1. Not good for business: Jamaica loses over US$300m in tourism revenue in wake of civil unrest as police search for alleged drug dealer
2. Jamaica tourist board pulls promotional ads temporarily as unrest makes worldwide headlines
3. In a snap: Trinidad and Tobago celebrates a new government after former Prime Minister calls a snap election and his party suffers a massive loss. Rupert Griffith is the new tourism minister.
4. Can we exhale?: The new coalition government in the UK reviews Airport Tax Duty
5. Roll the dice: Jamaica legalises casinos
6. Moving on up: Cuba on its way to becoming the number one tourism destination in the Caribbean
7. Hello?: Tourism slump in the Caribbean results in low revenues for Cable and Wireless
8. Rolling out the samba mat: Barbados woos Brazilians
9. Better and bigger: Alan Chastanet, St Lucia's tourism and travel minister, promises the 20th anniversary of St Lucia Jazz in 2011 would be memorable.
10.Big plans: Martinique's new tourism minister Karine Roy-Camille aims to increase visitor arrivals to 600,000 from just over 400,000 a year.
Monday, May 31, 2010
Martinique is Best Caribbean Destination
Martinique was the runaway winner in the recent ”Best Caribbean Destination” poll conducted by About.com’s Caribbean Travel site. The Isle of Flowers was the preferred choice of 38 per cent of the 3,800 voters, outpacing second place finishers Dominica and St Kitts and Nevis, each with 26 percent of the vote. Among the seven other finalists placing even further behind Martinique were such notables as Jamaica, the Cayman Islands, the Mexican Caribbean (Cancun, Cozumel, etc.), Costa Rica, Antigua and Barbuda and St Maarten/St Martin.
Muriel Wiltord, director Americas for the Martinique Promotion Bureau /CMT USA, commented on the survey results, stating: "This is a wonderful affirmation that our special brand of tourism product, characterised by intimate boutique hotels and emphasizing nature, a rich cultural heritage, romance, scuba diving and gastronomy is winning the hearts of US travelers.”
The About.com honour is the latest in a recent string of accolades for Martinique. In November 2009, Caribbean World Magazine named Martinique “Best Gourmet Island of the Year” for a second consecutive year. This followed an impressive win by Martinique in an October 2009 Caribbean Travel + Life Magazine survey asking readers to name their favorite Caribbean destination for delectable dining. Martinique garnered 43.3 per cent of the 807 votes cast over the course of the one-month survey period.
Muriel Wiltord, director Americas for the Martinique Promotion Bureau /CMT USA, commented on the survey results, stating: "This is a wonderful affirmation that our special brand of tourism product, characterised by intimate boutique hotels and emphasizing nature, a rich cultural heritage, romance, scuba diving and gastronomy is winning the hearts of US travelers.”
The About.com honour is the latest in a recent string of accolades for Martinique. In November 2009, Caribbean World Magazine named Martinique “Best Gourmet Island of the Year” for a second consecutive year. This followed an impressive win by Martinique in an October 2009 Caribbean Travel + Life Magazine survey asking readers to name their favorite Caribbean destination for delectable dining. Martinique garnered 43.3 per cent of the 807 votes cast over the course of the one-month survey period.
Quoting the Caribbean
This was received in my inbox from Marketplace Excellence, a full service, integrated mass communications agency committed to introducing excellence in the fields of public relations, marketing and media coaching. It's called Quotable Caribbean.
"I regret the entire affair and it has been deeply painful for me, members of my family and you who have been hurt and disappointed; in hindsight, the party should never have been involved in the way that it did, and I should never have allowed it, but I must express responsibility for it and express my remorse to the nation." - Bruce Golding, Prime Minister of Jamaica ... on The "Dudus" Affair. (CMC)
"When you can earn US$800,000 for playing six weeks in the IPL (Indian Premier League), why waste six years trying to earn that sort of money in Test cricket? ... If this isn't controlled properly, Test cricket will die." - Jamaican Michael Holding, West Indies fast bowling cricket legend. (Barbados Nation)
"I think what we're going to try to do is take the best of what we've had over the past 20 years. So it's actually to sit down and review this particular (jazz) festival (and) look at the things that worked very very well." - Senator Allen Chastanet, Minister of Tourism and Civil Aviation, Saint Lucia ... on plans for next year's 20th anniversary of Saint Lucia Jazz. (Barbados Nation)
"With the tremendous success of the Fifth Summit of the Americas and the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, both held in 2009, we know that Trinidad & Tobago has made an indelible mark on the international and regional business travel market." - Ernest Littles, President of the Tourism Development Company of Trinidad and Tobago.
