Category Archives: Caribbean

Most foreign nationals from Latin America and the Caribbean who have not been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 will not be allowed to enter the United States by air under stricter travel guidelines that will come into effect on Nov. 8.

The new vaccination and testing requirements for international travelers was signed by President Joe Biden a week ago. It includes exemptions for non-tourists from Haiti and Nicaragua, where vaccination rates are low, but most U.S. visa holders, which include those with business and tourism visas, will still need to show proof of vaccination to enter the U.S.

Also affected by the new U.S. travel rules: visitors from Cuba, where two homegrown vaccines, Soberana and Abdala, have not been approved by the World Health Organization, as well as those elsewhere in the region who have been inoculated with Russia's Sputnik vaccine.

The new U.S. guidelines require individuals to receive vaccines from the WHO's approved list, even if they have not been approved by the U.S

"This policy prioritizes public health, protecting U.S. citizens and residents as well as those who come to visit us," State Department spokesman Ned Price said. "Because it puts public health first, exceptions to this policy will be extremely limited, including children under 18 and certain individuals in countries where vaccines are not yet readily accessible."

Non-tourists from nearly 50 countries, including Haiti and Nicaragua, where the vaccination rate is less than 10%, are among those that have been given an exemption.

In July, Haiti became the last country in the Americas to receive vaccines after the Biden administration shipped 500,000 doses of Moderna shots to Port-au-Prince a week after the July 7 assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Mose and weeks after the death of the country's high court from a COVID-19 related illness.

As of Sunday, the Haiti Ministry of Health reported that 135,256 doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine had been administered. Of these, 39,335 were second doses, leaving Haiti with less than 1% of its population vaccinated. With the vaccines expiring, the Haitian Ministry of Health decided to redeploy 250,000 doses to Honduras, with the help of the Pan American Health Organization, to avoid vaccine wastage, the regional body said.

With vaccine skepticism and the lack of money for vaccine awareness campaigns hampering rollout, the Pan American Health Organization said it will be sending 150,000 one-shot Johnson and Johnson doses to inoculate health workers and first responders in the areas affected by the recent earthquake that devastated Haiti's southern peninsula, in hopes of immunizing more Haitians against the deadly pandemic.

As for Nicaragua, PAHO said it has received 2,407,270 doses via the U.N.-backed vaccine-sharing program known as COVAX. According to the data transmitted by the Nicaragua Ministry of Health to PAHO, the country administered a total of 1,540,217 doses as of Oct. 29 but to date only 414,670 persons are considered to be fully vaccinated.

The exemption for Haiti and Nicaragua does not cover those with business and tourism visas, B1 or B2, respectively. They will still need to show proof of vaccination and a COVID-19 test taken within three days in order to board a flight, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.

It will be up to airlines to determine if foreign travelers meet the U.S. vaccination requirement for traveling prior to boarding U.S. bound flights, including verifying that the last dose was given at least two weeks prior to the date of travel.

After barring visitors from 33 countries including India, China and most of Europe, even if they were fully vaccinated, the White House announced in September that it would be tightening requirements for U.S.-bound travelers, who were required to present a negative viral COVID-19 test result within 72 hours of travel regardless of whether they were vaccinated or not.

Now the new guidelines require all U.S. citizens and legal permanent residents as well as visitors to show proof of vaccination and be tested three days before travel. Unvaccinated Americans and permanent resident holders who travel will need to present a negative COVID-19 test a day before re-entering the U.S., while unvaccinated foreign nationals will only be allowed in under limited circumstances.

The CDC also is now required to collect phone numbers, email and a U.S. address from all international air passengers, as part of new contact-tracing rules. The airlines must retain the information for 30 days in order to follow up with travelers in case someone is exposed to COVID-19.

El Nuevo Herald Cuba/U.S.-Latin American policy reporter Nora Gmez Torres contributed to this report.

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Traveling to the US from the Caribbean, Latin America? - Texarkana Gazette

Chef Balo

by Howard Campbell

[SOUTH FLORIDA] Celebrities have sung the praises of Caribbean cuisine for years from Jamaican jerked chicken to Trinidads curried goat and roti. Sean Chef Balo Lindo wants to take the regions food off the novelty menu.

