Last year, YMT Vacations, the leading provider of affordable group travel packages, launched the company's Cuba, Its People & Culture educational exchange program. The itinerary features a Q&A session in Miami before departing for Cuba, comfortable properties in quiet neighborhoods, and a myriad of group people-to-people cultural activities, including visits to community projects, businesses, and artists in Havana and the surrounding towns.
As Americans tuck away their white clothes and replace them with dark fall colors, the Aruba Tourism Authority keeps white in season year-round with the Sept. 2 launch of "Little White Dress Night" on the One happy island. Starting Labor Day 2013, and every Monday this fall, Aruba's hottest bars, restaurants and nightclubs will offer exclusive specials and offers to all visitors donning white.
Regional carriers can be major contributors to the development of the Caribbean by providing reliable intra-Caribbean service and by bringing in visitors from the rest of the Americas, a senior Caribbean airline executive has said.
The International Institute for Peace through Tourism (IIPT) has branded Jamaica as the Home of Community Tourism internationally and supported the mission and vision of the Countrystyle Community Tourism Network/Villages as Businesses in developing the potential of community entrepreneurs through community tourism while protecting their natural environment, heritage and culture. Eco-tourism is one of the main niche markets that internationally attracts upscale visitors and can assist communities on the south coast of Jamaica to earn more income within their own environment.
The Dominican Republic welcomed 2.9 million tourists through July, up 0.8% over the same period in 2012. Statistics released by the Central Bank revealed that 60% of the visitors came from North America, followed by Europe (24%) and South America (10%).
Spanish tourism has seen a strong year so far—which is great news for a nation still coping with an economic downturn. (Unemployment is hovering at more than 25 percent, the Associated Press is reporting.)