Caribbean Destinations Outpacing Global Visitor Growth

The Caribbean’s travel surge is real. Region-wide international arrivals for the first two months in 2023 trail the same period in 2019 by only one percent, Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA) officials said in a statement Thursday.

Citing data from research firm ForwardKeys, CHTA reports the Caribbean’s post-outbreak travel rebound far outpaces other global regions.

European visitor arrivals during the two-month period remain 25 percent behind 2019 figures, CHTA officials said, while arrivals in the Asia-Pacific are 54 percent behind 2019 totals.

CHTA expects this year’s spring and summer Caribbean visitor arrivals to surpass 2019 levels, officials added. Spring arrivals are projected to exceed 2019 figures by 20 percent, while summer arrivals will surpass pre-pandemic totals by 48 percent.

“These are impressive results for our region,” said Nicola Madden-Greig, CHTA’s president.

A handful of Caribbean nations posted double-digit visitor growth early this year, said CHTA officials. Based on ticket booking data for arrivals through the end of March, visitors to the U.S. Virgin Islands increased more than 22 percent compared with the same period in 2019.

Additionally, St. Maarten posted an 18 percent visitor growth rate during the same period, while Guadeloupe and the Turks and Caicos both reported visitor increases of 17 percent.

Curaçao has also “shown impressive growth in the U.S. market,” said CHTA officials, with Grenada and Antigua and Barbuda “following closely behind.”

In a March 29 presentation, CHTA officials identified Grenada as among the three top-performing destinations in year-over-year U.S. visitor arrivals growth in 2023 compared with 2019.

As of March 2, Grenada recorded a 39 percent year-over-year U.S. visitor arrivals growth. Curaçao and Antigua and Barbuda recorded year-over-year U.S. visitor increases of 53 percent and 26 percent, respectively.

ForwardKeys also reported an increase in flight searches from Canada “has been slower to recover” post-outbreak.