Opinion

Can Puerto Rico Redefine Tropical Travel Post-COVID-19?
The negative short-term economic global impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the tourism industry has been devastating. Now, as the world begins to slowly reopen and potentially recapture their lost tourism industry, it is imperative to rethink and reassess how …

Op-Ed: A New Beginning for Puerto Rico
By Ricardo Álvarez-Díaz Two years ago last month, Hurricane Maria ravaged Puerto Rico, ultimately taking more than 3,000 lives. It also exposed the structural vulnerabilities of existing buildings, and further exacerbated the already painful impact of a more than decade-long …
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Op-Ed: The Future of Dominican Republic Tourism
By Carlos CastilloConsul General of the Dominican Republic in New York Tourism and hospitality have become synonymous in the Dominican Republic. They are the mainstay of the economy, and a tremendous source of pride within our culture. New York City …
Op-Ed: Rethinking Caribbean Cruise Port Revenues
By Robert MacLellanCJ Contributor Can tourism-dependent Caribbean governments learn something from oil producing countries? When relatively small and poor oil producing governments sought to get a fair price for oil – their main source of national revenue – they banded …
Editor’s Note: The Caribbean, After Irma
On Oct. 9, 1780, the Great Hurricane came to the Caribbean. Huracan San Calixto lasted 11 days in the West Indies, pummeling the southeastern Caribbean with terrifying winds as high as 200 miles per hour, destroying homes and livelihoods. Almost …
Doing Business in the Caribbean 2017: Central America Leading By Example
By Paul HayCJ Contributor Doing Business 2017: Equal Opportunity for All is the 14th in the long-standing series of co-publications by the World Bank and International Financial Corporation (IFC). This annual report on the ease in doing business, now in …
Caribbean History: Remembering Maurice Bishop
Our new Caribbean History feature takes a look at the major people and moments in the history of the region. By David P. Rowe One of the most important Caribbean leaders of the 20th century was Maurice Bishop. His career …
It’s Time for New Thinking on Caribbean Airlift
BY KAREEM YARDECJ Contributor As a relatively unexplored topic, I recently wrote a research proposal concerning airline route development in the Caribbean region. This overarching review suggests that this is certainly a topic which the Caribbean region stands to benefit …
Jamaica’s Opportunity to Shine
By DENNIS CHUNG CJ Contributor A few years ago someone asked me what I was passionate about. I mentioned that one of the things I really am passionate about is Jamaica and Jamaicans. It is that passion for Jamaica and …
Developing Jamaica’s Intellectual Capacity for Growth
BY DENNIS CHUNGCJ Contributor I recently made the point that the most important asset that Jamaica has is its three million residents, and that it is the underutilization of this asset that has caused us to attain average growth of …
Creating a Culture of Development in Jamaica
And what Jamaica can learn from Antigua and Barbuda By Dennis ChungCJ Contributor Every time we come around to this time of the year — when we debate the budget, I swear that the arguments for and against are the same. …
Op-Ed: St. Vincent’s Major New Airport — And What’s Next
Weighing the impact of Argyle By Kareem YardeOp-Ed Contributor It was recently announced with great fervor that St. Vincent and the Grenadines will be officially opening the Argyle International Airport (AIA) on February 14th 2017. Beset by challenges from the …
What Cuba Means for Caribbean Travel
Looking ahead in Cuba By Alex ZozayaCEO of Apple Leisure Group History was recently made when American Airlines and Jet Blue became the first U.S. airlines to land passenger flights in Havana in more than 50 years. More U.S. airlines …
Using Tech to Improve the Caribbean’s Business Environment
How “RegTech” could help the Caribbean By Ryan PetersonCJ Contributor In the famous words of legendary Bob Marley, “…don’t let them fool you…”. Despite the images of white sandy beaches, turquoise seas and milky coconuts, the Caribbean is notoriously known …
Getting Local Government in Jamaica to Work
What local government means if we can get it to work By Dennis Chung CJ Contributor Last week I was driving around Montego Bay with the NSWMA regional manager and stopped by the Retirement dumpsite. As I drove around, I …
Jamaica’s Competitiveness Challenges
More on Jamaica’s economic issues By Dennis ChungCJ Contributor Last week, I ended by speaking on the point that if we are to see true economic and social development in Jamaica, this can only come through increasing our competitiveness as …
Transforming the Caribbean’s Financial Ecosystems
Why this island celebrated fintech By Ryan PetersonCJ Contributor It is a truism that the global financial ecosystems are experiencing an unprecedented period of technological transformation and disruptive innovation of digitizing money, monetizing data, and virtualizing experiences. Digital currencies, mobile …