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Markets

Choice Hotels to Open Guyana Property

Above: Georgetown, Guyana By the Caribbean Journal staff Choice Hotels International will soon debut a new property in Guyana, the company announced. The 25-room Georgetown property, part of Choice Hotels’ Ascend Hotel Collection, is slated to open in the early […]

Markets

Westin Puntacana Resort Breaks Ground

Above: a rendering of the Westin Punta Cana Resort & Club By the Caribbean Journal staff The Westin Puntacana Resort & Club has broken ground in the Dominican Republic. The project is the result of a strategic alliance between Grupo […]

Markets

Caribbean Hotel Occupancy Rose 7 Percent in 2012: Report

Above: the Laluna hotel in Grenada By Alexander Britell Caribbean hotel occupancy rose 7 percent in 2012, according to year-end data released Wednesday by STR. Regional occupancy stood at 66.3 percent for the year, up from 61.9 percent at the […]

News

Haiti Receives First Transat Tourists

Above: Haiti Tourism Minister Stephanie Villedrouin welcomes tourists in Port-au-Prince (Photo: OP Haiti) By the Caribbean Journal staff It was a small group of 25 that arrived in Port-au-Prince on Wednesday, but it could be the start of something far […]


Caribbean Hotels Urge Governments to Hold Regional Tourism Summit

Above: the Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman By Alexander Britell PARADISE ISLAND – The Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Association’s Board of Directors is calling on the Caribbean Heads of Government to convene a regional summit on tourism issues “within the next six […]


Dominican Republic Led Caribbean Hotel Growth in 2012: Report

Above: the Ritz-Carlton Reserve Dorado Beach By Alexander Britell PARADISE ISLAND – The Dominican Republic added 224 new rooms in 2012, the largest total of any country in the Caribbean last year, according to data from STR. Puerto Rico was […]

Markets

Talking Trinidad Tourism With the TDC’s Cornell Buckradee

Above: Cornell Buckradee (CJ Photo) By Alexander Britell PARADISE ISLAND — Trinidad began to see growth out of the downturn in 2011, with 2012 showing similar improvement. But the Caribbean tourism market faces challenges to return to its pre-2008 levels. […]


Starwood Eyeing Caribbean Expansion

Above: the St Regis Bahia Beach in Puerto Rico By Alexander Britell PARADISE ISLAND — Last month, Starwood’s Richard Suarez said the company was pursuing an “aggressive expansion strategy” in Latin America. But that strategy appears to include the Caribbean […]


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 […]

Markets

Grand Bahama's Memories Resort to Open in Second Half of 2013

Above: Grand Bahama (Photo: Bahamas Tourism) By Alexander Britell PARADISE ISLAND — The new Memories Grand Bahama Beach & Casino Resort on Grand Bahama is projected to open in the second half of this year, according to David Johnson, director […]


Virgin Holidays "Cautiously Optimistic" on Caribbean in 2013

Above: Antigua (CJ Photo) By Alexander Britell PARADISE ISLAND — Virgin Holidays is cautiously optimistic for the Caribbean market in 2013, according to John Taker, the company’s purchasing director. Virgin saw 2 percent growth in the Caribbean in 2012. For […]


Jamaica to Host 2014 CHTA Caribbean Travel Marketplace Conference

Above: Montego Bay By Alexander Brtiell PARADISE ISLAND — Jamaica will host the CHTA’s Caribbean Travel Marketplace Conference in 2014 in Montego Bay. It will represent the third time the country has hosted the conference for the CHTA, which, like […]