Travel Agent - September 29, 2008 - (Page 45) DESTINATIONS CARIBBEAN Unlimited-Luxury.® The Slot Spot IS JAMAICA SANDALS’ NEXT CASINO DESTINATION? Travel Agent first brought you the news back in October of this past year that Sandals Resorts (www.sandals.com) was contemplating whether or not it would take advantage of a gaming license it had been sitting on in Turks and Caicos. In August, we received news that it would. Sandals’ CEO Adam Stewart told us that Sandals was on the verge of signing an agreement to open its first casino. The 7,000-square-foot Turks and Caicos propSenior Editor Joe Pike erty would include slots and some table games. specializes in all things That led us to wonder if Sandals would get involved in the gaming Caribbean industry in Jamaica. Jamaica has tentatively approved gaming in the country, and is also the home of Sandals’ headquarters. Kevin Froemming, president of Sandals International Resorts (who was heavily instrumental in the Turks and Caicos casino project), told us that if Jamaica’s recent approval for casinos holds up, he expects Sandals to be among the first to open one. However, the Jamaican government has yet to rule on the passage of casino gambling, and many still feel that it could balk on the move. If it does go through, however, one of the first gaming properties would be the new Solis, The Palmyra Resort & Spa (www.thepalmyra.com). “Solis, The Palmyra Resort & Spa eagerly awaits the final ruling by the Jamaican Government on the passage of casino gambling for the country of Jamaica,” General Manager Lester Scott told us. Part of the holdup, we suspect, is that Jamaica is still trying to iron out the details of the law, which made us curious about how other islands have enforced gaming laws. We sought out Artist’s rendering of Solis, The Palmyra Resort & Spa two destinations—the smaller St. Maarten, and perhaps the Caribbean’s greatest gaming destination, the Bahamas—to see how Caribbean islands handle gambling. Representatives of the St. Maarten Tourism Board told us that the island has a total of 13 casinos, 10 of which are stand-alones. The remaining three are associated with resorts with more than 200 rooms each. No new licenses can be issued for stand-alone properties there. In fact, the government has a policy not to reissue a license for a standalone property if it ceases to operate. New licenses will only be granted to resorts with more than 200 rooms. St. Maarten’s Westin (www.westin.com) is the most recent of these. In the Bahamas, regulations do not specifically call for casinos to be built only as part of hotels. However, Bahamas Tourism Board representatives informed us that the Gaming Board believes casinos work better as part of a hotel. Present regulations prohibit those who are “ordinarily resident” in the Bahamas from gambling. This means that an American who lives and works in the Bahamas would not be allowed play in casinos. On the other hand, Bahamians who live in another country and return home to visit would be allowed to play in casinos under present regulations. Although not specifically stated, tourism board representatives implied that the regulations are an attempt to shield residents from financial and social catastrophes that could result from gambling. JOE PIKE SENIOR EDITOR Five new ways toDream Introducing in December 2008 Dreams Palm Beach Punta Cana • Dominican Republic Dreams Huatulco Resort & Spa • Mexico Dreams La Romana Resort & Spa • Dominican Republic Dreams Villamagna Nuevo Vallarta • Mexico Dreams Puerto Aventuras Resort & Spa • Mexico Interested? Request #011. September 29, 2008 TravelAgent | 45 http://www.sandals.com http://www.thepalmyra.com http://www.westin.com
Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Travel Agent - September 29, 2008 Travel Agent - September 29, 2008 Online Now Contents From the Executive VP From the Editor Europe Pacific/Asia Hawaii Alaska Las Vegas Mexico Caribbean Cruises Travelmart Latin America Girlfriend Getaways Agent Profile Agenda Tours Luxury Travel Expo Taiwan's New Golden Triangle Despite Weak Economy, Americans Are Still Cruising In the Spotlight Editorial Index Advertising Index Trendwatch Travel Agent - September 29, 2008 Travel Agent - September 29, 2008 - Travel Agent - September 29, 2008 (Page Cover1) Travel Agent - September 29, 2008 - Travel Agent - September 29, 2008 (Page Cover2) Travel Agent - September 29, 2008 - Travel Agent - September 29, 2008 (Page 1) Travel Agent - September 29, 2008 - Online Now (Page 2) Travel Agent - September 29, 2008 - Online Now (Page 3) Travel Agent - September 29, 2008 - Contents (Page 4) Travel Agent - September 29, 2008 - Contents (Page 5) Travel Agent - September 29, 2008 - Contents (Page 6) Travel Agent - September 29, 2008 - Contents (Page 7) Travel Agent - September 29, 2008 - From the Executive VP (Page 8) Travel Agent - September 29, 2008 - From the Executive VP (Page 9) Travel Agent - September 29, 2008 - From the Editor (Page 10) Travel Agent - September 29, 2008 - From the Editor (Page 11) Travel Agent - September 29, 2008 - From the Editor (Page 12) Travel Agent - September 29, 2008 - From the Editor (Page 13) Travel Agent - September 29, 2008 - From the Editor (Page 14) Travel Agent - September 29, 2008 - From the Editor (Page 15) Travel Agent - September 29, 2008 - Europe (Page 16) Travel Agent - September 29, 2008 - Europe (Page 17) Travel Agent - September 29, 2008 - Europe (Page 18) Travel Agent - September 29, 2008 - Europe (Page 19) Travel Agent - September 29, 2008 - Pacific/Asia (Page 20) Travel Agent - September 29, 2008 - Pacific/Asia (Page 21) Travel Agent - September 29, 2008 - Pacific/Asia (Page 22) Travel Agent - September 29, 2008 - Pacific/Asia (Page 23) Travel Agent - September 29, 2008 - Hawaii (Page 24) Travel Agent - September 29, 2008 - Hawaii (Page 25) Travel Agent - September 29, 2008 - Hawaii (Page 26) Travel Agent - September 29, 2008 - Hawaii (Page 27) Travel Agent - September 29, 2008 - Alaska (Page 28) Travel Agent - September 29, 2008 - Alaska (Page 29) Travel Agent - September 29, 2008 - Las Vegas (Page 30) Travel Agent - September 29, 2008 - Las Vegas (Page 31) Travel Agent - September 29, 2008 - Las Vegas (Page 32) Travel Agent - September 29, 2008 - Las Vegas (Page 33) Travel Agent - September 29, 2008 - Mexico (Page 34) Travel Agent - September 29, 2008 - Mexico (Page 35) Travel Agent - September 29, 2008 - Mexico (Page 36) Travel Agent - September 29, 2008 - Mexico (Page 37) Travel Agent - September 29, 2008 - Mexico (Page 38) Travel Agent - September 29, 2008 - Mexico (Page 39) Travel Agent - September 29, 2008 - Mexico (Page 40) Travel Agent - September 29, 2008 - Mexico (Page 41) Travel Agent - September 29, 2008 - Caribbean (Page 42) Travel Agent - September 29, 2008 - Caribbean (Page 43) Travel Agent - September 29, 2008 - Caribbean (Page 44) Travel Agent - September 29, 2008 - Caribbean (Page 45) Travel Agent - September 29, 2008 - Cruises (Page 46) Travel Agent - September 29, 2008 - Cruises (Page 47) Travel Agent - September 29, 2008 - Cruises (Page 48) Travel Agent - September 29, 2008 - Cruises (Page 49) Travel Agent - September 29, 2008 - Travelmart Latin America (Page 50) Travel Agent - September 29, 2008 - Travelmart Latin America (Page 51) Travel Agent - September 29, 2008 - Travelmart Latin America (Page 52) Travel Agent - September 29, 2008 - Travelmart Latin America (Page 53) Travel Agent - September 29, 2008 - Travelmart Latin America (Page 54) Travel Agent - September 29, 2008 - Travelmart Latin America (Page 55) Travel Agent - September 29, 2008 - Travelmart Latin America (Page 56) Travel Agent - September 29, 2008 - Travelmart Latin America (Page 57) Travel Agent - September 29, 2008 - Girlfriend Getaways (Page 58) Travel Agent - September 29, 2008 - Girlfriend Getaways (Page 59) Travel Agent - September 29, 2008 - Girlfriend Getaways (Page 60) Travel Agent - September 29, 2008 - Girlfriend Getaways (Page 61) Travel Agent - September 29, 2008 - Girlfriend Getaways (Page 62) Travel Agent - September 29, 2008 - Girlfriend Getaways (Page 63) Travel Agent - September 29, 2008 - Agent Profile (Page 64) Travel Agent - September 29, 2008 - Agent Profile (Page 65) Travel Agent - September 29, 2008 - Agent Profile (Page 66) Travel Agent - September 29, 2008 - Agent Profile (Page 67) Travel Agent - September 29, 2008 - Agenda (Page 68) Travel Agent - September 29, 2008 - Agenda (Page 69) Travel Agent - September 29, 2008 - Tours (Page 70) Travel Agent - September 29, 2008 - Tours (Page 71) Travel Agent - September 29, 2008 - Tours (Page 72) Travel Agent - September 29, 2008 - Luxury Travel Expo (Page 73) Travel Agent - September 29, 2008 - Taiwan's New Golden Triangle (Page 74) Travel Agent - September 29, 2008 - Despite Weak Economy, Americans Are Still Cruising (Page 75) Travel Agent - September 29, 2008 - Despite Weak Economy, Americans Are Still Cruising (Page 76) Travel Agent - September 29, 2008 - In the Spotlight (Page 77) Travel Agent - September 29, 2008 - Editorial Index (Page 78) Travel Agent - September 29, 2008 - Advertising Index (Page 79) Travel Agent - September 29, 2008 - Trendwatch (Page 80) Travel Agent - September 29, 2008 - Trendwatch (Page Cover3) Travel Agent - September 29, 2008 - Trendwatch (Page Cover4)
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