 |
|
St. Kitts and Nevis' Prime Minister and Minister of Tourism, the Hon. Dr. Denzil L. Douglas (l) and NewFound Group International Chief Executive Officer, Brian Dobbin breaking ground to start construction of the US$100 million Ocean's Edge Resort at Frigate Bay, St. Kitts. | BASSETERRE, ST. KITTS, FEBRUARY 14TH 2006 - South Florida's Sun Sentinel, said the start of construction of the US$100 million five-star resort named Ocean's Edge in the eastern Caribbean island of St. Kitts, is one of the bright spots for Caribbean tourism. Sun-Sentinel listed the construction of the resort by Newfound Property International as one of the developments in the world's most tourism-independent region.
The plans by Ocean Edge Resort on 40 acres overlooking the Atlantic Ocean at Frigate Bay, call for 64 one-bedroom apartments, 60 two-bedroom apartments and 48 two-bedroom garden cottages, as well as 19 villas.
'The outlook is bright for tourism in the greater Caribbean, signaling opportunity for South Florida companies who supply construction materials, furniture, food and other goods and services to the neighboring island chain,' said the paper.
It reported that the London-based World Travel & Tourism Council states that the Caribbean travel and tourism industry, accounts for 15 percent of the area's economic activity and this is forecast to grow by about four percent a year through 2015.
Detailing some developments in the world's most tourism-dependent region, Florida Sun-Sentinel says air arrivals to the Caribbean region are projected to rise 5 percent this winter tourism season.
Construction is under way on a 428-room Hyatt hotel and 50,000-square-foot conference center in downtown Port-of-Spain, part of a push by Trinidad to become a prime conference venue. The facilities are scheduled for open in late 2007, said Calder Hart, who chairs the Urban Development Co. of Trinidad & Tobago.
The eastern Caribbean island of St. Lucia plans to open its first casino by December, initially equipped with 350 slot machines and 14 gaming tables.
Managing the 15,000-square-foot casino will be Treasure Bay Corp LLC of Biloxi, Mississippi.
 |
|
Photos of the apartments to be built at Ocean's Edge Resort, Frigate Bay |
Toronto-based Fairmont Hotels & Resorts Inc. said it signed an agreement with The Wight Group of Schaumburg, Ill. to manage a luxury condo-resort on the west coast of the North Caicos in the Turks & Caicos Islands.
The project includes a 150-room resort, a 150-room condo hotel and several Fairmont-branded residential developments that feature a spa and golf course. The project is to open in 2009.
Three international organizations have agreed to collaborate on tourism-related projects in the Caribbean, aiming to jointly develop Web sites, conduct research and mobilize funds, among other ventures.
Teaming up are the Organization of American States based in Washington. D.C.; Caribbean Tourism Organization based in Barbados; and Caribbean Hotel Association based in Puerto Rico.
|
