom appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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… destroyed her home in Puerto Rico, Ashley Gonzales moved to … because of its large Puerto Rican population, including her cousin … the coalition and the Puerto Rican families receiving funding, said … moved to Connecticut from Puerto Rico with her partner Johnny …

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By the Caribbean Journal staff

As relief and recovery efforts continue in Grand Bahama and Abaco, Bahamas officials stressed that nearly the entirety of the country’s 700-island tourism economy was open for business.

Indeed, every airport in The Bahamas with the exception of those in Abaco and Grand Bahama have already reopened for commercial and private flights.

“All other airports throughout The Bahamas are open and operational,” the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism said in a statement this week.

The Baha Mar megaresort in Nassau is open as are all hotels and resorts in Nassau and Paradise Island.

“Now is the time to come together for our brothers and sisters in need, and help our country get back on its feet,” said Bahamas Tourism Minister Dionisio D’Aguilar. “We also implore travelers to continue visiting the Bahamian islands that were not impacted by Hurricane Dorian as this will help our people tremendously.”

The airport reopenings include the country’s major hub, Nassau’s Lynden Pindling International Airport, and airports in destinations including Bimini, Eleuthera, Cat Island, Great Harbour Cay, San Salvador, Acklins Island and others.

A map of all 14 destinations currently open for business and welcoming travelers. All of the destinations in yellow are active travel destinations.

Indeed, the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism put out a map showing all of the 14 major destinations that are open and welcoming tourists already, above.

The Cove, Eleuthera.

And it also includes the vast hotel product across Nassau and the Out Islands of The Bahamas, from megaresorts like Atlantis and Baha Mar, all-inclusive hotels like the Warwick Paradise Island and Sandals Royal Bahamian to luxury hotspots in Eleuthera (like Cape Eleuthera and The Cove) and Harbour Island and lodges and boutique hotels in destinations like Cat Island and Bimini.

The Fernandez Bay Village resort in Cat Island.

Bahamas Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis stressed that returning the rest of the country’s tourism economy to normal was essential for long-term recovery of Abaco and Grand Bahama.

He urged travelers to continue booking their trips to The Bahamas and to return soon.

“One of the best ways that people from around the world can show their support and solidarity with The Bahamas at this time, is to visit our other islands by air or by cruise ship,” Bahamas Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis said this week. “To keep our economy strong in order to help with recovery and reconstruction, we will need to keep our booming tourism economy vibrant.”

The all-important cruise industry in The Bahamas has also returned to normal operations, according to a statement from the Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association.

“Fortunately, Nassau and cruise lines’ private [destinations] in The Bahamas are open, fully operational and ready to welcome guests with a smile,” the FCCA said in a statement.

And as travelers return, the Bahamas is urging everyone to continue to support ongoing relief efforts.

— CJ

The post Bahamas Tourism Is Open For Business appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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