by Brian Major
Last updated: 12:30 PM ET, Fri October 13, 2023
Caribbean destinations are building new resorts, expanding
cruise itineraries, developing airport and seaport infrastructure and altering tourism
management systems to capitalize on the region’s 2023 travel boom.
Speaking at this week’s State of the Industry Conference (SOTIC)
in Providenciales, Turks and Caicos, government and tourism officials detailed initiatives
intended to support post-pandemic regional growth in land and sea visitors.
Several Caribbean nations reported record arrivals at the
gathering, including officials from the event’s host country, among the Caribbean
countries to reach pre-pandemic totals.
The Turks and Caicos returned to pre-pandemic visitor arrival
levels by 2022, said Josephine Connolly, the country’s minister of tourism, with
arrivals currently on track to extend that growth in 2023. Between January and June of this year, the destination has hosted
321,423 airline arrivals and 491,806 cruise, a 51.72 percent year-over-year increase
compared with 2022.
“The tourist board is a model of the past.” – Josephine Connolly, minister of tourism for the Turks and Caicos (Photo by Brian Major)
That follows a 13.4 percent arrivals decline from 2019 to
2021, explained Connolly, who said tourism represents more than 85 percent of
the country’s GDP.
Already well-connected to U.S. gateways, the country secured
additional airlift this year, with new direct Virgin Atlantic flights between
London and Providenciales slated to launch November 4. “This is a big deal for
the Turks and Caicos,” she said.
The Turks and Caicos was also named a preferred destination
by luxury travel consortium Virtuoso, Connolly said.
“We are excited about this new accolade as it further
strengthens our brand in the luxury market.” She noted that the destination has
eight properties that are preferred Virtuoso resorts.
A New Approach
The country has also revamped its tourism marketing and
management, eliminating its tourist board to create two agencies, Experience
Turks and Caicos and the Tourism Regulatory Authority.
The former agency is charged with extending development
beyond Providenciales’ core resorts to “create awareness and promote” tours and
attractions focused on culture, heritage, cuisine and adventure across the
archipelago, Connolly said.
“To sustain what we have calls for collaboration and
partnership,” she explained. “The tourist board is a model of the past. We are
looking toward the future.”
Several other nations offered details on their 2023 visitor
arrivals at the SOTIC gathering:
U.S. Virgin Islands
The territory recorded a 22 percent arrivals increase through
March 2023 compared to the same period in 2019, said Joeph Boschulte, commissioner
of the U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI) Department of Tourism.
A key property, The Westin Beach Resort & Spa at
Frenchman’s Reef, reopened recently after 2020 renovation delays due to
COVID shutdowns.
“Branded properties help. The Marriott [reopening] is definitely a plus for us.” – Joseph Boschulte, U.S. Virgin Islands Department of Tourism commissioner. (Photo by Brian Major)
The resort’s boutique wing, the Morningstar Buoy Haus Beach
Resort at Frenchman’s Reef, reopened in May after being shuttered since 2017
due to damage from hurricanes Irene and Maria.
Westin Beach Resort’s return should provide a boost to
advisors, as inventory for accommodations has been “majority sharing economy
over traditional hotels,” during the pandemic and its aftermath, Boschulte said.
“Branded properties help. The Marriott [reopening] is
definitely a plus for us,” he added.
The territory’s cruise passenger arrivals are anticipated to
surpass pre-COVID levels by the end of 2023, Boschulte said. “We had a tough run when the territory went into COVID. I do
not think any of us [previously] believed we would not see a cruise ship in the
territory for 18 months.”
Cruise visitors are up substantially following a February pact with Royal
Caribbean International to enhance port development.
“Before the agreement, St. Croix averaged between 25,000 and
30,000 cruise passengers per year,” said Boschulte. “Since this agreement, our
expectations are between 144,000 and 150,000 passenger per year.”
Cayman Islands
The archipelago’s flag carrier, Cayman Airways, was approved
as a TSA PreCheck-participating airline in August and will launch direct flights between Grand
Cayman and Bridgetown, Barbados beginning October 18.
Cayman Airways will also launch a second flight to Los
Angeles in November, increasing the service to twice weekly.
