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| The Progressive Liberal Party (PLP), led by Prime Minister Philip Davis, secured a decisive reelection victory over Michael Pintard’s Free National Movement (FNM) in the Bahamas general election held last Tuesday, May 12, 2026, amid historically low voter turnout. Prime Minister Davis and the PLP won a strong majority of 33 seats to 8 for a second consecutive term — the first time any Bahamian party has achieved back-to-back wins in nearly 30 years (since the FNM’s victory in 1997). The House of Assembly was expanded from 39 to 41 seats following a recent constituency boundary review. |
| CHTA and Amadeus unveil 2026 Caribbean Travel Trends Report |
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| The Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA) and Amadeus have released the 2026 Caribbean Travel Trends Report. Unveiled last week at the Caribbean Travel Forum in Antigua, the report reveals that after a strong post-pandemic rebound, the region is shifting focus toward diversifying source markets, attracting higher-value travelers, and spreading demand beyond traditional peak seasons. Drawing on Amadeus Travel Intelligence data from April 2025 to March 2026, the report shows overseas demand to the Caribbean grew a modest 1% year-over-year, a significant slowdown from the 21% and 8% gains of the previous two years. Latin America has emerged as a standout growth driver. Demand from the region rose 24% overall, while premium travel from South America surged 117%, led by Peru (192%) and Argentina (164%). Destinations powering Caribbean travel momentum include Dominica, posting a robust 22% increase and Sint Maarten up 18%. |
| St. Vincent and the Grenadines launches ‘LOVE SVG’ |
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| St. Vincent and the Grenadines has launched “LOVE SVG,” a national tourism enhancement initiative that places people, community and country at the center of its development agenda. Led by the Minister of Tourism, Civil Aviation and Sustainable Development, Dr. Kishore Shallow, the initiative signals a new chapter for tourism in the destination, grounded in national participation and a shared commitment to ensuring that the benefits of tourism reach communities across the country. Commencing during the off-season period of May to October 2026, LOVE SVG will focus on preparing both the country and its people for the upcoming tourist season through a series of targeted, people-focused interventions. These efforts will span 100 priority projects across natural attractions, heritage and cultural sites, transport and access infrastructure, hospitality services, and community-based tourism initiatives. In addition to upgrading infrastructure and improving visitor experiences, the program is designed to deepen the connection between tourism and everyday life in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, ensuring that development reflects the identity, culture and aspirations of its people. “LOVE SVG is about putting people at the heart of tourism development. It is about ensuring that the growth of the sector is felt in our communities, supports our culture, and uplifts the everyday Vincentian. This initiative invites all citizens to play a role in shaping the future of tourism in our country,” Minister Shallow stated. Expected outcomes include improved tourism infrastructure, enhanced visitor satisfaction, stronger destination branding, and increased economic returns, alongside greater community engagement and participation in the tourism industry. |
| Quotable Caribbean |
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| “The vision that I have .. for tourism is simply to position St. Vincent and the Grenadines as a premium, sustainable and authentic Caribbean destination. We are not going to elevate our standard at all costs. We have to ensure that we are strategic and that whatever we achieve is sustainable growth … and so that is why we are working extremely closely in everything we do with the sustainable development unit.” — Dr. Kishore Shallow, Minister of Tourism, Civil Aviation and Sustainable Development, St. Vincent and the Grenadines |
| In case you missed it … |
| Tink Bout It |
 “Boards should be appointed based on competence, not connections. A standard skills matrix covering finance, law, operations, digital transformation and risk management should guide selections. Board terms, induction and evaluation processes must be uniform. There should be clear separation between the roles of chair and CEO to avoid conflict and micromanagement. In Singapore, ministers select CEOs for their professional competence, and CEOs in turn choose board chairs and members who support the state-owned enterprise’s mission.” — Dr. Basil Springer, Director, Marketplace Excellence Corporation |
| Medical Moment |
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| World No Tobacco Day is observed each year on May 31. The 2026 theme, “Unmasking the appeal — countering nicotine and tobacco addiction,” focuses on the ways tobacco and nicotine companies continue to promote their products to young people despite ongoing global tobacco control efforts. Across the region, the use of newer nicotine and tobacco products among adolescents has grown, while traditional cigarettes remain widely used. Jamaica reports one of the highest levels of tobacco use among youth aged 10 to 15, while Brazil has seen lower rates after introducing measures such as restrictions on advertising and flavored products, along with stronger health warnings. In the Caribbean, efforts to reduce tobacco use often compete with aggressive marketing by the tobacco industry. Strong political leadership, public education, civil society involvement and partnerships across sectors remain important in advancing tobacco control policies and protecting young people from nicotine addiction. The media also plays a valuable role in increasing public awareness and supporting campaigns that discourage tobacco use among youth. |
| The Progressive Liberal Party (PLP), led by Prime Minister Philip Davis, secured a decisive reelection victory over Michael Pintard’s Free National Movement (FNM) in the Bahamas general election held last Tuesday, May 12, 2026, amid historically low voter turnout. Prime Minister Davis and the PLP won a strong majority of 33 seats to 8 for a second consecutive term — the first time any Bahamian party has achieved back-to-back wins in nearly 30 years (since the FNM’s victory in 1997). The House of Assembly was expanded from 39 to 41 seats following a recent constituency boundary review. |
