Cruise ships are steaming back to Caribbean ports, airlines are ramping up flights and the vaccine roll-out is underway but it could still be several years before countries recuperate from the pandemic that has rocked the region, say experts. Despite the deep scars left by the crisis, countries now have a fresh focus on health, resilience and regionalism plus a chance to fully incorporate … [Read more...]
Vaccinated and unvaccinated travelers are going to different sets of Caribbean islands
Adina Eigen took her first trip to the British Virgin Islands in December 2020. Around that time, it had one of the world’s lowest Covid rates among islands that had reopened. The 42-year-old mother of four from Sands Point, New York, has since returned twice, checking infection rates — and vaccination statistics — before her trips. “The staff at Oil Nut Bay is entirely … [Read more...]
Open to the Vaccinated: 5 Caribbean countries update entry protocols
If you want to travel to countries in the Caribbean, you need to be vaccinated. More and more countries have updated their travel protocols to only allow entry to vaccinated people at this point. The new protocols come as most countries in the region ramp up their vaccination drives and some are reopening to regular activities. With the safety of their own citizens at the forefront, these … [Read more...]
Aruba Waives Testing for Certain Vaccinated U.S. Travelers
Aruba has updated its entry protocols, with new rules that waive pre-testing requirements for certain fully vaccinated American travelers. But it’s not quite that simple. Crucially, the island is only waiving testing for U.S. residents who have been fully vaccinated and have a SMART Health Card vaccine record. For now, that means a relatively small number of U.S. … [Read more...]
Caribbean Tourism: Is the lure of the beach enough?
Sometime in the next 12 months, when the pandemic is fully brought under control in North America and Europe, visitors will return to the Caribbean in significant numbers. Once that begins to happen, governments, conscious of tourism’s ability to drive rapid GDP growth, will encourage the fastest possible restoration of pre-pandemic arrival levels. This is understandable, but begs two … [Read more...]