Carib Scope

分类： business

  • SDQ MICE 2026 to showcase Santo Domingo’s meetings and events industry

    SDQ MICE 2026 to showcase Santo Domingo’s meetings and events industry

    The Dominican capital of Santo Domingo is gearing up for a major industry event that aims to cement its status as the top destination for business events across the Caribbean. The Santo Domingo Hotel Association (AHSD) has officially unveiled plans for the sixth iteration of SDQ MICE 2026, a three-day exhibition focused on meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions (MICE) set to run from September 21 to 23 at Hotel El Embajador, a luxury Royal Hideaway property. Backed by the country’s Ministry of Tourism (MITUR), this year’s edition is designed to unlock new commercial growth for the Dominican Republic’s fast-growing business tourism sector by connecting key global stakeholders.

    Unlike previous editions, SDQ MICE 2026 introduces a strategic new collaboration with MICE Consulting, a specialized industry firm that will take charge of vetting and curating a roster of high-quality international buyers. This new partnership notably expands reach to include leading incentive travel companies based in the United States, opening up larger and more diverse commercial opportunities for local hospitality and tourism businesses across the country.

    The event’s curated agenda is built to highlight the full range of Santo Domingo’s competitive advantages for business event organizers. Attendees will get first-hand looks at the capital’s modern hotel infrastructure, flexible event venues, robust international air connections, world-class local gastronomy, and rich cultural heritage. To further showcase the destination’s unique appeal, the Santo Domingo Tourism Cluster will organize exclusive immersive experiences centered on Santo Domingo’s historic Colonial City, a UNESCO World Heritage site that draws millions of cultural tourists annually. Following the conclusion of the main expo activities, participating international buyers will also embark on a guided post-event tour of the popular coastal destination Punta Cana, designed to demonstrate the full breadth and diversity of the Dominican Republic’s tourism offerings to global industry decision-makers.

  • MIVHED highlights permitting reforms to boost investment at Cap Cana forum

    MIVHED highlights permitting reforms to boost investment at Cap Cana forum

    A high-stake forum focused on cutting red tape for real estate development, titled “Towards Efficient Permitting: Challenges and Solutions”, was recently convened at Cap Cana Destination City. The event was organized in a collaborative partnership between the popular destination development and the Dominican Republic’s Ministry of Housing, Habitat, and Buildings (MIVHED), drawing a cross-sector audience of senior government officials, leading real estate developers, and global investment stakeholders. The gathering centered on identifying actionable strategies to simplify and accelerate the approval workflow for real estate projects across the country.

    Speaking at the forum, Housing Minister Víctor “Ito” Bisonó detailed the sweeping changes MIVHED has rolled out to modernize the nation’s construction permitting ecosystem. The reform agenda centers on four core pillars: systemic process overhauls, full digitalization of administrative workflows, deeper coordinated engagement with private sector stakeholders, and the retention of rigorous technical safety and quality standards. Minister Bisonó emphasized that the end goal of these reforms is far-reaching: cut down unnecessarily long approval timelines, strip out redundant bureaucratic procedures, boost overall transparency for all market participants, and deliver stronger legal certainty for developers and investors.

    In a key progress update shared at the event, Bisonó announced that MIVHED issued 921 formal building permits across the Dominican Republic in the first half of 2026. That figure marks an 83% year-over-year increase compared to the same period in 2025, and the approved projects are backed by more than RD$330 billion in private sector investment. To build on this early momentum, the minister also unveiled plans for a newly designed, nationwide digital permitting platform. The platform will centralize all application, review, and approval processes, making it easier for applicants to track their projects in real time and improve end-to-end traceability of every request.

    Jorge Subero Medina, Chief Executive Officer of Cap Cana, echoed the government’s focus on permitting reform in his remarks at the forum. He stressed that a fast, transparent, and efficient permitting system is a non-negotiable foundation for long-term, sustainable economic development across the Dominican Republic. Subero Medina highlighted that robust public-private collaboration, clear and consistent regulatory frameworks, and ongoing open institutional dialogue work together to strengthen investor confidence, position the Dominican Republic as a top destination for real estate investment, and lift the nation’s long-term global economic competitiveness.

