Daily Archives: October 7, 2020

Alicia Brcena was speaking during a virtual press conference where she unveiled ECLACs latest report which outlines policy recommendations for addressing the economic effects of the pandemic.

The study argues that maintaining and deepening active macroeconomic policies will be essential for recovery, as well as economic and social transformation, in the wake of the global crisis.

It also stresses the importance of international cooperation, including through better distribution of global financial support.

The COVID-19 pandemic is having historic negative effects in economic, productive and social spheres, with lasting consequences and medium-term effects on growth and increased inequality, poverty and unemployment. That is why the process for economic activity (GDP) to return to its pre-crisis levels will be slower than what was observed during the subprime crisis (in 2007-2008), said Ms. Brcena.

The Latin America and Caribbean region is experiencing its worst economic crisis in a century due to the pandemic, with Gross Domestic Product (GDP) estimated to contract by 9.1 per cent. By the end of the year, GDP will be at the same level as in 2010, translating to a 10-year setback and sharp increase in inequality and poverty.

Additionally, some 2.7 million businesses are forecast to close in 2020, while unemployment is set to reach 44 million, or 18 million more than last year. The number of poor people in the region is expected to reach 231 million: the same level as 2005, or a 15-year backslide.

As a result, active macroeconomic policies will be needed to resume growth and to promote structural transformation, said Ms. Brcena.

Public revenue must be strengthened, conventional and non-conventional expansionary monetary policies must be maintained, and macroprudential regulation must be bolstered along with the regulation of capital flows to preserve macro-financial stability in the short and medium term, she recommended, while also underlining the need for international cooperation.

While countries have made diverse fiscal efforts in the face of the pandemic, ECLAC said these measures - together with declining public revenue - have contributed to a bigger fiscal deficit and increased public debt. Therefore, the challenge now is for countries to maintain an active fiscal policy amid greater indebtedness.

The report recommends that this should be done through a framework of fiscal sustainability centred on revenue, and that tax collection must increase.

On average, the regional rate is currently 23.1 per cent of GDP, compared with 34.3 per cent among countries of the global Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).

ECLAC called for governments to fight tax evasion and avoidance, consolidate individual and corporate income taxes, and to broaden taxes on wealth and property. Other measures suggested were establishing taxes on the digital economy and implementing corrective taxes, such as environmental levies or others related to public health.

Ms. Brcena stressed that active fiscal policy must link the short term, or emergency, with the medium and long term, in order to shift the development model towards transformation that is sustainable and equitable.

Countries must orient public spending towards reactivation and economic transformation, strengthening public investment in sectors that foster employment, gender parity, social inclusion, productive transformation and an egalitarian transition towards environmental sustainability, she stated.

On international cooperation, ECLAC proposed that multilateral credit institutions must expand their financing capacity and liquidity, including for the long term. the UN body also called for global and regional financial safety nets to be expanded to counteract volatility in finance flows during crises.

Last month, the Government of Costa Rica presented a proposal for a solidarity initiative known as the Fund to Alleviate COVID-19 Economics (FACE), which the UN regional commmisionhailed as an example of a viable mechanism for greater cooperation

Read more here:

Report outlines long road to post-COVID recovery for Latin America and Caribbean - UN News

The British Virgin Islands is reopening for tourism on Dec. 1, and in the age of social-distancing, a luxe villa vacation is the perfect way to experience the destination.

And Virgin Gorda Villa Rentals, which has a portfolio of 20 villas across the island, is launching a host of new amenities for travelers.

The companys team has used the last six months to train and to develop and test the COVID-19 health and safety protocols which have been approved by the BVI Environmental Unit, according to Sharon Flax-Brutus, director of operations for the company.

We understand and are sensitive to the current climate and we want our guests to feel ultra-special as well as safe and comfortable when they stay in our villas, Flax-Brutus said.

