The MPE Caribbean Report Newsletter offers travel, tourism, Caribbean and global news weekly. To share stories, information or intelligence, contact us at [email protected].

OCTOBER 10, 2022

Happy Indigenous Peoples’ Day 2022

“On Indigenous Peoples’ Day, we honor the sovereignty, resilience, and immense contributions that Native Americans have made to the world; and we recommit to upholding our solemn trust and treaty responsibilities to Tribal Nations, strengthening our Nation-to-Nation ties.” – Joseph R. Biden Jr., President, United States of America

Systems set in Santo Domingo for FCCA talks

he state of the cruise industry in the Caribbean will come into focus in Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic this week as the Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association (FCCA) hosts its 28th annual conference, October 11-14, 2022.

The meeting, which will attract senior cruise executives from FCCA Member Lines along with tourism representatives from across the region’s public and private sectors, is designed to foster a better understanding of the inner workings of the cruise industry and helps attendees improve their cruise tourism business.

Through a specialized forum that blends meetings and workshops with social functions, attendees have a unique opportunity to develop relationships with, promote products to, and learn from approximately 100 executives of FCCA Member Lines who decide where ships call, what is sold and used onboard and how to invest in destinations and infrastructure.

For more information, visit https://www.cubegroupevents.com/fccacruiseconference. 

Carnival has a new home brew

When Carnival Celebration starts sailing next month, guests will be able to “cheers” to her fall arrival with an all-new Oktoberfest-inspired seasonal beer, brewed right on board. 

Carnival Celebration Brew Master Michael Deichstetter just finished the first batch, a type of beer known as a Festbier – which is popular during Oktoberfest. Carnival’s brew team describes the beer as a modern take on a traditional German lager, light-bodied and golden in color, with notes of melon and strawberry and a clean finish.

Deichstetter, who has been brewing beer for more than 15 years, says his team is planning more special brews to serve on board Carnival Celebration. The team will also brew Carnival’s other exclusive and popular beer offerings already available fleetwide, including the ThirstyFrog Caribbean Wheat, the new ParchedPig Beach Lager, the Carnival Birthday Beer and several other popular flavors.

Celebration is now Carnival’s fifth ship to have its own brewery on board. Carnival Celebration debuts in Miami on Nov. 21 and will launch seven- and eight-day cruises to the Eastern and Western Caribbean.

Hotelier upbeat about Barbados tourism

A leading hotelier in Barbados says things are beginning to look up for tourism in Barbados, and as stronger air capacity returns to the island, there is encouraging news out of the U.S. market.

Patricia Affonso-Dass, Group General Manager of Ocean Hotels in Barbados, noted that it’s been a long work in progress trying to diversify markets, “and we’re actually seeing big growth out of the U.S. market.” 

Speaking before the start of last week’s Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA) Caribbean Travel Marketplace in San Juan, Puerto Rico, she said: “I think the pound (sterling), obviously it’s a concern because the weak pound is not a good thing for Barbados, but you’re starting to see some slight correction to that and I think over time hopefully it will move in the right direction.”

“Meanwhile,” she continued, “I think we’ve been responsive in terms of working with our partners to make sure that we are staying ahead of what the customers want, making sure we’re providing an excellent experience and that the value customers receive when they come to Barbados is exceptional.”

Senator Lisa Cummins, Barbados’ Minister of Tourism and International Transport, recently reported that despite global airlift challenges, Barbados is forecast to return to at least 80 percent of 2019 visitation levels by the end of this year.

Noteworthy for Barbados will be the opening of Wyndham Grand Barbados (former Sam Lord’s Castle) this December.

This month, the island will celebrate the highly anticipated Barbados Food and Rum Festival, October 27-30, 2022.

Digital Digest

Mobile-first Content 

It’s no secret that more than half of the total internet users are now using mobile devices as the primary source to create, consume and share content. All-in-one production and consumption requires a strong mobile-first design and content-generation approach. Here’s why mobile-first content is absolutely important:

• Technology: Every new device leaps ahead of its predecessor. The enhancement comes in the form of hardware and software changes. Use the new technology to give your content an edge leveraging technologies such as motion sensing, Augmented Reality, LiDAR scanner, high refresh rate screens, and video stabilization cameras.
• Cross-function: Content designed specifically for mobile allows brands to create highly rewarding consumer journeys to trigger user responses – from reading an article to downloading an app to applying a promotion code or buying a product using a mobile payment. All this and more is possible with mobile-first content and consumer journeys.
• Shareability: Content that is easy to consume and retain becomes highly shareable using multiple Instant Messaging (IM) applications. It can go to a user’s status or to a corporate or friends group, all while staying on the same screen with one engaged device.
• Retention: While notifications and other popups are all struggling to attract the user’s attention, there’s still a greater chance that if the content is aesthetically pleasing and easy to consume then it will emerge victorious.

Medical Moment

World Sight Day (WSD) is an international day of awareness that focuses attention on the importance of eye health and how it can be protected.

WSD is also a platform to:

• Influence decision-makers to prioritize eye health initiatives
• Activate demand for eye health services globally

This year WSD falls on October 13, 2022, and the theme is #LoveYourEyes.

The Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) offers the following advice:

• A complete eye exam can detect eye conditions such as glaucoma before it has an effect on your sight. The earlier an eye condition is identified, the easier it is to treat. 
• Eat a healthy balanced diet and engage in physical activity. These are crucial steps in maintaining a healthy weight, controlling obesity, and preventing diseases such as diabetes, all of which can impact eye health. 
• If you have diabetes, you should have your eyes checked every year.

Activities planned for WSD by the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) and other partners include celebrations, vision screenings and activism.

MPE Caribbean Report

The MPE Caribbean Report team caught up with distinguished Caribbean hotelier and businessman Adam Stewart at the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association’s Caribbean Travel Marketplace in San Juan, Puerto Rico last week. He shares his views on the future of the region’s top earner.

Marketplace Excellence Corporation (MPE) is a global public relations, marketing and media company.