News Americas, MIAMI, FL, Thurs. Oct. 26, 2023: Blue Diamond Resorts is thrilled to announce the inclusion of a new installment payment method for travelers who book through its website, specifically its dedicated brand websites. This innovative addition comes just in time for a very promising Black Friday of 2023, during which Blue Diamond Resorts is emphasizing that all-inclusive premium vacation experiences are meant for everyone. This advancement has been made possible through the latest innovations in travel payment solutions, ensuring a seamless and convenient booking experience for its guests.

“The inclusion of this technology on our website allows us to make our enhanced vacation experience more accessible to a new generation of travelers that desire to experience the ultimate all-inclusive vacation,” said Jurgen Stutz, SVP Sales, Marketing, Revenue Management, and Distribution, Blue Diamond Resorts. “This is one additional step that Blue Diamond Resorts takes to remain innovative in the latest technologies and vacation trends, understanding the traveler of today and tomorrow,” he added.

As part of their commitment to enhancing the guest experience, this new payment method aims to provide greater convenience and flexibility for travelers in the United States and Canada when securing their reservations.

The announcement follows the company’s latest news of the comprehensive enhancement of the experience on the upgraded room categories Diamond Club and Star Class for their Royalton Luxury Resorts and Planet Hollywood Beach Resorts portfolios, which include a personal butler throughout the entire experience, among an extensive list of perks and benefits. Blue Diamond Resorts is convinced that these services will allow more guests to experience vacations in these upgraded room categories.

This payment program encompasses the Royalton Luxury Resorts, Royalton CHIC Resorts, Hideaway at Royalton Resorts, Mystique by Royalton Resorts, and Planet Hollywood Beach Resorts brands, providing guests with a simplified and secure payment process, empowering them to book their dream vacations with ease.

Blue Diamond Resorts is transforming the all-inclusive hospitality segment across the Caribbean, Mexico, and Central America. They adapt to market demands, offer diverse offerings to discerning travelers, and invest in innovative solutions like the new installment payment method. Their dedication to setting new standards in luxury and shaping the future of the industry is evident in their commitment to enhancing the guest experience.

About Blue Diamond Resorts  

Blue Diamond Resorts encompasses over 60 properties, exceeding 18,000 rooms in eight countries located in the most popular holiday destinations in the Caribbean. Its nine leading hotel brands include the Award-winning, All-In Luxury® Royalton Luxury Resorts, where Everyone is Family. Whether guests come as friends, parents, kids, couples, weddings, corporate or incentive retreats, or solo travelers everyone is family in these properties that feature personalized services and signature amenities including All-In Connectivity, DreamBed, and the Sports Event Guarantee.  To refocus on valued relationships and friendships, Hideaway at Royalton offers an adults-only experience with exclusive dining and preferred accommodations to enhance Togetherness among their guests. Party Your Way at Royalton CHIC Resorts, an adults-only vibrant and effervescent all-inclusive brand to revel in the unexpected. Mystique by Royalton is Miles from Ordinary, offering their visitors the chance to connect with their surroundings in a boutique-style resort collection full of endless beauty and hip vibes. In Jamaica, Grand Lido Negril offers guests over the age of 21, a unique and all-inclusive Au Naturel vacation along with a secluded shore for the utmost privacy. Memories Resorts & Spa offers a vacation designed whether you´re planning a family vacation, reuniting with friends, or just have a relaxing moment with your significant other, while Starfish Resorts provides amazing value, breathtaking surroundings, and rich culture and heritage. Planet Hollywood Hotels & Resorts invites guests to Vacation Like A Star with an engaging and interactive experience, plus famous pop culture items from iconic movies, music, and sports while you will Dodge the Paparazzi at Planet Hollywood Adult Scene  where your adults-only vacation will be the center of fascination and attention with glam and exclusivity.  

To learn more about Blue Diamond Resorts, please visit www.bluediamondresorts.com   

News Americas, MIAMI, FL, Thurs. Oct. 12, 2023: Blue Diamond Resorts is proud to announce that it has been honored with an impressive total of six Magellan Awards in 2023 by Travel Weekly, a renowned and trusted source in the travel industry. These accolades, comprising four Gold and two Silver distinctions, highlight the company’s exceptional contributions to the hospitality sector, particularly in guest experiences, technological innovation, successful marketing campaigns, and elevated accommodation options.

“These achievements are a reflection of the dedication of our entire team, who are deeply committed to creating innovative experiences that enhance our offerings and enrich the guest journey,” stated Jordi Pelfort, President of Blue Diamond Resorts. “These pioneering initiatives are strengthening our position within the all-inclusive segment, a commitment that’s echoed in our forthcoming openings in the Caribbean—Royalton CHIC Antigua and Hideaway at Royalton Blue Waters, An Autograph Collection All-Inclusive Resort – Adults Only,” he added.

