EDITORIAL
THE Caribbean Tourism Organisation (CTO) is looking forward to 2020 as a year of growth for the tourism industry across its member states. And why not?
Given the numbers which the region has to show for arrivals and overall performances last year, many will hope then that 2020 ought to be a continuation of that.
According to the statistics, there was a 6.1 per cent increase in long stay arrivals in 2019.
Certainly everyone with an interest in tourism, and knowing the benefits that accrue from the industry, would want to identify with the comments made by Neil Walters, the Acting Secretary General of the Barbados-based Tourism body.
This was one of the planks that informed Mr. Walters’ New Year's Message.
He acknowledged that the Caribbean has to remember that we live in a volatile climatic region, which while providing the palate for amazing
experiences for visitors, must always be respected.
He pointed out that as the Caribbean looks to 2020, member states should not rest on their laurels, but rather, continue to work to sustain the growth seen in 2019.
For a number of countries which are referred to as the tourism economies, the sector provides significant inflows of capital; it accounts for
substantial employment; it is the mainstay of economic growth where other sectors are not; and commands huge investments both domestic and foreign.
As is the case in Barbados and similarly in other countries, tourism drives other sectors, particularly construction and wholesale and retail.
So overwhelming is tourism that there have been repeated calls for countries to diversify their economies around tourism, rather than putting all their eggs in the tourism basket.
These are the areas that boost economies and therefore governments have to carry out policies that safeguard these gains.
The Caribbean operates in an environment where competition is rife. Tourism is no longer the domain of a few countries, as several new players have joined the bandwagon and have come up with programmes and attractions aimed at competing for business, which the established industry players wants to safeguard.
Some of the new entrants include countries whose economies were dominated by energy and other minerals. Therefore, to add diversification to those same economies they have turned their attention to tourism and have started to do a good job at it. Lower rates for hotel accommodation, the opening of new visitor attractions, shopping facilities, sports and other ancillary services are the norms in the newer destinations.
We can also note the emergence of Cuba, which interestingly enough had been into tourism long before several of the familiar destinations in the Caribbean. However, the political changes in that Caribbean island, the slowdown of the sugar industry there, saw tourism back on the front burner to the point that it is doing so well that some destinations are quite wary on the competition Cuba can bring to the game in this region.
To date though, this appears not to be a problem as there is enough business for every destination to get a share.
The onus therefore is to keep improving the tourism product, give a fillip to service, and make sure that from their experiences visitors will want to return.