Mixed performance in region’s tourism sector

While there is an anticipated decline in long-stay arrivals this year by three to four per cent, cruise is projected to grow by five to six per cent in the region.

Giving the figures, Secretary General of the Caribbean Tourism Organisation Hugh Riley highlighted that while there was robust growth in countries that were not affected by last year’s hurricanes, there were dramatic decreases in arrivals to those hit by Hurricanes Irma and Maria.

“Of the 22 reporting destinations, 13 of them registered increases in tourist arrivals during the first half of the year, ranging from 1.7 per cent to 18.3, while seven recorded decreases of between a negligible -0.3 per cent and 71 per cent. The top performing destinations during this period were Guyana at 18.3 per cent, Belize at 17.1 per cent, the Cayman Islands at 15.9 per cent, and Grenada at 10.7 per cent and the Bahamas at 10.2 per cent,” he said.

While addressing the State of the Tourism Industry Conference in the Bahamas yesterday, Riley said that performances of the key source markets varied considerably, with some destinations recording strong growth, with others registering declines.

He outlined in the US market, 13 destinations achieved growth – six of which were by double digits, with the Caribbean receiving seven million visits from this country in the first six months of the year.

“This was a 15.8 per cent decrease when compared to the corresponding period last year, due mainly to a 54.6 per cent fall in arrivals to Puerto Rico and decreases in arrivals to Cuba,” he stated.

Meanwhile, a new record was set in arrivals from Canada for this time of year, with 2.4 million overnight international tourists, representing a 4.7 per cent increase and arrivals from Europe also increased, though marginally at 0.3 per cent, with three million tourists visiting the Caribbean during the first half of the year.

“There was also a marginal decline of 0.5 per cent in cruise visits, although there are signs of improvement. Of the 23 reporting destinations, 15 realised improvement upon their 2017 performances with Trinidad and Tobago registering increases of 166 per cent, St. Vincent and the Grenadines up by 84 per cent and Martinique at 54.7 per cent, leading on growth rates,” he added.

However, this was countered by declines of nearly 90 per cent in the British Virgin Islands, Dominica was down by 88.4 per cent, St. Maarten down 27.5 per cent, and the US Virgin Islands decreased by 22.5 per cent. Puerto Rico, though hurricane-impacted, posted a 1.1 per cent increase during the period.

“The region’s competitive advantages of a diverse tourism product and safety and security are still intact. Destinations are rebuilding, and new tourism products and services are being restored daily in the destinations impacted by last year’s hurricanes,” Riley emphasised.