In spite of the double-digit growth of U.S. visitors in 2007 to the Caribbean the airlines are cutting back flights!

I am not an alarmist, nor do I ever look at my glass “half empty”.  But, there are a series of SERIOUS decisions being made by the major airlines serving the Caribbean!  The past year has seen on of the largest levels of visitors to the Caribbean in history - over 15 million people enjoying the most beautiful resorts and beaches in the world!!!  As I have written many times, the Caribbean is THE place to be for second, third and fourth homes - whether fractionals or full ownership real estate. 

During my 30+ years of traveling to the Caribbean I have NEVER thought about not being able to get there.  My only concern is planning my monthly and yearly schedules to fit in the hundreds of adventures I have enjoyed over the years - from the BVI to Trinadad/Tobago.  BUT, today, with the monumental impact the oil prices are having on all aspects of our lives, the ONLY method to get to the Caribbean - airlines, are cutting back or canceling their flights to Puerto Rico, the visitor’s hub to all the Caribbean islands.

Allen Castanet, the chairman of the Caribbean Tourism Organization said last week, “Billions of dollars of investment are being exposed, and thousands of jobs are being exposed.”  The weak link in access to the Caribbean is American Airlines.  They are in a mess and are struggling to stay in business.  Here is the rub…they currently control more that 60% of the passengers traveling through Puerto Rico as they connect to smaller airplanes servicing each of the Caribbean islands.  American Airlines has just announced that they are cutting back their daily flights to Puerto Rico this September from 93 to 51!!!  Holy Moly!!!  If you owned any tourist oriented business in the Caribbean, wouldn’t this news put shivers up your spine?  This is a BIG issue that will need to be addressed by anyone who has an interest in the tourist economy of this very special region of the world.

The flights that are being cut to Puerto Rico will also greatly impact the cruise line business.  San Juan is the city where most cruise line passengers meet their ships.  Over ten cruise lines use San Juan as their destination port.  Continental Airlines is another big player in flights to San Juan, and they are now expected to announce flight cuts because of the price of jet fuel and the soft American economy.   Last week Spirit Airlines has closed their Puerto Rico hub entirely!

Again, in past articles I have highlighted the amazing opportunities in the Dominican Republic -fractional and full ownership real estate opportunities.  Get this…from January through April of this year more than 407,000 tourists visited the DR - a 6% increase over the same period last year!  The question now is how will you get there?  Peter Muller who owns the Hotel Coyamar in Samana, Dominican Republic said, “This is just the beginning.  We’re going to reach a point where it’s no longer worth keeping the airport open.”  In spite of this latest blow to those wanting to travel to the Caribbean, solutions will be found.  Those travel solutions will cost a lot more, but they may be the only options we have.  One thought may be that Cancun becomes the airline hub to the Caribbean.  It would make traveling there much more difficult for those U.S. travelers from the East Coast, but it would be about the same travel time for those going to the Caribbean from the West Coast.  It would also immediately put the focus on Belize, Turks & Caicos, Bermuda, Bahamas, and the Cayman Islands as places to consider for your next Caribbean home.  I am absolutely sure viable solutions will be discovered.  But, for the short term, we will all need to make flight plans months in advance in order to make sure we get a seat.  Let me know your thoughts on these latest developments impacting traveling to the Caribbean.  Until next time…your Caribbean lifestyle detective is on duty.

A white Caribbean Realtor / Community activist, and a white graduating college senior continue to blur the color lines of our world.

History was made last week as Jim Walberg - a Caribbean Realtor was inducted into the Diablo Black Men’s Group, and Joshua Packwood - a U-Tube Link, was chosen as the Valedictorian of Morehouse College - the all-black men’s college outside of Atlanta, Georgia.  Both of these men are white and both realize that color lines are drawn by everyone, and they hoped that it would not prevent them from making a difference in worlds in which they live and serve.  Both of these men live by the value statement that Martin Luther King, Jr. gave us years ago,   “We are prone to judge success by the index of our salary or the size of our automobile,  rather than by the quality of our service to others and our relationship to humanity.”  