"There is an entire generation known as 'Generation Y' for whom the internet, mobile connectivity and on-demand content are essential ... and CSN (The Caribbean Streaming Network) will feed their insatiable appetite for digital content, by providing immediately available content on-the go. Our products and services are geared towards providing the consumer access to the vibrant cultures as well as the various business, hospitality and entertainment services that the Caribbean has to offer." - Barbadian Andrew Jemmott, Chairman and CEO of The Caribbean Streaming Network.
"The Jamaican and Trinidadian governments have to be commended for recognising that airlines are in fact aerial highways which not only bring tourism dollars into the country but also lift the region's goods and services to the global market. Like terrestrial road systems and bridges, airlines are aerial highways and are, therefore, an integral part of the infrastructure and worthy of direct and sustained government investment." - Lelei LeLaulu, Chair of the Leadership Council of the Department of Tourism and Hospitality Management at The George Washington University's School of Business; and Vice President of Caribbean Media Exchange. (Trinidad Express)
"What kind of man would live where there is no daring? I don't believe in taking foolish chances, but nothing can be accomplished without taking any chance at all." - Charles A. Lindbergh, American aviator.
"I regret the entire affair and it has been deeply painful for me, members of my family and you who have been hurt and disappointed; in hindsight, the party should never have been involved in the way that it did, and I should never have allowed it, but I must express responsibility for it and express my remorse to the nation." - Bruce Golding, Prime Minister of Jamaica ... on The "Dudus" Affair. (CMC)"When you can earn US$800,000 for playing six weeks in the IPL (Indian Premier League), why waste six years trying to earn that sort of money in Test cricket? ... If this isn't controlled properly, Test cricket will die." - Jamaican Michael Holding, West Indies fast bowling cricket legend. (Barbados Nation)
"I think what we're going to try to do is take the best of what we've had over the past 20 years. So it's actually to sit down and review this particular (jazz) festival (and) look at the things that worked very very well." - Senator Allen Chastanet, Minister of Tourism and Civil Aviation, Saint Lucia ... on plans for next year's 20th anniversary of Saint Lucia Jazz. (Barbados Nation)
"With the tremendous success of the Fifth Summit of the Americas and the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, both held in 2009, we know that Trinidad & Tobago has made an indelible mark on the international and regional business travel market." - Ernest Littles, President of the Tourism Development Company of Trinidad and Tobago.
"There is an entire generation known as 'Generation Y' for whom the internet, mobile connectivity and on-demand content are essential ... and CSN (The Caribbean Streaming Network) will feed their insatiable appetite for digital content, by providing immediately available content on-the go. Our products and services are geared towards providing the consumer access to the vibrant cultures as well as the various business, hospitality and entertainment services that the Caribbean has to offer." - Barbadian Andrew Jemmott, Chairman and CEO of The Caribbean Streaming Network.
"The Jamaican and Trinidadian governments have to be commended for recognising that airlines are in fact aerial highways which not only bring tourism dollars into the country but also lift the region's goods and services to the global market. Like terrestrial road systems and bridges, airlines are aerial highways and are, therefore, an integral part of the infrastructure and worthy of direct and sustained government investment." - Lelei LeLaulu, Chair of the Leadership Council of the Department of Tourism and Hospitality Management at The George Washington University's School of Business; and Vice President of Caribbean Media Exchange. (Trinidad Express)
"What kind of man would live where there is no daring? I don't believe in taking foolish chances, but nothing can be accomplished without taking any chance at all." - Charles A. Lindbergh, American aviator.
Saturday, May 8, 2010
Caribbean tourism betting on casinos
As I tweeted about the passing of the casino gambling bill in Jamaica earlier this week, I wondered how much of an impact casinos really have on tourism. Tourism, was, after all, one of the reasons given for the introduction of the bill which has been undergoing debate for almost a year.
Senator Arthur Williams, Minister of State in the Ministry of Finance and the Public Service, reminded Jamaicans that the Casino Act 2010 would expand their tourism product, increase earnings, generate employment and increase tax revenues. In short, it would provide a much needed economic boon.
Instead of allowing the wanton establishment of casinos all over the island, the Act cleverly allows casinos in the context of luxury integrated resort developments, of which casino gaming will be but one component. It is expected that these resorts will also provide other tourist attractions such as shopping, sports and service centres. The Act states that casino gaming should be no more than 20 per cent of the total investment in any such approved resort.