  • Caribbean SMEs Still Struggle to Access Capital, Export Markets, Says Export Development Chief

    Caribbean SMEs Still Struggle to Access Capital, Export Markets, Says Export Development Chief

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – At a meeting held at the Organization of American States headquarters with regional ambassadors in late July 2026, Dr. Damie Sinanan, Executive Director of the Caribbean Export Development Agency, outlined the long-standing structural challenges holding back micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) across the Caribbean, a segment that makes up the vast majority of businesses operating in the region.

    One of the most pressing obstacles Sinanan identified is the critical shortage of accessible, affordable growth capital for small Caribbean firms. He explained that due to the small scale of most local MSMEs, outside investors have little incentive to back expansion projects: the due diligence costs for evaluating a $1 million investment are effectively identical to those for a far larger deal, making small-scale investments economically unappealing for most capital providers.

    This financing gap pushes most growing small businesses to rely on limited traditional funding sources, including bank loans, credit union financing, or personal investment from friends and family. Sinanan emphasized that the Caribbean still lacks a developed, liquid market for equity financing and venture capital, a gap that severely restricts the pool of capital available for MSMEs to scale up their operations, enter new markets, and compete on the global stage.

    Even for firms that actively seek investment, many are not positioned to attract external backing, Sinanan added. Weak internal governance frameworks, inconsistent and inadequate financial reporting, and limited available business data all reduce the bankability of Caribbean MSMEs, turning promising business concepts into uninvestable propositions for many capital providers.

    Beyond financing, the trade chief highlighted multiple additional barriers that block Caribbean MSMEs from expanding their exports beyond the regional market. Many small firms lack the capital and technical knowledge required to meet strict international regulatory standards, including global food safety protocols and phytosanitary requirements, shutting them out of lucrative extra-regional export opportunities.

    Digital transformation is another area where Caribbean small businesses continue to lag. Sinanan noted that a large share of regional firms still rely on outdated, traditional operational practices, rather than adopting game-changing digital innovations such as artificial intelligence, blockchain, and other cutting-edge tools that have become standard across global commerce. Constrained financing, limited technical capacity, and weak innovation ecosystems have all combined to slow digital adoption across the region’s small business sector.

    Geography also creates persistent competitiveness challenges for Caribbean MSMEs. As the region is made up of dozens of small island developing states, shipping goods and moving labor across and beyond the region comes with disproportionately high costs. Combined with the small volume of exports most regional firms generate, this geography means businesses cannot achieve the economies of scale needed to bring down freight costs, putting them at a major pricing disadvantage against larger global competitors.

    Despite these significant headwinds, Sinanan struck a pragmatic note, noting that the region already has access to most of the resources and solutions needed to address these challenges. The core gap holding progress back, he argued, is a lack of coordinated action across the multiple support programs currently operating in the region. Currently, dozens of MSME support initiatives funded by international partners including the Inter-American Development Bank, CAF development bank of Latin America and the Caribbean, and the European Union operate independently of one another, leading to duplicated efforts and unaddressed gaps in support for small businesses.

    To build a robust pipeline of export-ready, investment-attractive firms that can drive regional economic growth, Sinanan called for a coordinated, ongoing approach to MSME development. This collaborative strategy, he said, would create a steady stream of bankable, investable Caribbean enterprises capable of attracting global capital and competing successfully in international export markets.

  • American Airlines announces its daily flights to Cap

    American Airlines announces its daily flights to Cap

    In a landmark move that re-opens direct air connectivity between the United States and Haiti, Fort Worth-based American Airlines has announced plans to launch daily nonstop flights between Miami International Airport and Cap-Haïtien, starting November 1, 2026. This initiative marks the first resumption of scheduled commercial service to Haiti by any major U.S. airline in recent years, signaling a critical step toward rebuilding the country’s international travel links.

    The new daily route will be operated using Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft, with a carefully calibrated schedule designed for maximum convenience for both leisure and travel passengers. Outbound flights from Miami will depart at 10:15 a.m. local time, arriving in Cap-Haïtien at 12:15 p.m. local time. The return leg will depart Cap-Haïtien just one hour later at 1:15 p.m., touching down back in Miami at 3:15 p.m. local time the same day.

