The Manhattan Centre came alive last Thursday, and despite the rain outside, it was all sunshine inside. This year’s annual Caribbean Week was complete with cultural performances, food sampling and rum tasting from islands.
“Today is an exciting beginning for Caribbean Week,” commented the Hon. Ed Bartlett, Jamaican Minister of Tourism, “This is certainly good to see the Caribbean product on display. We can see how the Caribbean is gearing up for the recession and strengthening its position for a return to normalcy. The only result is value for our customers.”
Cool Runnings
The celebration was in two parts: the first part was open to the public where patrons could browse tourism information and receive special air travel deals from Caribbean carriers such as Air Jamaica, Travel Span and Caribbean Airlines. St. Lucia even advertised a special $99 one way fare from jetBlue Airways with service beginning in October. Many island’s representatives had raffles that awarded lucky winners with stays at all- inclusive hotels and all-expenses paid vacations. The second part of the day was dubbed, “The Rum and Rhythms Celebration” where bottles and more bottles of rum were offered to everyone. Highlights of the rum tasting were the Antiguan rum punch featuring the one hundred- proof Cavalier Rum, Cruzan shots from St. Kitts and rum tea from Martinique. The rum tea is a mixture of two rums, one dark the other white that have been matured in oak barrels for fifteen years, served with a slice of fresh lime over ice. The result is a smooth texture of slightly sweet and sour sensations that flowed easily over the palate.
Carnival Spirit
The entertainment was as diverse as the cultures. Traditional folk music and dance was performed by St. Kitts Masqueraders, the Dansa Fiesta Group from Puerto Rico electrified the audience dance performances. The self proclaimed Soca Deva, Jadine who hails from Montserrat gave a provocative performance.
The wonderful thing about this event was that ordinary people were mingling with the upper echelons of Caribbean government. Anguilla’s Minister of Tourism, the Hon. Victor Franklin Banks was seen helping patrons flip over chocolate bars in a package to see if they won an all inclusive getaway to his beautiful island. He even commented to a woman who won a bottle of Gold Pyrat XO Reserve, “See? I’m your good luck charm!” This rum was a gold medal winner at the American Tasting Awards.
Indeed, the Caribbean pride was on full display. Each island displayed their products with a strong sense of pride. Oddly enough, there was more rum than water at this event.
Diana Ogilvie - Travel is in Diana's DNA. On any given weekend (or week day) she is jetting out of the New York area for a new travel adventure. Her ...
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