Caribbean tourism records growth in 2011

Janet Silvera, Senior Gleaner Writer

WESTERN BUREAU:

WARNING that the region was not yet out of the woods, the Caribbean Tourism Organisation (CTO) has said the Caribbean recorded a rise in tourist arrivals in 2011 when compared to 2010.

The organisation is forecasting further growth this year.

Making the announcement on Wednesday at the State of Industry press conference in Barbados, the CTO announced that 23.8 million stayover visitors came to the region in 2011, an increase of 3.3 per cent over 2010.

Cruise passenger arrivals, however, were flat, rising marginally by 0.3 per cent to 20.6 million.

"The Caribbean tourism industry is holding its own, remaining afloat and resilient amid turbulence in the marketplace. Tourist arrivals to the Caribbean region remained buoyant in 2011, continuing the recovery process which began in 2010," Sean Smith, the CTO's statistical specialist, announced at the news conference at the organisation's headquarters in Bridgetown.

He noted that the increase in arrivals came on the back of a strong performance during the winter months, followed by a downward trend and less than anticipated growth during summer.

"Tourist arrivals during the winter months (January to April) were up 4.4 per cent over the previous winter, which had grown by 3.9 per cent over 2009. The summer period ending December recorded a lower than expected increase of three per cent," Smith revealed.

As is customary, the Canadian market performed strongly with arrivals up 6.8 per cent over 2010, but growth from the US was modest at 1.7 per cent, while Europe was flat, recording a 0.6 per cent rise.

Smith warned, however, that the Caribbean was not yet out of the woods, as the data revealed uneven growth among some destinations and that revenue continued to lag. High unemployment in the major source markets, pressure on the monetary and fiscal systems, as well as high oil prices continued to be of concern to the region, the CTO official said.

"In light of these realities, arrivals to the Caribbean are not expected to exceed a three per cent increase in 2012, and visitor expenditure is also not expected to grow meaningfully during this year," Smith said.

Cruise arrivals, he added, are likely to rise by two to three per cent in 2012.

janet.silvera@gleanerjm.com