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#TurksandCaicos, June 6, 2022 – In an effort to get ahead of climate change and protect its oceans, the oceans, the Turks and Caicos Islands Government is leading the pack as the first Caribbean island to officially join the Blue Belt Program. Created bythe United Kingdom it is an initiative that seeks to protect millions of square kilometers of ocean and some of the most unique sea life worldwide.
The announcement was made at a press conference hosted by the Department of Environment and Coastal Resources (DECR) on May 26th attended by Josephine Connolly Minister of Tourism, Governor Nigel Dakin and other representatives of the Department of Environment and Coastal Resources, DECR.
“The Program supports the UK overseas territories with the protection and sustainable management of their marine environment. The Blue Belt enhances marine protection over four million square feet of marine environment,” explained Lormeka Williams, DECR Director.
That four million square kilometers is home to the coral reefs of the Pitcairn Islands, the Green Turtles of Ascension Island, the Whale Sharks of St Helena, the world’s most remote human settlement in Tristan da Cunha, and the elephant seals and penguins of South Georgia & the South Sandwich Islands. And now it encompasses the clear Blue waters and migrating humpback whales of the Turks and Caicos Islands.
Since its establishment in 2016 the Blue Belt Program has helped set up Marine Protection Zones (MPZ) or Marine Protection Areas (MPA) in every territory signed onto the program including the largest MPZ in the Atlantic Ocean (Tristan da Cunha). These zones limit or prohibit entirely fishing and other activities which could prove hazardous to marine life.
Josephine Connolly, Minister of Tourism with responsibility for the environment said she was ‘elated’ at the development.
“My government and I continue to prioritize the sustainable management of our marine environment. Our country’s flourishing tourism product, coastal protection and fishing resources are all hinged on the robustness of our marine habitats,” she said.
Connolly also noted that the program could directly benefit the Turks and Caicos Islands as it would ensure marine protection which would bring lasting benefits to the marine environment and local communities.
A brand new $1 million vessel will be purchased with funds from the UK that the minister says will be used to, ‘demarcate park boundaries and swim zones’. The boat will double as a research boat as well.
Governor Dakin added, “That vessel will help us understand the third biggest coral reef in the world, it will also help us understand a marine protected area that will be established that will protect sharks and rays in our waters, it’s another huge win for us.”
Come June 8th the TCI will be represented in London to mark World Oceans Day with a panel discussion under the theme “Small island Big Impact”.
The Turks and Caicos Islands will be guided by the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (CEFAS) and the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) which are partners of the Blue Belt Program.
Human impact including poaching and poor fishing methods and destruction of the coral reef, seagrass beds and mangroves are some of the major environmental issues affecting the TCI. The Blue Belt program will provide technology allowing the country to mobilize quickly and have surveillance capabilities in order to prevent poaching.
“We will strengthen the government, increase protection of biodiversity, carry out scientific studies in support of sustainment fisheries management, manage other human activities, improve compliance and enforcement and address international issues such as climate changes, biodiversity and marine litter,” Connolly promised.
Governor Nigel Dakin described the initiative as a ‘double win’ for the Turks and Caicos coming on the heels of the recent signing of the Climate Change Charter.
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#Jamaica, June 17, 2022 – Jamaica today (June 16) welcomed its first scheduled international commercial flight into the Ian Fleming International Airport in Boscobel, St. Mary.
The flight, an InterCaribbean Airways Embraer120, brought 30 travellers to the country from Providenciales, Turks and Caicos.
Passengers and crew were greeted by a delegation led by Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett.
Addressing a welcome ceremony on the airport’s grounds, Minister Bartlett hailed the regional origins of the flight.
“The presence today of the inaugural flight from a Caribbean Island into Boscobel is a bigger statement than what has been made,” he said.
“Today begins a new chapter in the aviation history of this area [and] in the connectivity between this piece of geography and the rest of the world,” he added.
Minister of Transport and Mining, Hon. Audley Shaw, in a message delivered by Acting Permanent Secretary, Dr. Janine Dawkins, said the inauguration of scheduled international flights into the airport should “boost the popularity of the Northeastern region for visitors”.
The Minister said that the flights will ensure easier access to hotels, villas, and guest houses in the country’s northern parishes.
Chairman of interCaribbean Airways, Lyndon Gardiner, in his remarks, thanked Jamaica for embracing the airline’s services. He said the new partnership will serve to boost regional connectivity. “We will now have the ability to bring people from across the Caribbean, whether it be for business, pleasure, or furthering multi-destination vacations, by offering Boscobel residents and visitors direct service across the Caribbean and vice versa,” Mr. Gardiner said.
InterCaribbean Airways serves more of the Caribbean than any other airline, with a network of 16 countries and 26 cities within the region.
Also in attendance at today’s welcome ceremony were Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Hon. Robert Montague; Mayor of St. Mary, Richard Creary; Regional Director, Jamaica Tourist Board, Odette Dyer; and President, Airports Authority of Jamaica (AAJ), Audley Deidrick.
The Ian Fleming International Airport was officially opened in 2011. It is named after the creator of the widely popular fictional spy, James Bond.
