World Tourism Blog

About 350 people who got sick a week into a Caribbean cruise were responding well to medicine, the cruise line  said Tuesday.

Celebrity Cruise spokeswoman Cynthia Martinez said 326 of the more than 1,800 passengers on the Celebrity Mercury began complaining Sunday of upset stomachs, vomiting and diarrhea. Martinez says 27 of the nearly 850 crew members also reported symptoms.

The ship left Charleston on Feb. 15. State officials said there has been an outbreak in norovirus cases across South Carolina but that it is not possible to say if that’s what led to the ship’s illnesses.

Martinez says the crew is conducting “enhanced cleaning” of the ship to prevent the spread of the illness.

An extra doctor and two nurses came aboard in St. Kitts, in the Leeward Islands, and will sail to Charleston, arriving early Friday.

It’s not clear what caused the outbreak. Norovirus is often to blame for similar symptoms sweeping closed quarters like those on cruise ships, but a determination will have to until samples are tested.

Samples from ill passengers and crew are being sent to the Centers for Disease Control, said CDC spokesman Jay Dempsey. He said workers from the agency’s Vessel Sanitation Program will meet the ship when it arrives in Charleston.

The workers will conduct an environmental assessment of the ship to determine the cause of the illness, he added.

According to the CDC Web site, there were two outbreaks of norovirus, which causes stomach flu, last winter on the Celebrity Mercury. In all, the agency investigated 15 outbreaks of gastrointestinal illnesses on cruise ships calling at American ports.

This year an estimated 14.3 million passengers are expected to take cruises, according to the Cruise Lines International Association, an industry trade group.

The Mercury embarked from a state where health officials have reported twice as many cases of norovirus as normal this winter.

“We have been taken aback at how many people are getting sick with this virus,” said Adam Myrick, a spokesman for the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control.

If it turns out to be the virus, it’s no surprise it spread quickly aboard ship because the virus stays on surfaces like doorknobs, handrails and sink fixtures for a long time, he said.

“Any time you have tight spaces and shared surfaces, this virus can spread fast,” Myrick said.

The South Carolina cruise industry is growing and the Mercury sailing earlier this month began Charleston’s first year-round cruising season. There will be 67 cruise calls in the city this year.

The Celebrity Mercury has six more departures set from Charleston during the coming months, including a 16-night trip through the Panama Canal ending in Los Angeles.

Later this spring, Carnival Cruise Lines will permanently base its 2,056-passenger Carnival Fantasy in Charleston.

As the industry grows, the South Carolina State Ports Authority is pursuing plans to open a new cruise terminal and open another half-mile of Charleston’s historic waterfront to the public.

A recent study commissioned by the authority shows cruises will mean $37 million to the South Carolina economy this year. Home Security Systems.

Anyone looking for romance at sea should talk to Irene and Jim Manion, who celebrated their 60th birthdays on a Windstar ship cruising the Greek isles last summer. “You could reserve a table outdoors for a candlelight dinner,” says Irene Manion. “And we watched the sunset while looking out at the Greek islands. It was pretty incredible.”

For many, the term “romantic cruise” conjures up cheesy 1970s visions of matchmaking shuffleboard on The Love Boat. But for those who’ve actually sought out romance on the high seas, the reality is a whole lot more alluring.

In fact, cruising can create a memorable experience with your loved one. What’s not romantic about admiring the open sea and holding hands while a crew waits on you hand and foot?

While romance is never guaranteed, choosing a love-inspiring cruising destination is a good first step. Going to Antarctica to ogle penguins is fine, but cruising, say, around the breathtaking volcanic peaks and crystal blue lagoons of French Polynesia on the Paul Gauguin is, well, sexier.

Or go sailing in the Greek isles: whether you’re on small ships (like those of Windstar) or big vessels (like the Celebrity Equinox), it’s easy to see why these islands—with their beautiful sandy beaches, clear seas, and ancient ruins—are a favorite of die-hard romantics.

Constant views and a relaxed vacation ambience only serve to enhance the romance. Whether you choose a big ship with such accoutrements as lavish casinos, theaters, and lounges, or go with a more low-key small ship is a personal choice. But to assure amore on any ship you’ll want to book the biggest cabin you can afford—you don’t want to be on top of each other at all times.