That is the primary goal of The Experience, a food truck he plans to use and whet the palettes of a diverse clientele in South Florida. It was born after the Coronavirus forced him to shelve plans to open a restaurant.

Chef Balo will make weekly stops in his hometown of Palm Beach, Hollywood/441 and Miami. According to The Experiences banner, hes Bringing The Caribbean Straight to You.

What Im doing is a modern version of Caribbean food. I remix traditional Caribbean dishes, Jamaican dishes specifically. I either make a vegan version or a more modernized version, he explained. I want to put us on the map like Italian and Chinese food.

The Chef Balo remixes include a sweet and sour Snapper fish sauteed with a jerk sauce, rather than the customary peppers (or escoveiched) popular among Jamaicans; a jerked burger that contains ackee, plantains or shrimp; or a Trini-style curried chicken.

Jerk Burger with Ackee

According to Chef Balo, when patrons visit The Experience, they should be struck by the element of surprise.

I want to elevate it to a level where people say, Wow! I didnt know you could do that!, he said.

Caribbean food is a reflection of the Afro-Asian and European melting pot found in most West Indian countries. The spices, sauces and batters used for generations produce similar dishes with different names in the various territories.

Sweet n Sour snapper

Self-taught, Chef Balos background is as cosmopolitan as his cooking. He was born in London but spent his formative years in the middle-class area of Constant Spring, Kingston, Jamaicas capital.

He moved to the United States as a boy, attending high school in New York where he also did one year of college.

For the past 20 years, Chef Balo has called South Florida home. Its where he made his culinary debut 15 years ago.

Since then, his creations have been savoured at parties, weddings and events like Miami Carnival.

See the article here:

Chef Balo Brings a Modern Version of Caribbean Food to You - South Florida Caribbean News

Millions of tourists and vacationers embrace cruising across the Caribbean to explore new destinations and the islands. The Caribbean is indeed a true cruising paradise as there are no two islands that are truly alike, and it is hard to resist those white sand beaches with crystal clear waters. Cruising to the Galapagos is an adventure that is most popular with the vacationers.

As Caribbean cruising becomes more affordable and adventurous, one finds more and more people booking for the cruises. At the same time, there is a risk of high quantity of waste produced and lack of quantity of waste due to the growing tourism industry. What is much needed here is a waste management system across Caribbean States to control and get rid of polluting and hazardous substances.

Responsible and aware crises across the Caribbean are aware of the issue as tones of solid waste and debris gets generated by the cruise ships. If the hazardous waste is not disposed of properly, there is a risk of the marine litter getting discarded in marine and coastal environments. Passengers, too, are showing more concern about the impact of cruising on the marine environment and prefer to cruise only on those cruise ships that are taking sustainability initiatives and offer a more environmentally aware travel.

Given below are some initiatives taken by the on-board cruise ships across the Caribbean shores:

New technologies and Stricter regulationsThe subject of sustainability on cruise ships is still new and evolving, and all those efforts are likely to produce tangible results. Stricter cruise regulations can promise a greater impact and lower the waste production. New breakthroughs and technological advancements can further promote and support those efforts and sustainability by cruise ships. The tour operators company must realise the importance of certification and sustainable operations for maximizing social and economic benefits for the local environment and community.

As cruise ships have a lifespan of about thirty to forty years, the vessels built decades ago will not be able to meet the environmental goals of the future. Along with new technology and policies, it is essential to develop the necessary infrastructure to meet the current and future goals for sustainable cruising. The scale and scope of Caribbean Cruises commitment and initiatives are sure to elevate the sustainability bar for the entire travel and tourism industry

Caribbean islands and cruising is all set to back post-Covid as the tourism leaders are now well-positioned to target higher-value tourism and create authentic cultural experiences. What we are likely to see is a much more sustainable Caribbean tourism industry which is resilient and cares about the environment.

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Sustainable Cruising Across the Caribbean - Green Prophet

Gay Nagle Myers

Here's some good news from the islands, sort of.

As Caribbean tourism destinations continue their long journey towards the new normal in the Covid era, figures from this summer show a slow but steady uptick in arrivals, according to the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO).

To be sure, tourist arrivals continue to lag pre-pandemic numbers, but visitor numbers slowly increased from one million in April to 1.2 million in May to 1.5 million in June, according to CTO's research department.