Among commercial carriers, JetBlue is adding a second flight
to Boston in February 2024, increasing the carrier’s service to twice weekly.
United Airlines will begin daily service between Newark and Grand
Cayman on October 29, doubling the airline’s capacity dedicated to the
destination.
Saint Lucia
By the end of July 2023, Saint Lucia recorded a 12 percent
year-over-year visitor arrivals increase said Lorine Charles-St. Jules, CEO of
the Saint Lucia Tourism Authority.
To date, the destination has recovered 89 percent of its year-to-date
2019 arrivals through July. “We continue to see a remarkable rebound in
arrivals,” said Charles-St. Jules.
“We continue to see a remarkable rebound in arrivals.” – Lorine Charles-St. Jules, CEO Saint Lucia Tourism Authority (Photo by Brian Major)
Saint Lucia’s government is undertaking a redevelopment of Hewanorra
International Airport, with work on a new air traffic control tower scheduled for
completion by the first half of 2024.
Saint Lucia’s cruise facilities are also slated for an
upgrade via a 30-year agreement with Global Ports Holding (GPH), under which the
operator will “manage and significantly upgrade” Saint Lucia’s cruise ports.
GPH’s work will include an expansion of the island’s Point
Seraphine berth to accommodate the cruise industry’s largest ships, raising the
port's capacity.
Meanwhile, Saint Lucia’s resort base will expand next year with
the addition of the 351-room Secrets St. Lucia Resort & Spa, scheduled to open
in June.
Marigot Bay in Saint Lucia. (Photo Credit: Wildroze/E+)
The Bahamas
Data from travel research firm Forward Keys reports the
Bahamas’ bookings from September 2023 to February 2024 are growing at 12.7
percent annually compared with the pre-COVID period.
This year, the destination has added several new airline routes,
including Delta Air Lines flights between Miami and Nassau, JetBlue service between
Los Angeles and Nassau and flights from Seattle to Los Angeles and Nassau
aboard Alaska Airlines.
Antigua and Barbuda
“We also had
a very busy winter season coming off last year's numbers, which has us going very,
very strong,” said Colin James, CEO of the Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority.
The dual-island nation will expand visitor access via new regional
flights from Silver Airways beginning November 16.
The regional airline maintains connections with major
carriers including American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, JetBlue Airways and United
Airlines, expanding traveler options.
The destination’s growing resort options will include the first-quarter
2024 debut of the Royalton Chic, whose first phase will feature 230 rooms.
The iconic luxury resort Curtain Bluff is scheduled to complete
a $2.2 million renovation by the end of October.
On the cruise front, Antigua and Barbuda expects to open a new
port terminal in 2025, said James. The destination will homeport several small
to mid-sized cruise ships this year, including ships from SeaDream Yacht Club, P&O
Cruises and Star Clippers.
Anguilla
The tiny Caribbean nation is reporting an outsized arrivals
increase, with 113,324 visitors between January and August, a 20 percent
year-over-year increase compared with 2022.
Anguilla’s first-ever direct flights from Miami aboard
American Airlines have been instrumental in the nation’s tourism growth, said Hadyn Hughes, minister of tourism and infrastructure.
Twice-weekly flights resumed this month and will expand to daily
service on November 5. The schedule will again expand to twice-daily flights from
December 20 to April 3, 2024.
An expansion of Clayton J. Lloyd International Airport “is well underway,” said Hughes, and will
continue in January with construction of a new main terminal.
Jamaica
Jamaica continues to outperform expectations in terms of
arrivals, spend and length of stay, said Donovan White, the country’s director
of tourism. Preliminary data shows arrivals from January through August 2023
were 5.2 percent higher than the same period in 2019.
White said the destination is on track to host 2,744,230
land-based visitors and 1,138,535 cruise travelers by the end of the year. “We’re
chugging along quite aggressively and successfully,” he said.
The 3.88 million expected by the end of 2023 trails the 4.23
million visitors achieved in 2019, reflecting a 368,111 year-over-year shortfall
in cruise visitors. Jamaica hosted 133,312 more land-based visitors in 2023 compared
with 2019.
For the latest travel news, updates and deals, subscribe to the daily TravelPulse newsletter.
Topics From This Article to Explore