    This carefully structured timeline not only creates a seamless direct travel option for passengers moving between South Florida and northern Haiti, but also opens up easy connections to hundreds of domestic and international destinations across American Airlines’ extensive global route network. For the large Haitian diaspora community concentrated in South Florida, the new service removes the need for complicated multi-leg itineraries that have made visiting family and home communities in northern Haiti far more difficult in recent years.

    Beyond the immediate benefits to travelers, the new route strengthens Miami’s long-standing status as American Airlines’ primary gateway to the Caribbean region. The carrier already operates one of the most expansive route networks in the Caribbean, and the addition of Cap-Haïtien reinforces its commitment to growing connectivity across the region.

    Industry observers frame American Airlines’ decision as a pivotal milestone for Haiti’s travel and economic recovery. The move recognizes Cap-Haïtien’s growing role as Haiti’s main northern air gateway, re-establishes a direct air link between the U.S. and one of Haiti’s most historically significant coastal cities, and returns the destination to the active route map of one of the world’s largest commercial airlines.

    For passengers with family and cultural ties to Haiti, the new flights translate to far less stressful, more affordable travel to visit loved ones. For Haiti as a whole, the service represents a tangible vote of confidence in the country’s gradual recovery and a renewal of international connectivity that has been disrupted for years. For Cap-Haïtien, a city rich with Caribbean history and cultural appeal, the launch paves the way for increased visitor traffic and renewed global engagement, putting the destination back on the radar for international travelers after years of limited access.

  • Court Shoots Down Brads Multimillion-Dollar Tax Challenge

    Court Shoots Down Brads Multimillion-Dollar Tax Challenge

    In a landmark ruling released July 29, 2026, the High Court has dealt a decisive defeat to businessman Kim Wai Chee and two Brads gaming companies, who launched a multimillion-dollar legal challenge against tax assessments tied to their Boledo and Jackpot gambling operations. Justice Nadine Nabie, presiding over the case, ruled that the claimants’ legal challenge was fundamentally misconceived and constituted an abuse of the court’s process.

    While the judge confirmed that both Chee and Brads Gaming Company Limited held legal standing to bring the suit, she emphasized that the pair of firms and their representative skipped the mandatory, statutorily defined legal process required to contest tax evaluations under the nation’s Tax Administration and Procedure Act. Under the framework of this legislation, any taxpayer seeking to challenge an assessment must first complete an internal administrative review, followed by an appeal to a dedicated appellate body, before they are eligible to bring their claim before the High Court. Chee and the two Brads entities skipped these required steps entirely, instead filing a constitutional motion and administrative challenge directly with the High Court.

    The claimants argued that the Director General of the tax authority had overstepped her legislative authority when issuing what are known as “best judgment” tax assessments. They claimed violations of multiple fundamental rights, including the right to protection under the law, equal protection under the law, and the right to natural justice and fair procedure. Following a trial held in 2025, Justice Nabie issued a 50-page ruling that addressed every technical argument raised by the claimants, ultimately finding no evidence of any fundamental rights violations.

    Senior Counsel Magali Marin, who represented the government in the proceedings, explained that the best judgment assessments were only issued because of the claimants’ own failure to cooperate with tax authorities. The dispute traces back to March 2020, when Brads Gaming Company Limited’s exclusive operating license expired. In July of that same year, tax regulators requested the companies’ full financial records for the un-audited operating periods, but the firms failed to produce the required documentation. This non-compliance left tax authorities no option but to issue the best judgment evaluations.

    The total value of the contested assessments stands at roughly $4.32 million: approximately $1.19 million against Brads Gaming Company Limited, and $3.13 million against Brads Gaming Group Limited. In her ruling, Justice Nabie upheld the tax authority’s legal power to issue the best judgment assessments, rejected all forms of relief requested by the claimants, and ordered Chee and the two companies to cover 50% of the government’s legal costs incurred during the proceedings.

