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Press Releases from our Members

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CAPE AIR INCREASES CARIBBEAN FLIGHT SCHEDULE

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Seaborne airshuttle Adds STX/STT and more San Juan Airport Availability!

Beginning February 12, the Seaborne airshuttle will begin flying 6 daily round trips STX Rohlson and STT King airports.
The new airshuttle service may be combined with seaplane flights to offer our customers the location and time which best maximizes their productivity.
On February 17, the airshuttle will also make available additional supplemental flights from STX/STT to/from San Juan Isla Grande Airport .
As an added bonus Seaborne customers holding tickets in the Seaborne Corporate program for STX/STT flights will now be able to utilize them to fly to San Juan at zero additional cost.
About Seaborne Airlines:
Seaborne Airlines is the ONLY locally owned and operated US Scheduled Flag Air Carrier and has safely served the US and British Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico since 1992 carrying over 1,500,000 passengers via the skilled and caring hands of over 130 airline professionals. Seaborne Airlines operates only twin-engine, twin pilot, air-conditioned, 19 passenger aircraft under the same strict Federal flight rules as the major US carriers. For reservations and information please visit www.seaborneairlines.com or call toll free 866-FLY-USVI or locally 340-773-6442.
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If you'd like more information about the airshuttle, or to schedule an interview with Omer ErSelcuk, please call Seaborne Airlines at 340-773-6442 or e-mail info@seaborneairlines.com.

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More flights into the US and British Virgin Islands then any Other Airline
Contact: Michelle Haynes
508 790 3122 ext 514
mhaynes@flycapeair.com

For Immediate Release-November 25, 2008-Hyannis, MA- “This winter season no one gets you to your vacation destination in the Virgin Islands faster and more conveniently then Cape Air,” says airline founder and CEO Dan Wolf. “We are meeting the unprecedented demand for service by sending additional planes to the Caribbean giving us a total of 25 aircraft available to meet the hourly schedule of flights between San Juan and not only the US and British Virgin Islands but also Vieques, Cape Air’s newest island destination.”
For over a decade Cape Air, the largest independent regional airline in the United States, has been providing service between San Juan and the Virgin Islands. Wolf says this year the advance bookings have dramatically increased in response to a major reduction in service from the major carriers who used to fly to the Islands. “We expect to fly about 1,000 passengers daily between the islands this upcoming season, up about 70% from last year.” says Wolf. “In addition to the hourly service, passengers can also enjoy the seamless convenience of our ticket and baggage agreements with most major airlines including our code share partner Continental Airlines. Check your bags at your departure and find them waiting for you at your island destination.”
Book Cape Air online at www.flycapeair.com, by calling Cape Air’s reservations department at 800 352-0714, or on travel websites Travelocity, Expedia or Orbitz.
About Cape Air: As one of the largest independent regional airlines in the United States, Cape Air annually flies over 650,000 passengers with over 130,000 flights to destinations around the world including New England, New York, the Caribbean, Florida and Micronesia. With a fleet of fifty-four Cessna 402s and two ATR-42s the employee-owned company operates up to 525 flights a day. Based in Hyannis, Massachusetts, Cape Air also operates flights under the Nantucket Airlines brand. In addition to being a Continental Connection partner in Florida and Micronesia, Cape Air is a code share partner with Continental Airlines in the Caribbean. In New England Cape Air partners with JetBlue Airways. In addition, Cape Air has ticket and baggage agreements with most major airlines. Cape Air’s singular brand of customer service, MOCHA HAGoTDI*, has won the airline accolades as Best Airline on Nantucket, Martha’s Vineyard and in the US Virgin Islands. The airline has been recognized for outstanding philanthropy in the communities it serves and Cape Air President Dan Wolf was recently awarded the prestigious Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award. Cape Air tickets are available at a number of online outlets including Travelocity and Expedia and can also be purchased online at flycapeair.com.
http://www.flycapeair.com/downloads/maps_logos/index.php

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CARIBBEAN HOTEL & TOURISM ASSOCIATION ELECTS OFFICERS FOR 2008-2010

CORAL GABLES, FLORIDA (July 25, 2008) -- The Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Association (CHTA) elected its slate of officers to work under the leadership of Enrique De Marchena Kaluche, President of CHTA for the 2008-2010 biennium. These officers were elected by the CHTA Board of Directors at the Annual General Meeting of CHTA, held in Miami, FL on July 22, 2008.
The elected officers are:

