Travel Agent- March 30, 2009 - (Page 30) DESTINATIONS CARIBBEAN, BAHAMAS & BERMUDA The living and dining area of a suite at Solís The Palmyra Resort & Spa JAMAICA’S Strong Start HOW’S THIS FOR IRONY? While reports of violence are crippling tourism on other islands in the Caribbean, Jamaica, which has long had a stigma for crime and violence, is riding high. In fact, the Jamaica Tourist Board reported a strong start in tourism arrivals for 2009, with 148,886 total stopover arrivals for January, which represents an increase of 4.2 percent over the same period in 2008. Furthermore, for the first month of this year, Jamaica welcomed 80,190 visitors from the U.S. and just under 40,000 visitors from Canada. Preliminary figures for February also reflected this growth trend, showing an increase of 1.3 percent. Even more encouraging are the preliminary figures for the first week of March, which showed a 12.9 percent increase over the corresponding period last year. Here are just a few reasons why we feel 30 | TravelAgent March 30, 2009 Jamaica will keep these numbers up for 2009 and beyond. Hotel News GoldenEye (www.goldeneyehotel.com) is adding a multimillion-dollar, high-end resort village to its exclusive property in Oracabessa, St Mary. Completion of the mixed-use residential and full-service resort is set for December 2010 and will feature approximately 200 guest rooms spread over 60 acres of coastal land. The property will include its own spa, swimming pools and a lagoon. The development is in its first phase, which includes the strengthening of the seacoast and work on the lagoon. Couples Ocho Rios (www.couples. com) closed last March for refurbishments and is expected to reopen any day now as Couples Tower Isle. The 206-room resort is undergoing a $15 million upgrade that will include the construction of an additional three-floor complex of 20 rooms, refurbishing of the existing bars and main lobby and the creation of a new swim-up pool bar and state-of-the-art spa. Upon completion, the resort will offer 226 guest rooms. SuperClubs (www.superclubs.com) recently announced a decision to realign, elevate and expand its Breezes brand. On November 1, the two AAA Four Diamond Grand Lido properties will change their names; the Grand Lido Negril Resort & Spa will be renamed Breezes Grand Negril Resort & Spa, while the Grand Lido Braco Resort & Spa will be changed to Breezes Rio Bueno Resort & Spa. The Starfish Trelawny will also be rebranded as Breezes Trelawny. AMResorts (www.amresorts.com) broke CONTINUED ON PAGE 32 http://www.goldeneyehotel.com http://www.superclubs.com http://www.couples.com http://www.couples.com http://www.amresorts.com
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