Tourist arrivals to the Caribbean increased by a solid 9.7% during the first half of 2019, reaching 17.1 million between January and June. This is 1.5 million more than in the corresponding period in 2018, reported the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) during the World Travel Market last week. CTO Chairman Dominic Fedee said this performance […]
Caribbean
InnoTRI to distribute Distell GTR brands in USA and parts of Caribbean, effective Jan. 1, 2020
Distell Global Travel Retail has announced a new distribution deal with Miami-based InnoTRI Limited (Innovation Travel Retail International) to support Distell’s development in the Americas region. InnoTRI will be Distell Global Travel Retail’s exclusive distributor for the USA travel retail channel and parts of the Caribbean beginning January 1, 2020. The main focus of the […]
GAP takes over ops of Jamaica’s Kingston Airport; prepares to invest $60M in makeover
Jamaica’s Norman Manley International Airport in Kingston will undergo a $60 million makeover from Mexico’s Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacífico (GAP), which took over operations of the airport on Oct. 11. The company now operates both Norman Manley and Jamaica’s Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay, as part of its 14-airport portfolio. GAP, which operates 12 […]
MONARQ Group to distribute Gruppo Montenegro brands
Italian spirits and food manufacturer Gruppo Montenegro and MONARQ Group have announced that beginning October 2019 MONARQ will be the exclusive Latin American and Caribbean domestic and duty free plus USA Duty Free distributor for Gruppo Montenegro and its portfolio of Italian spirits, including Amaro Montenegro, Select Aperitivo and Vecchia Romagna Brandy. Robert de Monchy, […]
Carnival Cruise Line resumes calls to Grand Bahama
In a major boom to hurricane-stricken Grand Bahama, Carnival Cruise Line resumed regular calls to the island beginning last Friday, Oct. 11, with Carnival Pride docking in Freeport. Carnival Elation followed on Oct. 13 and Carnival Freedom on Oct. 15. Carnival Pride departed Baltimore on Sunday, Oct. 6 on a week-long cruise with nearly 2,400 guests. Between now and the end of […]
Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line to begin commercial sailing to Grand Bahama Island and offers cruise guests an opportunity to help the island rebuild
Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line has announced it will resume commercial operations with two-night round-trip sailings from Palm Beach to Grand Bahama Island beginning Friday, September 27. With its return to Freeport, the company becomes the first cruise line to bring leisure travelers back to Grand Bahama Island following Hurricane Dorian, which devastated the island on Sept. […]
Essence Corp donates to help serve meals in Bahamas after Dorian
Essence Corp has joined in the efforts to help Bahamian residents recover in the aftermath of disastrous Hurricane Dorian in Sept. 1, donating to the World Central Kitchen, Inc. The organization, founded by internationally known Chef Jose Andres, has set up mobile kitchens in Abaco, Grand Bahama and Nassau, to cook and prepare 20,000 meals […]
Update: Industry rushes to aid Bahamas relief efforts
It is now two weeks since Hurricane Dorian devastated the northern Bahamas, on Sept. 1. The official death toll stands at 50, although officials expect this to rise substantially since 1,300 people are still listed as missing. Preliminary reports estimated Dorian caused some $7 billion in damage, although it is likely too early to tell. […]
Brown-Forman and MONARQ Group enter into Caribbean distribution partnership
Brown-Forman and MONARQ Group have entered into a regional distribution partnership in which MONARQ will represent the Brown-Forman portfolio in 16 Caribbean markets, effective July 1. “We are enthused to welcome MONARQ to the Brown-Forman family and look forward to working closely together to continue to grow our brands in these important Caribbean markets. Given the importance of the territory we took time […]
Little Switzerland expands with new Breitling, TAG Heuer and Patek Philippe openings as islands recover from hurricanes
Little Switzerland, one of the most important luxury retailers in the Caribbean, is expanding its footprint in the region with several new branded boutiques for Breitling and TAG Heuer, as well as a Patek Philippe Showroom in St. Thomas. As the largest authorized retailer of luxury timepieces in the Caribbean, the company recently opened […]
Grenada boosts its image as the Caribbean’s luxury destination with careful tourism development
Mega yachts in secluded ports, 5 Diamond properties, world class boutique hotels, award winning beaches, private islands, waterfalls, rain forests filled with exotic spice trees, thriving agriculture, and unspoilt dive sites– Grenada fully delivers on its reputation as the luxury destination in the Caribbean. Home to some of the top-rated and most luxurious hotels […]
Dominican Republic ticket sales down, but air travel to other Caribbean destinations swells
Air travel distribution and intelligence company Airlines Reporting Corp. (ARC) says that the Dominican Republic’s (D.R.) tourism crisis is diverting more visitors to Mexico and other Caribbean destinations. ARC reports that air ticket purchases made in the U.S. from June 1-23, 2019 for travel to the D.R. fell 10% when compared to the same period […]
Discover Puerto Rico reports highest tourism revenue and visitor numbers in island’s history
Discover Puerto Rico has reported that the island, which was devastated by Hurricanes Irma and Maria less than two years ago in September 2017, is tracking towards a record-breaking tourism year. Year-to-date revenue is at the highest level in the island’s history, says the destination marketing organization, with revenues of $445 million reported through May. The […]
Royal Caribbean JV buying Grand Lucayan Resort in the Bahamas
The government of the Bahamas signed a letter of intent on March 22 with Royal Caribbean International and the ITM Group for the purchase of the Grand Lucayan resort and redevelopment of the Freeport Harbour. The Freeport development will involve the construction of new ship berths at the port which could potentially double capacity. The […]
One on One with Rene Riedi, Division CEO Central and South America for Dufry
Managing the LATAM airport duty free business in challenging times The duty free and travel retail business in South America experienced one of its most difficult years in recent memory in 2018, a situation that took place practically overnight. A company like Dufry, which has airport operations in nearly every country in the region, […]
