Holiday & Travel

Carnival Cruise Line have announced that the Carnival Venezia will homeport at Port Canaveral beginning in late 2024.

“Our partnership with Carnival Cruise Line has a long history, and the addition of the Carnival Venezia takes our tradition to another level,” stated Capt. John Murray, Port Canaveral CEO.

Qatar Airways announces a codeshare agreement with Air Seychelles, the flag carrier of the Republic of Seychelles, allowing passengers on both networks seamless travel to one of the world’s most exotic and unique destinations.

Qatar Airways serves over 160 destinations worldwide and connects travellers from Africa, America, Asia and Europe easily to and from Seychelles through its hub in Doha, Hamad International Airport (HIA), currently named the ‘Best Airport in the Middle East’. Moreover, Qatar Airways Privilege Club members can also earn and spend Avios at almost 200 outlets at Qatar Duty Free (QDF).

Renowned travel industry analyst Henry Harteveldt will keynote the highly anticipated Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) Tourism Industry Marketing Conference, scheduled to take place during Caribbean Week in New York from June 5-8, 2023.

Harteveldt, a widely respected travel industry analyst and founder of Atmosphere Research Group, an independent and unbiased travel industry strategic research and advisory firm, will keynote the conference on “A Changed Traveller; A Changed Airline Industry: Understanding Both”. With his extensive knowledge and expertise, Harteveldt will provide valuable insights into the shifting landscape of traveller behaviours and the evolving airline industry.

President of the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA) Nicola Madden-Greig described the recently concluded 41st Caribbean Travel Marketplace in Barbados as “exceptional” and a “fantastic show”.

Pre-Marketplace concerns about the two-story layout of the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre (LESC) were alleviated thanks to the hard work and thoughtfulness of her team and Barbados counterparts at the Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc. and the Barbados Hotel and Tourism Association. The CHTA President reported that feedback had been great, and buyers enjoyed the diversity with booths spread across different rooms, giving the event a “different feel” this year.

Affirming its commitment to the sustainability of the Caribbean tourism industry, the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA) announced the winners of its 2023 Destination Resilience Awards in Barbados last week.

Jamaica and Eleuthera in the Bahamas took home the top awards, while Bonaire, St. Maarten and St. Lucia were recognized with honourable mentions. The second annual awards recognize the extent to which public-private sector partnerships drove the successful tourism recovery of the region.

Within the framework of the recently concluded 41st edition of the Caribbean Travel Marketplace, the president of the Caribbean Tourism Organisation (CTO) and Minister of Tourism of the Cayman Islands, Kenneth Bryan, chipped in his own views on the state of the Caribbean tourism industry; an opinion that emphasized the magnificent recovery that the sector has experienced after the pandemic - a world leader -, but also repaired in other challenges they face, such as poor air connectivity between Caribbean countries or the generalised rise in prices. 

Renowned author and alternative medicine advocate, Dr. Chopra will host The Future of Wellbeing four-night retreat at W Costa Navarino this September. The retreat, organised by Travelgems, the leading retreat company in Europe, has announced the special partnership that offers guests the chance to connect mind, body and soul while staying at the luxury destination set in the southwest Peloponnese region of Greece.

A Grand Tour in both name and nature, the world's biggest annual cycling sporting event shows off France’s rural villages, medieval cities, and breath-taking landscapes with pride.

As one of France’s national sports, it's only fitting that those visiting the nation should take to the saddle to explore. This fact has long been recognised by Scenic Luxury Cruises and Tours. Included on board all of Scenic’s luxury 5-star Space-Ships are a host of bike and e-bikes that allow guests to explore a range of cycling routes around France, and enhance their luxury river cruise experience.

Jamaica is pleased to announce that it will be the backdrop for the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association’s (CHTA’s) 42nd Caribbean Travel Marketplace to be held next May in Montego Bay.

The announcement was made jointly by the island’s Minister of Tourism, the Hon. Edmund Bartlett, and President of CHTA, Mrs. Nicola Madden-Greig, during the destination update press conference that took place on May 10 at CHTA Marketplace in Barbados.

The Future Hospitality Summit, hosted in Riyadh, returned to Saudi Arabia after an sold-out event in 2022.

The conference program included tracks from the Saudi Arabian Hospitality Investment Conference (SHIC), Global Restaurant Investment Forum (GRIF) with a continued focus on sustainability, innovation, startups and human capital development. It has been a very good occasion to discuss on the untapped opportunities that Saudi Arabia has to offer, especially when it comes to the global wellness sector, worth $800 billion in 2022.

"The state of the Caribbean industry is fantastic," said Nicola Madden-Greig, president of the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA), at the second edition of the Caribbean Travel Forum, an event held yesterday prior to the start of the Caribbean Travel Marketplace, where Madden-Greig provided the first brushstrokes of her diagnosis on the health of the region's tourism sector. 

"The state of the Caribbean industry is fantastic," said Nicola Madden-Greig, president of the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA), at the second edition of the Caribbean Travel Forum, an event held yesterday prior to the start of the Caribbean Travel Marketplace, where Madden-Greig provided the first brushstrokes of her diagnosis on the health of the region's tourism sector. 

A combination of soaring demand, limited supply and surging airfares have helped airlines book record revenues during the past two quarters, but this golden age of enhanced revenues is coming at the expense of customer satisfaction.

According to 2023 North America Airline Satisfaction Study, released today, customer satisfaction with major airlines is down significantly for a second consecutive year, introducing the risk of possible brand damage if the current pattern of price hikes, staffing shortages and reduced routes continues.

Jamaica Minister of Tourism Hon. Edmund Bartlett received a prestigious award at the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association event. The Caribbean Tourism Excellence Award was bestowed on the Minister at the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA) luncheon held in Bridgetown, Barbados, with the Minister receiving the award from CHTA President Nicola Madden-Gregg.

The Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association’s (CHTA) 41st Caribbean Travel Marketplace is set to take place in Barbados over the next few days, and as someone who is deeply invested in the Caribbean tourism sector, I couldn’t be more excited to be “back home” for this event.

For many of us who work in Caribbean tourism, travel and hospitality, the past few years have been challenging. The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on the industry, with travel restrictions, border closures, and reduced demand for travel leading to decreased revenues and job losses across the region.

As most travel restrictions connected to the COVID-19 pandemic have been lifted worldwide, commercial air traffic is set to soar to pre-pandemic levels on most routes in 2023, according to UN aviation agency.

So are the air fares. The price of air travel is set to soar this year too, spelling the end of low-cost travel as we know it.