Air Canada is drawing up a business plan to create a low-cost carrier (LCC) to fly to vacation spots in the Caribbean, according to Business Review Canada. The publication said recently that other vacation spots will also include Europe, and Mexico. “This LCC would be in addition to Air Canada’s major routes, and its continuation is based upon its profitability in the competitive market,” the report said. Air Canada already has Air Canada Vacations, which caters to middle and higher-end travellers to vacation spots. “This LCC would fill the lower…
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Bahamas rated 3rd ‘investment grade’ nation in region
International credit ratings agency Standard & Poor’s (S&P) has ranked The Bahamas third among the five ‘investment grade’ jurisdictions in the region, due to the country’s rating of BBB+ with a stable outlook. Both Trinidad and Tobago and Aruba are ahead of this nation in an assessment that many potential foreign direct investors look at to provide information on good places to invest in. “It is very important,” S&P Director Olga Kalinina told Guardian Business yesterday. “First of all, certain investors — like pension funds — are not even allowed…
Read MoreOnly education can give Antigua edge in Caricom – labour minister
Labour Minister Dr Errol Cort has urged more Antiguans and Barbudans to apply for the Caricom Skilled Nationals Certificate, which will entitle them to work in other Caricom countries without a work permit. The five categories eligible for certification under the Free Movement of Skilled Nationals Agreement are university graduates, media workers, sports persons, artistes and musicians. Dr Cort spoke Friday morning, April15th, in the Senate, as he presented the Antigua & Barbuda Labour Code Amendment Act 2011, which will give legal effect to Caricom nationals gaining employment in Antigua…
Read MoreRunning out of real estate in Brazil’s slums
Brazil has at least six million fewer houses than it needs. And now, as the country’s booming economy fuels a real estate bubble, it’s the poor who are getting squeezed out. As the makeshift apartments in Rio’s slums sprout extra stories, real estate experts say Brazil’s shortage of affordable housing has reached a breaking point. Buyers are reeling from a one-two punch: countrywide inflation coupled with speculation as Brazil prepares to host the Olympics and World Cup. Industry insiders worry the mounting costs are threatening to place homes beyond the…
Read MoreT&T public servants to get TT$600M payout
The decision of the Public Services Association of Trinidad and Tobago to accept a five per cent wage settlement with government, estimated to cost TT$600 million, is now being termed a “sell-out.” The accusation was levelled against PSA President Watson Duke by angry public servants and union leaders on April 09th. They are calling for Duke, whom they say acted in a “high-handed manner,” to tender his resignation immediately. Meanwhile, union leaders, political analysts and economists, who have estimated the proposal to cost in excess of TT$600 million, have all…
Read MorePatterson: Haiti elections a victory for democracy
Former Jamaican Prime Minister PJ Patterson, the Caribbean Community’s (Caricom’s) Special Representative on Haiti, says the March 20 presidential election in the French-speaking country is “a welcome victory for democracy”. The election was won by 50-year-old musician Michael ‘Sweet Micky’ Martelly, who received at least 70 per cent of the votes. His only challenger was the former Haitian First Lady Mirlande Manigat, 70, who has since said she will not contest the preliminary result. The final results will be known on April 16. Patterson, who was addressing the United Nations…
Read MoreUN says 1.6M people carry HIV in Latin America, Caribbean
The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) says there are approximately 1.6 million people in Latin America and the Caribbean carrying the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) that can cause the deadly disease AIDS. In releasing the findings of a new report for the state of HIV/AIDS, UNAIDS Regional Director Cesar Nunez said the region has not registered any improvement in the fight against the spread of HIV/AIDS. He urged governments to increase efforts to combat the spread of HIV, suggesting that work should be focused on prevention among younger…
Read MoreGrenada assumes OAS presidency
Grenada has assumed the presidency of the Permanent Council of the Organisation of American States (OAS). Its acceptance speech has highlighted the need to maintain the integrity and stability of the region. Grenada’s Permanent Representative to the OAS, Ambassador Gillian Bristol, succeeded Carmen Lomellin of the United States. She will hold the position for the next three months. At a brief ceremony on Friday, the Grenadian diplomat made reference to the relation between development and security, asserting that “it is a happy coincidence that El Salvador has chosen the topic…
Read MoreBarbados needs to explore and develop niche tourism
A lunchtime lecture was held recently at the headquarters of the Barbados Democratic Labour Party under the theme ‘Tourism Paradigm: Developing the Niche’. During that event, former Senator and Chief Executive Officer of Alternative Extreme Vacations Inc., Damien Griffith, delivered a passionate address. The main concern, he stressed, was that Barbados needed to explore and develop niche tourism areas, such as family, youth, spiritual interest, and baby boomers. Griffith said that Barbados was at a crossroads and needed to investigate these niche markets, because tourism was impacted by the recession.…
Read MoreTT PM wants business to drive economy
Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar has called on businessmen to become the driving force behind the Trinidad and Tobago economy. This she said as she extended an open invitation to all businessmen to join hands with the government to make Trinidad and Tobago “the gateway to the Americas.” Persad-Bissessar made this statement as she delivered the feature address at the formal launch of the Siparia Chamber of Commerce, at PowerGen, Syne Village, Penal. She called on businessmen present to “partner with the government, as others have been doing, because the only…
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