Panamanian company Top Brands International continues to power ahead with its expansion strategy in the Americas, and announces an important new retail concession contract with the owners of the A.H.Riise Mall in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. Danny Yohoros, President of Top Brands International, tells TMI that his company will be operating more than 6,000 […]
Caribbean
Grand Duty Free flourishes under new ownership in the Cayman Islands
The Grand Duty Free store in downtown George Town, Grand Cayman, was opened under new ownership in July 2017, and continues to offer a range of exclusivities on the upscale tourism island. One year after introducing the high-end Swiss skincare brand Valmont, offering facials and other treatments in the only instore cabin on the […]
Rouge hits milestones in Grenada and St. Thomas with more store openings
Rouge Caribe is celebrating two major milestones so far this year as it continues to expand in the Caribbean. One month prior to the Summit of the Americas the aggressively growing duty free operator opened its first stores in 3,000 sq. feet of new space on the second level of Grenada’s Maurice Bishop International Airport. […]
CTO Caribbean Tourism Performance Report 2017: some growth after hurricane impact; recovery underway
CTO this morning presented its annual Caribbean Tourism Performance Report 2017 & Outlook. The catastrophic hurricanes that devastated some Caribbean destinations last September slowed down tourism’s progress but did not stop it, according to figures released by the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO). Ryan Skeete, the CTO’s acting director of research announced at a news conference […]
Kingston’s Norman Manley International airport closer to divestiture
The privatization of Jamaica’s Norman Manley International Airport (NMIA) is scheduled to be completed by June 2019, reported Audley Deidrick, the President and CEO of the Airports Authority of Jamaica and NMIA Airports Ltd. last week. Eight bidders were prequalified for the transaction earlier this year. Five of the eight bidders went through a series […]
IAADFS launches relief effort to help Caribbean recovery from Hurricane Irma, as it prepares for first Summit and works to improve airports and industry conditions
The International Association of Airport and Duty Free Stores (IAADFS) took an important step to help colleagues in the Caribbean who had been impacted by Hurricane Irma, the category 5 storm that flattened some of the key tourist islands in the Caribbean in early September. Hoping to fund immediate relief efforts, the Association contributed US$10,000to […]
Bacardi rum activation brings fun and Latin vibe to San Juan’s Luis Munoz International Airport
A four-month activation from Bacardi that celebrates BACARDI heritage in pioneering classic rum cocktails is currently running with Dufry at Puerto Rico’s San Juan Luis Munoz Marin International Airport. Bacardi is mainly produced and aged in Puerto Rico, using lightly charred American white oak barrels. Featuring the full range of Bacardi aged rums, the activation is running from June 1 until September 30, 2017. […]
Three cruise ships reportedly pulling out of Jamaica’s Falmouth Port
At least three cruise ships will no longer stop in Falmouth, Jamaica for the upcoming cruise season the Jamaica Gleaner reported on July 7. In a story that has been picked up by all the specialized cruise media, Falmouth’s mayor, Colin Gager, told the Jamaica Gleaner that the ships are leaving due to visitor harassment, conduct of tour bus operators […]
Cuba – US airlift takes a knock after early promise
The rapid development in seat capacity between the US and Cuba following an Obama-led revival in relations has gone into reverse according to travel retail analyst, research and category expert Counter Intelligence Retail – and Donald Trump’s latest policy intervention is not going to help. High hopes of US duty free and travel retailers expecting […]
Top Brands International acquires Bright Star Duty Free in Asuncion
Since acquiring Miami-based Image Duty Free last October, Panamanian company Top Brands International continues to power ahead with its expansion strategy. Earlier this year, Top Brands acquired the duty free operations of Paraguayan travel retailer Bright Star. The acquisition further strengthens the company’s presence in the airport travel retail channel in the region. Bright Star […]
Carnival signs deal to develop major cruise port on Grand Bahama Island
Officials from Carnival Cruise Line and the government of the Bahamas signed an agreement on May 3, 2017, for the construction of a major new cruise port facility on Grand Bahama Island. The $100 million project is expected to be completed in two years, once the necessary agreements are in place. The project includes a […]
Actium/Saint-Honoré partnership acquire Cartier Boutiques on St. Maarten and St. Barts
Miami-based Actium and its joint venture partner Panama-based Saint-Honoré announced that they have acquired the Cartier Boutiques on the duty-free islands of Saint Barth (Saint Barthelemy) and Sint Maarten and simultaneously signed a new long term agreement with Cartier to operate them. “These boutiques complement our retail portfolio of exceptional luxury brands (Hermès and […]
Caribbean tourism records 7th consecutive year of record growth with 29.3 million arrivals
Announcing that 2017 is the Year of Adventure for the CTO, the Caribbean Tourism Organization revealed that Caribbean tourism surpassed 29 million arrivals for the first time, with its record-breaking performance once again growing faster than the global average. The Caribbean continues to break new ground, said Hugh Riley, CTO Secretary General, during the annual […]
Hong Kong’s Chow Tai Fook Enterprises buys bankrupt Baha Mar Resort; phased opening planned for April 2017
After nearly two years of being stalled by bankruptcy proceedings, the $3.5 billion Baha Mar Resort project in the Bahamas has finally been sold and can proceed with its development. Hong Kong-based conglomerate Chow Tai Fook Enterprises Limited, or CTFE, has signed an agreement to own and operate the resort, which had initially been scheduled […]
Norwegian Cruises and Royal Caribbean get permission to sail to Cuba from the US
Norwegian and Royal Caribbean Cruises have received approval from the Cuban government to start sailing from the US to Cuba. Carnival Corp. has been sailing to Cuba under its Fathom brand since May. Switzerland-based MSC Cruises also sails to and from Havana with its MSC Opera, but does not market to Americans. Norwegian’s Marina, part of its […]