    Marin noted that the ruling clears the way for the tax authority to enforce the payment of the assessed taxes, including the seizure of assets if the companies hold recoverable assets. The ruling also included key clarification regarding Chee’s personal liability: while the assessments themselves were issued to the two corporate entities, Justice Nabie emphasized that the closure of the businesses and the shuttering of their physical offices does not release responsible officers like Chee from their legal obligations under tax law. In paragraph 51 of her judgment, the justice wrote that ruling otherwise would set an absurd precedent that would allow corporate leaders to evade tax duties simply by closing operations.

  • Republic Bank helping to revitalise Carriacou Regatta Festival

    Republic Bank helping to revitalise Carriacou Regatta Festival

    For over four decades, Republic Bank has stood as a steadfast partner to one of Grenada’s most beloved cultural cornerstones, the Carriacou Regatta Festival, and the regional financial institution has now formally committed to continuing that legacy with confirmed funding for the 2026 iteration of the event.

    Scheduled to run from July 31 to August 2 on the scenic island of Carriacou, the 2026 festival carries far greater weight than past installments. It marks the first full regatta held after Category 4 Hurricane Beryl tore through Carriacou and neighboring Petit Martinique in July 2024, leaving widespread destruction of infrastructure, homes and local livelihoods in its wake. For the island’s community, the revival of the annual regatta is far more than a seasonal gathering: it is a powerful public symbol of the resilience, unyielding determination and enduring communal spirit that defines Carriacou’s population in the wake of crisis.

    As part of its long-running sponsorship, Republic Bank will continue its support for the regatta’s popular Large Deck Sloop racing category. For the bank, however, the partnership extends far beyond backing a single sporting competition. The festival is a living celebration of Carriacou’s one-of-a-kind ancestral heritage, centered on the traditional practices of wooden boat building and open-ocean sailing that have been core to the island’s cultural identity for generations. Beyond preserving culture, the event also drives critical economic activity for local residents, drawing thousands of regional and international visitors that support local hospitality, small businesses, and cross-cultural exchange that sustains the island’s tourism economy.

    “Republic Bank is honoured to stand with the people of Carriacou as they celebrate the return of this iconic festival,” said Mavis Mc Burnie, Republic Bank’s General Manager for Operations. “For more than 4 decades, we have proudly supported the Carriacou Regatta because it preserves an important part of our national heritage, while creating meaningful economic opportunities for the island. We are especially pleased to support this year’s event as Carriacou continues its journey of recovery and renewal.”

    In closing, Republic Bank extended its warmest wishes to the Carriacou Regatta Festival Committee, competing participants, local residents and incoming visitors, hoping for a safe, successful and unforgettable 2026 festival that honors the island’s past and paves the way for its future.

    This announcement was carried by NOW Grenada, which notes that it is not responsible for the opinions, statements or media content presented by third-party contributors, and provides a channel for users to report any abusive content.

  • PART 2: The Business of Slavery From Africa to the New World

    PART 2: The Business of Slavery From Africa to the New World

    The transatlantic slave trade that spanned from the 16th to the 19th centuries stands as one of the most exploitative and dehumanizing commercial enterprises in human history. Built on the forced displacement of millions of African people, this brutal business connected three continents in a system of uncompensated labor and unspeakable violence. European trading powers first established coastal outposts along West Africa, where they collaborated with local intermediaries to capture and purchase enslaved people. These human captives were then packed into overcrowded, disease-ridden slave ships for the deadly crossing known as the Middle Passage, where historians estimate 15 to 20 percent of those onboard died from starvation, illness, or abuse before reaching the Americas. Once arrived in the New World, enslaved African people were sold at public auctions like livestock to plantation owners, mine operators, and domestic employers. The profits extracted from their forced labor fueled the growth of the global capitalist economy, supporting the development of European manufacturing, the expansion of colonial agriculture, and the accumulation of wealth in North and South America. Unlike any legitimate commercial activity, this entire business model was rooted in the total denial of human rights, the destruction of African communities, and the intergenerational trauma that continues to impact descendant populations today. What was framed as a lucrative commercial venture by contemporary 18th century merchants was in fact a systematic crime against humanity that left a legacy of racial inequality and economic disparity that persists across the globe to this day.