Ships like the über-luxurious Seabourn Odyssey promise space with all-suite accommodations that include separate sitting areas, walk-in closets, and generous-size bathrooms. Look, too, for a cabin with a balcony, which adds a pleasant open-air retreat for private dining (and canoodling).

Further impress your sweetheart on the high seas with a couples’ treatment in the spa (the Canyon Ranch spa on Queen Mary 2 is one of the best). And plan a “date night” shipboard with an intimate dinner for two at a specialty restaurant like the fancy Crown Grill steak house on the Ruby Princess. Fittingly, that’s the same ship christened by reality TV couple Trista and Ryan Sutter (of ABC’s hit television show The Bachelorette) in celebration of their fifth wedding anniversary. Home Security Systems.

This week, as the weak winter sun did its best to warm my home state of Idaho, my husband and I began looking for a place to go with our kids (ages 9 and 11) and my parents over spring break.

The kids want the beach and snorkeling. My husband and I, fancying ourselves to be veteran travelers, will not set foot in a resort. My parents, having suffered adventure travel at our hands before, prefer an experience that is authentic but not life-threatening.

With all this in mind, I turned to 80 Degrees, a new online travel planner from the guidebook publisher Fodor’s.

80 Degrees, uses a quiz to help figure out what destination will deliver the trip you are looking for. The interactive tool asks you whether you want to go off the beaten path, stay safely in a resort, or venture somewhere in between. The quiz also helps define the attractions you seek, such as beaches, casinos, or child-friendly activities. Plug in the type of travelers, be it a romantic couple or a large group, and how much money is expected to be spent on lodging. After a few more questions about where and what, the site delivers a list of appealing options.

Right now, 80 Degrees is only set up to find winter escapes where the temperature hovers around a perfect 80 degrees. The company plans to roll out a European vacation version early this year, and some options for skiers after that, with a different name to reflect cooler climates.

Meanwhile, 80 Degrees directs its users to a host of sunny getaways in Belize, Mexico, Hawaii, Costa Rica, Florida and the Caribbean.

Like all worthwhile travel Web sites, 80 Degrees makes excellent reading on its own, even if a two-week stay in Virgin Gorda is nothing but a pipe dream. The destination ideas come with an online travel guide, and those mini-guidebooks include forums with a wealth of thoughtful reviews that drill down to the minutiae that can make or break a lodging experience at a particular hotel or resort — from helpful drivers to horror stories about bugs in the oven. About 700 writers work for Fodor’s, a venerable travel publisher that covers 500 destinations around the world. The guide’s hotel and restaurant listings are independent of advertising sales, according to Fodor’s staff.

The publisher’s main Web site — http://www.fodors.com/ — is a good place for travelers to learn more about areas they already know they want to visit. 80 Degrees helps the undecided figure out where that is.

“A lot of sites, if you know where to go, they’ll tell you different things to do in a particular location,” said Tim Jarrell, Fodor’s publisher. “We’re trying to inspire you. We’ve done our job if we give you a destination that perhaps you had not considered before you took the quiz.” Home Security Systems.

The Caribbean isn’t exactly known to be cheap, but you can stretch your dollar pretty far on certain islands — even when traveling during the winter high season.

Popular hot spots like the Bahamas, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, and others offer great value in terms of easy access and well-priced lodging and dining options. But some off-the-beaten-path islands, from Montserrat to Tobago, are also worth seeking out for the extraordinary bang for the buck that they provide.

All-inclusive holidays dominate the scene on most of these islands — great if you want a worry-free, value-packed vacation, but limiting if you want to experience the destination beyond the resort gates; don’t overlook smaller, locally owned villas and inns for terrific, cost-effective alternatives.

Other surefire money-savers include traveling during the off season (from May to November) and looking to budget carriers for cheap flights — these tips, coupled with our editors’ picks for great-value islands, are guaranteed to leave you with enough cash left over to dole out on those frothy, beachfront pina coladas once you touch down! Hard money training

Cape Verde is a former Portuguese colony that is now an independent country. Cape Verde is compromised of 10 islands and five islets.  Situated on the west coast of Africa and just over an hours flying time south of the canaries, this group of islands has beaches to die for and a burgeoning tourism trade.