And with the BVI relaunching ahead of the festive season, Virgin Gorda Villa Rentals is unveiling a host of holiday amenities for the occasion.

That includes a new program which begins Dec. 15, giving guests the opportunity to have their villa decorated with a complimentary Christmas tree and get a holiday amenity featuring locally-made culinary treats.

Guests can also enjoy a prix-fixe dinner menu at the fine-dining eatery at Virgin Gordas Leverick Bay Resort, Spa and Marina in North Sound.

Even better? Virgin Gorda Villa Rentals is adding another amenity: a tennis pro who will be available to play with and teach villa guests: Arthur Hicks, the former coach at the Necker Island Resort, who has played in multiple championships in both the United States and the United Kingdom.

Everything is in place to welcome guests and as our villas offer large open-air spaces, lots of privacy, stunning beach front locations or breathtaking ocean views they are perfect for couples, families and small groups, Flax-Brutus said. We are looking forward to that day.

For more visit Virgin Gorda Villa Rentals.

CJ

Follow this link:

The Perfect British Virgin Islands Villa Vacation Caribbean Journal - Caribbean Journal

In the past, we restaurant critics rarely needed to check the weather forecast before heading out for a reservation. Severe blizzards sometimes made travel challenging, but in general neither snow nor rain nor gloom of night kept us from our appointed meals.

Everything is all messed up now, as you might have noticed. For one day last month it looked as if Kokomo, a new Caribbean restaurant in Brooklyn that I kept hearing about, was going to be shut down by a thunderstorm. That morning Id gotten a text that said, Due to the inclement weather, we will not be able to accommodate outdoor dining. Since this was the only kind of dining allowed, all reservations were being canceled.

In the afternoon, after reassessing the forecast, Kokomo texted again to ask if I still wanted the reservation; an awning was in place to keep the sidewalk tables dry. I answered yes.

So did a lot of other people, it turned out. The corner across from the Williamsburg waterfront where Kokomo has been serving since July was in a mild state of pandemonium. As the rain fell, gently at first, a single employee was hauling tables, chairs and patio umbrellas out to an exposed platform in the street. He was also in charge of the list. The only other server was barely keeping up with the diners who had already been seated.

Just when Id decided that slipping away quietly and coming back another night was the only humane response, the employee in charge of setting up furniture counted everybody who was waiting, apologized very kindly and promised to seat all of us quickly. Amazingly, he did. And then it started to pour, a real lock-the-windows monsoon. He looked straight at the sky, spread out his arms and started to laugh. Somebody started to clap, and soon everybody on the sidewalk and street was applauding. Forget the rain. The celebration was underway.

Every night is a celebration at Kokomo, which may be the pandemics best scene restaurant a social magnet for the age of social distancing. In a summer without nightclubs, it inspires people to dress up as if they were going to one. Forced to operate without its intimate, velvet-upholstered dining room, it simply moved the speakers and D.J. table outside, and made a good stretch of North 10th Street into an outdoor lounge. (Kokomo is in one of the neighborhoods where Mayor Bill de Blasio wanted to rescind indoor dining, a notion that Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo eighty-sixed on Monday.)

In some ways, Kokomo had a head start on the pool-party approach that restaurants across the city have adopted since outdoor dining began. It opened with a cocktail menu that was already full of tall, colorful drinks, some of them drawn from the tiki canon (like the nutmeg-dusted Painkiller) and all of them appropriate for sipping through a straw with a beach towel draped around your neck.

And, of course, it has a menu that looks to the Caribbean. This may put you in mind of Negril, or it may make you think of central Brooklyn and southeast Queens. Neither of these reference points would be wrong; Kokomos owners, Ria and Kevol Graham, come from West Indian families, were married in Grand Cayman and live in Canarsie.

