A top UN official in Haiti says the disaster response to last month’s earthquake has been the most challenging the organisation has faced in its history.
Anthony Banbury is a Representative of the Secretary-General for the UN Stabilisation Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH). He said the scale of response required following the 7.0 magnitude quake exceeded that of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami.
Banbury is also concerned that the upcoming rainy season will pose even more challenges.
S&P raises Jamaica’s debt rating
International ratings agency, Standard and Poor’s has raised Jamaica’s debt rating to B-minus from selective default. S&P says the new rating follows a successful full debt restructuring programme.
The agency said Jamaica’s fiscal performance may improve this year, as the government tries to implement a series of fiscal reforms set by the International Monetary Fund. But economic recovery is still expected to be slow with Gross Domestic Product growing by 0.5 percent this year.
Luxury resorts face tough time
An international hotel executive says luxury resorts in the Caribbean may have a tougher time recovering from the effects of the weakened global economy, than the rest of the travel industry.
Hotels in the region have reported a drop in occupancy levels as a result of the global financial crisis.
President of Marriott International, Arne Sorenson, said that some projects in the Caribbean may never bounce back because they rely on the kind of lavish conspicuous consumption that is no longer popular with travellers.
Marriott operates a number of properties in the Caribbean, including St Kitts, Trinidad, Aruba and the Cayman Islands.
