When it comes to duty free shopping, no Caribbean destination holds more appeal than St. Maarten, a Dutch-speaking outpost of the Netherlands that shares the 37-square-mile island with French-speaking St. Martin.
St. Kitts-Nevis, the smallest sovereign state in the Americas in both area and population, has only 53,000 inhabitants and measures just 104 square miles — less than twice the size of the District of Columbia. Yet it’s at the forefront of a cruise ship and hotel building boom that shows no sign of slowing down.
Puerto Rico, deep in the throes of an economic and fiscal crisis, is losing ground to rival Caribbean tourism destinations while the island’s population continues to shrink — from just over 3.8 million in 2010 to under 3.7 million today.
On Dec. 30, with only two days left in 2013, Jamaica welcomed its two millionth air passenger to the island — the first time it has ever accomplished that in one year.
Four years after an earthquake killed 300,000 of its people and devastated its capital city, Haiti will outpace all its Caribbean neighbors in terms of economic growth.
Tourism authorities on French-speaking Guadeloupe want to make sure you don’t confuse their island with Mexico’s Isla Guadalupe, a volcanic Pacific biosphere reserve famous for its great white sharks.
The undisputed king of Caribbean tourism, the Dominican Republic consistently attracts more visitors to its shores than any other country in the region.
Will 2014 be the year Washington finally takes Cuba off the State Department list of “terrorist-supporting states” which also includes Iran, Sudan and Syria?
Bermuda, a popular island destination only two hours by air from BWI Marshall International Airport, wants Americans to relax on its white-sand beaches, play golf on its carefully manicured golf courses and enjoy its elegant nightlife. Yet the island’s tourism industry remains stagnant, with little or no growth expected this year.
Nassau’s Lynden Pindling International Airport has officially opened its new terminal for domestic flights and international departures, marking the completion of a four-year, $409 million redevelopment of the largest airport in the Bahamas.
The Caribbean will enjoy steady growth in its all-important tourism sector as the U.S. economy continues its recovery, but serious issues — ranging from violent crime in some destinations like the Bahamas and Trinidad to the widely despised U.K. air passenger duty — could prevent the region from realizing its full potential in 2014.
The Puerto Rico Tourism Company recently announced the island has been selected as the number one Caribbean Island in the USA TODAY 10Best Readers' Choice Travel Award Contest.
Puerto Rico's economy continued to be a hot button issue as growth continued to stall.
The Verdanza Hotel, an independent full-service hotel, is entering its fifth year of operations with optimism and betting on a good peak tourism season that will fuel its projects in 2014, and beyond.
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