For Everybody’s magazine, it’s normally a person of the year selected for his/or her impact on the Caribbean American community and the region in the past 12 months.

But this year, the New York-based publication announced that Hurricane Irma and Hurricane Maria are sharing the “person” of the year honors.

A commentary on the storms is part of the featured editorial content in the magazine's latest issue

“It is the first time the 40-year-old Caribbean-American magazine selected a phenomenon as its Person of the Year,” said Everybody’s publisher Herman Hall, noting that the deadly back-to-back hurricanes in September were part of a very busy year of impactful happenings.

Hall said other contenders for the year’s top person or event were “Usain Bolt failing to win his final track and field races and Trinidad and Tobago knocking out the U.S. from entering FIFA World Cup in 2018.”

Annually, Everybody’s magazine selects the person of the year, using readers’ suggestions and recommendations from its editorial committee.

Among the past Everybody's Persons of Year are world leaders, such as Prime Ministers Patrick Manning of Trinidad and Tobago, Eugenia Charles of Dominica, Tom Adams of Barbados and Baldwin Spencer of Antigua and Barbuda; calypsonian The Mighty Sparrow; WNBA player Tina Charles, daughter of Charlie's Calypso City Record Store owner Rawlston Charles; Grenada Olympian Kirani James; and former West Indies cricket captain Clive Lloyd.

This end of year issue of Everybody’s also features its 2018 Global Caribbean Calendar, presented by popular Allan’s Bakery of Brooklyn. The calendar charts major upcoming events in the region and diaspora and includes a listing of the independence days of every Caribbean and African country.

To purchase the magazine, visit www.everybodysmag.com and select the “Magazine and Subscription” link. For more information, call (718) 941-1879.

CARIB TOURISM COMEBACK

The Caribbean is still a top 2017-2018 tourist destination, says the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association, which is reporting that most of the region was not affected by the hurricanes and some destinations that were damaged have reopened for business

“More than 70% of the Caribbean was not impacted by Hurricanes Irma and Maria and travelers are discovering the incredible diversity of destinations and offerings throughout the region, as they explore its many vacation options,” Frank Comito, CEO and director general of the association, said recently.

A survey looking at the into the first quarter of 2018 determined that “the region’s 32 holiday destinations all pointed to a surge in holiday bookings and most indicated that forward bookings into the first quarter of 2018 are equaling or surpassing 2017.

Antigua, Aruba, Barbados, Belize, Cancun, Cayman Islands, Curaçao, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Jamaica, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia and The Bahamas all reported strong bookings, said Comito, adding that unaffected destinations also had favorable reports about bookings.

According the tourism association, the Turks and Caicos Islands — hit by both hurricanes — is recovering and “reporting occupancies in excess of 90% over the holidays and strong first quarter bookings.”

And in Puerto Rico, hotels in the popular coastal area of San Juan, along with many restaurants, are open for business.

'WHEN STEEL TALKS' ABOUT STEELPAN

There’s so much to know about Caribbean-born steelpan and the “When Steel Talks” website has so much to offer.

When Steel Talks is dedicated to the global promotion of the instrument – which was created and perfected in Trinidad and Tobago. The website boasts more than 16,000 members viewing more than 12,000 photos, 6,600 videos and generating 7,000 discussions related to the only instrument.

From a posting about late musician Ralph MacDonald’s song “Remember Kitchener,” about the great calypsonian Lord Kitchener; or a discussion about steelpan health and safety entitled “Are All Panmen Deaf?” the website holds a wide range information for performers and fans.

To browse the website or register for full access, visit www.whensteeltalks.ning.com.

Send a Letter to the Editor