  • BLPC internship gives young Barbadians hands-on energy industry experience

    BLPC internship gives young Barbadians hands-on energy industry experience

    For weeks this summer, 35 young Barbadians have gained unprecedented, behind-the-scenes access to the complex operations that keep their nation’s electricity grid running smoothly. This opportunity comes via the annual summer internship program launched by The Barbados Light & Power Company Ltd. (BLPC), which has given these young learners the chance to swap traditional classroom lectures for hands-on placements in operational control rooms, exchange textbook theory for real on-the-job training, and turn abstract curiosity about the energy sector into concrete, practical insights. Working side-by-side with seasoned BLPC teams that deliver power to residential homes, commercial businesses and local communities across the entire island, participants have gained unmatched exposure to the daily work of energy provision.

    For years, this internship initiative has drawn consistent, strong interest from Barbadian youth who are eager to explore accessible career pathways in the energy industry, build in-demand practical skills, and learn directly from veteran industry professionals. Reflecting on his own early career experience to motivate the current cohort, Munesh Parasram, BLPC’s Vice President of Innovation & Transformation, emphasized the transformative power of hands-on internships. “An internship helped me discover my professional path and showed me what opportunities were actually possible in this sector,” he explained. “We’re proud to provide that same life-changing opportunity for the next generation of Barbadian energy professionals.”

    Throughout the program, participants have not only toured major BLPC generating facilities but also gotten a first-hand look at how the island’s transition to renewable energy is reshaping its long-term energy future. For many, the hands-on site visits have been the most memorable part of the experience: tours of the Spring Garden and Trents Generating Stations also included deep dives into the company’s utility-scale solar farm and its high-profile Clean Energy Bridge initiative. Sebastian Paul, a mechanical maintenance intern, called the entire experience “eye-opening,” noting that it has significantly strengthened his grasp of core technical concepts that he had only studied in school. For fellow participant Zane King, the internship gave him a newfound appreciation for the integrated nature of BLPC’s energy network, showing how traditional generating stations, the utility’s solar farm and modern battery storage systems work in tandem to deliver consistent power to customers across Barbados.

    As the program wraps up its 2024 cohort, BLPC’s investment in youth talent development is laying the groundwork for Barbados’ energy future. By nurturing new skilled workers, fostering innovative ideas and building a pipeline of local expertise, the utility is not only investing in individual young people – it is investing in the long-term reliability and sustainability of the island’s power grid for decades to come.

  • Tourism minister says Roseau Cruise Village still a priority as gov’t pushes for stronger cruise tourism growth

    Tourism minister says Roseau Cruise Village still a priority as gov’t pushes for stronger cruise tourism growth

    Speaking at an ongoing three-day Business Cruise Stakeholders Symposium hosted by the Discover Dominica Authority (DDA) and the Ministry of Tourism at Goodwill Parish Hall, Dominica’s Tourism Minister Denise Charles-Pemberton has cemented the status of the long-awaited Roseau Cruise Village and Waterfront extension as a core national development priority for the island nation.

    As industry stakeholders and local observers have repeatedly raised questions about the project’s timeline and future, Charles-Pemberton acknowledged that negotiations for the large-scale infrastructure development have stretched beyond initial projections. She attributed the delay to the project’s massive investment scale and the government’s unwavering commitment to securing the most beneficial terms for the Dominican people and economy. Despite the hold-up, the minister confirmed that steady progress continues to be made, and expressed optimism that ongoing discussions will reach a final resolution in the near future, noting that the upgraded infrastructure is critical to the long-term expansion and sustainability of Dominica’s cruise tourism sector.

    Charles-Pemberton also addressed a long-running public debate over the relative value of cruise tourism versus stay-over tourism, pushing back against the narrative that the island must choose between the two sectors. Drawing a geographic comparison to Singapore, a small island nation that supports a population of over five million, she noted that Dominica, the third largest English-speaking country in the Caribbean, has more than enough capacity to accommodate both types of tourism. Rather than framing the sectors as competitors, she argued that both can coexist and thrive to deliver broader economic benefits to the country.

