Archive for January, 2022

Saint Lucia Gears up to Welcome an Increase in Visitor Arrivals from Trinidad

(Castries January 28, 2022)- Tourism between Saint Lucia and Trinidad is back with the destination gearing up to receive even more visitors, with additional travel options.

British Airways, tour operators and brand Saint Lucia are enthusiastic about the resumption of service between Saint Lucia (UVF) and Port of Spain (POS). The service currently operates a winter schedule on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays. In the summer period, the service will increase to five weekly flights.

This British Airways service will contribute hundreds more seats to the destination affording tour operators the opportunity to book group seating as well as purchase seats in advance.

“The Trinidadian market is on a steady trajectory towards a full recovery and with the resumption of service from British Airways, we anticipate even more arrivals from this source market. Tour operators have begun tailoring attractive packages thereby increasing demand, which we look forward to, especially within the Easter period,” said Christopher Gustave – Marketing Manager for the Caribbean Region, and Events at the Saint Lucia Tourism Authority (SLTA).

Data indicates that there is demand for travel in Trinidad, which has served as the second-largest source market within the Caribbean context. The strong appeal of brand Saint Lucia and our similarities in culture integrate a great movement with our people, who are always eager to welcome our Caribbean family.

British Airways’ Caribbean Commercial Manager- Diane Corrie said: “As an extension to British Airways’ route from London, this summer the airline will be operating five flights weekly between Trinidad and the beautiful island of Saint Lucia, famed for its amazing snorkeling, idyllic beaches, and great resorts. Now is the perfect opportunity to book your summer holiday or visit family and friends – just a short hour’s flight away. Visit ba.com to book.”

Caribbean Airlines also operates a twice-weekly service to the destination on Mondays and Fridays.

Important: ALL travellers 18 years and older must complete and submit an online travel registration form to receive a Travel Authorization Portal at www.stlucia.org/covid-19 .

 

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Grenada Tourism Authority Launches Travel Expert Program

St. George’s, Grenada W.I. – January 28, 2022 – The Grenada Tourism Authority (GTA) launched today its new travel agent specialist program. Powered by the Recommend Education Center, the Grenada Travel Expert Program is an e-learning program that allows the travel agent community to acquire the knowledge necessary to become an expert in selling the destination.

As interest in international travel continues to make its comeback, the GTA recognizes the importance of the travel advisor’s role in meeting this demand and thus developed the program to aid them in sharing the destination’s allure with their clients. Additionally, agents will be privy to new developments such as vital updates to Grenada’s Pure Safe Travel protocols, new hotels and attractions as well as airlift updates.

Travel agents that elect to participate in the Grenada Travel Expert Program will learn about the destination’s topography, its 40 white sand beaches, 15 waterfalls, 30 dives sites and more. To incentivize agents, the GTA will be offering a myriad of benefits including:

  • Personalized Grenada Travel Expert Certificate of Completion upon graduation
  • Continuing Education Units (CEU) from the Travel Institute or Association of Canadian Travel Agencies
  • Monthly Cash Rewards to the top three agents recording the most room nights
  • Quarterly Cash Reward to the top booking travel agency
  • Booking Tier Member Recognition Benefits (Gold, Platinum and Diamond)
  • Annual Grand Prize to the travel agent recording the most room nights in a calendar year (agent receives an all-Inclusive vacation for two including airfare, accommodation, meals, and transfers)
  • Top 20 agents invited to an Annual VIP Fam Trip for presentation and award ceremony
  • Access to exclusive promotional materials such as Grenada Travel Expert recognition logos

“At the heart of the Grenada Travel Expert Program are the tools for travel agents to convincingly sell Grenada to their clients,” said Christine Noel-Horsford, Director of Sales, USA, Grenada Tourism Authority. “Our goal is to utilize this platform to build a solid core of agents, keeping them engaged and well informed with current news and product updates. This intimate knowledge about Grenada will ensure agents are planning curated trips for their clients. The aim of this program is to increase bookings to the destination and our incentive programs will further push agents to aggressively make that happen.”

