Although there are currently no identifiable cases of swine flu among the 33 Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) member countries, the region is taking a proactive effort related to this virus.
As has been reported, regional health officials have been meeting to determine a strategy to deal with the Swine Flu virus after outbreaks were reported in Mexico, the United States, Canada and Europe.
The CTO has been in contact with the Caribbean Epidemiology Centre (CAREC) and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and the World Health Organization (WHO), as well as with member countries as we gather information and review the global situation. While the Swine Flu virus has not been reported in the Caribbean, member countries have already begun adopting measures for greater surveillance to prevent the virus from spreading to the region.
The CTO’s Web site, www.onecaribbean.org provides updated information from member countries and links to the PAHO (www.paho.org) site, as well as the World Health Organization (www.who.int/en/) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu/).
Travellers planning visits to the Caribbean should also visit the Web sites of individual member nations for any further information on individual policies and screening procedures relating to prevention of the Swine Flu.
The CTO will continue to monitor the global situation closely. In the meantime, travelers should follow simple guidelines to help prevent the spread of the virus, including:
· If you are experiencing respiratory illness, avoid travel and contact your health care provider
· Wash hands frequently to lessen the spread of respiratory illness
· Avoid close contact with people who are coughing or appear ill
· Cover coughs and sneezes
· Avoid touching eyes, nose and mouth
For more information and updates visit www.onecaribbean.org.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Friday, April 24, 2009
New anti-crime plan to be unveiled for T&T
With a joint Caricom military presence on the streets of Trinidad and Tobago during the recent Summit of the Americas, the murder rate was temporarily stalled.
Since the conclusion of the Summit however, there have been at least five murders, three of which occurred at a factory in Western Trinidad when three gunmen stormed the factory and opened fire on five men emptying a container.
With the rising crime rate(the figure is so far estimated to be around 165)impacting negatively on travel advisories from the US, UK and Canada, the country's Prime Minister Patrick Manning is preparing to unveil a new anti-crime plan.
In an exclusive interview on CNC3's The Big Story programme, Mr Manning said the new plan has been drafted by Cameron Ross,a retired Canadian Major General and will be unveiled in the coming weeks.
Ross met with Mr Manning and National Security Minister Martin Joseph at the Prime Minister's office today.
Since the conclusion of the Summit however, there have been at least five murders, three of which occurred at a factory in Western Trinidad when three gunmen stormed the factory and opened fire on five men emptying a container.
With the rising crime rate(the figure is so far estimated to be around 165)impacting negatively on travel advisories from the US, UK and Canada, the country's Prime Minister Patrick Manning is preparing to unveil a new anti-crime plan.
In an exclusive interview on CNC3's The Big Story programme, Mr Manning said the new plan has been drafted by Cameron Ross,a retired Canadian Major General and will be unveiled in the coming weeks.
Ross met with Mr Manning and National Security Minister Martin Joseph at the Prime Minister's office today.
Barbados added to JetBlue's route
Aviation Week is reporting that JetBlue plans to add Barbados to its international route pending US Transportation Department approval.
The airline is said to be pushing to have more than 20 per cent of its capacity on Caribbean and Latin American routes by the end of this year, which would more than double the percentage of JetBlue capacity assigned to Caribbean and Latin American markets at the end of 2007.
JetBlue plans to begin service between its New York Kennedy hub and Grantley Adams Airport in Bridgetown, Barbados, on October 1, using its 150-seat Airbus A320 aircraft.
The airline is said to be pushing to have more than 20 per cent of its capacity on Caribbean and Latin American routes by the end of this year, which would more than double the percentage of JetBlue capacity assigned to Caribbean and Latin American markets at the end of 2007.
JetBlue plans to begin service between its New York Kennedy hub and Grantley Adams Airport in Bridgetown, Barbados, on October 1, using its 150-seat Airbus A320 aircraft.
T&T Tourism official calls for tourism to be given priority
As I was wandering through the early morning shows in Trinidad and Tobago, I came across an interview on CNC3 with Kelvin Kenny, the President of the Hotels and Restaurants Association of Trinidad and Tobago.
The subject for discussion was the future of tourism in the twin island int he aftermath of the just concluded 5th Summit of the Americas in Port of Spain.
During the interview, Kenny said he was not aware that T&T had adopted tourism as one of its pillars for economic development. He cited the inadequacy of incentives for local hoteliers to minimise risk and boost returns to ensure the survival of the hotel industry, and maybe expansion.
During the Summit two cruise liners were rented by the government at a cost of TT$120 million to make up for the shortfall in rooms on the island.
Kenny said though rooms were 100 per cent booked, up to February they were only 50 per cent booked and hoteliers were getting nervous.
He also called for a policy to manage the cruise industry. Cruise ships, he said, follow what their customers want and we have to deliver something interesting to them. Trinidad does not attract nearly as many cruise ships as Tobago, which he said, delivers the island expectations of the cruise passengers.
