Six Things To Look Forward To In The Caribbean in 2022

It's safe to say that 2021 has been a challenging year for everyone. And for those of us in the travel industry it's been a rollercoaster of destination openings and closings; ever-changing entry requirements; and, for people who chose to travel, a battery of COVID tests to help make that travel as safe as possible.

Still, we remain hopeful for better days in the coming year as the travel industry continues its recovery, albeit slowly. Certainly, as far as the Caribbean is concerned, there are positive things to focus on, some of which have just occurred, others coming on stream in 2022. Here are half a dozen things on the top of my list.

After being closed to international leisure travelers for most of the pandemic, the Cayman Islands reopened on November 20. The three-island nation had the longest closure of any Caribbean country, gradually loosening restrictions until it reached phase 4 and allowed vaccinated travelers to apply to enter. You'll need to be vaccinated and show proof of a negative COVID test pre-arrival, but if that's all that stands between us and a cold Caybrew on the warm sands of Seven Mile Beach in 2022, we're happy to oblige!

On November 30 - the 55th anniversary of its independence from the United Kingdom - the Caribbean's easternmost island again made history by declaring its formal transition to a parliamentary republic. Queen Elizabeth II was removed as the head of state and replaced by the island's former governor-general, Dame Sandra Mason who said, "We the people must give Republic Barbados its spirit and its substance. We are each other's and our nation's keepers. We the people are Barbados." It was an important moment for the island, which is shedding the last vestiges of British colonial rule. In 2022, eyes will be on Barbados as islanders navigate the first miles of the Republican road. And they'll also be on other former Caribbean colonies (including Jamaica), which still have the Queen as their head of state and where the desire for full sovereignty is already being rightfully expressed.

You may know Soho House as the exclusive membership club which, since opening its first house in London in 1995, has grown to 27 houses in locations as disparate as Istanbul, Los Angeles and Mumbai. But you may not know that the company quietly opened its first Caribbean beach house this year on Canouan in the Grenadines. On the site of the former Tamarind Beach Hotel, the 40-room boutique (complete with restaurant, fitness studio and boutique) has pride of place on Grand Bay and offers just one more reason (as if you needed it!) to visit the tiny island in 2022.

It's been a long time coming but on May 6, 2022, the luxury hotel company's cruise venture will finally set sail. First scheduled to debut in January 2020, and then postponed to November, the new line's first yacht, the 298-passenger Evrima, will begin its maiden voyage in Lisbon, Portugal. The ship will arrive in Barbados in mid-November 2022 to begin its Caribbean season, calling in ports in St. Maarten, the British Virgin Islands, Dominica, St. Vincent and the Grenadine, and Puerto Rico. I'm eager to see how the hotel brand translates its standards and culture from rooms to staterooms, and how the "ladies and gentlemen" of Ritz-Carlton deliver service at sea.

The Caribbean's largest family-owned resort company is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year. The venture that started in 1981 with one Montego Bay resort has since grown to 16 resorts under two brands in eight Caribbean countries. Whether you're an all-inclusive fan or not, there's no denying the impact the company has had on Caribbean tourism, island economies and employment. So Sandals' debut in Curaçao next April and Beaches' opening in St. Vincent and the Grenadines later in the year is a big deal, not just for the company but the Caribbean as a whole. Sandals' continued expansion, despite the challenges of the pandemic, is welcome good news.

It's ba-ack! For more than half a century, Caribbean Marketplace - the world's largest travel trade show devoted exclusively to the region's destinations, hotels and attractions - has been a fixture on the travel industry calendar for travel buyers and suppliers. Last year, for obvious reasons, it occurred virtually. But Karen Whitt, conference chair at the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (which produces the trade show) recently announced that it'll be back in person for the 40th time in 2022. Although the location hasn't yet been announced (the smart money's on the Bahamas, Puerto Rico or Jamaica) and we don't have an exact date (although Whitt says a late April or early May date is likely), this is definitely good news. While deals now get done on Zoom or via email, there's simply no substitute for meeting face-to-face and building relationships in person. I can't wait to reunite with all my industry colleagues - preferably over a strong rum punch!