| CHTA and Amadeus unveil 2026 Caribbean Travel Trends Report |
|
| The Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA) and Amadeus have released the 2026 Caribbean Travel Trends Report. Unveiled last week at the Caribbean Travel Forum in Antigua, the report reveals that after a strong post-pandemic rebound, the region is shifting focus toward diversifying source markets, attracting higher-value travelers, and spreading demand beyond traditional peak seasons. Drawing on Amadeus Travel Intelligence data from April 2025 to March 2026, the report shows overseas demand to the Caribbean grew a modest 1% year-over-year, a significant slowdown from the 21% and 8% gains of the previous two years. Latin America has emerged as a standout growth driver. Demand from the region rose 24% overall, while premium travel from South America surged 117%, led by Peru (192%) and Argentina (164%). Destinations powering Caribbean travel momentum include Dominica, posting a robust 22% increase and Sint Maarten up 18%. |
| St. Vincent and the Grenadines launches ‘LOVE SVG’ |
|
| St. Vincent and the Grenadines has launched “LOVE SVG,” a national tourism enhancement initiative that places people, community and country at the center of its development agenda. Led by the Minister of Tourism, Civil Aviation and Sustainable Development, Dr. Kishore Shallow, the initiative signals a new chapter for tourism in the destination, grounded in national participation and a shared commitment to ensuring that the benefits of tourism reach communities across the country. Commencing during the off-season period of May to October 2026, LOVE SVG will focus on preparing both the country and its people for the upcoming tourist season through a series of targeted, people-focused interventions. These efforts will span 100 priority projects across natural attractions, heritage and cultural sites, transport and access infrastructure, hospitality services, and community-based tourism initiatives. In addition to upgrading infrastructure and improving visitor experiences, the program is designed to deepen the connection between tourism and everyday life in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, ensuring that development reflects the identity, culture and aspirations of its people. “LOVE SVG is about putting people at the heart of tourism development. It is about ensuring that the growth of the sector is felt in our communities, supports our culture, and uplifts the everyday Vincentian. This initiative invites all citizens to play a role in shaping the future of tourism in our country,” Minister Shallow stated. Expected outcomes include improved tourism infrastructure, enhanced visitor satisfaction, stronger destination branding, and increased economic returns, alongside greater community engagement and participation in the tourism industry. |
| Quotable Caribbean |
|
| “The vision that I have .. for tourism is simply to position St. Vincent and the Grenadines as a premium, sustainable and authentic Caribbean destination. We are not going to elevate our standard at all costs. We have to ensure that we are strategic and that whatever we achieve is sustainable growth … and so that is why we are working extremely closely in everything we do with the sustainable development unit.” — Dr. Kishore Shallow, Minister of Tourism, Civil Aviation and Sustainable Development, St. Vincent and the Grenadines |
| In case you missed it … |
| Tink Bout It |
| “Boards should be appointed based on competence, not connections. A standard skills matrix covering finance, law, operations, digital transformation and risk management should guide selections. Board terms, induction and evaluation processes must be uniform. There should be clear separation between the roles of chair and CEO to avoid conflict and micromanagement. In Singapore, ministers select CEOs for their professional competence, and CEOs in turn choose board chairs and members who support the state-owned enterprise’s mission.” — Dr. Basil Springer, Director, Marketplace Excellence Corporation |
| Medical Moment |
|
| World No Tobacco Day is observed each year on May 31. The 2026 theme, “Unmasking the appeal — countering nicotine and tobacco addiction,” focuses on the ways tobacco and nicotine companies continue to promote their products to young people despite ongoing global tobacco control efforts. Across the region, the use of newer nicotine and tobacco products among adolescents has grown, while traditional cigarettes remain widely used. Jamaica reports one of the highest levels of tobacco use among youth aged 10 to 15, while Brazil has seen lower rates after introducing measures such as restrictions on advertising and flavored products, along with stronger health warnings. In the Caribbean, efforts to reduce tobacco use often compete with aggressive marketing by the tobacco industry. Strong political leadership, public education, civil society involvement and partnerships across sectors remain important in advancing tobacco control policies and protecting young people from nicotine addiction. The media also plays a valuable role in increasing public awareness and supporting campaigns that discourage tobacco use among youth. |
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It is a long established fact that a reader will be distracted by the readable content of a page when looking at its layout. The point of using Lorem Ipsum is that it has a more-or-less normal distribution of letters, as opposed to using ‘Content here, content here’, making it look like readable English. Many desktop publishing packages and web page editors now use Lorem Ipsum as their default model text, and a search for ‘lorem ipsum’ will uncover many web sites still in their infancy.
The point of using Lorem Ipsum is that it has a more-or-less normal distribution of letters, as opposed to using ‘Content here, content here’, making
The point of using Lorem Ipsum is that it has a more-or-less normal distribution of letters, as opposed to using ‘Content here, content here’, making it look like readable English. Many desktop publishing packages and web page editors now use Lorem Ipsum as their default model text, and a search for ‘lorem ipsum’ will uncover many web sites still in their infancy.
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