To become a Grenada travel expert, log on to https://expert.puregrenada.com to get started. For more information on the destination, visit: https://www.puregrenada.com. For updates on travel requirements, visit covid19.gov.gd

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The Cayman Islands Welcomes Families Traveling with Children

Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands (28 January 2022) – The Cayman Islands has officially entered Phase 5 of the destination’s strategic phased reopening plan, effective 20 January 2022. Under this new phase, children aged 11 years and younger will be permitted to travel to the destination accompanied by vaccinated adults regardless of the child’s vaccination status. In addition, quarantine requirements for all travellers are shortened from 10 days to seven days, and testing protocols have been altered – now requiring travelers to submit a lateral flow test (LFT) on days two, five and seven of their stay.

“These changes outlined in Phase 5 of the Government’s reopening plan will make it much easier to travel to our destination with children and allow families to enjoy a well-deserved, relaxing holiday in Cayman once again,” said Hon. Minister Kenneth V. Bryan. “Family travel is an important segment of our tourism industry, and these new protocols will bring a range of encouraging benefits to Caymanians and our tourism partners. We are very excited to usher in this new phase and remain optimistic for the future of Cayman tourism.”

Traveling with Children:

Under Phase 5, children aged 11 and younger are permitted to travel to the Cayman Islands regardless of the child’s vaccination status, provided they are traveling with a verified, fully vaccinated adult. Children between the ages of five and 11 will be required to undergo the same testing requirements as adults, while children below the age of five are not subject to pre-arrival, or on-site testing.

COVID-19 Testing Requirements:

As of 20 January, all inbound travellers aged five years and above must provide a negative pre-departure test, either a certified rapid test/LFT or PCR test, taken no earlier than the day before departure. Convenient, video-proctored at-home tests have been made available by AZOVA Inc.

On-island testing requirements have also been adjusted. Travellers must complete a certified LFT through an approved provider on days two, five and seven of their visit, but a test on day 10 is no longer required. If the traveller tests positive, the PCR test confirmation and any additional testing to exit quarantine will be covered by the Cayman Islands Public Health Department. Children aged four years and under will not require testing. Children between the ages of five years to 11 years will be required to undergo the same testing requirements as adults.

Lastly, Phase 5 protocols require travellers to the Sister Islands to provide a negative certified LFT or PCR test prior to departure to Cayman Brac and Little Cayman.

Duration of Isolation:

As announced by the Public Health Department on 18 January 2022, the isolation period for vaccinated persons who test positive is now seven days (as opposed to the previous 10-day requirement). Persons testing positive will be required to isolate for six days and take a PCR test on day seven.

“For nearly two years, families with young children have been unable to experience the magic of the Cayman Islands together. Now, they can return to our shores and create lifetime memories in a safe environment,” said Mrs. Rosa Harris, Director of Tourism for the Cayman Islands. “We are eager to welcome families back and share all that our beautiful islands have to offer.”

For more information on travel to the Cayman Islands, including the latest entry requirements under Phase 5, visit www.visitcaymanislands.com/welcomeback.

Note for editors: All travellers aged 12 and above must be verified and fully vaccinated against COVID-19 in order to enter the Cayman Islands

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Statement on the Passing of Dr. Jean Holder, Former CTO Secretary General

The funeral service for Mr Holder held on February 18, 2022 can be viewed at: https://www.belmontfuneralhome.live/JeanHolder

 

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (26 Jan 2022) – The Caribbean Tourism Organization today joins the rest of the Caribbean in mourning the loss of Dr. Jean Holder, the father of regional tourism development. The late Dr. Holder spent more than 30 years of his professional life leading the development and expansion of the sector that would become the region’s main foreign exchange earner and the engine of economic growth.

The Caribbean, and we may argue the greater world of tourism, truly has lost one of its pioneering sons. Dr. Holder’s progressive leadership during the formative years of Caribbean tourism distinguished him as a pillar of the region’s tourism development. As a dedicated regionalist, he oversaw tourism’s growth from infancy to its current various stages of maturity. Indeed, elements of the original Caribbean tourism ethos forged by the organizations which he led can be found in virtually every Caribbean nation, virtually every community and anywhere in the region where the tourism seed has been sown.