The Diablo Black Men’s Group

The Diablo Black Men’s Group began in the mid 1990’s as an outlet for Diablo Valley African American men. By 1999, the group had evolved into an organization of men who wanted to see their collective influence to enhance the lives of their members and families as well as make significant contributions to the community in which they live. They encourage each member to appreciate liberty and all that it encompasses, including embracing community involvement.

DBMG is committed to support activities with the goal of improving the health and welfare of their citizenry. In addition, DBMG is actively involved in promoting the education of the impact on heart disease, prostate cancer awareness, and health screening of African American men in collaboration with the Alta Bates Summit Ethnic Health Institute, Kaiser Permanente Hospitals, and the American Cancer Society with support from the ChevronTexaco Corporation. Additionally, DBMG helps socially and economically challenged Bay Area youth pursue cultural and educational opportunities through their college scholarship programs.

Moorehouse College 2008 Valedictorian

Founded over 144 years ago in Atlanta, Georgia, Morehouse College has focused on the mission to develop men with disciplined minds who will lead lives of leadership and service. A private historically black liberal arts college for men, Morehouse realizes this mission by emphasizing the intellectual and character development of its students. In addition, the College assumes special responsibility for teaching the history and culture of black people.  Founded in 1867 and located in Atlanta, Georgia, Morehouse is an academic community dedicated to teaching, scholarship, and service, and the continuing search for truth as a liberating force.

Editors Note: Some of the Morehouse College graduates who have made a significant difference in our lives and the world:  Martin Luther King Jr. led the country through one of its most transforming civic movements; David Satcher resuscitated the issues of health care disparity and access; Maynard Jackson taught the world the value of diversity and equal access as the first African American mayor of Atlanta; Donn Clenendon scored in the history annals and was part of a miracle when he was named a World Series MVP; and Shelton “Spike” Lee continues to challenge how the world views blacks in life with critically acclaimed films.  These are just some of the Morehouse Men.

In 2004 Joshua Packwood became one of the “Morehouse Men”.   The 22-year-old from Kansas City, Mo., graduated on May 18^th with a perfect 4.0 GPA and a degree in economics.  He could have gone elsewhere, to a school like Columbia, Stanford or Yale, but his four-year journey through Morehouse has taught him a few things that they could not have learned at any other university, and he makes it clear that he has no regrets.  The Morehouse College professors chose the Valedictorian, and he was their candidate of choice because of his academic accomplishments and his contribution to the college.  He graduated as a Rhodes Scholar finalist, and will be joining Goldman Sachs in New York City. “I’ve been forced to see the world in a different perspective, that I don’t think I could’ve gotten anywhere else,” he said. “None of the ‘Ivies’, no matter how large their enrollment is, no matter how many Nobel laureates they have on their faculty … none of them could’ve provided me with the perspective I have now.”  

It is important for all of us to make a positive difference in worlds we live in everyday.  Now it is your turn.  Let us know what you are doing with the legacy you are leaving behind…

Most everyone I know thinks the Bahamas are in the Caribbean - they are not, but you will think they are when you arrive!

For the past year or more, we have been getting inquiries from Buyers who want information about buying in The Bahamas since they believe these islands are in the Caribbean.  Up until about six weeks ago I told all of those inquiring that the Bahamas are not in the Caribbean. Starting about six weeks ago there has been non-stop inquiries about real estate opportunities in the Bahamas. If you remember my “Brits & Boomers” blog posting, most of these inquiries are coming from Brittan, Europe and Eastern U.S. With this type of interest I had better pay attention to what the consumers are looking for.

One of the BIG benefits is that the Bahamas are so darn convenient for visitors to get there - direct flights from England and the Eastern coast of the U.S. It is definitely a British experience when you arrive. The uniforms of the police and driving on the left side of the road are just the first two clues of the British influence on this 100,000 square mile cluster of 700 islands that include an estimated land area of 5,382 square miles, and the highest land elevation is only 206 feet!

The diving is over the top as one of the many draws since The Bahamas have the third largest barrier reef next to Australia being #1, and Belize being #2!  It also has 14+% of the world’s coral. There are just over 305,000 Bahamians living on the islands with the majority of them on Nassau and Paradise Islands. There are actually only 14 main islands that serve the remaining 686 islands - either by boat or plane. The boat anchorages available throughout the Bahamas allows a sailor to never have another boat anchored next them if they plan their sailing adventure properly.

