Category Archives: Caribbean

HIGHLIGHTS

2016 closed with 10.7 million people affected, 10 per cent more than in 2015.

Floods are the most frequent type of disaster in the region, although drought affected more people.

The Atlantic hurricane season was more active than 2012 and more deadly than 2005.

The United Nations requested funding for US$339 million for emergencies in the region.

2016 marked the 25th anniversary of UN Resolution 46/182.

More than 10 million people affected by disaster in 2016

Drought, hurricanes, floods and earthquakes were the main disasters that affected people in 2016. Dengue, chikungunya and Zika affected another 3.7 million people.

Preliminary data shows that disasters affected 10.7 million people in Latin America and the Caribbean in 2016. Drought affected the largest number of people, followed by Hurricanes Matthew and Otto, floods and complex emergencies such as a lack of potable water in large cities in Bolivia, due to structural failures in the distribution systems.

Floods, earthquakes and the effects of violence and migration are some of the 75 events that also affected the region in 2016. There was an increase of more than 10 per cent in number of people affected compared with 2015 (1.4 million more people affected).

Zika, one of the major emergencies in 2016

Epidemics transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito affected 3.7 million people some 2.5 million people fell ill with dengue, 700,000 from Zika and 495,000 from chikungunya. In November, the World Health Organization announced that Zika was no longer a sanitary emergency; however, it would continue to challenge public health systems. The virus reached a level of epidemic in 49 countries and territories in the region and was declared a global sanitary emergency due to the cases of babies born with microcephaly from infected mothers and cases of Guillain-Barr syndrome.

Hurricane Season 2016 The Atlantic Hurricane season was more active than 2012 and more deadly than 2005. La Nia contributed to the increased intensity, which caused an above-normal warming of the oceans surface, favouring hurricane formation. The season officially ended on 30 November and affected 2.7 million people in 13 countries. The hurricane season formally begins on 1 June, however, five months before in the middle of January Hurricane Alex formed in the North Atlantic, an event that has not occurred since 1955. The strongest and most deadly hurricane was Matthew, followed by Otto. In the Pacific, the season was very active but did not because major damage as the majority of the systems did not make landfall. Otto put preparedness measures to the test in Central America Otto was the seventh hurricane of the 2016 Atlantic Hurricane season. Northern Costa Rica received the worst impact. In Nicaragua, the hurricane made landfall as a category 2 with winds of up to 175 km/h, affecting the southern Caribbean area. Otto also caused damages in Panama.

The hurricane directly affected more than 10,000 people in Costa Rica, killed nine and caused US$56 million in economic losses in agriculture. In Nicaragua, authorities evacuated 11,600 people to safe areas and official shelters, while in Panama more than 2,500 people were affected by the storm. OCHA deployed a Humanitarian Affairs Officer to Costa Rica to bolster United Nations support to the Government response. OCHA also allocated US$30,000 in emergency funds for immediate relief items.

In total, Hurricane Otto affected 24,940 people in three countries, causing 18 deaths, 16,000 people to seek shelter, 120 houses destroyed and 2,300 damaged. Although Costa Rica was hardest hit, authorities responded immediately. Humanitarian needs were relatively small due to Governments leadership in the response, bolstered by joint efforts. For more information visit: http://www.redhum.org/emergencia

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Humanitarian Bulletin Latin America and Caribbean Volume 30 | November December 2016 - ReliefWeb

This photo gallery highlights some of the top imagery and news moments made by Associated Press photographers in Latin America and Caribbean that were published in the last week.

Celebrations for the Feast of Candelaria ended with big hangovers in Peru, while in Mexico people made sure to take their ornately dressed baby Jesus dolls to church to get them blessed. In Uruguay, thousands of worshippers went to the beach during African sea goddess Yemanja's feast day, bearing gifts to show their gratitude for her blessings.

In Argentina, bare-chested women and bikini-clad men went to the streets to protest after police threatened weeks ago to detain several women sunbathing topless on a beach.

The Brazilian state of Espiritu Santo erupted in deadly violence with dozens dead. The killings prompted help from the army after police stopped patrolling the streets to demand higher pay.

Chile's president has said the worst fires in the nation's history are mostly under control but not before claiming the lives of at least 10 people, destroying forests, livestock and entire towns.