    Beyond capacity, the minister emphasized that the central question facing Dominican tourism is not whether the island can welcome more visitors, but how to maximize the economic impact of tourism by encouraging higher visitor spending, generating new local jobs, supporting domestic businesses, and spreading economic prosperity to every community across the island. She identified cross-stakeholder and local business cooperation as the key to unlocking this impact, urging the sector to prioritize promoting authentic Dominican experiences, local products, and domestic cuisine. Every dollar spent on local goods and services circulates within the Dominican economy, she explained, supporting working families, strengthening small businesses, and creating new employment opportunities. Charles-Pemberton clarified that her goal extends far beyond just increasing visitor arrival numbers; it focuses on building a more inclusive, locally rooted tourism economy.

    Looking back at the recently concluded 2025-2026 cruise season, Charles-Pemberton highlighted strong growth that outpaced the previous year’s performance. The season welcomed more than 409,000 cruise passengers across roughly 250 vessels, marking 21% and 8% increases in passenger numbers and vessel calls respectively compared to the 2024-2025 season. Of these arrivals, more than 330,000 passengers went ashore to explore the island, and over 161,000 participated in organized island tours. Beyond the headline growth numbers, these statistics represent tangible improvements to livelihoods across the country, the minister said, noting that cruise tourism already delivers meaningful support to household financial stability across Dominica. She reaffirmed the government’s intentional ongoing investment to support continued sustainable growth of the sector.

    A core pillar of the government’s approach is ensuring that tourism growth creates opportunities for all Dominican stakeholders, not just a small group of industry players. To advance this goal, the government is working with stakeholders including the Combined Taxi association to build a more equitable dispatch system for visitor services. It is also engaging in ongoing consultations with industry groups around private tour regulations, with the goal of ensuring every qualified local operator has a fair chance to participate in the tourism market, while upholding the high standards of quality and organization that visitors expect. Finally, Charles-Pemberton emphasized the importance of protecting Dominica’s reputation as a premium travel destination, noting that while profit is a natural and acceptable part of tourism business, unfair business practices such as price-gouging harm the entire sector. Instead of exploiting demand for quick gains, she urged stakeholders to focus on delivering greater value to visitors that supports long-term industry growth.

  • Asomaprom calls on Abinader to use wholesalers for imported agricultural products

    Asomaprom calls on Abinader to use wholesalers for imported agricultural products

    Against the backdrop of a rapidly evolving Dominican food distribution landscape, the head of one of the nation’s leading wholesale food industry groups is pushing for a targeted policy change that he says will deliver tangible relief to household budgets.

    Ysmael Rodríguez, president of the Moca Association of Wholesale Provisioners (Asomaprom), used the closing ceremony of the 34th Expo Moca 2026 to deliver his appeal directly to Dominican President Luis Abinader. Rodríguez’s core proposal calls for requiring all imported agricultural goods to be routed exclusively through the country’s established wholesale sector. He argues that this streamlined logistics framework will cut unnecessary middleman markups, shrink overall costs for the national basic food basket, and guarantee that end consumers access affordable, fairly priced staple goods.

    During his remarks at the industry event, Rodríguez highlighted the central structural role that wholesale provisioners play in the Dominican food system, acting as a critical bridge between domestic and international agricultural producers and millions of households across the country. He also expressed appreciation for President Abinader’s recent public recognition of the wholesale sector during the head of state’s visit to the country’s Espaillat province.

    Beyond policy advocacy, Rodríguez celebrated a key milestone for the Dominican Republic’s national food security agenda: the country’s recent removal from the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization’s (FAO) Hunger Map. Rodríguez framed this development as a landmark win for the entire Dominican agricultural ecosystem, noting that it reflects years of coordinated progress in expanding food access across the nation. Even with this achievement, he emphasized that sustained government investment and support for domestic food production will be critical to boosting the sector’s global competitiveness and locking in long-term food security gains.

    Rodríguez closed his remarks by hailing the 34th Expo Moca as the most successful edition in the event’s multi-decade history. The five-day industry and public exhibition drew record-breaking crowds, generated stronger overall sales than any prior Expo Moca, and featured participation from more than 50 local and regional exhibiting companies. Thousands of attendees took advantage of special discounted pricing on a wide range of food and consumer goods during the event, and Rodríguez extended formal gratitude to event sponsors, participating vendors, and visitors for their collective contributions to the fair’s success.