Barbados Cruise

Small amounts of drugs are smuggled into The Bahamas on Haitian sloops. Drugs are sometimes found concealed on inter-island Bahamian mail boats and on cruise ships returning from the Caribbean. Drug couriers arriving from Jamaica frequently attempt to smuggle small amounts of cocaine concealed on or inside their bodies or in their luggage through the Nassau International Airport (NIA). Occasionally American tourists returning to the U.S. and foreigners on their way to the U.S. are detected with small amounts of drugs (cocaine, cannabis, and amphetamines) at the NIA and the Grand Bahama International Airport (GBIA) in Freeport, either by Bahamian authorities or by U.S. Customs agents at the Pre-Clearance Facilities at those two airports. The Bahamas is a minor transit point for “Ecstasy” tablets destined for North America and brought into The Bahamas by Dutch nationals. Historically, The Bahamas has been used as a transit point for smuggling “club drugs” such as ecstasy into the U.S. by ... [Read More]

G) The Caribbean

In 2001, Aruban law enforcement officials saw benefits from their changed counternarcotics trafficking strategy. Instead of using limited resources to arrest low-level "mules," mostly at the airport, law enforcement officials shifted their focus to investigating and prosecuting mid-level drug traffickers who supply drugs to the endless parade of "mules." The best example occurred in April 2001. Sixteen investigators worked full time on a multi-jurisdictional case that involved the use of cruise ships to smuggle heroin into the U.S. In total, 25 kilograms of heroin and about U.S. $510,000 were seized. ... [Read More]

White Water to Blue Water: A Partnership To Link Freshwater and Oceans

The Gillette Company Baccardi International Council of Cruise Lines PriceWaterhouseCoopers ... [Read More]

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (08/04)

Tourism has grown to become a very important part of the economy. In 1993, tourism supplanted banana exports as the chief source of foreign exchange. The Grenadines have become a favorite of the up-market yachting crowd. The trend toward increasing tourism revenues will likely continue. In 1996, new cruise ship and ferry berths came on-line, sharply increasing the number of passenger arrivals. In 2002, total visitor arrivals stood at 250,971 with U.S. visitors constituting 8.5%. A relatively small number of Americans--under 1,000--reside on the islands. ... [Read More]

Antigua and Barbuda (08/04)

Antigua and Barbuda's economy is service-based, with tourism, financial, and government services representing the key sources of employment and income. Tourism also is the principal earner of foreign exchange in Antigua and Barbuda. However, a series of violent hurricanes since 1995 resulted in serious damage to tourist infrastructure and periods of sharp reductions in visitor numbers. Antigua and Barbuda's tourist sector continues to recover from past hurricanes and a downfall in numbers after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in the U.S. In 2002, more than half a million tourists visited Antigua and Barbuda, the majority from Europe and the U.S. Cruise ship arrivals numbered over 300,000, more than half the total number of arrivals. Tourism receipts totaled $240 million in 2002. The economy grew at a rate of 2.7% in 2002. ... [Read More]

Dominica (08/04)

Dominica is mostly volcanic and has few beaches; therefore, development of tourism has been slow compared with that on neighboring islands. Nevertheless, Dominica's high, rugged mountains, rainforests, freshwater lakes, hot springs, waterfalls, and diving spots make it an attractive destination. Cruise ship stopovers have increased following the development of modern docking and waterfront facilities in the capital. Eco-tourism also is a growing industry on the island. ...

Dominica had nearly 205,000 tourist visitors in 2002, with nearly 15,000 stay-over visitors from the U.S. Cruise ship passenger arrivals in 2002 totaled 136,859. It is estimated that 4,500 Americans reside in the country. ... [Read More]

Saint Lucia (10/04)

The United States and St. Lucia have a cooperative relationship. The United States supports the St. Lucian Government's efforts to expand its economic base and improve the lives of its citizens. The administration of Prime Minster Kenny Anthony has made a significant effort to strengthen ties with the U.S. during 2003. In fact, Foreign Minster Julian Hunte has made improved U.S. relations a signal objective for the government and has used his perch as President of the UNGA to help promote this aim. The government has cooperately especially on security concerns and managing the Haiti situation. U.S. assistance is primarily channeled through multilateral agencies such as the World Bank, the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB), and the newly opened USAID satellite office in Bridgetown, Barbados. The Peace Corps, whose Eastern Caribbean regional headquarters is in Castries, has 25-30 volunteers in St. Lucia, working primarily in education, agriculture, and health. ... [Read More]

US Department Of State Post Report

Tourism is now the largest industry in Barbados, with approximately 700,000 annual visitors, about half of whom are day visitors from cruise ships. Most come from the United Kingdom, Canada, the U.S., and other European countries and CARICOM nations. ... [Read More]

Department of State Washington File: Text: International Scientists Study Traveling Cloud of Saharan Dust

The trans-Atlantic research cruise-called AEROSE 2004, or AERosol Ocean Science Expedition-began on February 29, leaving Bridgetown, Barbados, and will wrap up March 26 in San Juan, Puerto Rico. A key goal of the cruise, organizers said, is gathering measurements to better understand the effects the traveling Saharan dust aerosols have on the atmosphere and Atlantic Ocean. ...

"Water, climate, weather and other key issues know no geographic boundaries," said retired Navy Vice Adm. Conrad C. Lautenbacher, Ph.D., undersecretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere and NOAA administrator. "This cruise is one example of the continuing efforts by NOAA and its partners to advance understanding of natural activities and how they interrelate on this planet we share." ... [Read More]

Barbados (08/04)

A popular tourist destination, Barbados had over one million total tourists in 2002, mainly cruise ship visitors. The majority of tourists are from the U.K., the Caribbean, or the U.S. Approximately 140,000 Americans visited the island last year. An estimated 3,000 Americans reside in the country. ... [Read More]