No visa necessary for Barbadians to travel to Martinique, Guadeloupe

Barbadians will no longer need a visa to travel to the French overseas islands of Martinique, Guadeloupe (including Marie Galante, La Desirade and Les Saintes), French Guiana and Reunion.

The visa requirement has also been removed for travel by Barbadians to the French overseas collectivities of Saint Barthelemy, Saint Martin, and St. Pierre and Miquelon. The removal of the visa requirement is applicable for short stay visits of 90 days or less in any six month period.

The Embassy of France in Trinidad and Tobago, which is accredited to Barbados, informed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade that the visa requirement was removed with effect from December 18, 2009.

Mexico’s Shangri La Caribe Changes Name to Mahekal Beach

Shangri La Caribe, on Mexico’s Riviera Maya, announced a name change, effective Dec. 23, 2009, to Mahekal Beach Resort. Mahékal is the Spanish pronunciation for the word “magical,” a term consistently used by guests when describing their stay at the resort.

Formerly a family owned and operated resort, Shangri La Caribe was purchased in December 2008 by a group of U.S. investors led by Circa Capital Corporation. In addition to changing the name of the resort, the company has spent the past year refreshing the resort’s physical appearance and making service improvements in order to enhance guests’ experience.