SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – The Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA) says it is pleased at the response to the 40th edition of its Caribbean Travel Marketplace (CTM) as regional suppliers and global buyers return to in-person business development activities in the Caribbean since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados – A senior World Bank official Tuesday said that the gross domestic product (GDP) of the Caribbean has not yet recovered to its 2019 level as the region emerges from being among the hardest hit regions by the COVID-19 pandemic.

BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – The St. Kitts-Nevis government says it is taking the steps required to create a sustainable medicinal cannabis industry as the twin island Federation moves to reduce its dependency on the Citizenship by Investment (CBI) program.

The government has slashed the cost of gasoline and diesel from the Guyana Oil Company Limited (GUYOIL) in a bid to bring further relief to consumers across the country. 

KINGSTON, Jamaica – Jamaica is the first country in the region to make significant progress in the development of a National Consumer Protection and Welfare Policy and Implementation Plan.

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados – Residents of the Caribbean will soon get the opportunity to weigh in on how they can benefit from the digitization of their country’s payment systems.

WASHINGTON, DC – The International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Tuesday said overall economic growth is projected to be 57.8 percent this year for Guyana as the country continues to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic-induced recession in 2020, and protracted political transition, non-oil economic growth.

ST. GEORGE’S, Grenada – Grenada's government on Tuesday said it has held preliminary discussions with Venezuela regarding the repayment of more than EC$370 million (One EC dollar=US$0.37 cents) owed to the South American country.

PARAMARIBO, Suriname – CARICOM on Monday launched a new regional platform to facilitate intra-regional trade in goods and agricultural products even as President Chandrikapersad Santokhi reminded that one of the key principles of the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME) “was and still is, to achieve regional integration, and economic growth, within our community”.

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados – The Ministry of Tourism and International Transport has embarked on a venture to expand the number of businesses that supply the cruise industry with goods and services.

NEW YORK, New York – Barbados’ Prime Minister Mia Mottley on Thursday urged world leaders to “use the power of the pen” and impose natural disaster and pandemic clauses in developing countries’ debt, as well as remove the current barriers to accessing financial assistance from multilateral development banks.

KINGSTON, Jamaica – Minister of State in the Ministry of Industry, Investment and Commerce, Dr. Norman Dunn says with medical cannabis gaining significant international traction, Jamaica is on the cusp of being a major legal transshipment hub.