CJ Interviews

CJ Interviews

Interview with British Virgin Islands Tourism Director Sharon Flax-Mars

Above: BVI By Alexander Britell The British Virgin Islands received approximately 302,647 tourist arrivals in 2012, essentially unchanged from the previous year. Seeking to improve on those numbers, the BVI hired a new director of tourism, Sharon Flax-Mars, a 25-year […]

CJ Interviews

Lamothe: "We Would Change the Approach That People Have to Haiti”

Above: Haiti Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe By Alexander Britell Haiti Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe recently concluded a weeklong trip to the United States that featured meetings with officials from the World Bank, the IDB, the UN, donor countries (including Canada) […]

CJ Interviews

Making Caribbean Hotels Sustainable: An Interview With Aruba’s Ewald Biemans

Above: the Bucuti & Tara Beach Resorts in Aruba By Alexander Britell PORT OF SPAIN — This week’s Caribbean Sustainable Tourism Conference has focused on how the region’s leading does business. But what does sustainability mean for hotels in a […]

CJ Interviews

Interview With Seaborne Airlines CEO Omer ErSelcuk

Above: a Seaborne plane By Alexander Britell With the departure of American Eagle from the Caribbean, the region’s aviation industry continues to change. But while many predicted doom, airlines large and small, from Cape Air to JetBlue, are working to […]


JetBlue and the Caribbean: An Interview With Chad Meyerson

By Alexander Britell With American Eagle’s departure from the Caribbean, there will be a sizable void to fill. As we’ve covered of late, small carriers like Cape Air are increasing capacity and looking to capitalize on the ever-present demand for […]


Developing Tourism in Haiti: An Interview With Minister Stephanie Villedrouin

Above: Haiti Tourism Minister Stephanie Villedrouin (CJ Photo) By Alexander Britell In June 2012, Caribbean Journal spoke to Haiti Tourism Minister Stephanie Villedrouin about her plans to grow Haiti’s largely undeveloped tourism sector into something far bigger. At the time, […]

CJ Interviews

Talking Puntacana With Alberto Abreu

Above: Tortuga Bay at Puntacana By Alexander Britell The Dominican Republic has grown into one of the dominant tourism destinations in the Caribbean, nearing 5 million visitors in 2012. The country also led the Caribbean in hotel growth last year, […]


Interview with Martinique Tourism Commissioner Karine Roy-Camille

Above: Martinique Tourism Commissioner Karine Roy-Camille at CHTA Travel Marketplace in the Bahamas (CJ Photo) By Alexander Britell PARADISE ISLAND — Like fellow French department Guadeloupe, Martinique has maintained a relatively low profile for travelers in markets like the US […]


Growing the “Guadeloupe Islands” Brand

Above: Gosier, Guadeloupe (All photos by CJ) By Alexander Britell Despite its proximity to the United States, the French department of Guadeloupe remains under the radar for most American travelers. That’s starting to change, however. In November, Guadeloupe opened a […]

CJ Interviews

Talking Real Estate in St Barth With Sibarth's Christian Wattiau

Above: a home in St Barth (Photo: Jean-Philippe Piter) By Alexander Britell Just like the rest of the Caribbean, tiny St Barth’s real estate market was impacted by the downturn that began in 2008. But the eight-square-mile island in the […]


Interview with Haiti PM Laurent Lamothe

Above: Haiti Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe (UN Photo/ J Carrier)   By Alexander Britell Haiti is trying to move the process of reconstruction into a higher gear. While the country’s GDP has been growing at a strong pace, natural disasters […]


Interview with UNESCO Special Envoy for Haiti Michaëlle Jean

Above: Former Canadian Governor General and UNESCO Special Envoy to Haiti Michaelle Jean (UN Photo/Mark Garten)   By Alexander Britell CURRENT UNESCO SPECIAL ENVOY FOR HAITI Michaëlle Jean recently concluded a trip to Haiti during which she led a 20-member […]