November 12, 2019 (Cruise Industry News) – The Caribbean received a record 16.7 million cruise passenger visits during the first six months of 2019, according to the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO). That was 1.3 million more than for the same period in 2018 which posted 15.4 million visits.

The biggest increase year-over-year came in January, which was up 18 percent, the CTO stated. After that the growth rate decreased in February and March, to jump up again in April. May and June saw a more moderate pace as well.

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This is an excerpt from Cruise Industry News as it appeared on November 12, 2019. For updates or to read the current version of this post in its entirety, please click here.

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Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Peter Turnquest ave remarks at yesterday’s Seminar on Disaster Response held by the Bahamas Institute of Chartered Accountants (BICA) in Nassau.

Good Morning
Congratulations on the start of another Accountant’s Week. I pray that you will have a successful period of networking, learning and fun (yes Accountants can have fun)!

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A study, undertaken by ForwardKeys, the travel analytics firm, has revealed that despite the recent ravages of hurricane Dorian and other huge storms in the Caribbean, tourism will continue to grow.

The results of the study were presented at a Caribbean Tourism Organization-organised news conference at the recent World Travel Market.

Forward bookings for the important winter season, 1stNovember to 31stJanuary are currently 1.6% ahead of where they were at the equivalent point last year.

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This is an excerpt from Ministry of Tourism as it appeared on November 8, 2019. For updates or to read the current version of this post in its entirety, please click here.

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Holt Financial formally announced at the beginning of the month the launch of its new digital finance platform. The platform provides users with a secure medium to convert cash to cryptocurrency and store multiple currencies.

“Our digital financial solutions are the natural response to a world in which banks and financial institutions are becoming increasing mobile and digital,” says Brendan Holt Dunn, chief executive officer of Holt Financial. “And it comes with the personalization, convenience and ease of use that consumers have come to expect from contemporary digital services.”

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Pictured: President of Carnival Cruise Line, Christine Duffy (left) with Minister of State for Grand Bahama Kwasi Thompson. (BIS Photo/Robyn Adderley)

Minister of State for Grand Bahama Kwasi Thompson welcomed the president of Carnival Cruise Line, Christine Duffy, along with other top executives during a courtesy call November 6.

Following the devastation of Hurricane Dorian at the beginning of September, Carnival greatly assisted residents of Grand Bahama by donating much needed relief supplies.

The cruise line also returned to its regular ports of call October 11, 2019.

Additionally, Carnival also had one of its ships, Carnival Ecstasy, come to Grand Bahama Shipyard for repairs October 8, the first ship at the facility following Hurricane Dorian.

Minister Thompson thanked the group for all that they had done for the island.

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Tourist arrivals to the Caribbean region including The Bahamas increased by a solid 9.7 per cent during the first half of 2019, when compared to the same period last year, the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) has revealed.

Addressing the media at a news conference at World Travel Market yesterday, CTO chairman Dominic Fedee said this performance was more than double the global average of 4.4 per cent.

Between January and June this year, there were 17.1 million tourist trips to the Caribbean region, 1.5 million more than the corresponding period in 2018.

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During the 60th annual Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, held October 30-November 3, the Ministry of Tourism and Aviation presented yacht charter operators, brokers and owners with a multitude of options for visiting the islands of The Bahamas.

Dubbed the “greatest boat show on the seven seas”, the Ft. Lauderdale International Boat Show attracts approximately 110,000 attendees and 1,200 exhibitors representing 52 countries.

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Domestic economic developments for the month of September were dominated by the passage of Hurricane Dorian, which resulted in a falloff in tourism relative to an average monthly strengthening during the first eight months, according to The Central Bank of The Bahamas‘ monthly economic review.

Nonetheless, positive impulses to construction output from foreign direct investment projects were sustained, with contributions from the domestic sector likely to increase as post-hurricane rebuilding efforts intensify.

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As part of the The Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO), The Bahamas is attending the World Travel Market in London this week.

During an interview on the sidelines of the event, director general of tourism Joy Jibrilu reiterated that most of The Bahamas was open for business despite the destruction caused by Hurricane Dorian.

She said that while Abaco and Grand Bahama were still recovering, the 14 other islands were unaffected and ready to welcome tourists.

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HOUSTON, November 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — IFM Investors Pty Ltd (“IFM”) and Buckeye Partners, L.P. (“Buckeye”) today announced the completion of the acquisition of Buckeye by entities affiliated with IFM, adding one of the largest diversified networks of integrated midstream assets to IFM’s substantial investments in energy infrastructure across North America.

Buckeye’s assets include 6,000 miles of pipeline, with over 100 delivery locations and 115 liquid petroleum products terminals with aggregate tank capacity of over 118 million barrels, and a network of marine terminals located primarily in the East and Gulf Coast regions of the United States, as well as in the Caribbean.

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