Throughout the Caribbean, which is fighting to recover from the debilitating blow of the COVID-19 pandemic, new hotels are opening up and airports and cruise ports are getting multi-million-dollar makeovers as the region attempts to build back better.
Tourism chiefs delivered optimistic statistics and messages when they gave updates on the state of their islands’ tourism industries at the Caribbean Tourism Organization conference which was held in the Cayman Islands earlier this month. Many jurisdictions – including Cayman – are reporting higher-than-predicted arrival numbers as travellers, whose overseas trips have been curtailed for so long due to travel restrictions, board planes and ships for sunny getaways.
While the high numbers, in some places rivalling pre-pandemic arrivals, are perhaps inevitable considering the pent-up demand for travel, tourism bosses are already considering what happens next, as this peak could easily be followed by a trough as people get the travel bug out of their system and tighten their belts in a looming recession.
With that in mind, many countries across the region are working on increasing and improving their offerings, by building new hotels and resort, and upgrading airports and cruise ports. The reintroduction of airline routes from major markets before the pandemic are underway across the region, while some destinations, like Jamaica, are in talks to expand into entirely new markets around the globe.
Cayman Islands
Tourism Minister Kenneth Bryan, in his media briefing at the CTO conference, said the islands are on track to meet, and most likely surpass, its target to reach 40% of the 2019 tourism numbers by the end of this year – equating to more than 200,000 visitors.
However, if the current trajectory continues, he said, he expects more than quarter of a million visitors to arrive by the end of December.
Between January and June this year, Bryan said, Cayman welcomed more than 114,000 stayover visitors, which represents 41% of the air arrivals recorded over the first six months of 2019.
In July, more than 32,000 visitors arrived on island – equivalent to 63% of the July 2019 numbers.
The tourism minister pointed out that 2019 is being used as a comparison as it was the last full year of travel prior to the beginning of the pandemic. It was also a banner year for Cayman’s tourist numbers, with 502,739 passengers arriving by air, and 1.83 million arriving on cruise ships.
The revenue from tourist accommodation charges in 2019 was $36.5 million, according to Economics and Statistics Office data.
Cruise passengers account for 75% of Cayman’s visitors, and Bryan said the government’s goal is to “hold fast on that number and not grow much more than that because we recognise that our environment can only handle so much, and it starts to affect the experience of those who come here”.
A new cruise tourism strategy is being drawn up, focusing on capacity management and sustainability.
With new routes coming online, Cayman is predicted to see a 1% increase in airlift capacity compared to the fourth quarter of 2019, Bryan said.
The growth in the number of airline seats available is driven in part by increased American Airlines connections through Charlotte and Miami; Southwest’s strong feeder markets in Texas; United’s growth in Washington DC and Newark; a new non-stop route from the Baltimore-Washington gateway; and a new Cayman Airways’ direct flight to Los Angeles, which is scheduled to begin on 5 Nov.
“This encouraging news is a sign of confidence in our destination by international airlines, especially at a time when some destinations are experiencing reduced frequency,” Bryan told reporters.
He noted that there are currently 7,161 rooms in the accommodations sector across the three islands, in 23 hotels, 612 apartments and 316 guesthouses.
There are nine new properties in the pipeline, Bryan added, including five with completion dates between 2023 and 2025. They are Kailani with 80 one-, two- and three-bedroom suites; Hotel Indigo, a 282-room property; Grand Hyatt Hotel & Residences, with 351 rooms; One|GT Boutique Hotel with 177 rooms; Vida Cayman, with 18 bungalows; Mandarin Oriental Hotel with 100 hotel rooms and 89 residences; Eco-Resort at Barefoot Beach with 89 cottages; Revive (Healing Resort and Spa) with 28 bungalows; and a hotel and canal planned area development site with the number of rooms yet to be determined.
“Against this backdrop of development, it’s important that the tourism product is continually refreshed, to give visitors something new to experience during their visit,” Bryan said.
