ALTA: Caribbean Tourism Hindered By Taxes, Regulations
“The lack of air connectivity among the islands of the Caribbean remains one of the tallest barriers to unlocking the full potential of the region’s tourism market”, the head of the Latin American and Caribbean Air Transport Association (ALTA) said. “The islands of the Caribbean are more dependent on tourism than most other regions of […]
Beyond TripAdvisor Hotel Bookings: Tours And Restaurants On Track To Become $500 Million Business
TripAdvisor is evolving into a well-rounded travel planning and booking site. If hotel bookings on TripAdvisor eventually fall short of expectations it would be a big blow, but then tours and activities, restaurant reservations, vacation rentals, hotel metasearch and reviews can all play a role in taking up some of the slack. But a new […]
STR: 2016-17 U.S. School Breaks Will Shift Hotel Demand
STR’s 2016-17 School Break Report shows two significant school holiday shifts and a wide variance in overall U.S. school calendars.“It is important for hoteliers to understand how even a one- or two-day change in the start or end date of a school break can impact an entire week of demand,” said Chris Klauda, STR’s director […]
Dominica Government Commits To LIAT
A three-day meeting aimed at improving airlift in the Caribbean began with Dominica Tourism Minister, Robert Tonge defending the decision of Dominica’s government to acquire shares in the debt-troubled regional airline, LIAT. Tonge told the inaugural meeting of the Caribbean Aviation Meet-Up that becoming a shareholder of LIAT had been identified by the Roosevelt Skerrit […]
First Commercial Air Service To Cuba Approved
The US Department of Transportation (DOT) on Friday approved six airlines for commercial air service to Cuban destinations outside of Havana. American, Southwest, JetBlue, Frontier, Sun Country and the Florida regional carrier Silver Airways will be able to offer regularly-scheduled service to the destinations as soon as this fall. The DOT is yet to weigh-in […]
Norwegian Launching New Nonstop Caribbean Flights
European carrier Norwegian is expanding its service to the French Caribbean. The carrier, which launched major new flights between the Northeast and Martinique and Guadeloupe last year, has announced plans to launch flights from Fort Lauderdale to Guadeloupe later this year. Beginning Dec. 17, Norwegian will operate twice-weekly flights between Fort Lauderdale and Pointe-a-Pitre, Guadeloupe […]
St. Lucia’s Bid for Energy Security: Q&A with Former Energy Minister Dr. James Fletcher
Dr. James Fletcher, former Minister responsible for energy policy in the government of St. Lucia, was at the helm of the island’s energy sector during a period of rapid transition. In a candid interview with New Energy Events, Dr. Fletcher reflected on prospects for St. Lucia’s geothermal project, his fears for the impact of climate […]
Caribbean Warned to Prepare for Increased and Intensified Drought
A new report from the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) is warning that climate change is expected to increase the intensity and frequency of droughts in the Caribbean. And it’s therefore urging countries of the region to enhance their capabilities to deal with this and other extreme weather-related challenges to ensure food security […]
When to Outsource
Written by AskMe Inc. In the Hermon Wouk’s 1965 novel “Don’t Stop the Carnival”, the writer humorously captures the unpredictable life of a Caribbean resort manager. As the main character Norman Paperman finds out, managing a resort is not always a picnic in paradise. The challenges seem endless and finding the time to focus on […]
How to Diversify Your Hotel’s Distribution Strategy
Online travel distribution is growing at a faster pace than the entire travel market as a whole. Today’s challenge is the extent to which the online market has matured. The online booking options for today’s traveler are astounding. At any given moment, travelers have a multitude of booking options at their fingertips. Because of this, […]