Saturday, March 16, 2024
Caribbean tourism rose 14.3% in 2023, with the US leading recovery. The region outperforms global trends, showing remarkable resilience and growth.
In 2023, tourism in the Caribbean saw a notable surge, registering a 14.3% boost in international visitors, as reported by the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO). This uplift aligns with the predictions made by the CTO and was announced during the “Caribbean Tourism Performance Review 2023” in Bridgetown by Dona Regis-Prosper, the Secretary-General. The growth is attributed to the continued interest in international travel, especially from the United States, the region’s primary market. Improvements in tourism infrastructure, strategic marketing efforts, and increased flight options played significant roles, though the benefits were not uniformly spread across all Caribbean destinations.
The global tourism sector’s resilience is evident, with the Caribbean slightly exceeding its pre-pandemic visitor numbers by 0.8%, showcasing a stronger recovery than many other worldwide regions. Several Caribbean islands, including Anguilla, Aruba, Curaçao, the Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, St. Maarten, the Turks & Caicos Islands, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, surpassed their 2019 visitor statistics, with most seeing more than a 50% recovery rate. A record number of tourists in a single year was reported in multiple locales.
“Based on preliminary data provided so far by the destinations in the Caribbean, tourist visits were approximately 32.2 million – about four million more than in 2022,” stated Regis-Prosper, who noted that the data showed that each month’s arrivals exceeded those of 2022 thus establishing a continuous growth trend over the past 33 months as tourism steadily rebounded toward pre-pandemic levels.
In terms of market-specific recovery, the United States led the way with a complete rebound, whereas arrivals from Europe and Canada reached 88.2% and 88.1% of their former levels, respectively. The U.S. contributed approximately 16.3 million visitors, marking a 12.7% increase and setting a new record for the region. The Canadian market also saw significant growth, with three million visitors marking a 46.1% rise from the previous year, aided by expanded flights from major Canadian cities.
However, European arrivals stalled in 2023, totaling around 5.2 million. Caribbean internal travel saw a 3.6% increase, amounting to 1.6 million trips and indicating a 62.5% recovery from before the pandemic, although costs remained high due to fragmented air services. South American visits to the Caribbean also rose by 14%, totaling 1.7 million.
The hotel industry in the Caribbean rebounded impressively in 2023, with new establishments opening and existing ones seeing better occupancy and rates. The average occupancy climbed to 65.6%, and the average daily rate increased by 11.8% to US$329.37, with revenue per available room jumping 20.2% to US$215.97, as per STR’s data.
Cruise tourism also hit a new high with an estimated 31.1 million visits, a 56.8% increase from 2019, driven by strong demand and operational enhancements. The cruise industry is expected to maintain its growth, with projections of 34.2 million to 35.8 million cruise visitors in 2024.
Kenneth Bryan, Chairman of the CTO’s Council of Ministers and Commissioners of Tourism and the Cayman Islands’ Minister of Tourism and Ports, highlighted the industry’s extraordinary resilience and growth trajectory in 2023. Yet, he cautioned about the challenges ahead, including travel costs, ongoing conflicts, and geopolitical tensions affecting the industry in 2024.
“Caribbean destinations remain adaptable and responsive, and the region is still highly desired by travelers for its safety and diversity of tourism products,” stated Chairman Bryan, adding that the region will also be positively impacted by key developments in 2024, including increased air capacity throughout the year, which will facilitate greater access between the destinations and some of their legacy and emerging markets.
Chairman Bryan also pointed to “intensive strategic marketing initiatives” that are being executed to attract visitors to the region to enjoy its culture and heritage, including its carnivals and festivals.
He noted that the CTO is pleased that the ICC (International Cricket Council) Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 is being hosted in several destinations bringing not only teams but also their loyal followers to the region and further raising awareness and promoting the diverse offerings of Caribbean destinations to global audiences.
“Hence, the Caribbean’s prospects appear highly promising, with more regional destinations poised to either match or surpass the arrival figures recorded in 2019. Anticipated growth is forecast to range between five percent and 10 percent, potentially welcoming between 33.8 million and 35.4 million stay-over tourists,” concluded Chairman Bryan.
Sunday, April 28, 2024
Sunday, April 28, 2024
Sunday, April 28, 2024