If you are one of those people who like to order the dish that is most likely to fall on its face, you are going to notice the Rasta pasta flatbread right away. Penne coated in the Jamaican equivalent of Alfredo sauce cannot possibly be a great pizza topping, you think, with or without peppers. It is not a dainty appetizer; if you eat a whole one your stomach will know it. But it is very good, as is the flatbread dotted with bits of braised oxtail among caramelized onions and sweet tomato confit.

If Kokomo can put Jamaican pasta on pizza and make it work, you think, it can do anything. And you may be on to something. The substantial line of vegan main courses is conceived with flavor in mind, like the whole roasted cauliflower in a cashew sauce flecked with allspice and other seasonings.

Even if you think most of jerk chickens flavor should come from its marinade and not its sauce, you will probably agree that Kokomos sauce does its job very effectively. You might want a little more punch in the ceviche, but then the little islands of Peruvian-style sweet potato pure win you over. The vinegar and Scotch bonnet sauce you throw over the snapper escovitch is not the brightest and sharpest youve ever had, but its got the right idea.

The first time I ate at Kokomo, the chef was Christian Aranibar. When I went back a couple of weeks later, he was gone and Mitchel Bonhomme had been promoted to replace him. If the cooking changed, I didnt notice.

What I did notice was that the platform in the street where the heroic server had stood in the rain was now covered with a corrugated roof. This is probably all right, but under it were plexiglass walls on at least two sides that threatened to turn this outdoor space into an actual room. And this was where the restaurant seated its biggest groups.

This leads to a caveat about Kokomo only one caveat, but it is the size of Miami. Even when my meals there were going well, I had the sense that things could fall apart at any minute. The scene at the host stand that first night, for instance, could easily have ended with a mass exodus. (As it was, I saw one person just give up, apparently after calling in a takeout order and failing to extract it from the kitchen in a timely fashion.) Some restaurants flirt with chaos. Kokomo is dating it.

Original post:

Caribbean Food, All Dressed Up to Party at Kokomo in Brooklyn - The New York Times

Private beachfront Caribbean villas for rent by the week or month are increasingly popular with travelers during the coronavirus era. Leading villa rental company WIMCO Villas announces its top 10 new villas for the upcoming season, featuring villas in St Barts, Tulum, Barbados, Punta Cana, Turks & Caicos, Grand Cayman, Anguilla and St John.

Newport, R.I., Oct. 07, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- With travelers seeking new ways to vacation safely in the coronavirus era, private villa rentals have emerged as one of the most requested options. As a leader in the luxury villa rental space, WIMCO Villas is continuously reviewing new properties around the world, and adding those that meet their high standards for quality and location. Today the company announced their top ten new villas for the upcoming season which span the four corners of the Caribbean basin from St. Barths to Tulum, and Barbados to Turks & Caicos.

Whats Trending

Beachfront properties continue to be the most requested feature WIMCO sees. Whether a two bedroom villas on Flamands beach in St. Barths, or a grand estate on Grace Bay beach in Turks & Caicos, demand for ocean-front rental properties continues to rise. In the past six months, weve collectively all been inside our homes for longer than ever before, said WIMCOs president, Stiles Bennet. When clients consider traveling, theyre now seeking an element that they cant find in their own backyard, and a beachfront villa fits that need. Villa Turtle Tail estate, a sprawling five-bedroom in Turks & Caicos, sits on the south coast of Providenciales, with its own private beach. Guests can spend the day snorkeling and paddle-boarding at their villas doorstep. Villa Palmier Royale, in St. Barths, offers its own private dock (and beachfront grill) steps from the beach at Marigot Bay, a marine sanctuary.

Desire for a Full Service Experience

In addition to beachfront properties, requests for fully-staffed and even all-inclusive rental homes continue to increase. WIMCO offers a robust selection of fully-staffed houses, with private chef and house hold staff at the guests disposal. Villa Prudence Bay in Barbados includes these amenities, with chefs tailoring their menus to guests individual wishes. Fully-staffed houses can be found on nearly every island in WIMCOs portfolio, including Mustique, Turks & Caicos, Anguilla, the Dominican Republic and more.

