The Caribbean region set an all-time record for visitor arrivals in 2019, according to a new report from the Barbados-based Caribbean Tourism Organization.

Stayover arrivals to the Caribbean totaled 31.5 million, the highest total in the region’s history.

That represented a robust 4.4 percent increase in visitors, outpacing the global tourism growth rate of 3.8 percent reported by the World Tourism Organization.

It was also the highest rate of tourism growth in the Americas.

Of course, that 4.4 percent number didn’t tell the whole picture. The region’s second most-popular destination, Cuba, reported a more than 9 percent decline in arrivals, largely due to tightened restrictions on travel by Americans.

Removing the Cuba numbers, the rest of the Caribbean actually saw double-digit growth, a very positive trend for the region.

The visitor boom was accompanied by 30.2 million cruise passenger visits in 2019, marking the seventh consecutive year of growth for the cruise industry.

The latter saw a 3.4 percent increase in cruise passenger visits.

After two years of decline, the United States was the best-performing market, according to the report, with a 15 percent jump in stayover arrivals — and a record of 15.5 million Americans visiting Caribbean shores.

The Canadian market was largely flat, however, with 0.4 percent growth and a total of 3.4 million visits.

“The European market dipped by 1.4 per cent from 5.9 million in 2018 to 5.8 million,” said Neil Walters, the acting secretary general of the Caribbean Tourism Organization, who presented the data in a briefing this week. “The United Kingdom was down by 5.6 per cent to approximately 1.3 million visitors. On the other hand, intra-Caribbean travel increased by 7.4 per cent to reach 2.0 million, while the South American market declined by 10.4 per cent to 1.5 million.”

Walters said a few potential hurdles remained on the horizon for the region, however, from “environmental, political and social uncertainty” to the “impact of climate change,” along with challenges like the Coronavirus.

“There are other factors such less-than-adequate intra-regional air access and high levels of taxation which may hinder travel,” Walters said. “However, destinations are making improvements to their infrastructure and there’s renewed investment regionally in tourism facilities for both air and sea travelers.”

Right now, the Caribbean Tourism Organization is still projecting positive growth for the region in 2020, with an estimate of between one and two percent.

“In conclusion, 2019 was a great one overall for Caribbean tourism, based not only on the record performance by the region, but also for some individual destinations,” the CTO said in a statement.

— CJ

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Puerto Rico’s major airport had a very strong fourth quarter to close out the year, according to data from the Mexico-based ASUR airport group, which manages Luis Munoz Marin International Airport. 

Passenger traffic in Puerto Rico was up 18.1 percent year-over-year in the fourth quarter, buoyed by a 19.1 percent jump in domestic U.S. traffic and a 9.9 percent increase in international traffic to the island. 

That represented a total of 2.376 million passengers in the fourth quarter, according to ASUR data. 

While the strong numbers came before the series of earthquakes that shook the island, Puerto Rico did manage to maintain strong numbers in January, too, according to ASUR. 

Last month, Luis Munoz Marin Airport reported 888,012 passengers, a very strong 11.4 percent increase compared to the same month in 2019. 

If it keeps that up, Puerto Rico could see one of the wider Caribbean region’s highest tourism growth rates in 2020. 

— CJ

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The chief executive officer of the Bermuda Tourism Authority has resigned, the BTA said in a statement. 

Bermuda Tourism Authority CEO Kevin Dallas’ departure takes effect Feb. 26. 

In a statement, the BTA said its senior executive team would carry out interim leadership duties, with plans to launch a “robust executive search” for a new CEO. 

“We wish to thank Kevin for his leadership, and we wish him the very best in his future endeavours,” said BTA Board Chair Paul Telford. “Kevin has been a strong asset and we are extremely grateful for his significant contribution. During his tenure, he was responsible for notable milestones, including development and implementation of the new National Tourism Plan, the arrival of Disney Cruises, and executing host venue partnerships for Bermuda with the America’s Cup, World Triathlon Series, United States Tennis Association, Clipper Round the World Yacht Race and the PGA TOUR.”

Dallas had served as CEO of the BTA for three years. 

Over that period, Bermuda saw record numbers for total leisure visitors, with the second-highest number of leisure air arrivals in the island’s history last year. 

“It has been a true privilege to serve as the BTA’s CEO,” said Dallas. “I am incredibly proud of what our team and industry stakeholders have accomplished collaboratively and in a relatively short period, and I remain very positive about the growth potential of Bermuda tourism with the investment we have stimulated. Personally, I’m now looking forward to new opportunities and challenges and am confident this is the right decision. The BTA is in a strong position with a superb team of hard-working people dedicated to the industry’s future. I wish all my colleagues and our stakeholders continued success.”

— CJ

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In a significant achievement for a destination hit hard by the storms of 2017, St Maarten was the fastest-growing tourism destination in the Caribbean last year. 

The destination’s growth rate of 80 percent was the biggest improvement of any destination in the region, according to data released Wednesday by the Caribbean Tourism Organization. 

The British Virgin Islands was the next-fastest-growing destination, with 57.3 percent growth, followed by Dominica at 51.7 percent — all three destinations marking strong recoveries since Hurricanes Irma and Maria in 2017. 

In all, St Maarten reported 319,696 stayover visitors in 2019, along with a total of 1.63 million cruise passengers. 

The latter represented 2.2 percent year-over-year growth for what is one of the most-visited cruise stops in the wider Caribbean region. 

St Maarten’s growth was driven by the all-important United States market — which accounted for 165,743 visitors, representing an improvement of a whopping 145 percent compared to 2018. 

The Canadian market sent 27,736 visitors to St Maarten, a jump of 202.7 percent, while Europe sent 91,814 visitors, a 22.4 percent increase. 

While the increase is of course tied to the lull in visitation in the months following the storms of 2017, St Maarten’s chart-topping increase is a major sign for one of the destination, more impressive given that St Maarten has been working with a provisional version of the Princess Juliana International Airport. 

On that front, airport officials say the rebuilding of the permanent terminal will begin this year, following the signing of a $72 grant reconstruction agreement with the World Bank at the end of 2019. 

St Maarten is positioned to continue strong growth in 2020, with major European carriers returning strong airlift for the season, and a bustling hotel pipeline. 

That includes the transformed Sonesta Maho and Sonesta Ocean Point resorts, both of which have been open again for some time, and newer properties like the highly-anticipated 124-room Morgan resort in Simpson Bay, set to open in the second half of 2020. 

Another new property, the Adonis hotel in Cupecoy, just opened its doors at the beginning of this year. 

Next month, the French side of the island will get a huge injection of energy with the debut of AMResorts’ first-ever property in the French Caribbean, the new Secrets St Martin on Anse Marcel, one that will add to a reinvigorated hotel product led by the sparkling rebuild of the Grand Case Beach Club.

– CJ

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