The African culture has created the flavor and texture of The Bahamas.  There is definitely a British influence , but the culture is West African.  One of the amazing festivals in the Bahamas is Junkonoo. This would be a close cousin of the Caribbean Carnivals, but it is held twice a year on Bay Street in Nassau, so the typical tourist does not get a chance to experience it.  But if you venture down the Prince George Dock in Nassau, you can check out the Junkanoo Expo. 

If sailing is your deal, as it is mine, then you need to show up at Montagu Bay for The Valentine’s Day Sailing Regatta. This regatta is part of the Caribbean regattas that are some of the most competitive in the world.  Remember Ondeck Ocean Racing charters?  They will be entered in 2009 and they are always competitive. It is truly a championship race that has all the fun of Race Week in Antigua. I have finally accepted the fact that the world embraces The Bahamas as part of the Caribbean scene.  So, if you would like to check some of the real estate opportunities in this “paradise” that is only 600 miles off the coast of the U.S., email me and I will send you some fun stuff.  Until next time…

  They are not only targeting old and young visitors, lovers and divers!

The Virgin Islands Tourism Board showed off their newest cutting-edge marketing tools earlier this month in St. Croix at Buccaneer Resort in Christiansted. They are going to be using DVD, a music video, U-Tube, and print ads to reach their target audiences. “We want to target the young who can spend many vacation years here,” said Beverly Nicholson-Doty, Tourism commissioner.

The music is pop, with Jade Anderson singing an original tune, “Island Time.” She is the daughter of Jon Anderson, who sang such hits as “Roundabout” and “Owner of a Lonely Heart” in the 1970s and ’80s as front man for the British rock band Yes. “Worries are oceans behind …,” Anderson sings, “washing the tension from my mind … sleep beneath the trees … swim the seas, this is how life is meant to be.” The catchy tune communicates the feel of the islands.  Stanley & The Ten Sleepless Knights does the music.

The DVD tells of a young woman’s trip to “America’s Caribbean.” It is a scrapbook and travel journal; she narrates as the pages turn. The footage shows mocko jumbies, weddings, diving, history, culture and more. The printed guides target potential visitors, lovers and divers. Each printed guide is chocked full of island photos in order to hook in the consumers and travel agents so they will choose the U.S. Virgin Islands as their vacation destination.

The romance guide is for couples thinking of beginning lives together with an island wedding. The dive guide is an undersea exploration with shots of the “Wall,” shipwrecks and reefs. The new materials will be used at trade shows, and with travel agents. “We’re doing 500 sales calls a month with this material,” Nicholson-Doty said.

The Virgin Island Tourism campaign is currently focused in Atlanta as a test run, with signs on 75 buses and at airports. The next cities targeted are Boston, Philadelphia, Miami, New York, Cleveland and Chicago. The Tourism Board is also working with airlines to bring more visitors, Nicholson-Doty said. “We need to ensure filling the plane and solidly grow the market with filled seats,” she said. “These are exciting new marketing pieces promoting the Virgin Islands,” Nicholson-Doty said. “This is a first with exposure in mediums we haven’t used before.” All the Toursim Board needs to do is get their target markets to the islands and they will be hooked for life.  I visited the Caribbean over 30 years ago, and looked what happened to me!  Be sure to link on the V.I. Tourism Board to view their new marketing material.  They have done a great job with these new marketing tools.  Until next time….your Caribbean lifestyle detective remains on duty!

On March 19^th - 23^rd St. John is the place to be for the best Blues Festival in the Caribbean!The Beach Bar at Cruz Bay is the beginning venue and the ending venue of this unforgettable event. Reverend Raven & The Chain Smoking Altar Boys will be the headline for the kick-off at The Beach Bar on March 19^th. ( You will remember that The Beach Bar is THE spot to hang out at on Thursday late afternoon for blues music from local USVI talent.) Well, Steve Simon has organized a five day Blues Festival this year from March 19^th through March 23^rd! On March 22^nd is the BIG concert of the event at Coral Bay Ball Field starting at 7PM. Simon said, “It’s probably the single greatest evening of entertainment throughout the year in the USVI.” Advance ticket sales are $25 for the Saturday night concert and $30 at the gate. ( You can contact me for the various locations where tickets will be on sale for the next ten days.)

