Caribbean Arrivals Close to Pre-Pandemic Levels

New data has been released with some exciting new observations for travel to the Caribbean. According to the statistics, Caribbean arrivals have risen to nearly pre-pandemic levels despite the lag in European travellers visiting the destination.  

The results suggest that Caribbean arrivals are closing in on 2019 levels already in the first quarter of 2023, and yet travellers from Europe have yet to pick up the 2019 pace and are not yet travelling to the Caribbean in the same flock as they used to.  

The new research data comes from ForwardKeys in tandem with the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA). The research revealed that over the course of the first two months in 2023, Caribbean arrivals are behind pre-pandemic levels by only 1% after being compared to the same period in 2019.  

Comparatively, Europe has gathered a 25% lag in arrivals and Asia-Pacific has gathered a 54% lag, both for the same 2-month period. The total for international arrivals is down by 31% overall in comparison to the same two months in 2019. 

Nicola Madden-Greig, the CHTA president said, “These are impressive results for our region,” while expressing her gratitude for the grand collaboration that has taken place to boost the number of Caribbean arrivals. This collaboration took place between health organisations, hospitality leaders, businesses, governments, the Caribbean Tourism Organisation (CTO), and airlines, to bring a great surge in results for the Caribbean travel industry.  

Based on data surrounding ticket bookings, arrivals following through to the end of March have provided the Virgin Islands with a fantastic record, increasing the number of arrivals by 22% over the same period in 2019. Saint Maarten saw a growth rate of 18%, Guadeloupe saw 17%, and Turks and Caicos also saw an increase of 17%. 

The demand from Caribbean arrivals for the spring and summer this year is looking to surpass the pre-pandemic levels of 2019 by 20% and 48% respectively. This is predicting a fantastic recovery for one of the world’s most beloved destinations and an exciting year to come for travel. 

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