The awards presented to the hotel management company are as follows:

2023 Magellan Awards Gold

Royalton Splash Riviera Cancun Makes a Big Splash | Hospitality – Overall-New Resort/Hotel

Planet Hollywood Cancun Elevates Guest Journey with Metaverse Experience | Hospitality Marketing – Virtual Experiences/Events

Blue Diamond Resorts Heightens Guest Service with Innovative In-room Tech | Hospitality – Overall-Technology Solutions

Giving the Gift of ‘Home for the Holidays’ at Blue Diamond Resorts | Hospitality Marketing – Campaign-Communications/PR Plan

2023 Magellan Awards Silver

Hideaway at Royalton Negril offers a Penthouse Oasis to Rekindle and Reconnect | Hospitality Elements – Luxury (Five-Star)-Penthouse Design

Party Your Way at Royalton CHIC Cancun | Hospitality – Overall-All-Inclusive Resort/Hotel

Among the celebrated resorts, Royalton Splash Riviera Cancun, An Autograph Collection All-Inclusive Resort, stood out as a beacon of modern offerings for guests of all ages, having opened just ten months ago, providing a wide array of activities to “Splash into Fun.” Planet Hollywood Cancun, An Autograph Collection All-Inclusive Resort, earned recognition for pioneering virtual experiences that significantly enhanced the journey for travelers.

Meanwhile, Hideaway at Royalton Negril, An Autograph Collection All-Inclusive Resort – Adults Only, was lauded for its luxurious accommodations, particularly its Diamond Club Luxury Penthouse One Bedroom Jacuzzi Suite. Lastly, Royalton CHIC Cancun, An Autograph Collection All-Inclusive Resort – Adults Only, excelled as the highest satisfaction and best-performing resort in the Blue Diamond Resorts portfolio, thanks to its implementation of the successful and popular “Party Your Way” concept in the adults-only segment.

The Magellan Awards, a yearly celebration of excellence in the tourism industry, recognize outstanding achievements in technology implementation, marketing campaigns, and services across various segments, including hotels, cruises, airlines, and travel destinations. Blue Diamond Resorts is honored to be acknowledged by such a prestigious organization.

About Blue Diamond Resorts  

Blue Diamond Resorts encompasses over 60 properties, exceeding 18,000 rooms in eight countries located in the most popular holiday destinations in the Caribbean. Its nine leading hotel brands include the Award-winning, All-In Luxury® Royalton Luxury Resorts, where Everyone is Family. Whether guests come as friends, parents, kids, couples, weddings, corporate or incentive retreats, or solo travelers everyone is family in these properties that feature personalized services and signature amenities including All-In Connectivity, DreamBed, and the Sports Event Guarantee.  To refocus on valued relationships and friendships, Hideaway at Royalton offers an adults-only experience with exclusive dining and preferred accommodations to enhance Togetherness among their guests. Party Your Way at Royalton CHIC Resorts, an adults-only vibrant and effervescent all-inclusive brand to revel in the unexpected. Mystique by Royalton is Miles from Ordinary, offering their visitors the chance to connect with their surroundings in a boutique-style resort collection full of endless beauty and hip vibes. In Jamaica, Grand Lido Negril offers guests over the age of 21, a unique and all-inclusive Au Naturel vacation along with a secluded shore for the utmost privacy. Memories Resorts & Spa offers a vacation designed whether you´re planning a family vacation, reuniting with friends, or just have a relaxing moment with your significant other, while Starfish Resorts provides amazing value, breathtaking surroundings, and rich culture and heritage. Planet Hollywood Hotels & Resorts invites guests to Vacation Like A Star with an engaging and interactive experience, plus famous pop culture items from iconic movies, music, and sports while you will Dodge the Paparazzi at Planet Hollywood Adult Scene where your adults-only vacation will be the center of fascination and attention with glam and exclusivity.  

To learn more about Blue Diamond Resorts, please visit www.bluediamondresorts.com

By Jerry Haar and Cristina Caus

News Americas, Washington, D.C., Fri. Oct. 6, 2023: Guyana’s burgeoning oil production is on an unstoppable trajectory to transform the nation economically and socially. The government expects to take in US $1.63 billion this year in royalties and profit sharing. This revenue gives the nation a comparative advantage over its Caribbean neighbors, empowers the government and entices foreign enterprises to make significant investments in multiple sectors –  improving education, healthcare and the business environment to attract investments and develop the services sectors as well.