Casinos are not new to the Caribbean; islands such as the Bahamas, which is facing a challenge from the US where more and more states are legalising gaming, has had a long-established relationship with casinos.
However, in recent times, it seems more islands are latching on to the idea of gambling as a tourism revenue earner, possibly as a response to the drop in tourist arrivals experienced last year.
Guyana, for one, welcomed its first in-house casino in March when the Princess Hotel opened theirs under legislation which states that the issuance of casino premises licenses will be granted only to a new hotel or resort complex which has a minimum of 150 rooms allocated for accommodation.
President Bharath Jagdeo, who apparently finds gambling distasteful, said his government is allowing it as a way for investors in the hotel business to accelerate their profitability. He also said the number of casinos in the country will be limited and they will be strictly monitored.
Barbados, which my Internet research shows has only one casino, is currently working on legislation to allow cruise ships to open their casinos while docked on the island. This is all part of the government's attempt to develop the island's cruise tourism and a task force has been set up to look at how they could improve in that area.
So are all these countries on the right track in choosing casino gambling as a boost to their tourism product?
Moral and spiritual arguments aside, casino gambling can serve to help with the development of the tourism industry.
Worldwide Hospitality and Tourism Themes explored this topic in a research paper on the question: How can casino gaming be used to maximise the benefits for tourism destinations?
The authors, Ki-Joon Back and John Bowen, argued that "casinos that target tourists maximise the benefits to their region's citizens and minimise gaming's negative effects. Las Vegas' transformation from a gaming destination into a meeting destination with gaming provides evidence of how gaming can support tourism."
They said a well-managed gaming operation, which provides a good value proposition to its target market, with fair government regulations and taxation, can produce good income. "We believe that a positive use of this income is to create amenities, such as restaurants, entertainment, and spas that can be used as a catalyst to attract both business tourism, in the form of meetings, and leisure tourism. These amenities can become profit centers in themselves; so, once created, they also provide a return on their investment."
Senator Arthur Williams, Minister of State in the Ministry of Finance and the Public Service, reminded Jamaicans that the Casino Act 2010 would expand their tourism product, increase earnings, generate employment and increase tax revenues. In short, it would provide a much needed economic boon.
Instead of allowing the wanton establishment of casinos all over the island, the Act cleverly allows casinos in the context of luxury integrated resort developments, of which casino gaming will be but one component. It is expected that these resorts will also provide other tourist attractions such as shopping, sports and service centres. The Act states that casino gaming should be no more than 20 per cent of the total investment in any such approved resort.
Casinos are not new to the Caribbean; islands such as the Bahamas, which is facing a challenge from the US where more and more states are legalising gaming, has had a long-established relationship with casinos.
However, in recent times, it seems more islands are latching on to the idea of gambling as a tourism revenue earner, possibly as a response to the drop in tourist arrivals experienced last year.
Guyana, for one, welcomed its first in-house casino in March when the Princess Hotel opened theirs under legislation which states that the issuance of casino premises licenses will be granted only to a new hotel or resort complex which has a minimum of 150 rooms allocated for accommodation.
President Bharath Jagdeo, who apparently finds gambling distasteful, said his government is allowing it as a way for investors in the hotel business to accelerate their profitability. He also said the number of casinos in the country will be limited and they will be strictly monitored.
Barbados, which my Internet research shows has only one casino, is currently working on legislation to allow cruise ships to open their casinos while docked on the island. This is all part of the government's attempt to develop the island's cruise tourism and a task force has been set up to look at how they could improve in that area.
So are all these countries on the right track in choosing casino gambling as a boost to their tourism product?
Moral and spiritual arguments aside, casino gambling can serve to help with the development of the tourism industry.
Worldwide Hospitality and Tourism Themes explored this topic in a research paper on the question: How can casino gaming be used to maximise the benefits for tourism destinations?
The authors, Ki-Joon Back and John Bowen, argued that "casinos that target tourists maximise the benefits to their region's citizens and minimise gaming's negative effects. Las Vegas' transformation from a gaming destination into a meeting destination with gaming provides evidence of how gaming can support tourism."
They said a well-managed gaming operation, which provides a good value proposition to its target market, with fair government regulations and taxation, can produce good income. "We believe that a positive use of this income is to create amenities, such as restaurants, entertainment, and spas that can be used as a catalyst to attract both business tourism, in the form of meetings, and leisure tourism. These amenities can become profit centers in themselves; so, once created, they also provide a return on their investment."
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