Jamaica
In the first six months of this year, Jamaica welcomed 1,468,004 stayover tourists, the country’s tourism minister Edmund Bartlett told journalists at a press briefing at the CTO conference.
July’s arrivals saw a 10% increase over the July 2019 figures, an indication that the country is bouncing back strong from the pandemic that brought the region’s tourism industry to a halt.
Bartlett said annual arrival numbers are projected to return to pre-COVID levels by 2023.
But he’s not just interested in recovery and getting back to 2019 numbers; he’s focusing strongly on growth, and he and his government are exploring new markets in the Middle East, Africa and Asia.
He said talks had been held with Royal Jordanian Airlines in Amman, as well as with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) airlines, which include Emirates, Qatar Airways, Saudia, Etihad Airways, to talk about “how we can open up the Middle East gateway to the Caribbean”.
He added that a delegation of Caribbean ministers in November would be meeting with their counterpart in Saudi Arabia, with whom they already have a memorandum of understanding.
He has also been in discussions with executives at African carriers, such as Ethiopian Airlines, Kenya Airways and Rwanda Air, on possible routes, and has been corresponding with political counterparts in Botswana, Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, Paraguay and South Africa. He has invited 10 tourism ministers from African countries to attend the first Caribbean Africa Tourism Forum in February 2023 at the Global Resilience Crisis Management Regional Headquarters at The University of the West Indies, Mona.
Bartlett said discourse between carriers and tourism bosses in the Middle East, Africa and the Caribbean “is very important if we are to not just recover to 2019 levels but to grow, and growth is what is the challenge”.
“Recovery is a very strong and arduous task, but growth after recovery is rare and precious,” Bartlett told reporters. “And so, part of my mission is to get there, to have growth after recovery. That’s why the new markets, that’s why the gateway through the Middle East, which will connect us with Asia, with India, with China, with northern Africa and the Levant countries through the Jordanian gateway.”
Bartlett is also optimistic about the air arrival figures seen over the summer, noting that July’s arrival figures surpassed that of July 2019, which was a record month for the islands.
“We can say the best summer that we ever had was 2019. And in this immediate post-COVID period, this summer is now 5,000 more visitors than 2019, which makes it the best summer in the history of tourism in Jamaica,” he said.
The average length of stay is back to 2019 levels of 7.9 nights, he added.
The vast majority – 74.5% – of arrivals come from the US, with 12.1% from the UK and Europe, 10.4% from Canada, and 1.8% from the Caribbean.
As he moves ahead with growth plans for the tourism industry in Jamaica, Barlett said, he is expecting 8,000 new rooms to be added to the island’s room stock over the next two-to-five years.
The Princess Hotel, with 2,000 rooms, in Hanover, near Negril, has already started construction; Sandals Dunn’s River in Ocho Rios is expanding by 800 rooms which are expected to be completed by 2024; RIU Hotel in Falmouth, Trelawny is constructing 700 rooms; and groundbreakings are also slated for several developments, including the 2,000-room Hard Rock Hotel in St. James.
Also, the Rok Hotel Kingston, a Tapestry by Hilton Collection property, opened in August, and Couples San Souci is undergoing renovations that are expected to be completed by December 2023.
Anguilla
Haydn Hughes, minister of tourism in Anguilla, says the average daily rates for some hotels in the eastern Caribbean destination have “fully recovered and are up considerably over 2019 and 2021 levels”.
He added, “Based on reports from our stakeholders on the forward bookings for fall and winter, we are confident that we will exceed our 2019 arrivals this year, and the winter 2023 season will be our best on record.”
Hughes told reporters at the CTO press briefing that the Anguillan government in May finalised its airport masterplan – a 20-year project, the first phase of which includes beginning construction of a new terminal building at the Clayton J. Lloyd International Airport next year. Also, a new ferry terminal, at Blowing Point, is ahead of schedule, and is expected to open in December this year.