The government, as well as CAIPA (Caribbean Association of Investment Promotion Agencies), has identified several target industries with opportunities for significant growth. These include high-tech agribusiness, renewable energy, niche tourism, technology and business support. Guyana offers foreign and domestic investors investment opportunities in agriculture, oil and gas, construction, wholesale and retail, health, transportation, and agribusiness-processing.

Giant Otter, Rupununi River, Guyana, resting on riverbank.

While press coverage of Guyana’s oil bonanza, entailing prognostications of an extremely bright future in store for the country, are the order of the day, savvy investors (as opposed to wide-eyed speculators) are more cautious, more measured and more objective in their business decision-making.

On the plus side, Guyana’s macroeconomic environment remains stable and presents diverse opportunities for investment. Guyana’s currency remains relatively stable, and Guyana’s foreign exchange midrate remained unchanged in 2023 at GYD $209 to USD $1. The banking sector remains highly profitable in Guyana with political leadership calling for financial institutions to lend more and at lower rates. Foreign direct investment into Guyana grew by 110%, driven by oil and gas-related investments; and Guyana’s market capitalization grew by approximately 46% in 2021. 

Picture of the Potaro River running across the Kaieteur National Park which sits in a section of the Amazon rainforest in the Potaro-Siparuni region of Guyana, taken on September 24, 2022. – Despite the dispute with Guyana, the Esequibo region is a destination of migration from Venezuela. Guyana defends a limit established in 1899 by an arbitration court in Paris, while Venezuela claims the Geneva Agreement, signed in 1966 with the United Kingdom before Guyanese independence, which established the basis for a negotiated solution and ignored the previous treaty. But the Guyanese government is promoting a process in the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to ratify the current borders and put an end to the dispute. (Photo by Patrick FORT / AFP) (Photo by PATRICK FORT/AFP via Getty Images)

On the negative side of the equation, key challenges to Guyana’s development include high crime rates and some of the highest cost of electricity in the region. However, high energy prices are being addressed by the gas to power project which should cut prices by around half.  Lengthy delays for permits and access to land are other impediments. Despite commitments from the Guyanese government to ease regulatory hurdles and improve the business climate, Guyana’s Ease of Doing Business ranking continues to hover at 134 out of 190 countries in the World Bank’s 2020 report.

Overall, however, the positives do outweigh the negatives; and while the spotlight has shined on the energy sector—mainly oil—other sectors such as services offer very attractive opportunities. In fact, services will continue to be the main driver of growth in the Caribbean region (other than oil in Guyana).

The services sector in the Caribbean incorporates industries such as financial services, creative industries, health and wellness, professional services, information communication and technology (ICT), education and tourism above all. The Caribbean is said to be the most tourism-dependent region in the world: in 2019, over 31 million stop-over visitors and 30 million cruise-ship passengers traveled to the islands. These numbers are even greater in territories such as the British Virgin Islands and Aruba where tourism made up 92% and 85.6%, respectively, of their total GDP in 2019.

For Guyana, the tourism potential is great—but not the sandy beach-dominant tourism where the Caribbean reigns as a region, but ecotourism. The International Ecotourism Society defines ecotourism as “responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment, sustains the well-being of the local people, and involves interpretation and education.” 

Tourism presently accounts for nearly 8% of the country’s GDP and generates over 22,000 direct jobs. Ecotourism itself offers many positives in addition to revenue and employment, including high multiplier effects and supports for cultural and heritage tourism, sectors that are highly compatible with ecotourism. Additionally, it enhances biodiversity, preserves natural resources, promotes conservation and fights poverty and empowers local indigenous communities by creating employment opportunities.

To be fair, one must note the negative impacts of ecotourism, as well. These include the destruction of local resources to make room for the construction of lodging for tourists. Overused tracks leading to soil erosion and damage to vegetation are other negative impacts.

In the competitive marketplace for niche tourism—in this case, ecotourism—Guyana is blessed with natural resources-rich assets of rainforests, rivers and waterfalls, the most famous of which is the majestic Kaieteur Falls. Guyana also boasts plentiful wildlife, numerous species of flora, a variety of fauna and spectacular birdlife. Guyana ranked#1 in the “Best of Ecotourism” destination in the world category at the Sustainable Top 100 Destination Awards in Berlin in 2019 by ITB, the world’s largest travel trade show.

Guyana was recognized because of its holistic approach to sustainable destination management and development, from its national policy for pursuing a Green State Development Strategy to implementing a strategy and action plan focused on sustainable tourism. The submitted case studies that led to Guyana’s recognition for this award were centered on the villages of Surama and Rewa. Both of these indigenous communities own and operate eco-lodges. These world-class examples of community-led and owned enterprises illustrate how entire communities can generate positive socio-economic and conservation outcomes from tourism and potentially provide a roadmap for the government to examine savvy investments of oil revenues into economic diversification.

