Janet Silvera, Gleaner Writer
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico:
THE CARIBBEAN tourism industry has seen a 4.7 per cent increase in stopover arrivals in 2005 with similar growth expected in 2006.
However, the region's cruise business has not done nearly as well.
Cruise numbers are down two per cent for the region, while land-based business in the larger countries, such as Cuba, the Dominican Republic, The Bahamas, Mexico, Jamaica and Puerto Rico, reflects positive showings.
NUMBER ONE DESTINATION
Although the cruise numbers are down, the Caribbean continues to be the number one cruise destination worldwide.
The good news comes at a time when the region has just experienced a challenging 2005, plagued by hurricanes, unsteady bookings, a fragile consumer confidence index, a disastrous summer and the imminent danger of new passport rules by the United States government.
Addressing delegates at the opening ceremony of Caribbean Marketplace 2006 Sunday evening, at the new Puerto Rico Convention Centre, in San Juan, president of the Caribbean Hotel Association (CHA), Berthia Parle, declared it was the dawn of a new era for the Caribbean tourist industry.
"Against all odds, international airline traffic actually grew eight per cent and our destinations finally recorded unprecedented airlift, this translated into an overall growth of about five per cent in tourist arrivals by air to the Caribbean," she told the large gathering.
Parle said the guaranteed success and increased market share can only get better, especially with the historic signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the CHA and the Caribbean Tourism Organisation (CTO) last November.
Like Parle, CTO Secretary General, Vincent Vanderpool-Wallace is very optimistic about the region's prospects. He asserted that consumers are becoming much more savvy about hurricanes.
"They are not running away from the region as they hear that one of our islands is about to be hit," he said.
TOURISM MARKETING EVENT
The CTO Secretary-General is predicting a great 2006, buoyed by what is currently happening in the industry, "Ëxpedia, the single largest online booking engine, say they are seeing solid bookings for the region," he stated.
Caribbean Marketplace, which opened Sunday, ends today. The event is recognised as the most important tourism-marketing event of the year for the Caribbean region.
Held every year in January, the event sets the tone for travel packaging in the Caribbean.
The format of this year's event is two days of pre-scheduled business appointments. Buyers and suppliers meet face to face to discuss existing contracts, develop packages, and contract for future business.
