Some of my fondest travel memories are the people I’ve met with around the world. And some of the best encounters I’ve had have been in the Caribbean.
When I first started as a full-time travel writer (I was the travel editor at the Toronto Star from 2008 to 2013), one of my earliest trips was to Saint Lucia. One evening I was walking around at the Anse La Raye Friday night fish fry and spotted a table with a drink called Bambu, which featured a buxom woman on the front and boasted of its, ahem, “uplifting power.”
As I carefully eyed the bottle, the woman behind the table let loose with a laugh.“It’s strong enough to Bambu you,” she shouted.
“Ma’am,” I replied, shaking my head. “I definitely don’t need it."
This time, she REALLY laughed.
A few years later I was with a media group on the island of Eleuthera in the Bahamas and was met by a driver wearing a Yankees cap, who said he would show us around.
“On one condition,” I said. “You have to say ‘I love the Boston Red Sox.’”
The men let out a howl, and I got a great photo. More importantly, we formed a nice bond.
On the island of Dominica early last year, I met a pair of sisters, Irma and Jacqueline Douglas, who run an outstanding beach bar and restaurant at beautiful Batibou Bay. Irma was telling me about the delicious mangoes they have at the restaurant, so I teased her a little.
“I hope you get the really good ones from Guadeloupe,” I said.
She paused, seemingly speechless. Then let loose.
“Guadeloupe? Why would I get mangoes from Guadeloupe? What, are you crazy?”
By now I was smiling and probably giggling a little. She gave me a bit of a stare, then burst into laughter.
I’ve been to probably 18 or 20 Caribbean islands by now, and they’ve all been delightful. Every one has offered something for a travel writer to treasure; not only fine, engaging people but fabulous meals, interesting museums, stunning sunsets and everything from simple motel-like rooms to overwater bungalows with private plunge pools.
As a lover of the Caribbean, it breaks my heart to think of the devastation that was done last week by Hurricane Beryl. The storm practically wiped out the Grenadian islands of Carriacou and Petite Martinique, two places I had circled on my calendar for a visit this year. It also destroyed almost all of Union and Palm Islands in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and the nearby island of Mayreau.
I was only on Mayreau for a few hours as part of a Sea Dream Yacht Club cruise six or seven years, but I was utterly charmed by the island, where I found a great roadside bar/restaurant with sports memorabilia from around the world, and where I briefly enjoyed what might be the finest beach in the world; Salt Whistle Bay. I also stopped at the pretty Church of the Immaculate Conception, which local residents used for shelter in the storm but was reduced to rubble by Beryl’s surging winds.
I understand that people have concerns about hurricanes hitting while they’re on a dream vacation. But it’s important to keep things in perspective.
Travellers read about a storm in Barbados and think, “Oh, it’s not safe to go to the Caribbean.” A hurricane in Carriacou is a terrible thing, but that doesn’t mean it’s not safe to go Cap Cana or Anguilla. It would be like saying, “There’s a fire in British Columbia, I shouldn’t go to Montreal for a holiday.”
I’m a kid that grew up reading a massive atlas for fun, and even I was stunned when I sat down one day and looked at the size of the Caribbean.
For example, did you know that Nassau in the Bahamas is closer to Toronto than it is to Bridgetown, Barbados? Crazy, but true.
As well as being a huge area from north to south, it’s also a vast region from east to west. It’s 3,000 km from Barbados to Cancun, which is 300 km MORE than the distance between Toronto and Calgary.
I’m not saying that there aren’t challenges in Caribbean tourism. Hurricanes are real. But please don’t cancel your clients' trip to the D.R. because of a storm in Curacao. And don’t cancel a personal holiday in Saint Lucia if there’s bad weather in the Bahamas.
The World Travel and Tourism Council says eight of the top ten countries most dependent on tourism are in the Caribbean. In some Caribbean countries, tourism accounts for 90% of gross domestic product.
Hotels and resorts in the region don’t just welcome visitors, they need visitors.
Writing on her Instagram page this week, Grenada Tourism Authority CEO Petra Roach noted the destruction on the islands of Carriacou and Petite Martinique, but said hotels and attractions on the main island of Grenada are open for business and fully operational.
“By choosing to support our local businesses, restaurants, hotels and our attractions, you are not only enjoying a memorable vacation, you are contributing to the recovery and growth of communities across the country.”
One Caribbean Canada has an extensive list of places where you can donate to help relief efforts. Please give what you can. And don't stop sending clients or taking personal vacations to the Caribbean.
