BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC—The Barbados-based Caribbean Tourism Group (CTO) says the regional tourism sector recorded elevated customer arrivals final 12 months, with an estimated 14.3 % of worldwide guests coming to the Caribbean, persevering with the sector’s constructive restoration pattern.
Delivering the “Caribbean Tourism Efficiency Assessment 2023” on Friday, CTO Secretary Normal Dona Regis-Prosper attributed the result to sustained demand for outbound journey from the US, the Caribbean’s major supply market, and enhanced tourism-related infrastructure throughout the locations.
She stated the advance was additionally as a result of achievement of strategic advertising and marketing initiatives and augmented airlift capability between the area and its supply markets, albeit inconsistently distributed among the many locations.
Regis-Prosper stated world tourism restoration has been resilient regardless of variability in regional performances. The Caribbean surpassed pre-pandemic arrivals by a modest 0.8 %, outperforming many of the main worldwide areas by way of restoration.
“Based mostly on preliminary knowledge offered to date by the locations within the Caribbean, vacationer visits have been roughly 32.2 million, about 4 million greater than in 2022,” stated Regis-Prosper. The information confirmed that every month’s arrivals exceeded these of 2022, thus establishing a steady progress pattern over the previous 33 months as tourism steadily rebounded towards pre-pandemic ranges.
The CTO stated that arrival ranges amongst Caribbean locations both considerably recovered or reasonably exceeded the benchmark numbers of 2019, with 11 locations, Anguilla, Aruba, Curaçao, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, St. Maarten, Turks & Caicos Islands, and U.S. Virgin Islands performing higher than in 2019.
Most of these recovered over 50 % of their 2019 arrivals. As well as, a number of locations registered new report ranges for vacationer arrivals in a 12 months.
The CTO stated that solely the U.S. market has totally recovered for the Caribbean, whereas the restoration charges of arrivals from Europe and Canada reached 88.2 and 88.1 %, respectively. An estimated 16.3 million stay-over arrivals to the area got here from the US, representing an annual progress charge of 12.7 %.
The CTO stated the efficiency established a brand new report stage of arrivals from this market and surpassed the pre-pandemic arrivals by 4.2 %.
“The efficiency of the Canadian market resulted in an estimated three million Canadian vacationer visits by the tip of the 12 months, a rise of 46.1 % in comparison with 2022. Elevated air service from main Canadian cities to Caribbean locations was pivotal in rising customer numbers.”
Regis-Prosper famous that arrivals from Europe to the Caribbean area stagnated in 2023, with roughly 5.2 million journeys originating from the market.
In 2023, journey amongst Caribbean residents to locations throughout the area elevated by roughly 3.6 %, to 1.6 million journeys, which was 0.3 million greater than in 2022. This additionally indicated a restoration of 62.5% from pre-pandemic ranges.
“Regardless of this constructive end result, intra-regional journey remained costly on account of fragmented air service and diminished air capability,” stated Regis-Prosper.
By the tip of the 12 months, journeys from South America to the area surged by an estimated 14 %, totaling 1.7 million journeys.
The Caribbean lodge sector skilled a outstanding turnaround in 2023, together with a surge within the institution of recent inns and resorts. In line with STR, all through the Caribbean, common room occupancy grew to 65.6 % in 2023 from 61 % in 2022.
The typical each day charge (ADR) elevated significantly by 11.8%, reaching US$329.37 within the area. In the meantime, the income per accessible room (RevPAR) jumped 20.2 % to US$215.97.
Preliminary knowledge for 2023 confirmed that Caribbean locations obtained an estimated 31.1 million cruise visits, a rise of 11.3 million visits or 56.8 % in comparison with 2019.
The CTO stated this stage established a brand new report for the regional cruise sector, surpassing the earlier report of 2019 by 2.4 %. Pent-up demand and the resumption of operations drove sturdy bookings for Caribbean cruises and improved cruise infrastructure, resembling bigger ships, enhanced amenities, itineraries, and shore excursions.
It stated projections point out that the cruise sector will proceed its upward observe, with an estimated 34.2 million to 35.8 million cruise visits anticipated within the Caribbean in 2024, a mean improve of 10 and 15 %.
CTO chairman Kenneth Bryan, who additionally serves because the Cayman Islands’ Minister of Tourism and Ports, famous the tourism trade’s outstanding resilience and ongoing restoration and progress in 2023.
Nevertheless, he emphasised that the trade and the area will proceed to face an array of challenges in 2024, together with the excessive value of journey, ongoing conflicts, and heightened geopolitical tensions, and their anticipated impacts.
“Caribbean locations stay adaptable and responsive, and the area continues to be extremely desired by vacationers for its security and variety of tourism merchandise,” stated Bryan. He added that the area may also be positively impacted by key developments in 2024, together with elevated air capability all year long, which is able to facilitate higher entry between the locations and a few of their legacy and rising markets.
Bryan additionally pointed to “intensive strategic advertising and marketing initiatives” which might be being executed to draw guests to the area to take pleasure in its tradition and heritage, together with its carnivals and festivals.
He famous that the CTO is happy that the ICC (Worldwide Cricket Council) Males’s T20 World Cup 2024 is being hosted in a number of locations. It will convey not solely groups but in addition their loyal followers to the area, additional elevating consciousness and selling the varied choices of Caribbean locations to world audiences.
“Therefore, the Caribbean’s prospects seem extremely promising, with extra regional locations poised to match or surpass the arrival figures recorded in 2019. The anticipated progress is forecast to vary between 5 % and 10 %, doubtlessly welcoming between 33.8 million and 35.4 million stay-over vacationers,” Bryan added.
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