Factors contributing to the increase included the easing of some travel restrictions and an increase in airlift.

"These are encouraging signs that the hard work our member countries have put into adapting to the changing environment of the pandemic is beginning to pay dividends," said Neil Walters, CTO's acting secretary general.

"Even as we embrace a recovery mindset, we must continue to be mindful of the challenges we currently face and the potential challenges a dynamic situation like the pandemic can present," he said, adding that "the road to recovery in the region is not smooth."

Overall, from January through June 2021, international tourist arrivals to the Caribbean reached 6.6 million, down 12% over the same period in 2020 and more than 60% from 2019.

(The 2020 six-month period includes the first months of 2020, before Covid lockdowns sent into effect, and June, when some of the destinations began to reopen.)

Hotels and resorts, too, began to see upticks in occupancy. The summer travel season, helped by growing vaccination rates around the world, enabled some Caribbean hotels to pick up steam in their road to recovery, according to STR.

Destinations with hotel occupancies near or above 2019 numbers include the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. The USVI reported an occupancy level of 73.4% through August, which was 8.4% higher than the same period in 2019, while Puerto Rico reported 64.9% occupancy level, pretty close to the 2019 comparable of 68.1%, STR said.

One of the bright spots in the arrivals picture is Jamaica, which has welcomed more than 1.3 million visitors since the country reopened its borders in June 2020, with estimated earnings of $1.7 billion, according to Edmund Bartlett, its minister of tourism.

Its figures through September include approximately 1.2 million stopover visitors and 8,381 cruise passengers, from cruise ships that resumed in mid-August after a 16-month hiatus.

Further signaling the continued rebound of tourism to Jamaica, both American Airlines and Southwest along with Expedia are seeing an increase in demand in the coming weeks and months.

"American, Southwest and Expedia are all critical partners for Jamaica's tourism sector," said Bartlett. "Confidence in growth for our tourism remains strong, and we will maintain our Jamaica Cares health and safety protocols, including our Resilient Corridors, to ensure a robust winter season."

More here:

Cautious optimism on tourism growth in the Caribbean - Travel Weekly

UKRAINE - 2021/09/19: In this photo illustration a Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd logo seen displayed ... [+] on a smartphone. (Photo Illustration by Igor Golovniov/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

Royal Caribbean stock (NYSE: RCL), the second-largest cruise line operator, has seen its stock largely move sideways in recent weeks, although it remains down by about 4% over the past month, compared to the broader S&P 500, which gained about 2% over the same period. Things are slowing, but surely looking up for the leisure cruising industry, which bore the brunt of the Covid-19 pandemic. Royal Caribbean resumed sailing from U.S. ports in late June and has indicated its entire fleet of 26 ships will be back in service by early 2022. Ticket pricing is also poised to look up, driven by higher vaccination rates and pent-up demand for cruising, and its likely that bookings for 2022 could approach or exceed 2019 levels. Covid-19 infections in the U.S. have also been trending steadily lower, after seeing a big surge through the summer, boding well for cruising stocks.

So is Royal Caribbean stock a buy at current levels? While the industry is likely to see a strong recovery in the coming months, we think this is largely priced into RCL stock, which has rallied by over 200% from the low of $28 seen in March 2020. In fact, the stock now trades near $85 presently, marking a discount of just about 28% from its pre-Covid highs. However, investors need to account for higher levels of risk versus pre-Covid levels, given the companys total debt has increased from roughly $6.4 billion in 2017 to close to $20 billion currently. The company is also seeing higher interest costs and this could weigh on profitability. Moreover, with a 100% containment of Covid-19 looking unlikely and new mutations of the virus remaining a threat, there could be some revenue risk for cruise line operators in the medium term.

While RCL stock has seen lower levels during the current Covid-19 crisis, how did it fare in the 2008 crisis? Our analysis on RCL 2008 vs Now compares RCLs performance over the 2008 financial crisis versus the Covid-19 crisis.

[8/24/2021] Is Royal Caribbean Stock A Buy At $80?