Panama's recently expanded canal continue facing operational problems as ships are still scraping the walls and prematurely weakening the defenses designed to protect the ships and the locks themselves.

In Venezuela, protests continue over the dire shortage of medicine and medical supplies.

Lastly, in Mexico's northwestern city of Cuilacan, heavily armed men attacked marines on patrol, leaving several suspects and one marine dead. At about the same time and just a few miles away, at the Tomateros stadium, Puerto Rico's Criollos de Caguas beat Mexico's Aguilas de Mexicali and won the 2017 Caribbean Series baseball tournament.

This photo gallery was curated by photo editor Dario Lopez in Mexico City. Follow Lopez on Twitter : @DarioLopezMills

Follow AP photographers and photo editors on Twitter: http://apne.ws/15Oo6jo

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AP PHOTOS: Editor Selections From Latin America, Caribbean ... - ABC News

Oraine Halstead (left) and Rhys Actie tend tomatoes in a greenhouse at Colesome Farm at Jonas Road, Antigua. (Photo credit: Desmond Brown/IPS)

By Jewel Fraser

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, Thursday February 9, 2017, IPS As Caricom countries struggle to move away from their traditional reliance on a single industry or major crop in the face of growing economic uncertainty worldwide, they are finding it increasingly difficult to enter markets in the EU and North America with new types of food products.

But tariffs are no longer the main barriers to accessing important markets, according to a document produced by the ACP-EU Overcoming Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) programme.

The ACP-EU is of the view that Non-tariffs barriers will become the main challenge of the future multilateral trade system. Specifically, technical barriers related to compliance with sanitary and phytosanitary standards (SPS) in export markets and other standards including those relating to labelling and packaging.

The EU considers these technical, non-tariff, barriers to trade so challenging for its African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) partners that it provided 15 million euros starting in 2013 to help those developing countries upgrade their processes and become compliant, thus giving them a better chance of success on the EU and North America markets.

The Caribbean Agribusiness Association (CABA) is one Caribbean organisation that was able to access funding to help its members move toward HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point) certification, which the ACP-EU TBT programme identified as a crucial requirement. Since the early 2000s, the US and EU have stipulated that foods entering their markets must have HACCP certification.

Ten of CABAs members were present at a regional conference, held at the Radisson Hotel in Port-of-Spain Jan. 29-30, to report on the benefits they received from the HACCP training. They heard some sobering statistics with regard to the EU and US food industry that provided context for the TBT programme.

Dr. Andre Gordon, chief executive officer of TSL Technical Services Limited, told delegates that each year, the UK records approximately one million cases of food-borne illnesses, of which about 20,000 require hospitalisation, and 500 deaths are recorded. The cost to the UK of dealing with food-borne illnesses is 1.4 billion pounds annually.

In the US, approximately 48 million cases of foodborne illnesses are recorded annually, resulting in 128,000 hospitalisations and 3,000 deaths. The cost to the US of dealing with food-borne illnesses is approximately 77.7 billion dollars annually, the delegates heard.

The 2016 report, Addressing Food Losses due to Non-Compliance with Quality and Safety Requirements in Export Markets: the case of Fruits and Vegetables from the Latin America and the Caribbean Region, by two Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) experts, underlined how much is at stake for Caribbean agribusiness exporters.

The report reveals that Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) provide over 90 per cent of the fruits and nearly 80 per cent of all vegetables imported by the US. Nonetheless, some countries in the region have very high rejection rates at US ports of entry, including Jamaica, Bolivia and the Dominican Republic, the document states.

The report said, While many LAC countries have a good rate of acceptance in comparison with other countries exporting to the USA and EU, a few countries within LAC perform very poorly, revealing great disparity in preparedness for export trading within the region. The report noted that Multiple handling failures along the chain are likely the cause of the most frustrating complaints by international buyers.

Dr. Gordon, who oversaw the Jamaica ackee industrys transformation that made it compliant with US Food and Drug Administration regulations in the early 2000s so that it could gain access to the US market, explained to IPS the obstacles facing Caribbean exporters.

The problem in general with all agribusiness companies in the Caribbean is typically lack of technical capacity and knowledge of the requirements and lack of the resources to implement the systems as required, he said.