This year’s event features some of the finest Cajun music with three of the performers coming from New Orleans. The concert stars Tab Benoit, Chubby Carrier and the Bayou Swamp Band, Waylon Thibodeaux, and Sean Carney and the Sean Carney Band. Benoit is a recording artist who remains true to his Cajun roots. Chubby Carrier and the Bayou Swamp Band play Zydeco music, with Waylon Thibodeaux playing a mixture of Louisiana-based music. Sean Carney and the Sean Carney Band was the winner of the 23rd annual Blues Challenge in Memphis. On March 20, Reverend Raven and the Chain Smoking Altar Boys will play on Bluesday in Coral Bay at the Aqua Bistro Café. The performance begins at 8 p.m. with free admission. Danny Draher and Mitch Woods play at the One Night to Go Party at Shipwreck Landing outside Coral Bay. The entertainment begins at 8 p.m. with free admission. The Blues Festival wraps up March 23^rd with a closing party at the Beach Bar in Cruz Bay. It runs from 4 to 7:30 p.m. with “surprise artists.” Admission is free.

Most of the proceeds from the Blues Festival will go to the Voice of the Wetlands to help Benoit’s efforts to put a stop to the dramatic loss of Louisiana’s wetlands. “A football-field length of wetlands is disappearing every 30 minutes,” Simon said. The loss of the protective wetlands puts the area at risk from hurricanes. Additionally, the wetlands loss has a huge economic impact on the region. “The seafood industry will be brought to its knees,” Simon said.

I love the Blues, and this is the event of the year for those that share this love. If you go to this year’s Festival, let me know what was your favorite performer. It would blow you socks off…well, I never wear any, so that will be a problem for me. Until next time…..

The biggest event in the Virgin Islands is coming April  6^th!

THE biggest event in the Virgin Islands each year is Carnival!  In fact, the Virgin Island Carnival is one of the biggest celebrations in the WORLD!  The highlight of the three week celebration is the grande finale - “Adult Parade”. It is the event that most of us think of as Carnival - colorful and BIG costumes, steel bands, floats, and the world famous “Mocko Jumbie” stilt walkers.  (Jumbies, they are stilt dancers who have their origins in West Africa where they were used to scare away evil spirits. You can find them appearing at street festivals and carnival all throughout the Caribbean.)  Every year it is an unforgettable experience. In addition, Virgin Island Carnival on St. Thomas has calypso competitions, local foods, arts and crafts, beauty pageants, concerts, and jump up parties.

The 2008 Virgin Islands Carnival plans have started way ahead of schedule. The plans started today! Beverly Nicholson Doty from the Virgin Island Tourist Board just joined the Carnival Committee, along with Ira Rosen from the States to assist with the planning. Carnival Committee Chairman, Kenneth Blake, and Executive Director, Caswil Callender, announced this year’s festivities Tuesday morning at a press conference at Palms Court Harbor View Hotel. The committee praised the participation of Gov. John deJongh Jr. in this years’ party. “He has done what he said he would do to work with us. We sat down with him two weeks ago and listened to his suggestions. He didn’t try to press anything on us just because he is the governor; he really listened to us.”  The hurdles each year are getting corporate sponsorship.  There are thousands of dollars that are earned by the local businesses in the Virgin Islands, but it is still a challenge for the committee to get the local businesses to give back to this critical annual event.

Mr. Rosen said, “We need to increase the number of cultural tourists. We need to promote Carnival because it is safe, because no passport is needed in the Virgin Islands, and because of what we have to offer to cultural tourists over leisure tourists. The cultural tourist will spend three time that of the leisure tourist, and will stay three times as long.” Mr. Rosen may need a year or more to spread the word on the mainland, but the committee is confident with their game plan that they will create this result.

