THE CARIBBEAN Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA) says international
arrivals to the Caribbean for the first two months this year are behind by only one
per cent when compared to the same period in 2019.
The CHTA said, in contrast, Europe is registering a 25 percent lag while Asia-
Pacific is 54 percent behind. Total international inbound is trailing by 31 percent,
compared to the same period in 2019.
The regional hotel group is applauding Caribbean tourism stakeholders for their
exceptional efforts in leading the global travel rebound this year, noting in
particular the strides made by the United States Virgin Islands (USVI) and
Curaçao.
“These are impressive results for our region,” said CHTA President Nicola
Madden-Greig, noting also the close collaboration and smart partnerships between
health organisations, hospitality leaders, businesses, governments, the Barbados-
based Caribbean Tourism Organisation (CTO), airlines, and other stakeholders for
the “strong recovery”.
According to ticket-booking data for arrivals through the end of March, the USVI
recorded an increase of more than 22 percent compared to the same period in 2019,
leading the region.
Following closely behind is St Maarten, with a growth rate of 18 percent, while
Guadeloupe and Turks and Caicos are tied at 17 percent. The USVI has also
received top marks for its resilience, measured by arrivals growth for the first two
months of the year compared with 2019. Meanwhile, Curaçao has also shown
impressive growth in the US market, with Grenada and Antigua and Barbuda
following closely behind.
According to ForwardKeys, there has been a rise in flight searches from Canada,
which is welcome news for the region, as travel from Canada has been slower to
recover.
Demand for spring and summer travel to the Caribbean is expected to surpass 2019
levels, with spring arrivals projected to exceed 2019 figures by 20 percent and
summer arrivals set to eclipse pre-pandemic records by 48 percent.
