From Point Me to the Plane

The 2016 numbers are in and the Caribbean had a record year in terms of visitors and cruise ship passengers. Arrivals were north of 29 million, a bump of +4.2% since the prior year and the 7th straight year of growth for the Caribbean. Tourists mainly visited from the US, but Europe continues to increase with +11% year-over-year growth.

Cruise ship arrivals set a record of 26.3 million arrivals.

However, it wasn’t all positive news.  While Bermuda, Cuba, Guyana, and the Turks & Caicos saw increases, Barbados and the Dutch, British, and US Virgin islands saw declines. Arrivals from Canada were down -3.5% while South American visits were down -11%.

Growth is expected again this year, though there’s uncertainty about the level given Trump and Brexit.

IMAGE:Park Hyatt St. Kitts – Set to open summer 2017

For more on this story go to: http://pointmetotheplane.boardingarea.com/2017/03/07/despite-zika-chikungunya-record-29m-caribbean-visits-2016/