There is a non-stop American Airlines service from Miami, which launched in December last year, and will run eight times a week from November this year, and 11 times a week from 18 Dec. 2022 to 8 Jan. 2023. Silver Airways and Tradewind Aviation provide services from San Juan, Puerto Rico, directly into Anguilla, with codeshare agreements with Delta, American and JetBlue bringing in passengers from the US.
Anguilla has several new developments adding to its room stock. These include the 178-room Aurora Anguilla (formerly CuisinArt) which opened in December after a multi-million-dollar renovation; a new 15-suite development by ANI Private Resorts on Shoal Bay which is expected to open in 2024; and construction on the Kokoon Villas development, a small enclave of six two- and three-bedroom homes, which is expected to begin in the fourth quarter of this year, with completion slated by the end of 2023.
In Anguilla, some COVID travel protocols are still in place, and unvaccinated passengers are required to provide pre-arrival COVID tests. That is expected to be dropped at end of September.
Barbados
Lisa Cummins, the minister of tourism in Barbados, and the former chair of the CTO, said her country expects to see 80% of 2019 air arrival levels by the end of this year, while its cruise numbers are already back to 90% of 2019 levels.
She was one of the ministers at the CTO conference who stressed the importance of building resilience into a recovery strategy, saying Barbados is looking to develop emerging markets, such as Latin America.
She noted that while the overall Caribbean capacity out of Latin America has been slow to return, Barbados’ capacity is recovering more quickly. For example, Copa Airlines returned in June 2022 and operates non-stop flights from Panama’s Tocumen International Airport twice a week. That connection via Panama opens some Latin American countries, such as Brazil, enabling easier travel to Barbados.
Currently, the biggest market Barbados has is the UK. So far this year, visitors from Britain have reached 80%-90% of 2019 levels, Cummins said.
British travel company TUI UK has increased its winter 2022/23 programme to Barbados, with more than 54,000 planned airline seats and homeporting two of its largest cruise ships in Barbados.
Dutch airline KLM is also planning to return in October, which further opens up the European market for Barbados, Cummins said.
The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collections will make Barbados its homeport for the winter season, with 20 sailings embarking at the Port of Bridgetown, while MSC, Seabourn and Carnival are making stops at the island over the winter period.
Barbados still requires unvaccinated travellers to undergo pre-arrival COVID tests.
Bahamas
Latia Duncombe, acting director general of tourism in the Bahamas, says bookings for August-November have surpassed the same period in 2019 by 1.3%, while bookings originating in its largest market, the US, are up 15% compared to 2019 figures.
However, airlift is still down compared to pre-pandemic levels. At the start of the year, Duncombe said, it was down 55% compared to 2019, and that gap has been slowly decreasing throughout the year. It was down 28% in May/June, which she said was likely because of an increase in positive COVID cases in the US.
The future was looking up for seat capacity, however, she added, with more seats coming online with United Airlines and new flight partner Frontier on US routes, as well as increased capacity from British Airways and new flight partner Virgin Atlantic on European routes, and new Latin American routes with Copa Airlines.
There is also new daily airlift from Western Air from Fort Lauderdale to Nassau. Sunwing, meanwhile, will fly from Toronto and Montreal to Grand Bahama once a week, from 17 Dec.
Outer islands are also being serviced, with Delta Airlines running daily flights between Atlanta and North Eleuthera, and Atlanta and George Town, Exuma, and American Airlines operating daily between Charlotte and both North Eleuthera and George Town, Exuma. Additionally, American Airlines is offering daily flights between Miami and Freeport, Grand Bahama Island.
“We’re doing quite a bit to ensure that ease of travel to and through the Bahamas is available to all,” Duncombe said.
The Bahamas currently requires unvaccinated travellers to undergo a pre-arrival test.