There is no question that alongside oil, Guyana can develop a sustainable competitive advantage in ecotourism. The country’s primary challenges revolve around the lack of awareness of Guyana in the tourism marketplace, the high cost of getting to and around the country and the need for improved infrastructure. If the country can overcome these impediments and invest public resources to complement foreign investment, Guyana will maintain its ranking as first in ecotourism for the foreseeable future – and that is good for ecotourists and good for Guyana.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Jerry Haar is a professor of international business at Florida International University and a fellow both the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, D.C., and Council on Competitiveness.

Cristina Caus is an international oil and gas business developer and consultant and holds a master’s degree in international business from Florida International University.

News Americas, NEW YORK, NY, Mon. Oct. 2, 2023: Have you considered a destination wedding? The first idea that is likely to come to mind when those words are uttered is the Caribbean. Weddings and the Caribbean are near synonymous; they are so closely linked in culture. And do you blame them? The sea, the sand… The romance is baked into every element.

So just how crucial is the wedding industry to the Caribbean? And is there anything you should consider before diving into the idea? Read our guide for all the information.

How Important Is The Wedding Industry To The Caribbean?

The tourism industry is greatly important to the Caribbean and the various economies within it, and the wedding industry is a big part of that tourism income. In fact, the Caribbean gets more than 26 million visitors a year, according to Unleashing Growth and Strengthening Resilience in the Caribbean, and the tourist industry makes up from 7 to 90% of the GDP depending on the region.

Naturally, weddings are one of the reasons people make the trip to such a lavish and luxurious region. People come from all over to get married on the beach, with the sun shining, and the palm trees swaying, making for some great photos and memories. It means that you can roll the honeymoon and wedding into one and bring the family along for the ride. You need witnesses after all.

And when the wedding industry is one that likes to add an extra zero to the price of everything, that brings in money. Caribbean resorts regularly offer wedding services that include venue, be that the beach or the hotel, food, décor, flowers, etc. and keep the locals employed with vast crews making sure everything runs smoothly.

So, it’s safe to say that the tourism industry is very important to the Caribbean, to the point that the main talking point about various economies in the Caribbean is centered around the idea of diversifying the economy since it’s something of an economic crutch to lean on.

Why Should You Consider The Caribbean In Your Wedding Plans?

So, it’s arguable that you are aiding an economy that really needs it, but that doesn’t look good written on a wedding invite, so why else should you consider a Caribbean wedding?

Are Destination Weddings Cheaper?

If you’re thinking that you just spent all your money on an engagement ring and now she’s said the words “destination wedding”, stay calm. If you are looking at buying gemstone rings for your engagement ring or wedding band, take a look at Best Brilliance for a great range of beautiful gems at affordable prices. Additionally, take into account that destination weddings are typically actually cheaper than a stay-at-home wedding. There are a few different reasons for this.

Typically, Caribbean hotel resorts tend to put on a lot of wedding functions, so they tend to offer packages where everything is included, even your stay. So, you’re paying for the honeymoon and wedding in one package. The do-it-yourself approach tends to mean spending more in a lot of different places rather than spending less in one place, like a resort package.

Big Or Small?

The best part of the package is that you can tailor it to your needs, depending on the resort. Shop around and see how much playing with the system they will allow. A destination wedding can be a big or small affair, and in fact, it can be an excuse to make your wedding smaller than others might want. Remember all those great aunts your mother wants you to invite? They might not be able to get on a plane, just saying. If you even want to keep it to just you and your partner, invite (or borrow) a couple of witnesses and keep the ceremony intimate.

Additionally, a beach is pretty limitless in space, which means it can be as big as you wish. Caribbean hotels often offer a range of packages to suit your budget.

A Hands-Off Approach

However, this package approach means that you can take your hands off the wheel for a moment. There’s no need for a bridezilla when the resort is handling everything for you. You can make a few key choices and watch the day come together. Just enjoy the beach and the cocktails as you wait to get into your white dress.

Where Should You Go?

Some popular wedding hot spots include:

·         Barbados

·         The Bahamas

·         Saint Lucia

·         Jamaica

·         Cuba

·         Many more

They each have breathtaking views and their own cultural identity that will make for a memorable trip away, never mind a wedding.

But remember…

Keep in mind that not everyone can afford a destination wedding. Even if the package includes room discounts for guests, the flight and accommodation alone, not to mention the timing might simply be too much for people. You’re asking for more of a commitment than most weddings ask of their guests, which is already a matter of debate nowadays with parents insisting they bring kids to child-free weddings.