Carib tourist sector booms

The following is a statement from Arley Sobers, director of information research and management at the Caribbean Tourism Organisation (CTO), regarding tourism performance in 2004.

WE CAN perhaps describe the Caribbean tourism sector as "robustly holding its own" in 2004.

Based on the available returns from its member-countries, which encompass the English, French, Dutch, and Spanish-speaking Caribbean, as well as the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, the Caribbean Tourism Organisation (CTO) estimates that tourist arrivals to the region grew by seven per cent to reach 21.8 million in 2004.

During this period, cruise passenger visits to Caribbean destinations increased by an estimated 13 per cent to reach 20.5 million.

SIGNIFICANT INCREASE

Consistent with these results, Smith Travel Research, the international hotel performance analysts, reports that, based on their sample of Caribbean hotels in 11 CTO member-countries, average room occupancy for 2004 was 67.9 per cent compared to 62.7 per cent in 2003, while average revenue per available room increased by 16.4 per cent to US$96.14 in 2004.

These are both record numbers, which according to our best estimates at this time, translates to a gross expenditure by these visitors of some US$21 billion.

In terms of our major markets, tourist arrivals from the United States grew by just over seven per cent during this period, arrivals from Canada were up by some 16 per cent (although most of these went to Cuba and the Dominican Republic) while tourist arrivals from Europe grew by just over four per cent.

This reasonably good performance of the region's tourism sector in 2004 follows a seven per cent increase in tourist arrivals in 2003.

We should note, however, that the rate of growth in tourist arrivals has slowed as the year has proceeded. During the 2004 winter months (January-April), tourist arrivals increased by 10 per cent while arrivals during the May-December period grew by nearly six per cent.

And, although increases were recorded in every month, these fell to a relatively low point (up one per cent) in September, followed by larger (but still moderate) increases in October and November. The recent active
hurricane season was clearly a major factor in this performance, but these figures also show (as our contacts in the marketplace had earlier indicated) that this setback was temporary.

Average room occupancy for 2004 was 67.9 per cent compared to 62.7 per cent in 2003 ...