We believe that Royal Caribbean stock (NYSE: RCL), the second-largest cruise line operator, looks like a reasonably good buying opportunity at current levels. RCL stock trades near $80 presently and it is, in fact, down 40% from its pre-Covid levels of around $134 per share at the end of 2020 before the coronavirus pandemic hit the world. The stock recovered meaningfully over the first few months of this year, as growing vaccination rates and the plans to resume sailing caused investors to get more optimistic about Royal Caribbeans prospects. However, the stock declined by almost 15% since early June 2021 as the spread of the highly infectious Delta variant of the Coronavirus and the recent surge in U.S. infections have hurt the near-term outlook for the cruising industry. But now that the stock has corrected to accommodate the slower than expected near-term recovery, we believe that RCL stock looks quite attractive at the current levels of around $80 per share.

While RCL stock has seen lower levels during the current Covid-19 crisis, how did it fare in the 2008 crisis? Our analysis on RCL 2008 vs Now compares RCLs performance over the 2008 financial crisis versus the Covid-19 crisis. Parts of the analysis are summarized below.

Timeline of Coronovirus Crisis So Far:

In contrast, here is how RCL stock and the broader market fared during the 2007-08 crisis.

Timeline of 2007-08 Crisis

Royal Caribbean vs S&P 500 Performance Over 2007-08 Financial Crisis

RCL stock declined from levels of around $40 in October 2007 (the pre-crisis peak) to roughly $6 in March 2009 (as the markets bottomed out), implying that the stock lost as much as 85% of its value from its approximate pre-crisis peak. This marked a significantly higher drop than the broader S&P, which fell by about 51%. However, RCL recovered strongly post the 2008 crisis to about $26 by the end of 2009 rising by 320% between March 2009 and January 2010. In comparison, the S&P bounced back by about 48% over the same period.

RCL Fundamentals Were Strong Until Covid-19 Hit

Royal Caribbeans revenues rose fairly consistently from $8.8 billion in 2017 to about $11 billion in 2019, as demand for cruises increased. The companys earnings also grew over the period, rising from $7.57 per share to about $8.97 per share. However, the picture changed dramatically over 2020 due to the Covid-19 crisis, as revenues dropped to just $2.2 billion, with the company posting a loss of about $27 per share over the year. Although the company resumed sailing from U.S. ports in late June 2021, after almost 15 months of inactivity, revenues are still expected to decline further in FY21 to under $2 billion, per consensus estimates, as the spread of the more infectious Delta variant of the virus likely causes some customers to hold back on cruising due to the recent resurgence of U.S. Covid cases.

Does RCL Have A Sufficient Cash Cushion To Meet Its Obligations Through The Coronavirus Crisis?

Royal Caribbeans total debt has increased from roughly $6.4 billion in 2017 to about $18 billion as of 2020, while its total cash increased from roughly $100 million to over $4.3 billion over the same period, as the company has raised funding to tide over the crisis. The company burned about $3.7 billion in 2020 as operations were suspended through much of the year and monthly cash burn over the second quarter of 2021 stood at about $330 million. Although the cash burn rate is high, Royal Caribbeans adequate cash cushion should be sufficient to keep it going over the next several quarters, even if demand remains muted. That said, higher interest costs could weigh on profitability through the post-Covid recovery period.

CONCLUSION

Phases of Covid-19 crisis:

Overall, we believe that RCL stock is likely to see higher levels going forward. While FY21 is also likely to remain a tough year for the company, 2022 is looking better. Although Covid-19 could linger, cruise line companies (and their passengers) will likely adapt to the new normal, potentially requiring vaccines for passengers and staff, submissions of a negative coronavirus test, and mask-wearing in indoor spaces. Royal Caribbean, along with its major rivals Carnival and Norwegian Cruise Line NCLH , has signaled robust demand for 2022, even factoring in higher prices for cruises. Consensus estimates point to sales of over $10 billion for 2022, approaching pre-Covid levels. With RCL stock remaining down by about 40% since late 2019, and demand slated to pick up, the risk to reward tradeoff for the stock is looking more compelling, in our view.

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Up Over 3x From Covid Lows, Is Royal Caribbean Stock Still A Buy? - Forbes

LISTING OF THE DAY

Location: St. Georges, Grenada

Price: US$12.75 million

This newly built oceanfront home is one of four furnished beachfront villas, all priced at $12.75 million, in the new Silversands Grenada resort.