First Vice President -- Richard Doumeng, U.S. Virgin Islands Hotel & Tourism Association
Second Vice President -- Josef Forstmayr, Jamaica Hotel & Tourist Association
Third Vice President -- Sherille Hughes, Anguilla Hotel & Tourism Association
Fourth Vice President -- Haydée Rainieri, Asociacion Nacional de Hoteles & Restaurantes, Dominican Republic
Fifth Vice President -- Willem Jonckheer, Curaçao Hospitality & Tourism Association
Treasurer -- Jag Mehta, Jamaica Hotel & Tourist Association

Immediate Past President, Peter J. Odle, is now the Chairman of CHTA. In addition to the elected officers and in keeping with the CHTA Articles of Association, the President appointed the following members to serve as Regional Vice Presidents: John Lynch, Sandals & Beaches Resort, Jamaica; Romney Penn, Hodge’s Creek Marina Hotel, BVI; Reyson Pimentel, BlueBay Villas Cerradas, Dominican Republic; Bill Clegg, Choice Hotels International, United States; and Kevin M. Kenny, Angostura Limited, Trinidad and Tobago.
“I am very proud and pleased with the slate of officers that have been chosen by the CHTA Board together with the Regional Vice Presidents I look forward to working with all of them in the next two years,” said Enrique De Marchena Kaluche, president of CHTA.

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Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Association
The Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Association (CHTA) aims to optimize the full potential of the Caribbean hotel and tourism industry by serving member needs and building partnerships. CHTA was founded in 1962; it is the voice of the Caribbean hospitality industry for the development of the region in the highly competitive and sophisticated environment of international tourism. Today, tourism is widely recognized as a pivotal industry in the economy of the region – and CHTA functions as the common denominator for this industry in a region of diverse nationalities, languages and styles, identifying mutual problems and marshalling the resources of the active and allied members to devise solutions. CHTA represents all facets of the hospitality industry with more than 800 member hotels and 750 allied members.

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CHA EXPANDS MANDATE, CHANGES NAME TO CARIBBEAN HOTEL & TOURISM ASSOCIATION

Membership Will Be Open to a Wider Group of Tourism and Hospitality Entities

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (July 25, 2008) – The Caribbean Hotel Association has expanded its mandate and changed the name of the organization to reflect a broader constituency that represents the hospitality and tourism industry in the region and to accommodate the growing number of non-hotel members either joining or seeking to join the association.

The CHA Annual General meeting, which took place in Miami, FL, on July 22, 2208, ratified the proposal brought forth by the CHA Board of Directors to change the name of the institution to the Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Association (CHTA) to accommodate the integration of all companies working in or related to the whole tourism sector.

“This will be a way to show to our governments, public and private multilateral institutions, and all players in the tourism sector that CHTA has a broader span of representation of industry partners and therefore plays a major significant role in the Caribbean,” said Enrique De Marchena Kaluche, newly inaugurated president of CHTA for 2008-2010.

At the same time, CHTA has re-structured the organization both operationally and financially and the result is also a stronger association serving the interest of the hospitality industry in the Caribbean.

The CHA Board, under the direction of the former CHA president, Peter Odle, was challenged to grow the association into a stronger, more diverse body that better encompasses the entire hospitality industry. The Board initiated the necessary changes to the CHA Articles of Association to increase the relevance of the organization to meet the current needs of the stakeholders and expand the membership categories to include other related companies within the hospitality industry.

Moving forward as the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association, the reformed and the renamed organization will now enable membership for all tourism industry stakeholders such as commercial establishments, restaurants, attractions, shops, artisans and others. “Tourism means business for all residents on our islands and we need to create a better understanding of this within our own communities,” De Marchena said.

Peter Odle, now Chairman of CHTA said: “If we are to remain the world traveler’s most sought after warm weather vacation destination, all of us in the tourism and hospitality industry including hotels, governments, restaurants, taxi associations, crafts markets, shopkeepers and even the cruise lines are going to have to work together in an atmosphere where cooperation is a way of life, not merely a watchword.”

For more information, visit www.caribbeanhotelassociation.com.

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Islands Magazine (July/August 2008) - Best Islands to Live On
"Presenting our annual list, drawn from research and these expats' firsthand experiences.

1. St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands - Why St. Croix? We didn't have to puzzle too hard over choosing St. Croix. It's a U.S. territory, hence no immigration, work permit, or property rights worries, it's English- speaking, it's affordable, and it's a non-stop flight... " read complete article

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The New York Times - June 15, 2008: Summer in the Caribbean

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Recommend Magazine - June 2008: Romance, Weddings & Honeymoons

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