CTO says 2019 was a good year for regional tourism

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC – The Barbados-based Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) Tuesday described 2019 as “a varied year, which both highlighted the strengths in Caribbean tourism and its inherent weaknesses”.

In a New Year’s message, CTO acting Secretary General Neil Walters said the sector’s strengths were evident in the significant growth rates experienced by most Caribbean countries.

He said despite the contraction in some larger destinations such as Cuba and the Dominican Republic, the Caribbean experienced an overall 6.1 per cent level of growth in visitor arrivals during the first nine months of the year.

“It is noteworthy that the growth rates of those countries affected by the 2017 hurricanes were substantial, in some cases up to triple-digit levels. This level of recovery speaks volumes about the commitment of the Caribbean to this industry which has become the lifeblood of several countries.”

Walter said that when Hurricane Dorian, a Category 5 hurricane swept through the Bahamas, the destruction “was a further wake-up call to us in the region that the climatic changes are here and likely irreversible.

“It is our responsibility to create resilience in not only the tourism sector but all sectors of our economies and by extension all sections of our societies. We continue to commiserate with our brothers and sisters in The Bahamas on the loss of life and property experienced as a result of Dorian.”

Walters said that the cruise sector has also had a strong showing in 2019 with a 5.8 per cent growth rate for the first three quarters.

“Implicit in this growth of cruise visits is the fact that as occurred in 2018, there has been consistent growth of cruise visits in each quarter of 2019, albeit at rates which are lower than those experienced in 2018.”

“The Caribbean tourism sector is ending 2019 in a position of which all of us can be proud, having seen an overall reversal of the position at the end of 2018. As we look to 2020, we should not rest on our laurels, but continue to work to sustain the growth which was realised this year.”

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