CTO Celebrates 'Impressive, Yet Challenging' Year

The Caribbean is well on its way to meeting its goal of 30 million visitors in a single year, a number set two years ago, by the Caribbean Tourism Organization.

In a statement by Hugh Riley, Secretary General of the Caribbean Tourism Organization, the Caribbean has experienced “an impressive, yet challenging year” with respect to tourism.

“We have seen a rise in tourist arrivals when compared to our record year in 2015, fueled by strong performances in Europe – mainly the United Kingdom and Germany – and from the United States,” said Riley.

But the Canadian market, traditionally “a robust achiever, even during the tough global economic meltdown,” delivered fewer tourists this year, spurred in large part by the weak Canadian dollar.

Riley said the organization is working with its CTO member countries to reverse that slide. In part, the CTO has announced that it is hiring a business development representative in Canada, who will identify new business opportunities and strive to deliver maximum impact.

On tap for Canada: new travel agent training and certification programs, increased use of social media and “more focused engagement with the Caribbean Diaspora” are all components of the 2017 strategy.

Hotels in the Caribbean are also facing new challenges. While air arrivals were up for the first half of 2016, data from Smith Travel Research Inc. indicates that hotel occupancies did not increase accordingly. A growth in room inventory, as well as decreased demand for traditional hotel rooms and the growth of the ‘the sharing economy, were all attributed as factors in the decrease.

Also, a challenge to the Caribbean in 2016, were the hurricanes that plagued the region this past year.

“Despite the adversities occasioned by these events, our resilience and fortitude as a region stood out and even the worst affected were back open for business in quick time, proving that tourism is an effective way to re-energise an economy following a natural or other disaster,” said Riley.

The CTO has also said it will continue to work with partners to and the Caribbean Public Health Agency to address concerns raised with respect to the Zika Virus. It is also monitoring any potential impact as a result of the Brexit vote.

The CTO has announced that 2017 will be the Year of Adventure in the Caribbean. The campaign pairs up closely with the United Nations declaration that 2017 is the “Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development.”