However, Dr. Gordon said, The cultural change that is required is probably the biggest single limitation to implementing and sustaining certification systemsIf the management and ownership [of agribusinesses] do not have a vision of becoming global players then the effort and resources required are going to seem unattainable and not good value for money. A lot of firms have issues with understanding the value for money proposition of embarking on a certification programme.

The briefing paper SPS measures lead to high costs and losses for developing countries, published not long after the EU mandated HACCP certification for all exporters to the EU, noted that As the income level of developing countries is far smaller, the opportunity cost of compliance is relatively far higher than that for developed country exporters.

The rapid change in SPS measures, regulations and notifications of new regulations is another problem facing developing countries in preparing for compliance. It also imposes extra costs on investors and exporters and creates uncertainty for them.

However, the papers author concluded, while the cost of compliance is high, the cost of lack of compliance is even higher because of loss of market share or reduced access to markets.

Dr. Gordon revealed that in 2010, the Caribbean had the second highest level of food rejections of any region at US ports of entry.

A March 2016 FAO report highlighted other issues hindering Caribbean agribusinesses in their efforts to export. The report states: A number of deep-seated challenges inhibit Caribbean agriculture diversification and competitiveness: the small and fragmented nature of most farm units; the absence of strong farmer grass-roots organizations; the cost of agricultural labor; the ageing demographics of Caribbean farmers; an education system that does not prepare youth to seek employment opportunities in the agricultural sector; and extension systems that have historically focused on managing the traditional export crops.

The problem of small farm units is being addressed head on, said CABAs president Vassel Stewart, with the formation of CABEXCO, a new umbrella organisation for SMEs in the Caricom agribusiness sector, which will jointly procure raw materials and services as well as market its members products and reach out to new buyers.

The resulting economies of scale will also hopefully make it easier to bear the cost of becoming compliant with US and EU food export regulations.

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US, EU Food Standards Major Hurdle for Caribbean Exporters - Caribbean360.com (subscription)

Caribbean Brothers Bar & Grill opened Friday along Route 30 inside the Lancaster Family Resort, across from Dutch Wonderland.

The new restaurant in the hotel at 2250 Lincoln Highway E. takes a spot next to Stitches Comedy Club that was previously occupied by JRs.

Carlos Castille is an owner-operator of the restaurant. Ben Anderson and Ray Dixon, owners of Got Jerk! sauces and marinades, also have ownership stakes, but are not involved in day to day operations.

At the new restaurant, Caribbean dishes will be made with the owners sauces and include jerk chicken, beef patties and oxtail.

The menu will also feature hamburgers, pizza, meatloaf and spaghetti, among other items.

The restaurant opened with just the bar area where there is seating for around 85.

A 100-seat dining room will open in about a month and a half. A patio, where there will be seating for around 200, will be open during warmer weather.

The restaurant opened with around 15 employees, although more will be hired soon.

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Caribbean Brothers Bar & Grill opens along Route 30 in Lancaster Family Resort - LancasterOnline

One of the views of and from Cheval Blanc Flemands Villa in St Barts.

GEORGIA, USA, Thursday February 9, 2017 Offering privacy, flexibility and convenience, vacation villas are increasingly in demand worldwide, particularly with well-heeled guests looking to escape the public eye without sacrificing the luxury and style they expect.

CNNs Joe Minihane recently compiled a list of the worlds 12 best luxury villas for winter sun, and the Caribbean snagged two places with Cheval Blanc Flemands Villa in St Barts and Valley Trunk in the British Virgin Islands (BVI).

Noting that St Barts has a reputation for being home to the Caribbeans swankiest, most exclusive accommodation, Minihane said that Cheval Blanc Flemands Villa in Baie des Flamands is one of the islands finest.

With its own infinity pool, direct access to the beach and a home cinema for chilling out when the sun goes down, its a byword for luxury, the travel writer said.

It doesnt come cheap, however. Theres space for six people across three bedrooms, with prices starting at US$50,453 per week.

Moving on to Virgin Gorda in the British Virgin Islands, Valley Trunk is named after the Trunk Back turtles that nest there and is set in 19 acres of tropical gardens.

Valley Trunk in the British Virgin Islands.