Growth in Demand for Extended Stays

Whats also new in 2020 is the duration guests are requesting. Prior to COVID, we fielded lots of requests for 4-7 night trips, adds Bennet. People were traveling with more frequency, but for fewer nights except for the holidays. Now, were seeing the two-week vacation regain its popularity, as well a high demand for longer stays, often totaling six weeks or more. Clients interested in spending a month or even several months in a Caribbean villa can contact WIMCO at info@wimco.com to see available options.

Navigating Testing Requirements for Safe Travel

Most islands in the Caribbean require proof of a negative Covid-19 PCR test for entry and require that the traveler be tested no more than 3-5 days prior to arrival. Not only does this help ensure the safety of the local population, but it also protects everyone transiting through airports and airplanes, making international travel safer for all. WIMCOs villa specialists track the testing requirements for each Caribbean destination, and can point travelers to the best testing centers in any metro area to reduce the stress of pre-trip planning.

The Top 10 Villas List

To see the complete top ten list of new villas, visit WIMCOs website. This year's list features villas in St Barts, Tulum, Barbados, Punta Cana, Turks & Caicos, Grand Cayman, Anguilla and St John USVI. Price per bedroom per night for the nearly 2,000 private villas in WIMCOs portfolio vary based on the time or year, the location and the size of the villa, and range from $300 to $9,500 per night. All properties are professionally managed, and are commissionable to travel agents.

About WIMCO Villas

Recently featured on Bloomberg Travel, Forbes Life, Conde Nast Traveler, HarpersBazaar.com, the Today Show, The Caribbean Journal and winner of Travvy and Magellan awards; WIMCO offers a selective and personally inspected collection of private villas in the Caribbean, Europe and the South Pacific. Well-traveled Villa Specialists match clients with the right villa for their lifestyle and budget, and then arrange every aspect of their trip, from setting-up international and local flights to VIP airport transfers to car rentals to pre-stocking the villa with groceries to arranging for in-villa massage, spa services and more.

WIMCOs portfolio of private villas with concierge service includes properties on eleven Caribbean islands (including St. Barths, Turks and Caicos, Anguilla, the BVI and Dominican Republic) and throughout Europe (including Tuscany, the Amalfi Coast, Lake Como, St Tropez and Mykonos). Browse villas at http://www.wimco.com , or speak directly with a Villa Specialist at +1 (401) 849-8012. WIMCO also operates a real estate sales office on St. Barths. Inquiries for villa rentals or real estate sales may be sent to info@wimco.com

Read more:

Top 10 New Villas for Rent in the Caribbean - GlobeNewswire

Hurricane Delta continues to strengthen in the Caribbean

Updated: 4:25 PM EDT Oct 6, 2020

Hide TranscriptShow Transcript

12 TO 24 HOURS. SO THE LATEST ADVISORY SHOWING WINDS AT 130 MILES PER HOUR. IT IS NOW MOVING TOWARDS THE WEST NORTHWEST AT ABOUT 16 LATEST TRACK AGAIN DOES TAKE IT VERY VERY CLOSE TO THE TIP OF THE YUCATAN PENINSULA ROUND COZUMEL BACK OUT TOWARDS CANCUN THAT PORTION OF MEXICO AS WE GO THROUGH WEDNESDAY INTO WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON AS THE POSSIBILITY OF A CAT 4 HURRICANE WITH WINDS, THAT COULD BE AS HIGH AS 140 MILES PER THEN IT EMERGES IN THE GULF OF MEXICO AS WE GO THROUGH THURSDAY INTO FRIDAY. YOU CAN SEE STILL HOLDING ITS MAJOR CATEGORY 3 OR 4 HURRICANE STATUS AS WE GO INTO THE GULF OF MEXICO AND THEN EYES OF THE GULF COAST FROM LOUISIANA BACK TOWARDS EAST, TEXAS AND POSSIBLY THE PANHANDLE OF FLORIDA AS WE GO THROUGH SATURDAY INTO SUNDAY. SO ANOTHER LOOKS LIKE ANOTHER THREAT TO THE GULF COAST AS WE GETTING TO THE WEEKEND. SO WITH THAT BEING SAID BACK HERE AT HOME. MOST OF US ARE QUITE A LITTLE SCATTERED. ACTIVITY RIGHT NOW JUPITER FARMS BACK TOWARDS THE CITY OF OKEECHOBEE AND AS WE BREAK DOWN YOUR HOUR BY HOUR FORECAST RAIN SHOWERS WILL BE LIMITED THREAT LEAST 4 P.M. BT WE DO PICK UP THE BET

