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.
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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 transformed Karakter in Simpson Bay.
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.
A rendering of the hip new Morgan resort coming soon to Simpson Bay.
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.
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.
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.
“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.”
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