Dr. Holder sometimes joked that when he was hired in September 1974 to head the newly established Caribbean Tourism Research and Development Centre (CTRC), he was a man “whose only contact with tourism was as a tourist.” That organization had a broad mandate for tourism education and training, tourism planning and research, as well as statistics. What he sought to create was a regional development agency which operated in the ‘field of tourism’ to build developmental change and economic growth. By the time of his retirement, one could not speak of Caribbean tourism without mentioning his name.

In January 1989, when the Caribbean Tourism Association – the body formed in New York in 1951 to market the region – merged with the CTRC to form the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO), Dr. Holder was the man at the helm of the newly formed regional organization, with reach into North America and eventually the UK and Europe. Among his first priorities was to seek to change the course of Caribbean tourism, in anticipation of the dawn of the 21st century and the new developments and alliances that were at the time seen as visionary but are now part of our everyday reality. Today, the CTO stands proudly as a visible symbol of his success in building a development vehicle for the Caribbean tourism sector. His ultimate vision being grounded in the fact that, as a dynamic sector, tourism demands a constant action of development, even as we promote and market the uniqueness and diversity that exists in our Caribbean countries.

Never one to back away from a challenge, after retiring from the CTO, Dr. Holder used the regional alliances he had forged during his tenure at the CTRC and the CTO to add his mark to the regional carrier LIAT, which he led as chairman until late 2019.

Those of us who worked with Dr. Holder can attest to him truly being a mentor, subtly encouraging and, as if by osmosis, imparting his insights to you. This continued, even after he moved on from active professional life, when neither his age nor incursions on his health dampened his resolve to be a positive influence, to make a significant difference and to keep his finger on the pulse of the Caribbean.

The CTO council of ministers and commissioners of tourism, its board of directors, allied members, and staff share the region’s grief and feel the sense of loss at Dr. Holder’s passing. He will be missed, but the mark he has made on this region will be long remembered.

We extend condolences to his daughters, Janet and Caroline, and to his entire family.
May he rest in eternal peace.

Click here to add your tribute to Dr. Jean Holder to this site.

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Jamaica Shorten COVID-19 Isolation Period for US Travelers

KINGSTON, JAMAICA, January 21, 2022 – Based on the new recommendations announced recently by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), U.S. travelers who test positive for COVID-19 in Jamaica, can now exit isolation after 5 days provided that the person is asymptomatic or has had mild symptoms that are resolving (as per physician’s evaluation).

“We are very pleased to be able to offer U.S. visitors who test positive while on island the possibility of a shorter isolation period in keeping with the new CDC guidelines,” said the Hon. Edmund Bartlett, Minister of Tourism, Jamaica. “Jamaica remains open for business and continues to welcome visitors safely through our comprehensive Jamaica CARES program. Our Jamaica CARES protocols were designed to be agile and adapt to changes in the marketplace, so we can now offer potentially reduced isolation times to give even more peace of mind to anyone considering a visit to Jamaica.”

The isolation period begins the day after the positive test is taken. For individuals who remain symptomatic after 5 days, the ten-day quarantine period must be completed.

Jamaica’s Ministry of Health and Wellness has indicated that all visitors departing Jamaica may now be approved to exit isolation, according to the rules of their country of destination and airline, provided that the person goes straight from isolation to the flight. These visitors would need to utilize transportation and airport protocols that have been put in place to decrease the risk of exposure to other passengers, staff and the general population.

The ground-breaking Jamaica CARES program is a nationwide response to COVID-19 that includes the island’s comprehensive health and safety protocols and Resilient Corridors, which cover more than 80 percent of the island’s tourism product. These protocols were among the first to receive the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) Safe Travels recognition that allowed the destination to safely reopen to travel in June 2020.

For more information on Jamaica, please go to www.visitjamaica.com.

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