More and more, Caribbean travel stakeholders say they are mindful that travelers are looking for more than just “sun, sand and sea.” And it seems that’s borne out in the numbers, according to a study from travel research firm TCI Research.

In recent weeks, I have examined challenges facing the Caribbean tourism industry, and the solutions that are necessary to bring the sector forward — including one proposal — the creation of a “United States of the Caribbean.”

A new public opinion poll from Harris Interactive finds that the American public is getting increasingly distrustful of vacation cruises, following the recent series of fires, power failures, overflowing toilets and other mishaps.

This is the right time to seriously rethink the role and priorities of the most important trade association in the Caribbean - one which impacts half of all employment in the region – the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA).

In the middle of musing about regional cooperation, tourism Ministers and Commissioners were recently invited to imagine a gestalt entity, “the United States of the Caribbean.” They were invited to consider what such an entity would look like.

Travel by black Britons to the Caribbean is falling significantly, according to recent statistics. The figures released by the British Government’s own Office of National Statistics (ONS), coupled with other data from Caribbean sources, adds weight to claims that Air Passenger Duty (APD) and rising ticket costs are having a negative effect on the economy.