Hurricane Delta continues to strengthen in the Caribbean

Updated: 4:25 PM EDT Oct 6, 2020

Hurricane Delta is now a major hurricane as it eyes the Yucatan.

Hurricane Delta is now a major hurricane as it eyes the Yucatan.

More:

Hurricane Delta continues to strengthen in the Caribbean - WPBF West Palm Beach

This article is written by Alejandro Reynal, CEO of Apple Leisure Group

What a difference a year can make. Many across the Caribbean business landscape rightfully describe 2020 as an unprecedented challenge; though as true as this may be, I believe the spirit of the moment is opportunity.

Recently, I was delighted to represent the hotel industry and discuss current opportunities at the 2020 Caribbean Hotel and Resort Investment Summits (CHRIS) Leaders of Travel panel discussion. This panel was moderated by John Fareed, Chairman North America of Horwath HTL, and featured key players of the leisure travel industry such as Christine Duffy, President of Carnival Cruise Lines; Alison Taylor, Chief Customer Officer of American Airlines; and Carolina Narloch Sass de Haro, LATAM Market Analyst at Phocuswright.

While we may have never endured a challenge like this before, we also have never been better prepared to focus on the collaborative efforts necessary to put differences aside. By aligning the organizational efforts of the leisure travel industry, we are affirming our commitment to delivering thorough and resolute recovery to the Caribbean social and economic community.

Leisure and Recreational Travel Bring the World Together

In 2019, the global travel and tourism industry accounted for 10.3% of the worlds total GDP. On April 28, the WTTC projected that this industry would lose as much as 30% of its value, an estimated $2.7 trillion, erased in the blink of an eye. The causes of these losses are a perfect storm of government restriction, changes in consumer attitudes towards travel and the looming uncertainty an international public health crisis creates, across even unrelated areas of the global business community.

However, behind the quantitative data, there is a qualitative story of humanity to remember here. Last year, there were more than 330 million people, 10% of the entire global workforce employed across the entire travel and tourism sector. These individuals and families work for airlines, hotels, tour operators, food suppliers, entertainment groups, management companies and innumerable other interlocking industries that serve the worlds leisure and recreational travel needs.

Across the Caribbean region we serve, earnings from travel account for a higher percentage of local GDP than any other region in the world. Helping the most tourism-dependent region in the world means keeping sight of the bigger picture and the millions of families whose lives depend on our success.

Trending Now

Strengthening Our Business Ecosystem to Deliver Recovery to the Industry

True recovery across the Caribbean will not occur without a thorough reappraisal of the vital human interests guiding the success of our family of destination resorts. As we set our sights to the future, it is imperative that we build on the successes that brought us to the present moment while always staying open to the opportunities available in the current landscape.

As we think and work towards recovery, our focus remains on key areas that help keep track of the rapidly changing situation, while allowing us to take proper care of our employees, guests and partners in the Caribbean and around the world. This continues to be a time of learning, adapting and enhancing the core values driving success across our group.