Theres a fully crewed 68-foot yacht available 24 hours a day, plus access to a personal yoga teacher and spa therapists, among other high-end amenities.

Its three suites and two villas can host up to 16 adults and eight children, and weekly rates start at US$9,074 on an all-inclusive basis.

The Caribbean villas are in good company, with other properties making CNNs list including Twin Palms Estate in Palm Springs, Florida, which was once home to legendary crooner Frank Sinatra; Samujana in Koh Samui, Thailand; Villa Solaro in Capri, Italy; Villa Basmah in Essaouira, Morocco; Rawnsley Park in Australia; Amilla Villa Estate in the Maldives; Villa Armonia at Puente Romano in Marbella, Spain; Koro Lodge at Bushmans Kloof in South Africa; Villa Aata in Bora Bora, Tahiti; and the cluster of luxury villas at Aphrodite Hills in Cyprus.

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These Two Caribbean Properties Were Named Among The Best Vacation Villas Under The Sun - Caribbean360.com (subscription)

February 09, 2017 at 2:22 pm | By DANICA COTO

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) The Caribbean received a record number of visitors last year as arrivals topped 29 million, tourism officials announced Thursday, and they said growth should continue this year, though at a slightly slower pace due to uncertainty over U.S. President Donald Trump and the impact of Britain's move to leave the European Union.

Last year's 4.2 percent jump marked the seventh consecutive year of growth for the Caribbean, which officials said was a result of relatively low oil prices and U.S. economic growth.

The majority of tourists came from the U.S., but there was also a more than 11 percent growth in visitors from Europe and the United Kingdom, according to Hugh Riley, secretary general for the Caribbean Tourism Organization.

Officials said cruise ship arrivals, which are counted separately, also set a record with 26.3 million arrivals.

Overall, tourists including cruise ship passengers spent $35.5 billion last year, a 3.5 percent increase from the previous year. But Riley said that despite more visitors entering the region, hotels reported a drop in occupancy rates.

Arrivals to the Caribbean in 2017 are projected to grow somewhat more slowly, between 2.5 and 3.5 percent, said Ryan Skeete, research director for the Barbados-based Caribbean Tourism Organization.

"It's a little bit unpredictable," he said of Trump's administration. "We're still monitoring it very closely ... That's all we can do."

He said the fallout of Britain exiting the European Union also could affect the number of visitors to the Caribbean this year.

Seven destinations reported double-digit growth rates last year, including the Turks & Caicos Islands, Cuba, Bermuda and the South American country of Guyana. Six other destinations reported a drop in visitors, including the Dutch Caribbean islands.

Visitors from South America dropped 11 percent last year, and those from Canada dropped nearly 3.5 percent.

"We haven't reached anywhere close to our full potential," Riley said.

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Caribbean reports record of 29M visits - Beloit Daily News

Royal Caribbean Blog (blog)

The secrets to taking better photos on your Royal Caribbean cruise Royal Caribbean Blog (blog) Going on a Royal Caribbean cruise means you will be seeing new sights, both on your ship and on land, with the opportunity to see ancient architecture, nature at its finest and incredible cities. Naturally, capturing these moments through photos is ... and more »

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The secrets to taking better photos on your Royal Caribbean cruise - Royal Caribbean Blog (blog)

This photo gallery highlights some of the top imagery and news moments made by Associated Press photographers in Latin America and Caribbean that were published in the last week.

Celebrations for the Feast of Candelaria ended with big hangovers in Peru, while in Mexico people made sure to take their ornately dressed baby Jesus dolls to church to get them blessed. In Uruguay, thousands of worshippers went to the beach during African sea goddess Yemanja's feast day, bearing gifts to show their gratitude for her blessings.

In Argentina, bare-chested women and bikini-clad men went to the streets to protest after police threatened weeks ago to detain several women sunbathing topless on a beach.

The Brazilian state of Espiritu Santo erupted in deadly violence with dozens dead. The killings prompted help from the army after police stopped patrolling the streets to demand higher pay.

Chile's president has said the worst fires in the nation's history are mostly under control but not before claiming the lives of at least 10 people, destroying forests, livestock and entire towns.

Panama's recently expanded canal continue facing operational problems as ships are still scraping the walls and prematurely weakening the defenses designed to protect the ships and the locks themselves.