In a decade Cape Verde could be a household name for mass tourism. With multi-million pound investment programmes planned for hotels and infrastructure, the property gold rush is still in its infancy.

Presently, about 130,000 tourists visit Cape Verde each year. By the year 2015 it is anticipated that tourist numbers should increase to about 500,000 per year.

The Cape Verde Government are currently offering tax breaks as incentives for investors and because of the political and financial stability of the islands you can even get an international mortgage.

Jamaica, the third largest Caribbean island, was inhabited by Arawak natives. When Christopher Columbus arrived at the island, he claimed the land for Spain. Still, it was not truly colonized until after his death. But only a few decades after Columbus’ death almost all Arawaks were exterminated[citation needed]. Spain held the island against many buccaneer raids at the main city, which is now called Spanish Town. Eventually England claimed the island in a raid, but the Spanish did not relinquish their claim to the island until 1670.

Jamaica became a base of operations for buccaneers, including Captain Henry Morgan. In return these buccaneers kept the other colonial powers from attacking the island. Africans were captured, kidnapped, and forced into slavery to work on plantations when sugarcane became the most important export on the island.

Many slaves arrived in Jamaica via the Atlantic slave trade during the same time enslaved Africans arrived in North America. During this time there were many racial tensions, and Jamaica had one of the highest instances of slave uprisings of any Caribbean island.[1] After the British crown abolished slavery, the Jamaicans began working toward independence. Since independence there have been political and economic disturbances, as well as a number of strong political leaders. National Hard Money Association Conference

Tell people you are planning on Haiti. Tell them, and wait for the raised eyebrows, the skewed glances, the incredulous questions. Anyone who says that Haiti tourism is a thriving industry is a liar. It’s not much of a secret – pick up your nearest Caribbean travel guide. See if it lists Haiti. Sure, it”ll have Haiti’s neighbor to the east, the ever growing Dominican Republic, but Haiti? Probably not. They would have you believe that no one wants to visit the island. The people of Haiti have a reputation, after all.

A reputation for danger and instability. And while the turbulent history of Haiti doesn’t lend itself well to apologists, the country itself has long been given a bad rap. While crime, environmental problems and urban decay definitely have a home here, it’s neither more or less sketchy than many places in the world. And if anyone tries to talk you out of visiting Haiti, politely ignore them, as Haiti culture makes the island one of the most complex and fascinating locations in all of the Caribbean.

In fact, Haiti tourism was a bustling industry just 25 years ago. The untamed scenery and exotic locale were legendary, attracting movie stars and business moguls from all over the world. Notoriety came in the form of Haiti’s national religion of voodoo, but it was soon replaced by a different, more ominous marking – dictatorships, drug trafficking, widespread poverty and violence, all of which seriously wounded Haiti tourism. And despite the return of democracy to the island in the 21st century, the island is still in the process of recovery.

But that is neither here nor there, as the island still has enormous beauty to offer. Factor in that the government and people of Haiti are trying their best to restore the island into a tourist haven, and you have all the makings for a sublime trip to an island rediscovering itself. The palm trees and gingerbread houses of Jacmel make the city one of the most beautiful locations in all of the Caribbean. The fading white of the buildings and voodoo artwork give the city an exoticism that reminds one of why this used to be one of the top tourist spots in the entire Caribbean. NHMA

The Bahamas welcomed the new millennium with a travel and tourism renaissance. A change in government in 1992, an adjustment in marketing strategy and a $2.0 billion investment in the island’s infrastructure has helped re-invent the destination for leisure and business travelers.

The Bahamas were presented with the Crystal Palm Award for Excellence by the Caribbean Hotel Association in January of 1998. This prestigious award recognized the Bahamian government for its excellence in tourism management and visionary leadership. This honor was mirrored in the growing popularity of the destination as the Ministry of Tourism reported The Islands Of The Bahamas to be the most popular destination among all Caribbean Islands.