CocoCay Revamp

Steve had the privilege of again attending Royal Caribbean’s Partnership Forum on the Navigator of the Sea, January 9th.  The highlight of the cruise was visiting CocoCay.  There was more than just an improvement to their existing private island.  It was the creation of a whole new level in private island experiences.  Before I list all of the attractions, I must say it has been done very tastefully and will appeal to anyone of any age.  There honestly is something for everyone.  The final two areas just being completed are South Beach and the Coco Beach Club.  The Beach Club is at additional charge and capacity controlled, that has private pool and upgraded bar and restaurant.  While South Beach is just a nice idyllic day at the beach with all amenities handy. The other attractions include; Thrill Waterpark with giant waterslides, wave pool, a wild water ride a snack shack and more.  The Oasis lagoon is a huge fresh water beach and lounging area.  Chill Island can either be taken over or have group space for you, and has several beach areas with nearby bars and snack areas.  There are numerous beach cabanas for rent as well as overwater cabanas.  There are trams for moving people from the ship to around the island.  You’ll also find Zip Lining and balloon rides. Of course you have jet skis, kayaks, snorkeling scuba diving and plenty of bars and food outlets. Wow!     
 

• The Flu Season 2017-2018 experienced 79,400 deaths and over 900,000 hospitalize
• The 2018-19 Season experienced 42,900 deaths and 647,000 hospitalize
• The 2019-2020 Flu season only through January, has already experienced 41,000 deaths and 500,000 hospitalized.

2019 IRF Trend Report

The 2019 IRF trend report for 2019 was recently released and is very favorable to the incentive and MICE industry. The biggest take away is that the #1 factor in incentive development is now participant satisfaction. Corporate users have been continuing to do market research at an increase of 44% compared to last years’ 25%. Participants are looking to engage higher numbers and are looking at options that will provide a wider reach amongst employees versus the old standard of only the few top elite receiving incentives. The goal is to have each participant now obtain recognition and reward in a tiered structure. The research also showed that a staggering 94% of top executives at top performing firms are in favor and strongly support incentive programs and consider them a great competitive advantage within their organization and with gaining new employees. All in all, the research was fantastic  news for the incentive industry showing continued strong growth.