Header: Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett (right), greets Chairman of InterCaribbean Airways, Lyndon Gardiner. Jamaica, on Thursday (June 16), welcomed its first scheduled international flight into the Ian Fleming International Airport in St. Mary, which was an InterCaribbean Airways Embraer120.
1st insert: Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, addresses the welcome ceremony for the inaugural interCaribbean Airways flight into the Ian Fleming International Airport on Thursday, June 16.
2nd insert: Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett (second from left), presents gifts to the InterCaribbean Airways flight crew, who brought the first scheduled international flight into the Ian Fleming International Airport in Boscobel, St Mary, on Thursday (June 16). From left is Captain Ciro Chacon; flight attendant, Joshua Christiano Small; and Pilot, Peter Stanley.
#Jamaica, June 17, 2022 – Jamaica is about to get its tallest building installed because full approval has been granted to local developer Stratosphere Development Limited to launch its construction. The soon-to-be tallest building in Jamaica will stand 27 storeys and is be located at 1B Oxford Road in St Andrew and will be called The Ascent at the Oxford, Sheer Luxury.
Stratosphere Development has impressed the Jamaica Fire Brigade, the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA), the Kingston and St Andrew Municipal Corporation (KSAMC) and the National Water Commission by paying keen attention to safety. As such, the project is expected to be completed by 2024. It will have three high-end components: a hotel, residential and commercial.
CEO of Stratosphere Development Limited, Littleton “Tanny” Shirley, said, “we are going to have an aquarium, [an] observatory tower that we expect to be the inspiration for not only the young but middle- and old-age to ascend and explore and see the beauty and the hills of Jamaica, and the landscaping. You will be able to see the mountains, and if you have a good binoculars, you might see Cuba. Also, what is transformational is that the clouds are magical, so you will be able to see what you want to see from the magic of the clouds,”
The developers will be building two massive blocks of parking towers to solve the issue of parking, and Shirley highlighted that at some point, he intends to raise the building to at least 27 storeys, which could be around 250 plus feet.
He added that the intention is not only to build the tallest building in Jamaica but also to transform New Kingston to trigger investment opportunities.
“Most cities are developed on the basis of high-rise buildings, and I think Jamaica is no different and I think it is time for Jamaica to benefit from global exposure. We have done so well in other areas — sports, tourism and music. It is full time for us to look at economic development to attract a global perspective on who we are,” he said.
Along with commending the Jamaican government for meticulously probing the details of the proposal to ensure safety for the people and the environment, Shirley added that there will be many benefits for Jamaicans in terms of work opportunities and inspirational value.
“It is not only for jobs, but it’s also for motivation — motivation for other contractors to say, ‘If this has been done, we can do it also.’ So, it will have a ripple effect across the country,” he said.
Jamaica Labour Party councillor for the Trafalgar Division, Kari Douglas, said there is excitement all around.
“I know there are persons who, because of a lack of understanding and information because it has never been done before, people might be a little bit nervous. People want to understand what the technicalities are surrounding the project, the infrastructure that exists, our water supply, drainage and sewerage infrastructure. What I can say is that from what I have seen and learnt from the information presented on the plan, it is definitely something to look forward to and has all the best, top-tier professional experts aligned sufficiently,” she added.
Communications Executive Rejoins Brand After Tenure at Distinguished Jamaican Law Firm
#Jamaica, June 17, 2022 – Sandals Resorts International recently announced the appointment of Rachel McLarty to Corporate Director of Communications & Public Relations, overseeing the company’s corporate communication efforts and public relations initiatives for the Sandals Resorts and Beaches Resorts brands throughout the Caribbean. Reporting to Executive Chairman Adam Stewart and CEO Gebhard Rainer, McLarty returns to the organization after a ten-year hiatus where she previously held the position of Group Director of Corporate Relations.
“We are in a moment of tremendous momentum and require a skilled, expert hand to navigate through what will be an upcoming decade of unprecedented growth for the organization,” said Adam Stewart, Executive Chairman of SRI. “Rachel McLarty is that voice in the Caribbean, and we are thrilled to welcome her back to the company as we celebrate our 40th anniversary and plan for the next forty.”
McLarty, who will be based in the Kingston headquarters of Sandals Resorts International, will lead a talented team of public relations and communication professionals in Jamaica and throughout the entire Caribbean region. During her first tenure with SRI, McLarty served as Group Director of Corporate Relations for the organization for a period of five years, beginning in 2006. Prior to rejoining the company, she served as an attorney-at-law at Myers, Fletcher & Gordon, one of the largest law firms in Jamaica. She is deeply committed to improving and developing Caribbean communities, currently sitting as Chairman of the Board for St. Andrew High School for Girls and the SOS Children’s Villages in Jamaica.
“Sandals Resorts International remains the brand standard for Caribbean organizations, and it is an honour to rejoin the company at such a prolific time,” said McLarty. “And while I have certainly followed the tremendous success of the brands in the last decade, I have remained even more impressed by the organization’s continued commitment to the Caribbean, the region we all call home. I look forward to the incredible work to be done.”
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