Holiday & Travel

Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett has underscored that the outstanding performance of the tourism sector as outlined in the latest report by the Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ) highlights the fact that tourism is driving Jamaica’s post-COVID-19 economic recovery.

This as he welcomed the PIOJ’s report which indicates that the tourism sector has contributed significantly to the country’s economic growth in the second quarter of the year.

The largest collection of independent, luxury hotels, The Leading Hotels of the World (LHW) has appointed specialist communications agency Mason Rose to manage its public relations strategy for key European markets UK, DACH and Italy. The Leading Hotels of the World is a collection of more than 400 independent luxury hotels in 80 countries.

The countdown to World Tourism Day 2022 is now underway, with every part of the sector invited to be an active part of the annual celebrations.

With the theme of ‘Rethinking Tourism’, the International Day of Observance will this year focus on re-imagining the sector’s growth, both in terms of size and relevance.

Bahamian attorney-at-law Joy Jibrilu, Joy Jibrilu, former Director General of the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism, has been named Chief Executive Officer of the Nassau Paradise Island Promotion Board.

Jibrilu, who starts her new role on August 22, replaces the retiring Fred Lounsberry, longtime CEO of the Board. She will be the first woman and Bahamian to head the Promotion Board.

St. Kitts & Nevis is welcoming attorney-at-law Marsha Henderson as its new Minister of Tourism, Civil Aviation and Urban Development.

As Minister of Tourism, Henderson, a member of new Prime Minister Dr. Terrance Michael Drew’s Federal Cabinet, will work to ensure that the destination continues to make strides towards the full resumption of tourism activity, including the return of airlift and cruise ship arrivals, with the ultimate goal of improving the quality of life of the people of the Federation.

The global travel and tourism industry is rebounding and offering the Caribbean a unique opportunity to step up its efforts to ensure a strong, bright winter season for the region's leading economic driver.

The United States, one of the region’s biggest sources of travellers, is showing an easing of inflation which should positively impact the global economic environment as colder days approach the northern climes.

A hostel is a type of low-cost, short-term shared convivial lodging in which guests can rent a bed, usually a bunk bed in a dormitory, as well as shared use of a lounge and, occasionally, a kitchen.

Hostels provide advantages such as lower expenses and the opportunity to meet people from all over the world, find travel partners, and share travel ideas.

Winter Glow, a multi-attraction Christmas event based at Three Counties Showground, Malvern, has announced the details of their magical new immersive Santa experience, launching on 25th November and running until 24th December 2022. The personalised adventure will be set in a life-size Winter Village which is 2000m², with festive activities for all the family to complete, along the help of Santa’s Elves and Mrs Claus.

Since the beginning of the year, Puerto Rico has broken its record of jobs in the leisure and hospitality sectors every month, signaling a robust reboot of the economic engine.

The 82,300-worker record in 2015 was surpassed in November 2021 with 83,000 tourism-related jobs reported. Starting in January 2022, each month has seen a figure that surpasses the previous record to reach 86,700 workers in June of this year, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

This year, more people are touring Europe by bicycle than ever before. Affordable, eco-friendly and quick, travelling by bike is a great way to explore new places. 

With that in mind, LiveRugbyTickets.co.uk sought to find out which are the best countries in Europe for bike touring. To do so, LiveRugbyTickets.co.uk calculated the number of trails per 1,000 km² of each country. 

Jamaica and the Cayman Islands have initiated discussions to facilitate collaboration on tourism, in order to leverage the strong historical ties and synergies between both nations to boost their tourism sectors. Among the areas being examined for cooperation are multi-destination tourism, airlift, enhancing border protocols, rationalizing airspace as well as resilience building.

Disney Cruise Line has hired Leslie Lopez as a human resources manager to support its employment efforts in The Bahamas.

In his new role, Lopez, a long-time HR professional, will build relationships with key business partners and recruit Bahamians for positions both on board the cruise line’s ships and at its premier destinations in the country.

Fred Lounsberry, one of the driving forces behind the development of tourism in The Bahamas, is retiring this month after a stellar 17-year career leading the Nassau Paradise Island Promotion Board. He makes room for the experienced Joy Jibrilu, a native Bahamian, who recently served as Director General of the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism and Aviation.

British Airways (BA) has announced two brand new routes to its transatlantic network: Oranjestad, Aruba (AUA) and Georgetown, Guyana (GEO).

The new London Gatwick (LGW) flights will begin operating in late March 2023 on the Boeing 777-200 aircraft, bringing the total number of Caribbean destinations served by the London carrier to 17.

Virgin Galactic has pushed back the opening of its commercial flights for three more months, citing delays due to refurbishing of its carrier aircraft.

Virgin Galactic declared that the commercial service is being delayed to the second quarter of 2023. It has been explained as the latest obstruction for the inaugural of its space tourism business.

With much discussion in the media about the end of the staycation boom, Pembrokeshire based Bluestone National Park Resort is delighted to report a very strong August, with 97 percent occupancy. 

Yvonne Buckingham, Director of Commercial at Bluestone said: “The staycation boom is certainly not over for us.