This fabled sea, covering more than a million square miles and 7,000 islands with diverse languages, cultures, and ecosystems, has become probably the planet's premier vacation playground. Here it's all about its regional issues and allures. And yes, the (Plus) means we're including the Bahamas and Bermuda along with the Caribbean coasts of Colombia, Costa Rica, French Guiana, Guatemala, Guayana, Honduras, Nicaragua, Suriname, and Panama.
For other individual island forums, check out Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, Bonaire, the British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Cuba, Curacao, Dominican Republic, Guadeloupe, Haiti, Jamaica, Martinique, Montserrat, Puerto Rico, Saba, Statia (St. Eustatius), St. Barth, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Maarten/Martin, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
The top 8 musts in gracious, beautiful Bermuda
Craig Stanfill A British Overseas Territory with a land area of just 21 square miles – the size of a middling city anywhere in the world – and a population of 73,000, Bermuda is named after its original discoverer, Spanish explorer Juan de Bermúdez. It has been settled for 412 years and has been a popular tourist destination – especially for those in the United States, for whom it´s a flight of just over two hours from the East Coast – since the 1880´s, when the Hamilton Hotel (now the…
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In the Caribbean, there's an old calypso song about public perception of one relatively small crime and its impact on the whole region. Wish I could remember it. But the point being, it has always been a huge problem and Kingston has always had its upheavals. I stayed there quite safely 16 years ago when supposedly there was political rioting in the streets.
It's no different now with the oil "spill" - it has only just brushed Pensacola but tourists have been cancelling as far away as the Keys since it all started.
Repeat clients/tourists/visitors are different than first timers. Yes, a typical packaged tourist maybe geographically unaware; however any 15-days a year vacationist does not want his/her 15 day botched. You (the packager) have sold it to them.
Outside of the large cities in US, news is normally the 6PM news. If caribbean news negative, a small fraction might cancel - But you'll know your clientele or market - Barring natural calamities, most tourist islands make sure that their cash cow (tourists) are well protected...
[I'am glad a discussion on caribbean tourism has picked up :) ]
Where did you read about Jamaica as a Jewish destination?
But experiencing something on the Net is not the same thing as being there. Viewing the Mona Lisa on a laptop ain't the same as seeing it in person (well, at least 20 years ago before all the ropes and crowds, LOL... However you can still commune with Raphael's sublime Coronation of the Virgin at the Brera or Goya Cinco de Mayo series at the Prado in surprisingly deserted rooms).
And while I support the democracy of the blogosphere, information is also often confusing or inaccurate, lacks crucial evocative detail, and blurs the important distinction between knowledgeable experienced travelers (experts, for lack of a better word) and Joe Blow....
I don't necessarily see a huge backlash---and news such as Kingston only reinforces the need for some to stay in "safe" compounds, preferably brand names where they can get rewards points. I have many very intelligent pals who stay at cookie-cutter all-inclusives devoid of a true sense of place that could be plonked down anywhere in the world. Why? Because most Americans generally get 1-2 weeks' vacation a year and understandably want comfort and convenience, one-stop shopping. I love my country but I hate to say it: as a nation we ARE less curious, more demanding, less receptive to cultural interaction. Which isn't to say that there aren't horrific cliche tourists from every country, LOL...