In Venezuela, protests continue over the dire shortage of medicine and medical supplies.

Lastly, in Mexico's northwestern city of Cuilacan, heavily armed men attacked marines on patrol, leaving several suspects and one marine dead. At about the same time and just a few miles away, at the Tomateros stadium, Puerto Rico's Criollos de Caguas beat Mexico's Aguilas de Mexicali and won the 2017 Caribbean Series baseball tournament.

This photo gallery was curated by photo editor Dario Lopez in Mexico City. Follow Lopez on Twitter : @DarioLopezMills

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AP PHOTOS: Editor selections from Latin America, Caribbean - Journal Times

Caribbean hoteliers are predicting a positive tourism performance for 2017.

Indeed, more than four out of five hoteliers in the Caribbean have an encouraging outlook for tourism this year, according to the results of thesecond annual CHTA Industry Performance and Outlook Study.

CHTA Director General and CEO saidthe survey, conducted by the CHTA, was undertaken to assist the organization in gaining a better understanding of the state of the tourism economy, its outlook, and the degree to which a number of factors impact or may affect the tourism industry.

The survey, administered during the first two weeks of this year, polled a representative sampling of hotels throughout the Caribbean of varying sizes and categories, and examined their 2016 performance and 2017 expectations for factors in areas such as employment levels, revenue, profits, capital spending, room occupancy, and rates, each forming the basis for assessing the state of the tourism economy.

In 2016, hoteliers reported an even split on revenue performance with 47 percent recording an increase and similar percentage reporting a decrease.

While expectations for the year were higher initially, last years mixed performance came after an exceptional year for Caribbean tourism in 2015.

Hoteliers entered 2016 with high performance expectations but these were tempered as a combination of unanticipated factors surfaced during the year, Comito said.

These events included a warmer than usual winter in the regions primary feeder markets, Canadian and U.K. exchange rates, Brexit, the threat of Zika, and political and economic certainty in parts of the world, according to the survey respondents.

Despite these challenges, the profitability picture improved over the previous year, with most hotels registering a net profit in 2016.

Seventy-eight percent of respondents reported a net profit while 22 percent reported a net loss.

Looking ahead for 2017, more than two-thirds anticipate an increase in revenue, and 56 percent expect a slight improvement in profits.

About 55 percent of hotels also increased capital expenditures in 2016, with a quarter of those investing more than 10 percent over what they did in 2015.

This is a positive sign and an indication of long-term confidence by Caribbean hoteliers in the industry, said Comito.

Although room occupancy decreased for just over half of the reporting hotels, a notable proportion reported an increase in occupancy.

More hoteliers are optimistic for 2017, with two-thirds expecting an increase in occupancy.

Despite the fact that average daily room rates were reduced by 45 percent of hotels, as many of 42 percent increased their rates.

This year, approximately 55 percent of hoteliers expect to increase ADR while only 15 percent expect downward on rates.

The CHTA added it is important to note that employment levels were maintained by 55 percent of survey respondents in 2016, while only 17 percent reduced staffing levels and a sizable proportion hired more staff a pattern which anticipated to continue in 2017.

Dana Niland, CJ Contributor

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Caribbean Hoteliers Optimistic for 2017 - Caribbean Journal

February 9th, 2017 1 comments

Press Release:WASHINGTON, February 9, 2017Tahseen Sayed Khan is the new Country Director for Caribbean countries. She will be responsible for maintaining a solid partnership with the countries to address their development and financial challenges. It is an honor for me to be working in the Caribbean, said Tahseen Sayed Khan. I look forward to deepening our engagement with governments, development partners, civil society, and the private sector, to boost inclusive growth and reduce poverty in the Caribbean.

Tahseen, a Pakistani national, was previously Country Manager for Albania in the Europe and Central Asia region. She joined the Bank in 1997 as a social sector specialist in South Asia and has since held various positions, including as Lead Education Specialist, Operations Adviser, and Country Manager for Nepal.

Tahseen Sayed Khan has a deep knowledge of country programs and a track record of strong delivery and innovation. She holds a Masters degree in Law and Diplomacy specializing in Development Studies from the Tufts University Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, USA.

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World Bank Appoints New Country Director for the Caribbean - St ... - St. Lucia Times Online News (press release)