The resort, which is on the islands Grand Anse Beach, includes the 43-room Silversands Hotel. It was built in 2018 and sits behind the residences.

The villas are just breathtaking, said Kandace Douglas, real estate sales and marketing director for Silversands Grenada. They have the level of luxury and design that you find in Miami and New York.

More: A Three-Story Waterfront Home on Miamis Venetian Islands

Its a trophy property, she continued. These are truly some of the best villas in the Caribbean.

This one, Villa 3, is a short walk to the amenities, Ms. Douglas said. Its a little bit closer to the action.

The villa has what they are calling four primary bedroom suites, each with its own private entrance, en-suite bathroom and outdoor shower. The front two suites face out to the ocean and the back two have private plunge pools.

You step into the villa through an entry courtyard with a fountain and double doors that open to the foyer. To the right is a butlers pantry and the fully equipped kitchen, which features Poggenpohl cabinetry and professional-grade appliances by Gaggenau and Miele.

The foyer leads to the open-plan living and dining room, which has direct ocean views and floor-to-ceiling sliding glass doors that open to the pool and the large deck.

More: Contemporary Beachfront Megamansion Sells for Record $26.4 Million in Cayman Islands

Other architectural and design features include king-size platform beds and fully automated room controls, including LED lighting, blinds and air-conditioning with individual zone controls. The bathrooms offer limestone flooring, Apaiser soaking tubs, floating vanities and Hansgrohe indoor and outdoor rain showers.

The villa features furnishings by Molteni&C, Artespazio, Bruno Moinard and B&B Italia, according to the listing.

Everything is custom, Ms. Douglas said. The design is understated to let the ocean and the beach be the stars of the show.

The 2-mile-long Grand Anse Beach is stunning, with white sand and crystal-clear blue water, she said. You can walk right out into the water here.

Stats

The 4,800-square-foot villa has four bedrooms, four full bathrooms and one partial bathroom. There is another 2,215 square feet of outdoor deck space.

Amenities

Villa amenities include a large private pool, two heated plunge pools and a pool deck with direct access to the beach. Hotel and resort amenities include two restaurants, a cigar and rum bar, a spa, a fitness center and an extra-long infinity pool.

Neighborhood Notes

St. Georges, the islands capital city, is where the restaurants are, Ms. Douglas said. All of the other hotels are nearby. This is the hub.

Everything is within easy reach, she said. Its five minutes to the best restaurants, five minutes to the airport.

Agent: Kandace Douglas, real estate sales and marketing director, Silversands Grenada

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This Furnished Beachfront Villa on the Caribbean Island of Grenada Comes With Three Pools - Mansion Global

KEY FIGURES

1.7M MIGRANTS ENCOUNTERED AT US-MEXICO BORDER BETWEEN OCT 2020 AND SEP 2021

6K MIGRANTS ESTIMATED TO HAVE DEPARTED MEXICO-GUATEMALA BORDER FOR THE U.S.

150K+ MIGRANTS PROJECTED TO CROSS INTO PANAMA IN 2021

REGIONAL: MIGRANTS & REFUGEES

US-MEXICO BORDER

According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), a record-high 1.7 million undocumented migrants were apprehended at the southern border between October 2020 and September 2021. While monthly numbers slightly decreased in September, CBP still encountered over 192,000 people at the southern border, down from the more than 200,000 crossings recorded in both July and August. More than 100,000 migrants encountered by CBP in September were expelled from the U.S. without being able to claim asylum.

CENTRAL AMERICA & MEXICO

According to officials in Mexico and the U.S., a massive migrant caravan, of about 6,000 people from Haiti, Venezuelan, Cuba and other Latin America countries, departed from the southern Mexican city of Tapachula, near the Guatemalan border, on 23 October. Clashes have already erupted between migrants attempting to leave the camp en route to the U.S. and Mexican security forces.

Mexico continues to face a recordsetting migration flow, with around 147,000 irregular migrants identified between January and August, a threefold increase compared to 2020. Mexican authorities continue to strengthen border security operations in 22 of the countrys 32 states. The U.S., through the Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration (PRM), announced US$20 million in additional financial assistance to address the urgent humanitarian needs of almost 700,000 vulnerable migrants, refugees and asylum-seekers in Central America and Mexico.