This year’s committee has a total budget of almost $1.1 million. They are hoping to get $600,000 from the government, and they will raise the additional $500,000 from business sponsorships.
Again, Carnival opens April 6^th with the Prince and Princess Selection Show at 5PM at Lionel Roberts Stadium, and concludes when Carnival Village closes with a “Last Lap” from midnight to 2AM April 27^th. I hope to see you all there…

Ms. Hamilton is the current sales and marketing director at Frenchman’s Reef Resort

What an opportunity for a dynamic champion of the territory to make a significant economic difference in the Virgin Islands by expanding the tourism economy. Lisa has had a distinguished career in the hospitality business for the last 20 years. She started by making beds at the Montauk Yacht Club on Long Island. Her next stop was the Virgin Islands because a friend convinced her in 1991 to vacation with her. She fell in love with the islands and got a job at Frenchman’s Reef Resort. She rose through the ranks and became their sales and marketing director - what a success story!

For the past years she has been very active in the Virgin Island Hotel Association as a member of their board of directors and spent the last four years serving as the chairwoman of their marketing committee.  Her “fingerprints” are all over their current marketing plan to gain national awareness of the vacation opportunities in the Virgin Islands. The Hotel Association’s public relations firm, Fareed, Zapala and Koepke, hired bikini-clad models to bounce beach balls on the cold streets of New York.

Last Wednesday morning, they were outside of “The Today Show” when the camera focused in on the crowd. The “Today Show” mentioned the campaign during their show confirming the results of a stealth campaign that supports awareness of vacation opportunities in the Virgin Islands. The campaign is to also hit the streets of Chicago, Washington, D.C. and Atlanta. The Big Beach Ball “stealth” marketing campaign offers viewers a $100 resort credit if they book at the listed hotels on St. Thomas and St. Croix.

Lisa sees the Internet as a critical marketing tool for the Hotel Association and they will be allocating 60 to 70 percent of its budget towards Internet marketing. Ms. Hamilton said, “Customers are making their buying decisions online,” ( With the results of our blog site, we have confirmed to Lisa that they are hitting a bulls-eye with this strategy. I will do my best to have Ms. Hamilton as a guest writer regarding the vision/mission that she will be bringing to the Hotel Association.)

Lisa also understands the effect of synergy on affiliate hotel associations and is a supporter of joining forces with the St. Croix Hotel Association to form strategic alliances with them to maximize both of their association marketing plans. The results of these types of alliances will greatly benefit the real estate opportunities for both sellers and buyers.

Those of you involved in the promoting the benefits and paradise experience of the Virgin Islands will give Lisa a standing ovation as she steps into the leadership role of this very important association. We look forward to engaging her in a dialogue as to her views on how to expand the tourist experience in this magical, tropical playground. Until next time…your Caribbean lifestyle and real estate reporter remains on duty.

Willard Daggett from International Center For Leadership In Education speaking in St. Croix and St. Thomas.

One of the factors that keep real estate values stable is a great local education system.  Last year at a St. Croix Foundation event focused on the condition of the Virgin Island education system, Willard Daggett – founder of International Center For Leadership In Education (ICLE) stated, “The public education system in the Virgin Islands is in crisis.” The St. Croix Foundation have invited Mr. Daggett to return for an education symposium this month in St. Croix and St. Thomas.

Mr. Daggett has spoken to hundreds of thousands of educators, advocating the need for public education systems to keep pace with its global competitors.  In addition to stressing the need for eliminating some of the levels of “bureaucracy” within the Education Department, Daggett also suggested the adoption of new methods to help assess students’ abilities and target materials — such as new educational software and other applications — specifically designed to help individual students.

The St. Croix Foundation has scheduled a Virgin Island symposium on January 14th-15th with Mr. Daggett as the featured speaker.  Representatives from the territory’s schools, Education officials and local policymakers are urged to attend, according to a foundation press release. The symposium is scheduled to run from 8:30 AM to 1:30 PM January 14th at St. Croix’s Educational Complex, and from 8:30 AM to 1:30 PM January 15th at the Bertha C. Boschulte Middle School on St. Thomas.

During this important symposium, Mr. Daggett will address three critical topics: 1) Developing 21st century literacy in students; 2) Rigor and relevance for all students; 3) Preparing students for the changing world. The event — a major part of the foundation’s Comprehensive Educational Initiative — is also sponsored in conjunction with the local Education Department. For more information on the symposium, call the St. Croix Foundation at (340) 773-9898 or visit their website. Anyone is welcome to attend so if these topics interest you, please put it in your schedule.  Until next time…