The island of Montserrat has announced the first annual Montserrat Calabash Festival. "Calabash: An Explosion of Culture, scheduled from July 18 to 23. Festivities include a Calabash Exhibition at the Montserrat National Trust; a Calabash Food Fair; Calabash “Nite Lime” where revelers can enjoy a live band featuring local and Caribbean entertainers, and an adventure hike culminating with a Calabash Breakfast.

The Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) and the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism have picked the Westin and Sheraton Grand Bahama Island Our Lucaya Resort on Grand Bahama Island, in the Bahamas, as the host hotel for the 29th Annual Caribbean Tourism Conference (CTC-29), taking place from October 20 to 25. The theme of this year´s conference is Cooperation, Innovation, Rejuvenation. Creating a Brand New Caribbean.

New York-based Alken Tours was named the official tour operator for the 2007 Cricket World Cup West Indies Series on six Caribbean islands from March 15 to April 23, 2007. “Cricket is the lifeblood of the West Indian sporting world, and we are pleased to bring this event to our U.S. customers,” said Alken President and CEO Patricia Lawrence-Haughton.

Visitors to World Travel Market this year in November will be able to catch a remarkable sight of the new giant double-decker Airbus A380, the world´s largest passenger aircraft. Singapore Airlines (SIA), attending the business to business event for the international industry for the first time, will take delivery of its aircraft in the same month as World Travel Market is held at ExCeL London.

Now in its twelfth year, Responsible Tourism Day at World Travel Market 2006 in London is to host the First Choice Responsible Tourism Awards for the third year in a row. The Awards, on the World Stage on Wednesday, November 8, kicks off a packed program of events tackling key issues affecting the sector.

Months of arduous training and live rehearsals are now culminating for the members of 16 national culinary teams from across the region, who traveled this week to Miami, Florida, to compete in the annual culinary competition and all-Caribbean food and beverage showcase, Taste of the Caribbean 2006. The event, presented by the Caribbean Hotel Association (CHA) and Bahama Breeze, is now taking place at the Hyatt Regency Miami, and is expected to come to a close on Wednesday.