PANAMA

So far in 2021, more than 100,000 migrants have made the perilous journey through the Darien Gap which straddles the Panama-Colombia border. This figure is nearly four times higher than 2020 and 2019 combined. Panamanian officials say that the migratory flow through Darien, composed mainly of Haitians and to a lesser extent Cubans, Venezuelans and extra-regional migrants from Africa and Asia, will top 150,000 in 2021. Panama is calling on the 12 Central and South American countries along this migratory route to roll out a coordinated response approach to control the flow and provide humanitarian assistance to those on the move.

CHILE

The Government set 18 October as the deadline for migrants to regularize their status in the country or face potential expulsion. The move comes as the Government continues to tighten migration laws while economic opportunities for migrants dry up, pushing many Haitians, who fled to Chile en masse in recent years taking advantage of relaxed visa requirements and a booming economy, to head northward toward Mexico, the U.S. and Canada.

According to officials, the Chilean Government has issued permanent residence to nearly 70,000 Haitians; however, another 110,000 lack official documentation. In April, the Government passed a law to facilitate the expulsion of people without legal residence, as the entrance of irregular migrants between 2020 and 2021, mainly from Haiti and Venezuela, rose by approximately 82 per cent.

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Latin America & The Caribbean Weekly Situation Update (18-24 October 2021) As of 25 October 2021 - Mexico - ReliefWeb

While known for sandy beaches, great snorkeling, and warm waters, the Caribbean is also home to a lot of earthquake and volcanic activity. Image: Weatherboy

A strong earthquake rocked the Caribbean a short time ago; fortunately, the earthquake wasnt large enough to generate a tsunami and there is no tsunami threat at this time anywhere along the U.S. East Coast or throughout the Caribbean from this event.

The quake, originally classified as a magnitude 4.9 earthquake, struck at 6:47 pm ET. USGS reviewed data and lowered the magnitude of the actual quake down to a 4.6. The earthquake struck 21 miles northwest of Saint Johns, Antigua and Barbuda. USGS said the earthquake struck at a depth of approximately 57 miles.

The National Weather Service Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Honolulu, Hawaii issued a bulletin to announce theres no risk of tsunami from this earthquake. An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 4.9 occured about 169 miles southeast of Virgin Gorda at 6:47 pm ASTbased on all available data, there is no tsunami threat to Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, or the British Virgin Islands from this earthquake, said the bulletin released by the Tsunami Warning Center. They added, People may have experienced shaking from the earthquake.

People across the central and eastern Caribbean agreed with that assessment, going onto social media to let people know they felt the earthquake.

The Caribbean has been seismically active today. In the last 24 hours, there were 8 earthquakes having a magnitude of 2.5 or greater in the region. A 3.8 earthquake near Boca de Yuma in the Dominican Republic while 6 other earthquakes ranging from 2.6 to 3.7 struck in or around Puerto Rico.

See more here:

Strong Earthquake Rocks Caribbean; No Tsunami Threat to US East Coast - Weatherboy

Royal Caribbean announces new nine-month world cruise

If nine months on a cruise ship sounds good to you, we have the trip for you!

Staff video, USA TODAY

Around the world in 80 days? What about 274 nights on a cruise ship while visiting more than 150 destinations?

Royal Caribbean International announced Wednesday thatitsSerenade of the Seas ship will embarkon what the line is calling the "longest and most comprehensive" world cruise scheduled to depart in 2023.

Michael Bayley, president and CEO of Royal Caribbean International said in the release that the cruise, dubbed the "Ultimate World Cruise," will be "the world cruise of world cruises.

The round-trip voyage spanning ninemonthswill will commence on Dec. 10, 2023 sailing from Miami.The itinerary includesvisits to all seven continents stopping at more than 150 destinations across 65 countries, the cruise line said in a release.The sailing will wrap up in Miami on Sept. 10, 2024.

COVID-19: Reporter details time on cruise ship with positive cases

Morgan Hines, a USA TODAY Travel Reporter, detailed her time aboard a cruise ship with positive COVID-19 cases on board.

Staff video, USA TODAY

Meet Captain Kate: In the cruise industry, she's a trailblazer. On TikTok, she's @captainkatemccue.