Communication has always been a foundation of our success. The pandemic has created the impetus for us to enhance this value by refining our corporate culture of transparency and accountability. Our staff, partners and guests depend on us to be able to provide them with details that not only enhance their enjoyment of our properties but also ensure a safe and healthy return.

As a result, we have developed a wealth of new processes to provide our staff, partners and travelers with the options needed to feel safe and secure doing business with us. By enhancing the linkages and spirit of flexibility that connect us to our teams, the communities we operate in and our customers, we are setting the stage for continuous growth.

Currently, there is demand for leisure travel, though fulfillment has been complicated due to shifting regulatory policy, airlift limitations and challenges securing traveler confidence. We are committed to working closely with our partners in government to create the safest and most sustainable conditions for the holistic social and economic recovery of the Caribbean region.

Building on Success: Capitalizing on the Strength of the All-Inclusive Model

Consumers are focused on convenience and flexibility and continue to seek more value for their money. Hence, a vacation model where everything is included is appealing and poised to draw travelers for decades to come. The architecture and locations of our resorts naturally facilitate social distancing: our properties are surrounded by stretches of beautiful, open beach and other diverse outdoor spaces that allow our guests to have remarkably safe and enjoyable stays at our collection of resorts.

Our vision hinges on expanding opportunities in destinations where we have strong distribution channels that drive high occupancy while continuing to develop the hotspots of tomorrow. The unmatched reach of our distribution companies ensures that our products remain at the forefront of the travel agent community and our consumers vacation plans.

Invigorating an Industry: We Are Stronger Together

The 2020 coronavirus pandemic has made it abundantly clear that the success of the Caribbean travel industry depends, now more than ever, on successful collaboration between the public and private sectors. Our success depends not only on what we do but also on what happens in destinations, companies and governments where we offer our products.

Delivering recovery to the Caribbean travel industry requires continued partnership with all the stakeholders. Together, we are invigorating the Caribbean travel industry and sustaining economic recovery that impacts individuals and families around the world. Though we may each represent the unique trajectory of our specific companies, it is certain that our collective success uplifts our entire industry as a whole. Together we are stronger.

Original post:

Leading the Recovery of the Caribbean Travel Industry - TravelPulse

Jamaicas Honorary Consul to Philadelphia Christopher Chaplin

by Derrick Scott

PHILADELPHIA Jamaicas Honorary Consulate in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, has launched a Taste the Islands Philly campaign to support and promote Caribbean restaurants in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The promotion runs from October 1 to 30, 2020.

Honorary Consul Christopher Chaplin explained that the promotion was intended to mitigate the adverse financial impact on restaurants stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic. It is supported by several Caribbean organizations located in the City of Brotherly Love, with the Global Jamaica Diaspora Council Northeast USA as co-host alongside with the Consulate.

Operating under the theme Taste the Islands Philly, the campaign invites Philadelphians to explore local Caribbean restaurants during the month October. Taste the Islands Philly highlights the value, taste, and nutrition of Caribbean foods, and explores Caribbean culture through food.

The sponsors are executing this campaign via social media and are shining the spotlight on several of the areas best Caribbean restaurants.

Featured Caribbean restaurants include:

Patrons can order Caribbean food for takeout or delivery from each restaurant.

Click here for the full list of participating restaurants, including the address and contact information.

Several Caribbean community organizations are also supporting the campaign, among them Caribbean Festival and Cultural Committee, Young Caribbean Professional Network, Team Jamaica Bickle Philadelphia, Jamaica Trade Council, and Jamaicans United.

Taste the Islands Philly organizers and supporters will also assist with the digital media campaign with responsible socially distant in-person visits coordinated by Jamaicas Honorary Consul in Philadelphia, Christopher Chaplin, Global Jamaica Diaspora Northeast USA Representative Dr. Karren Dunkley, and other leaders from each of the participating community organizations.

See the article here:

Taste the Islands Philly Promotes Caribbean Restaurants in City of Brotherly Love - South Florida Caribbean News