Dear Editor,
Some waves of concern are being made in the Cayman Islands as the Cayman Islands Tourism Association (CITA) received reports from its members of a decline in stay-over business when compared to 2023.
The slowdown in bookings was reported from May 2024. CITA added that the months of September and October have also been even slower than usual. For the upcoming 2024-2025 season, CITA adds that advance bookings are down when compared to 2023.
Is this a signal for the rest of the Caribbean Region to be on the alert?
Some of the reasons given are that the pent-up travel mania after two years of COVID-19 may be waning down; increased competition from other regional destinations; and an active hurricane season.
According to the Caribbean Tourism Organization, in 2023, regional tourism continued to grow with an estimated increase of 14.3% in international tourists visiting the Caribbean. “This growth was aligned with the projected expansion of 10.0% to 15.0% for the year, thanks to sustained demand for outbound travel from the United States – the Caribbean’s main source market,” CTO said.
The World Tourism Organization (WTO) says that global tourism is set for full recovery by the end of 2024 with spending growing faster than arrivals.
The WTO said that around 1.1 billion tourists travelled internationally in the first nine months of 2024, as the global tourism sector recovered 98% of pre-pandemic levels. According to the latest World Tourism Barometer by United Nations (UN) Tourism, a full recovery from the biggest crisis in the sector’s history is expected by the end of the year, despite economic, geopolitical and climate challenges.
WTO: Four years after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, which brought global tourism to a standstill, the Barometer reflects the sector’s remarkable recovery, with most regions already exceeding 2019 arrival numbers in the period January to September 2024. The report also shows outstanding results in terms of international tourism receipts, with most destinations with available data posting double-digit growth compared to 2019.
The WTO said that international tourist arrivals grew strongly in the first nine months of 2024, driven by strong post-pandemic demand in Europe and robust performance from large source markets globally, as well as the ongoing recovery of destinations in Asia and the Pacific. Increased air connectivity and visa facilitation also supported international travel.
The Americas which we are part of, recovered 97 per cent of its pre-pandemic arrivals (-3% over 2019).
International tourist arrivals are expected to reach 2019 levels in 2024. International tourism receipts had already virtually achieved pre-pandemic levels in 2023.
The WTO adds that while a large number of destinations already exceeded pre-pandemic arrival numbers in 2023, or have done so in 2024, there is still room for recovery across several subregions and destinations.
“A slower rebound in parts of North-East Asia and Central Eastern Europe contrasts with strong results in all other European subregions, the Middle East, Central America and the Caribbean, where arrivals have surpassed pre-pandemic values.
“As in 2023, the year 2024 has seen strong export revenues from international tourism, due to higher average spending per trip (excluding the effects of inflation), partly the result of longer periods of stay,” the WTO pointed out.
With the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season behind us, as well as the challenges that NV GEBE suffered throughout 2024 – the 20-Megawatt New Electricity Plant should be coming online soon, destination St. Maarten has much to be thankful for as we move into the holiday season and into the 2024-2025 high tourist season.
It has been said that tourism is as fragile as glass, because the slightest disruption causes a wave of consequences, and we know from experience, whether its weather-oriented or a global pandemic, resilience has been our mantra and the order of the day on the “Friendly Island” one challenge at a time.
Happy Holidays.
Roddy Heyliger