Smaller crowds, buffets, sales: Cruise need-to-knows during the COVID-19 pandemic

Rates for the full cruise start $60,999 per person plus taxes and fees, Lyan Sierra-Caro, spokesperson for Royal Caribbean, told USA TODAY.

Passengers also have the option to booksegments of the cruise separately in case they aren't available for the full experience. Passengers can sail on any of four expedition cruises within the larger cruise including:

Fifty-seven of the destinationsthe Serenade of the Seas is scheduled to hit are new to Royal Caribbean and will be exclusive to the Ultimate World Cruise.

The cruise line highlighted stops in Casablanca, Morocco;Shimizu, Japan; andQaqortoq, Greenland along with visits toMachu Picchu in Peru and the Taj Mahal in India.

Now more than ever, people have resolved to travel the world and make up for lost time. Royal Caribbean is making that a reality with the ultimate vacation that welcomes those seeking adventure and exploration to taste, dance and dream with us around the world," Bayley continued. "To travelers asking themselves where they should go next, we say everywhere.

Bookings for the full cruise from Miami to Miami opened Wednesday forRoyal Caribbeans Crown & Anchor Society Diamond status members and members above that rank within the line's loyalty group. Bookings will open to the general public for the full cruise one week later on Oct. 27 and for individual segments in December.

Oceania Cruises opens sales: For Vista's inaugural season, sets new record for single-day bookings

Norwegian Cruise Line extends: 100% COVID vaccination requirement through end of year

See more here:

Royal Caribbean announces 'world cruise of world cruises' scheduled to visit 150 destinations - USA TODAY

The ALTA Airline Leaders Forum in Bogota kicked off with a press conference on Sunday, October 24.

The event was attended by Jose Ricardo Botelho, Executive Director & CEO of ALTA; Pedro Heilbron, CEO of Copa Airlines and Chairman of ALTAs Executive Committee; Gilberto Salcedo, Vice President of ProColombia; and Lucas Rodriguez, Head of the Air Transport Office of Colombias Civil Aeronautics, who welcomed the industrys annual congress and took the opportunity to share some results of the sectors recovery, especially in Colombia.

Lucas Rodriguez from Colombias Civil Aeronautics said: We continue with a 64% recovery in the international market and two-thirds in the domestic market. This shows that our market in the country has a unique growth capacity around the world, showing resilience in the aviation and tourism sectors.

The Colombian market has grown consistently and faster than expected, he added.

On the other hand, Gilberto Salcedo, Vice President of ProColombia, affirmed the recovery of air connectivity is a key point in which Colombia has made an additional effort that has generated overwhelming results. The reduction of taxes is an incentive and promoter for the return of demand. This is in addition to an effort with air operators with whom we have worked together. Lets remember that the government reduced VAT on airline tickets from 19% to 5%.

Today Colombia is a very affordable and competitive destination, where the industry is committed to sustainability. We want to position the country as a leading destination in sustainability at the regional level, he concluded.

For his part, Pedro Heilbron focused on aviation recovery in the region. By 2021, international air transport is 60% below 2019 levels while domestic air transport stands at -20%. However, the numbers are improving each month, mainly at the domestic level.

Likewise, Heilbron assured that domestic markets are expected to fully recover in 2023 and international markets to do so in 2024, and highlighted that Latin America is going at a faster pace than expected in terms of recuperation.

Botelho pointed out that Latin America and the Caribbean have a great opportunity as a tourist region, given that the world wants to reconnect with nature. But he also said that continued investment in infrastructure is needed as some markets may not be able to handle the new flows.

The ALTA Airline Leaders Forum will be held until October 26 and is expected to be a venue for industry leaders to meet, analyze and determine how to address current industry challenges and how to prepare for the future of air transportation in the region.

Aviacionline is present in Bogota to cover the ALTA Airline Leaders Forum 2021, and you will be able to follow the notes we publish through the special aviacionline.com/altaforum2021, and the highlights instantly through our Twitter and Instagram. In our YouTube channel, wewill also be streaming press conferences and interviews.

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#ALTAForum: Latin America and the Caribbean are recovering at a faster pace than the rest of the world - Aviacionline.com