Speaking on T&T's bid to establish itself as the Conference and Convention Centre of the Caribbean, Kenny revealed that Cabinet passed a note to set up a Convention Bureau and someone will be hired to head that within the next month.
he said more investment was needed in that are and suggested that instead of large conferences such as the Summit and the upcoming Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in October, smaller events be held such as the Caribbean Hotels and Tourism Investment Conference and the Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association (FCCA) conferences held in Trinidad last year.
The subject for discussion was the future of tourism in the twin island int he aftermath of the just concluded 5th Summit of the Americas in Port of Spain.
During the interview, Kenny said he was not aware that T&T had adopted tourism as one of its pillars for economic development. He cited the inadequacy of incentives for local hoteliers to minimise risk and boost returns to ensure the survival of the hotel industry, and maybe expansion.
During the Summit two cruise liners were rented by the government at a cost of TT$120 million to make up for the shortfall in rooms on the island.
Kenny said though rooms were 100 per cent booked, up to February they were only 50 per cent booked and hoteliers were getting nervous.
He also called for a policy to manage the cruise industry. Cruise ships, he said, follow what their customers want and we have to deliver something interesting to them. Trinidad does not attract nearly as many cruise ships as Tobago, which he said, delivers the island expectations of the cruise passengers.
Speaking on T&T's bid to establish itself as the Conference and Convention Centre of the Caribbean, Kenny revealed that Cabinet passed a note to set up a Convention Bureau and someone will be hired to head that within the next month.
he said more investment was needed in that are and suggested that instead of large conferences such as the Summit and the upcoming Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in October, smaller events be held such as the Caribbean Hotels and Tourism Investment Conference and the Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association (FCCA) conferences held in Trinidad last year.
Lobby against UK Air Passenger Duty intensifies
From November, people flying to the Caribbean from the UK will be required to pay an increase in Air Passenger Duty.
The planned increase is contained in the UK Finance Bill and will require Caribbean bound passengers to pay a minimum of 50 pounds Sterling per passenger for economy travel and double for any higher class of travel.
The fees are expected to increase again in 2010.
The proposal has the Caribbean tourism authorities in an uproar since they are likely to impact negatively on an already ailing industry.
“Pending changes to the UK Air Passenger Duty are expected to result in increased levels of duties applied to air tickets from the UK to all destinations. Of particular concern to us in the Caribbean are the high levels of duty to be applied to tickets to the Caribbean as well as the discrimination against the Caribbean region by illogically allocating it to a higher tax band than major competing destinations," said Enrique De Marchena Kaluche, president of the Caribbean Hotels and Tourism Association (CHTA).
The Advocacy Committee of the CHTA is spearheading a drive to intensify Caribbean lobbying in the United Kingdom to avert the planned increases.
A release from the association says Caribbean hoteliers, local hotel association executives and tourist office officials have begun lobbying Ministers of Tourism, Ministers of Aviation and even Prime Ministers to call for greater public debate; to share their concerns with the Ministers responsible; and to encourage governments to do more to lobby in the United Kingdom with Ministers and parliamentarians the Diaspora, airlines, tour operators and other interested parties.
At the same time, the hotel association executives from across the region are applauding the Dutch government’s recent decision to rescind a similar air tax instituted this year, noting that the impact of the tax was counterproductive.
The planned increase is contained in the UK Finance Bill and will require Caribbean bound passengers to pay a minimum of 50 pounds Sterling per passenger for economy travel and double for any higher class of travel.
The fees are expected to increase again in 2010.
The proposal has the Caribbean tourism authorities in an uproar since they are likely to impact negatively on an already ailing industry.
“Pending changes to the UK Air Passenger Duty are expected to result in increased levels of duties applied to air tickets from the UK to all destinations. Of particular concern to us in the Caribbean are the high levels of duty to be applied to tickets to the Caribbean as well as the discrimination against the Caribbean region by illogically allocating it to a higher tax band than major competing destinations," said Enrique De Marchena Kaluche, president of the Caribbean Hotels and Tourism Association (CHTA).
The Advocacy Committee of the CHTA is spearheading a drive to intensify Caribbean lobbying in the United Kingdom to avert the planned increases.
A release from the association says Caribbean hoteliers, local hotel association executives and tourist office officials have begun lobbying Ministers of Tourism, Ministers of Aviation and even Prime Ministers to call for greater public debate; to share their concerns with the Ministers responsible; and to encourage governments to do more to lobby in the United Kingdom with Ministers and parliamentarians the Diaspora, airlines, tour operators and other interested parties.
At the same time, the hotel association executives from across the region are applauding the Dutch government’s recent decision to rescind a similar air tax instituted this year, noting that the impact of the tax was counterproductive.
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Statistics prove tourism decline in the islands
We've been hearing for some time now how badly the Caribbean, the world's most intensive tourism area, has been faring with the global economic downturn.
Now, with statistics released from the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO), some territories are showing just how much their industries have been affected.
Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, St Lucia, Belize, Cayman Islands and the US Virgin Islands are among the main players in the English speaking Caribbean showing a huge decline in visitor arrivals during the first quarter of 2009.
Anguilla showed a decline of 18.8 per cent; Antigua, 14.3 per cent; Belize, 2.4 per cent; Cayman Islands, 11.3 per cent; St Lucia, 13.7 per cent: and the US Virgin Islands, 6.1 per cent.
Of the Spanish speaking territories, Puerto Rico showed a drop of 4.7 per cent and the Dominican Republic 4.4 per cent.
Of all the countries that submitted their data, Jamaica and Cuba showed improvements with Jamaica showing a 3.2 increase and Cuba, 4.5 per cent.
The majority of countries suffered major losses from the US and European markets, with St Lucia losing the most from its US market with a 24.2 per cent decline.
Canada was the only market from which there was an increase for most countries with the exception of Antigua and the Cayman Islands.
Now, with statistics released from the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO), some territories are showing just how much their industries have been affected.
Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, St Lucia, Belize, Cayman Islands and the US Virgin Islands are among the main players in the English speaking Caribbean showing a huge decline in visitor arrivals during the first quarter of 2009.
Anguilla showed a decline of 18.8 per cent; Antigua, 14.3 per cent; Belize, 2.4 per cent; Cayman Islands, 11.3 per cent; St Lucia, 13.7 per cent: and the US Virgin Islands, 6.1 per cent.
Of the Spanish speaking territories, Puerto Rico showed a drop of 4.7 per cent and the Dominican Republic 4.4 per cent.
Of all the countries that submitted their data, Jamaica and Cuba showed improvements with Jamaica showing a 3.2 increase and Cuba, 4.5 per cent.
The majority of countries suffered major losses from the US and European markets, with St Lucia losing the most from its US market with a 24.2 per cent decline.
Canada was the only market from which there was an increase for most countries with the exception of Antigua and the Cayman Islands.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Gays boycott Jamaica
Gay groups in the United States have boycotted Jamaican beer and rum in support of gay people on the island who they say are being oppressed.
The boycott may impact the island’s tourism industry, as one architect of the movement against Jamaica said the plan is to turn the island into a pariah state.
“Our goal is to turn Jamaica into a pariah state, as long as GLBT people live in a state of terror. This means no more subsidising the anti-gay slaughter by drinking Myers Rum and Red Stripe Beer. It requires skipping that Carnival Cruise to Jamaica -- so your money won't support murder,” wrote Wayne Besson, in the Falls Church News Press
Besson, together with Michael Petrelis and Jim Burroway launched an international boycott against Jamaica.
The group has a website Boycott Jamaica on which it outlines reasons for boycotting the island and its products.
Now, it’s no secret that Jamaica is a very homophobic country. Several articles have been written on the way gays are persecuted, even murdered for their sexuality. There have been songs from dancehall stars celebrating that treatment, even urging it, as well as utterings from politicians against gays.
While Jamaicans are openly hostile to gays, Jamaica is by no means the only Caribbean island that can be considered homophobic. The majority of English-speaking islands have laws against homosexuality or simply don’t approve of the lifestyle. The degree of acceptance varies from island to island.
I’ve blogged on this issue before as it pertains to tourism. My question is, in this time of economic uncertainty, where islands heavily dependant on tourism are suffering, are anti-gay sentiments going to help? Would such a boycott against Jamaica hurt the island in the long run? And are Jamaicans and other Caribbean nationals prepared to sacrifice their morals for much-needed foreign exchange? Debate!
The boycott may impact the island’s tourism industry, as one architect of the movement against Jamaica said the plan is to turn the island into a pariah state.
“Our goal is to turn Jamaica into a pariah state, as long as GLBT people live in a state of terror. This means no more subsidising the anti-gay slaughter by drinking Myers Rum and Red Stripe Beer. It requires skipping that Carnival Cruise to Jamaica -- so your money won't support murder,” wrote Wayne Besson, in the Falls Church News Press
Besson, together with Michael Petrelis and Jim Burroway launched an international boycott against Jamaica.
The group has a website Boycott Jamaica on which it outlines reasons for boycotting the island and its products.
Now, it’s no secret that Jamaica is a very homophobic country. Several articles have been written on the way gays are persecuted, even murdered for their sexuality. There have been songs from dancehall stars celebrating that treatment, even urging it, as well as utterings from politicians against gays.
While Jamaicans are openly hostile to gays, Jamaica is by no means the only Caribbean island that can be considered homophobic. The majority of English-speaking islands have laws against homosexuality or simply don’t approve of the lifestyle. The degree of acceptance varies from island to island.
I’ve blogged on this issue before as it pertains to tourism. My question is, in this time of economic uncertainty, where islands heavily dependant on tourism are suffering, are anti-gay sentiments going to help? Would such a boycott against Jamaica hurt the island in the long run? And are Jamaicans and other Caribbean nationals prepared to sacrifice their morals for much-needed foreign exchange? Debate!
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