CJ Interviews

Interview With Grenada Tourism Minister Alexandra Otway-Noel

Talking Puerto Rico Tourism With PRHTA President and CEO Clarisa Jimenez

Above: PRHTA President and CEO Clarisa Jimenez at the San Juan Marriott (CJ Photo) By Alexander Britell SAN JUAN — What’s next for tourism in Puerto Rico? Armed with a new marketing campaign positioning the destination as the “All Star …

Interview With Micky Arison, Chairman of Carnival Corporation

Above: Micky Arison (CJ Photo) By Alexander Britell MIAMI — Cruise tourism accounts for more than $2 billion a year to the Caribbean region, and no one knows more about it than Carnival Corporation Chairman Micky Arison (who also owns …

Interview With New Anguilla Governor Christina Scott

Above: Governor Christine Scott By Alexander Britell Christina Scott began her appointment as Anguilla’s 12th Governor over the summer, succeeding Alistair Harrison as the United Kingdom’s top official on the island. She came to the British Overseas Territory following a …

Interview With Resorts World Bimini President Dana Leibovitz

Above: the Bimini SuperFast (All photos by CJ) By Alexander Britell BIMINI — When it launched in July, Genting’s new Bimini SuperFast cruise ship was a bit of a mystery – what would it mean for the economy of Bimini? …

Interview With Ric Todd, Governor of the Turks and Caicos Islands

By Alexander Britell Just a few years ago, the Turks and Caicos Islands was in serious trouble. After a UK Commission of Enquiry found evidence of widespread corruption under the government of former Premier Michael Misick, the UK suspended the …

Interview With Kim Barrow, First Lady of Belize

Above: Belize First Lady Kim Barrow By Alexander Britell After winning her battle with breast cancer, Belize First Lady Kim Barrow is on a mission to improve the welfare of women and young people in her country. Barrow, the wife …

Talking Tourism: Anguilla’s Haydn Hughes

Above: Anguilla By Alexander Britell Anguilla is one of the smallest destinations in the Caribbean, but its tourism sector has historically punched above its weight. Today, the island of less than 14,000 people competes in the increasingly tight Caribbean tourism …

Interview with Trinidad and Tobago Tourism Minister Stephen Cadiz

Above: Port of Spain (CJ Photo) By Alexander Britell NEW YORK — Long the commodities hub of the Caribbean, Trinidad is now making a play to enter the region’s bread-and-butter market, tourism, in a big way. It’s a relatively new …

Talking Tourism in Samana With Fabeth Martinez Fernandez

Above: Samana By Alexander Britell Last month, we spoke to Ana Garcia Sotoca Pascual about the growth of tourism in La Romana in the Dominican Republic. We continue our look at the Dominican Republic’s varied destinations with a conversation about …

Talking Tourism in the Dominican Republic’s La Romana

Above: Ana Garcia Sotoca Pascual(CJ Photo) By Alexander Britell While Punta Cana is the Dominican Republic’s main tourism centre, the eastern half of Hispaniola has a wide range of tourism destinations, large and small. The country, which is currently receiving …

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 …

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) …

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 …

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, …

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 …