The Caribbean
Cuba
Whereas Travel Agent didn’t expect a 50-year-plus ban on travel to Cuba to be erased the second President Barack Obama
took office for the first time, there seems to be an annual dose of
hope that legal travel from the United States to the forbidden land
could be a reality in the foreseeable future. In fact, agents can
actually make a commission on travel to Cuba today and that’s thanks in
large part to the continued success—and legitimacy—of the
People-to-People initiative that was reinstated early on in Obama’s
first term.
The People-to-People initiative requires Americans to take part in
various cultural experiences in Cuba, putting them in direct contact
with the people of Cuba with hopes of learning about the way of life in
the country. We recently spoke to representatives of both
Insight Cuba, a provider of U.S. licensed people-to-people travel to Cuba, and
General Tours World Traveler
about a renewed partnership, which was made official in December, that
allow for legal travel from the United States to Cuba to continue. And with its new American visitors, such Cuba hotels as the 352-room
Iberostar Mojito
are beginning to undergo makeovers to prepare for making that
breathtaking first impression. Iberostar Hotels & Resorts recently
announced it has completed extensive remodeling and refurbishment work
on the Iberostar Mojito, the chain’s ninth hotel in
Cuba.
The country offers pretty much everything for younger clients, older clients, couples, families and singles.
Havana obviously
provides the nightlife, restaurants, culture and history whereas an
array of beach destinations like Varadero provide the white sand beaches
for the fun-in-the-sun clients. —Joe Pike
Haiti
Before the earthquake of 2010,
Haiti was poised to
make a major investment in tourism and possibly compete with other, more
developed Caribbean islands. But in the aftermath of the natural
disaster that put leisure tourism on the backburner, the country was
still receiving a heavy amount of volunteer tourists.
For 2013, however, it appears as though enough repairs have been done
to the country to make leisure tourism a primary focus again. The first
sign that Haiti’s sights were set again on tourism came in 2011 when
United Continental Holdings announced that Continental Airlines would
begin nonstop flights between, Newark (NJ) Liberty International Airport
in
New Jersey and
Port-Au-Prince. Then in early 2012,
Aimbridge Hospitality announced that it has been chosen to manage the new Best Western Premier Petion-Ville Hotel in Haiti.
In December, Digicel and
Marriott International
announced they had broken ground on the $45 million, 175-room Marriott
Hotels & Resorts brand hotel in the Turgeau area of Port-au-Prince,
with an opening expected in early 2015, making it the first four-star
branded hotel in Haiti. All-inclusive giant,
Occidental Hotels & Resorts, announced in early January that it had opened the five-star Royal Oasis by Occidental in the heart of
Pétion-ville.
Now, Haiti is still a very delicate situation. It is emerging slowly
and there are still major concerns regarding cholera as well as the
ongoing process of repairing the damage by the hurricane. Book this for
seasoned
Caribbean travelers, couples or singles; we suggest waiting a few more years before recommending Haiti for children. —J.P.
Grenada
Travel Agent spoke to a Grenada tourism board representative recently
who told us, “Everybody knows that Butch Stewart [chairman of Sandals
Resorts International] doesn’t expand to an island if he doesn’t already
know he will get the flights.”
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| Fishing boats in Haiti, a nation that is re-emerging as a tourism destination. |
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Well, if that’s true, Grenada should be able to make a great pitch
for airlift since the destination recently became home to a new
Sandals
resort. And if Grenada gets airlift, especially from the Northeast,
then it will fill the only void keeping it from become a Caribbean giant
in 2013 and beyond. In November, Sandals announced it would be taking
over LaSource, a popular luxury resort that had closed due to financial
woes.
Grenada is a great destination for seasoned Caribbean travelers,
especially couples. As we touched upon, getting there is a little
difficult, so perhaps pitch this to younger clients who don’t mind
jumping through a few hoops to get to this secluded paradise. —J.P.
Central Plaza and cathedral in Granada, one of Nicaragua’s historic, culture-rich cities.
