SAN JUAN — The Caribbean is hunting for visitors and vaccines to jump-start the stalled economy in one of the world’s most tourism-dependent regions. Clear waters and warm sand attracted a record 31.5 million tourists to the Caribbean in 2019, but visits plummeted by an estimated 60 percent to 80

Last year was a disaster for Caribbean tourism. Estimates suggest that visitor arrivals to the region fell by 75 percent in the last three quarters of 2020 causing overall Caribbean economic growth for the year to contract by 6.2 percent. Despite this, industry professionals now express cautious optimism that by

CHARLOTTE AMALIE — St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands is the top Caribbean destination on Airbnb, with a 600 percent increase in bookings over 2019. San Juan, Puerto Rico isn’t far behind with a 400 percent increase. Rounding out the top three is Grand Cayman with a 100 percent spike. The Caribbean has been

CORAL GABLES — The tourism and travel industry has shown a consistent ability to bounce back from tough times, says the head of the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association. “Our industry is incredibly resilient, globally as well as regionally,” CHTA CEO and Director General Frank Comito said on a CHTA/Caribbean

GEORGE TOWN — The Caribbean’s tourism sector may be suffering along with the rest on the world in the pandemic, but the first Hotel Indigo is coming to the region. Dart, the Cayman Islands’ leading real estate developer and investor, and InterContinental® Hotels & Resorts (IHG), have announced plans for

CHARLOTTE AMALIE — Governor Albert Bryan Jr. believes pre-departure testing at U.S. mainland airports as well as strict adherence to public health protocols will help contain the spread of COVID-19 locally and throughout the Caribbean. Speaking Wednesday during a Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA) “Caribbean Tourism Fireworks” discussion hosted by

CORAL GABLES, Florida — Building on the success of its 2019 training initiatives, the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association Education Foundation (CHTAEF) is planning to expand its hospitality training programs and scholarship support in the Caribbean in 2020. The annual New York Times Travel Show fundraising drive saw strong support,

CHARLOTTE AMALIE — The Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA) has teamed up with one of the world’s leading environmental organizations, The Nature Conservancy, to help create a more resilient Caribbean, where tourism thrives while communities benefit and natural resources are used in a sustainable way. “It’s a perfect match

MIAMI — Governor Albert Bryan, Jr. will lead the territory’s delegation at the annual Caribbean Hotel & Resort Investment Summit (CHRIS) in Florida this week. Governor Bryan will hold high-level discussions with leaders from the travel and tourism sector and the international investment community at the Miami summit from today to Thursday.

BRIDGETOWN – The World Health Organization (WHO) has removed its Zika virus country classification scheme from countries in the region. The scheme had categorized most of the Caribbean territories as having active Zika virus transmission. This removal of the mosquito borne virus by the WHO comes on the heels of