by Jose Carlos de Santiago (ITB 2008 - Berlin) Q.- First of all we’d like to know what the position of CHA really is as to the moving of its offices from Puerto Rico to Miami. A.- Let me clarify for you. What’s taking place is a change in how we do business, let alone the need to achieve the financial sustainability of the organization. We have outsourced functions of the Accounting Department that was based in Puerto Rico.

by Jose Carlos de Santiago A little longer than six months after taking over as director-general of Pullmantur, Jose Arriola talked exclusively with Caribbean News Digital newsletter about the company’s changes, results and perspectives under his leadership and new working style.

Oxfam International is a confederation of organizations made up of a baker’s dozen institutions that work diligently with more than 3,000 local entities from 100 countries. Their main projects are aimed at finding definitive solutions to slash poverty, social suffering and injustice. Quite recently, Oxfam International teamed up with the Excelencias Group to organize a workshop on risk reduction management in Cuba’s eastern province of Holguin. The organization’s regional representative for the Caribbean, Marc Ingelbrecht, -stationed in Cuba- talked exclusively with Caribbean News Digital about the event’s outcomes and major achievements.

FITUR 2008 - Madrid, Spain The U.S. Virgin Islands -comprising St. John, St. Thomas and St. Croix- have long been considered one of the safest travel destinations in the Caribbean. In addition, the small archipelago operates under U.S. laws and regulations, so visitors traveling in and out of the islands are not subjected to the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) that makes mandatory for all American tourists to have valid U.S. passports for Caribbean traveling. About this and other issues, Caribbean News Digital talked exclusively with Monique S. Hodge, assistant commissioner of the USVI Department of Tourism.

FITUR 2008 - Madrid, Spain The U.S. Virgin Islands -comprising St. John, St. Thomas and St. Croix- have long been considered one of the safest travel destinations in the Caribbean. In addition, the small archipelago operates under U.S. laws and regulations, so visitors traveling in and out of the islands are not subjected to the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) that makes mandatory for all American tourists to have valid U.S. passports for Caribbean traveling. About this and other issues, Caribbean News Digital talked exclusively with Luana Wheatly, marketing director of the USVI Hotel & Tourism Association.

FITUR 2008 - Madrid, Spain Penciled in as successful destination management company in Jamaica and with over 20 years of experience in the travel business under its belt, Glamour Tours, based in Montego Bay, Jamaica, has proven to be a leading travel agency in the Caribbean dealing with Glamour event planning, guided tours, entertainment, MICE coordination, weddings, hotel bookings and cruises. In this exclusive interview with our correspondent in Spain, Rachel S. Anderson, the company’s business expansion director, tells Caribbean News Digital her opinion about the ongoing increase of European -especially Spanish- tourists and investors landing in Jamaica.