Between January and July 2022, 3.7 million visitors came to the Bahamas, by air, by cruise or by private boat. “That puts us only 20% down compared to 2019, and so as the numbers continue, as we expect that they will, we do intend to achieve 2019’s numbers this year,” Duncombe said.
Cruise accounts for 75% of visitors to the Bahamas. To continue to appeal to cruise passengers, and attract more in coming years, the Bahamas is constructing a new $300 million cruise port.
More room stock, as well as upgraded accommodation, is also on offer. For example, in the capital Nassau, a new Margaritaville Beach Resort opened in July last year, with 300 rooms, a 40-slip marina and a waterpark, while Sandals Royal Bahamian Resort reopened to guests in January this year following a $55 million renovation.
Duncombe noted that while swimming with pigs in the Bahamas is a popular draw, now visitors can also swim with goats at Long Island.
Dominica
Colin Piper, CEO of Discover Dominica Authority, says Dominica is on target to hit its 2022 target. Between January and August, 34,560 stayover visitors arrived on the rainforest-covered island.
Its main source market is the US, followed by the Caribbean.
Piper said the government of Dominica has signed an agreement for the construction of a new international airport, near the site of the existing Douglas-Charles Airport. It is expected to be completed in 2025.
The new airport, on 411 acres of land, will mean Dominica will be able to accommodate direct flights from Europe and the mainland US.
During the winter cruise season, Dominica received 206 cruise calls, carrying 144,781 people. The figure forecast for the 2022/23 season is 211 calls, bringing 280,000 passengers, he said.
American Airlines runs a direct flight twice weekly from Miami, which will increase to three times weekly in January and daily from April, Piper said. With Miami as a hub, this means that visitors from throughout the US can visit the island.
Piper added that American Airlines also offers connections through its code share partner Silver Airways via Puerto Rico.
Several new resort developments have opened or are about to open in Dominica. These include the Coulibri Ridge Eco-Resort with 14 rooms and suites, which had a soft opening December 2021; Jungle Bay Resort and Spa which opened June 2019 with 30 rooms, but which has now been expanded to 31 suites and 58 rooms; Cabrits Resort & Spa Kempinski, which opened in October 2019 with 151 rooms; and Secret Bay, which opened in 2011 with four villas, but which has expanded to 12 villas and will increase to 42 by 2025.
There is also the Anichi Resort & Spa, from the Marriott’s Autograph collection of hotels, with 128 rooms, and Tranquility Beach – Curio, from the Hilton collection, with 100 rooms.
Both of these hotels are expected to open in 2023/24. Also, the Fort Young Hotel and Dive Center, which currently has 41 rooms, is expected to expand to 101 by mid-2023.
Turks and Caicos
Josephine Connolly, minister of tourism in the Turks and Caicos, says the nation of 40 low-lying islands has welcomed 350,000 passengers since the borders reopened in December last year.
Tourism accounts for 70% of the islands’ gross domestic product, and in 2019, more than 1 million tourists visited there.
The islands are catered to by several international airlines, including American, United, British Airways, Air Canada, United, Delta, Southwest, West Jet and JetBlue, Connolly said. Direct regional flights include ones from the Bahamas, Cuba, Jamaica, Haiti, the Dominican Republic and Antigua.
Currently, 11 international flights a day arrive into Providenciales, while at some weekends, there can be between 22 and 26 flights a day, she said. To deal with congestion at the airport, the government is constructing a $1.2 million canopy, and a new terminal at the airport will break ground in January 2023. In June 2023, a new airport at South Caicos island is expected to be completed.
“We want to ensure that our tourists have the best experience from the time they arrive until the time they leave,” the tourism minister said.
COVID travel restrictions are still in force in Turks and Caicos, with only vaccinated passengers being allowed to enter the islands.
Cruise ships started returning to Turks and Caicos in December 2021. The government, in partnership with cruise company Carnival Corporation, has injected $25 million into the Grand Turk cruise industry to extend the dock to accommodate the larger ships, Connolly said.
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