By Rico Louw
CJ Contributor

The Caribbean hotel industry saw its first occupancy decline since October 2018, but continued its run of growth in room rates and revenues, according to April data from hotel analytics STR.

In year-over-year comparisons with April 2018, occupancy fell 4.1% due to a 2.4% lift in supply and a 1.7% decrease in demand. Average daily rate (ADR) and revenue per available room (RevPAR), however, rose 12.9% and 8.4%, respectively.

ADR and RevPAR have now grown for six straight months in the region.

On the islands where STR maintains a sufficient reporting sample, Saint Lucia posted the largest lift in ADR (+17.1%), but the only double-digit decrease in occupancy (-14.0%).

The Bahamas saw the largest increase in occupancy (+12.1%) and RevPAR (+23.6%), while the Turks and Caicos Islands reported the steepest drop in RevPAR (-9.2%).

Puerto Rico experienced a decline in occupancy (-5.1%), but a 9.5% jump in ADR, which led to a 4.0% increase in RevPAR. The occupancy decrease is most likely due to hotels finishing up renovations after Hurricane Maria and re-entering the marketplace.

The Dominican Republic continues to lead in rooms in construction. As of April, the island had 82 hotels accounting for 15,731 rooms in construction.

Hoteliers in the region have an opportunity to contribute to the overall benchmarking efforts in the region. Just email info@str.com to participate in our STAR program.

Additional questions regarding hotel data reporting in the Caribbean can be directed Rico Louw at rlouw@str.com.

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By the Caribbean Journal staff

The latest Caribbean Photo comes from Caribbean Journal reader Mala Jetha, who sent in this stunning shot of Aruba’s iconic Divi-Divi trees on the beach.

Have you taken a great photo in the Caribbean?

Send it to news@caribjournal.com with CPOTW in the subject line, including your first and last name and the location of the photo.

It could be the next Caribbean Photo of the Week!

— CJ

The post Caribbean Photo of the Week: An Icon of Aruba appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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Politics in Puerto Rico is generally structured on the … supportfrom Puerto Rican bondholders. Cuomo has also made numerous trips to Puerto Rico since … Hurricane Maria devastated the island, and has a significant Puerto Rican …

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By the Caribbean Journal staff

The Caribbean’s hotel pipeline is surging — as more and more investors from around the world launch new hotel and resort projects.

It’s growth that’s largely region-wide — but one island seems to be doing particularly well: the Eastern Caribbean island of Dominica, which has quietly become a major center of hotel investment in the Caribbean.

The tiny island renowned for its natural beauty is home to a decidedly robust pipeline of new luxury hotels, from the just-opened Jungle Bay to the highly-anticipated Kempinski Cabrits and the Anichi Resort and Spa. (Not to mention the planned expansion of the island’s signature hotel, Secret Bay).

A rendering of the new Kempinski project in Dominica.

Now, another hotel project has launched.

This time, it’s a new luxury eco hotel called the Sanctuary Rainforest Eco Resort and Spa.

The new project, billed as a “five-star” eco resort, will be set in the lush town of Laudat in Dominica’s Roseau Valley, the home of the island’s Morne Trois Pitons National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site.

What the pool will look like at Sanctuary.

Set on 10 acres, the property is being developed by Vital Developers, which will build a collection of 72 villas, all designed to be resistant to Category 5 hurricanes.

Amenities will include a “world-class restaurant and bar,” a yoga and meditation facility; an infinity pool with a swim-up bar; a spa; and a hammam.

A rendering of a hotel room at the new project.

The hotel will “add value to the Roseau Valley’s premium tourism sites,” said Dr John Colin McIntyre, the local parliamentary representative for the area.

Indeed, the scenic southern portion of Dominica is ripe for new hotel growth, with much of the country’s hotel development having traditionally been on the northern half of the island.

So what’s driving Dominica’s hotel boom?

It’s largely the country’s longtime citizenship by investment program, which gives investors in approved hotel and real estate projects citizenship both for themselves and their families.

Similar programs have been fueling growth in many of the Caribbean’s strongest hotel markets right now, from Antigua to Saint Lucia to Grenada.

For more, visit Sanctuary.

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By the Caribbean Journal staff

Mexico’s tourism hub of Cancun is seeing renewed cruise growth following a few sluggish months, according to new data from ASUR, which manages a portfolio of regional airports that includes Cancun.

Cancun handled a total of 2.119 million passengers in May, a 4.7 percent increase compared to the same month in 2018.

That was buoyed by a stronger 2.8 percent growth rate in international traffic, for a total of 1.327 million passengers from abroad.

And domestic traffic surged, with an 8.1 percent increase and a total of 792,854 passengers in the period.

For the year to date, Cancun passenger traffic is up 5.2 percent, including a 1.1 percent increase in international traffic.

So far this year, Cancun has handled just over 11 million passengers.

— CJ

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