caribbean news

Bahamas Creates Special Project Unit to Address Shanty Towns

Caribbean Hotel Numbers Show Improvement Across the Board

Above: the Boucan by Hotel Chocolat in St Lucia By Alexander Britell The Caribbean hotel sector is continuing to improve, according to a new report from hotel data firm STR. Caribbean hotel occupancy rose 7 percent in November, compared to the …

Simpson Miller: Jamaica’s Government “Focused” on Affordable Housing

Above: Kingston (CJ Photo) By the Caribbean Journal staff Jamaica is committed to providing affordable housing, according to Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller. “My administration is focused on getting houses and lands into the hands of as many persons as …

Op-Ed: Corruption In the Caribbean

By David Rowe Op-Ed Contributor THE ARRESTS OF McKeeva Bush and Michael Misick in one-week span focused on the world of corruption in the Caribbean. The two most prestigious Caribbean offshore financial centres ended up with a pair political leaders in …

USVI Sees Big Increase in Air Arrivals

Above: St Croix By the Caribbean Journal staff The United States Virgin Islands is reporting its highest levels of air arrivals since the mid-1990s, according to a report from Texas-based consultants Reynolds, Smith and Hills. The report, which was retained …

Cayman Governor Swears in New Cabinet

Above: Front Row: Premier, Juliana O’Connor-Connolly; Governor Duncan Taylor; Rolston Anglin; Back Row: Attorney General Hon. Samuel Bulgin, Cline Astor Glidden, Jr, Mark Scotland and Hon. Dwayne Stanley Seymour. By the Caribbean Journal staff Following the appointment of the territory’s …

An Atlantis in St Kitts and Nevis?

Above: Atlantis in the Bahamas By the Caribbean Journal staff St Kitts and Nevis Prime Minister Dr Denzil Douglas said he has invited Alan Leibman, the CEO of Kerzner International Management, to pursue a high-end boutique resort in St Kitts …

Marriott Names First-Ever Regional President for Caribbean, Latin America

Above: the Scrub Island resort in BVI, part of Marriott’s Autograph Collection By the Caribbean Journal staff Marriott has named company veteran Craig Smith as its first-ever president for the Caribbean and Latin America, citing the “increasing importance” of the …

US Virgin Islands, HOVENSA Extend Interim Agreement as Talks Continue

Above: the HOVENSA refinery By the Caribbean Journal staff The government of the United States Virgin Islands and HOVENSA have agreed to extend an interim agreement to make fuel available as the two sides negotiate on the future of what …

Suriname Gets $40 Million IDB Loan to Improve Major Road Network

Above: Albina, Suriname, on the border with French Guiana By the Caribbean Journal staff Suriname will be receiving a $40 million loan to improve the country’s Meerzorg-Albina integration corridor, following approval by the Inter-American Development Bank. The road connects Suriname’s …

Barbados PM: US-CARICOM Rum Issue “May Have to Reach the WTO”

Above: Barbados Prime Minister Freundel Stuart (CJ Photo) By the Caribbean Journal staff Barbados is actively working at the CARICOM and international levels to ensure that the country does not face unfair competition with its rum exports, according to Prime …

Turks and Caicos’ Molasses Reef Set to Resume Development

Above: Molasses Reef By the Caribbean Journal staff The Molasses Reef development on West Caicos will recommence development following the signing of a development agreement with the Turks and Caicos government. The agreement was signed Dec. 6. The remaining arrangements …

Haiti to Post Caribbean’s Fastest Growth in 2013, Jamaica Slowest: Report

Above: flooding in Haiti lowered the country’s GDP estimate for 2012, but it is projected to grow 6 percent in 2013 (UN Photo/Logan Abassi) By the Caribbean Journal staff Haiti is projected to lead the Caribbean in GDP growth …

CARICOM: “Serious Concerns” About Threat to Caribbean Rum in the US

Above: the St Nicholas Abbey rum company in Barbados (CJ Photo) By the Caribbean Journal staff The Caribbean Community is increasingly concerned about what it calls a “threat to the competitiveness of Caribbean rum in the United States” due to …

Puerto Rico’s Ritz-Carlton Reserve Dorado Beach Now Open

Above: the Ritz-Carlton Reserve Dorado Beach (Photos by Ritz-Carlton) By the Caribbean Journal staff The Ritz-Carlton Reserve Dorado Beach is now open in Puerto Rico, the company announced Thursday. The property, which is situated on 1,400 acres on the former …

Cayman Premier: “I Have Done Nothing Wrong and I Shall Not Be Resigning”

Above: Cayman Premier McKeeva Bush By Alexander Britell Cayman Premier McKeeva Bush has issued his first public statement since his arrest Tuesday on suspicions of corruption, maintaining his innocence and vowing not to yield to increasing public pressure to step …

Canada’s Transat to Begin Offering Vacation Packages to Haiti

Above: Cocoye Anglade in Haiti (Photo: MT Haiti) By the Caribbean Journal staff Canadian travel company Transat will begin offering vacation packages to Haiti out of Montreal starting Jan. 23, the company announced Thursday. The packages will combine stays in …

Haiti’s New Royal Oasis Hotel Officially Opens in Petion-Ville

Above: a room at the Royal Oasis (Photos: Occidental) By Alexander Britell The Royal Oasis Hotel in Haiti has officially opened its doors in Port-au-Prince’s Petion-Ville neighbourhood. The five-star property, which is a project of Spain-based Occidential Hotels & Resorts, …

UN Launches Plan to Eliminate Cholera in Haiti, Dominican Republic

Above: workers load supplies for distribution to cholera victims (FP/UN Photo/Marco Dormino) By the Caribbean Journal staff A new United Nations initiative aims to eliminate cholera in Haiti and in the neighbouring Dominican Republic, the world body announced Tuesday. The …