Montserrat | Caribbean Island Guide

Montserrat Tourist Board loses Stalwart Tourism Practitioner, Ernestine Cassell

ellen — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 18:06:37 +0000

Miss Ernestine Cassell says goodbye to the Montserrat Tourist Board (MTB) as of July 7th, 2011. After 14 years of dedicated and unstinting service during some of the most challenging times in Montserrat’s history, Miss Cassell has decided to move on and explore other opportunities. Some of Miss Cassell’s accomplishments while at the MTB include, pulling Montserrat’s tourism industry back from the brink of closure after continued activity of the Soufriere Hills Volcano which began in 1995; working with the local, regional and international media to positively raise awareness of Montserrat as a viable and unique tourism destination; working with the travel trade and independent traveler to help increase tourism arrivals, despite significant access and product challenges; successfully representing MTB and Montserrat at local, regional, and international meetings, conferences and workshops and overall improving the product offering on the island. The MTB takes this opportunity to wish Miss Cassell the very best in her future endeavours.

Zen Villa Management

ellen — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 18:04:18 +0000

Zen Villa Management is a recently formed company established to give villa owners a welcomed choice in property management. It aims to bring a fresh perspective to the industry by providing excellent service, thereby allowing a stress-free experience with owning a villa in paradise. In recognizing the challenges that remote ownership can bring about, Zen Villa Management devised a plan to master these challenges which includes paying attention to detail as well as giving homeowners value for money. The company intends to enhance the property industry by offering homeowners a myriad of services for a low introductory price. For additional information on the services offered contact the owner Siobhan N. O’Garro at Tel: (664) 491-2222 or (917) 239-6674 or (664) 495-2222, email: siobhan@zenvillamanagement.com

Registration is Open for the Volcano Half Marathon on November 26th, 2011

ellen — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 14:06:03 +0000

Running enthusiasts can register for one of the most unique marathon experiences in the world. Following the overwhelming success of the inaugural event in 2009, the 3rd Montserrat Volcano Half Marathon will take place on Saturday 26th November 2011 and runners from around the globe are invited to join in. The strenuous 13.1-mile course is very hilly and not for the faint-hearted, although there will also be a shorter Fun Run/Walk on the day if you want to take it easy. Registration forms, information on prizes and other details are available at www.volcanorunner.com . Persons can also become fans of the Volcano Half Marathon on Facebook and receive updates at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Montserrat-Volcano-Half-Marathon/139901407963

Montserrat Featured in the Evening Standard Paper

ellen — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 13:54:32 +0000

Montserrat was recently featured in the Evening Standard Newspaper. The one-page colour feature story was written by the newspaper’s travel editor, Joanna Fernandez, who was a guest of the Montserrat Tourist Board. Joanna’s story features Olveston House and the Air Studios and their history and the development that is currently taking place. She also created a pictorial view of the idiosyncrasies and unique attractions that make Montserrat a special place to visit and enjoy. The Evening Standard is the highest circulated daily newspaper in London and the majority of 1,563,000 readership is ABC1 demographic, the highest earning and most influential in the UK. To view the full feature online go to http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/travel/article-23971736-montserrat-still-rocks.do

Whaling nations block progress on animal welfare at IWC

ellen — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 14:16:09 +0000

Jersey, UK 11th of July 2011- Today whaling nations at the International Whaling Commission rejected recommendations derived from an expert Animal Welfare and Ethics workshop sponsored by WSPA and tabled by the United Kingdom.

The recommendations included the formation of an intersessional working group mandated to inform the IWC towards a more scientific and objective approach for addressing animal welfare issues, such as entanglements in fishing gear, ship strikes, badly managed whale watching, as well as whale hunting and the ethics of lethal scientific research.

Despite considerable support from many countries, including Australia, Argentina and Mexico, the whaling nations blocked consensus on the formation of an official IWC intersessional group. The UK expressed disappointment at this but offered to continue the discussion with interested countries outside of the IWC.

WSPA’s Oceans campaign leader, Claire Bass, expressed that WSPA finds it extremely disappointing that the on-going conflict in the IWC has prevented progress on the fundamentally important issue of animal welfare. “The UK’s animal welfare proposal was grounded in good science and rational principles enshrined in other management fora so it’s deeply disappointing that the whaling nations have seen fit to derail this initiative” –she said.

“It’s sadly symptomatic of the current state of the IWC: whilst pro-conservation members are being peaceable and constructive, the whaling nations have their swords drawn and are bent on blocking progress. WSPA encourages the UK and others to continue to champion this vital work in spite of unreasonable opposition from the whaling countries” -concluded.