The Caribbean Tourism Organization is delighted that Excelencias Magazine has chosen in this issue to focus on multi-destination tourism since no other region on earth can provide the multitude and variety of experiences available to the visitor within the Caribbean region — a cultural potpourri that can be sampled in a single trip but is likely to bring you back again and again. The CTO members range from tiny island jewels with populations of a couple of thousand inhabitants to Mexico with its spectacular Caribbean coastline. Spanish, English, French, Dutch, Danish, African, Asian and Amerindian have all contributed to a cultural melange that is uniquely Caribbean. Island-hoppers can visit Old San Juan and colonial Santo Domingo where historic cathedrals, forts and streets paved with blue ballast tiles from 16th century galleons conjure up images of Mother Spain, see classic Georgian facades and pastelled Victorian houses in a tropical setting in the former British West Indies, and marvel at the gabled waterfront in Curacao — an Amsterdam painted with a Caribbean palette. Music, dance, painting, poetry and cuisine reflect a rich tapestry whose threads were woven by many peoples in many lands with an end result to reward the body and soul. The Caribbean looks forward to receiving the readers of Excelencias with a very special welcome.

Michael Youngman