Caribbean records increase in tourist arrivals for first quarter

The Caribbean Tourism Organisation (CTO) says the region recorded a 12 per cent increase in tourist arrivals during the first quarter of  this year.

 

This was spurred by a 24 per cent growth in arrivals from the United States.

 

At a news conference on Thursday in New York, CTO chairman Dominic Fedee revealed that between January and March, there were 9.1 million international tourist trips to the region, up by 970,000 over the corresponding period last year.

 

He said the boom in arrivals also extended to the cruise sector, with a record 10.7 million cruise passengers visits, an increase of 9.9 per cent or 900,000 more when compared to the same period in 2018.

 

According to Mr. Fedee, due to its bullish economy, high consumer confidence and the strength of the U.S. dollar against global currencies, the United States was the strongest performing market during the first quarter, with 4.5 million tourist visits, while Canada's 1.5 million tourist visits to the Caribbean represented a strong four per cent rise.

 

However, the performance of the European market was less encouraging, with arrivals up marginally by 0.6 per cent.