caribbean | regions
Visitors will always want the azure seas and natural beauty that makes these islands famous. And in a way, the Caribbean offers a kind of escape from the quotidian economic and political woes that are building up. Travelers heading here seek peace, fun and sun. Its bounce back since the lockdowns also illustrates how much people missed traveling to these beautiful islands. It is a sort of dream world for vacationers, and they will find ways to flock here. New routes, hotels and initiatives are encouraging them and making their future voyages even smoother. In 2021, the Caribbean’s tourism sector
grew by 36.6% compared to the previous Covid-beset year, representing $39.3bn in GDP according to the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association. The region is expected to see annual growth of at least 5.5% in 2022, 2023 and every year over the next decade in terms of tourism revenues. Unsurprisingly, the U.S. and Canada make up 73% of visitors to the Caribbean nations and colonies.
NEW OPENINGS New and renovated hotels are often the catalyst for growth and there are many exciting openings on the horizon. Musician Pharrell Williams will open Somewhere Else in the Bahamas in 2024, while ANI Private Resorts comes to Shoal Bay, Anguilla, in 2024. The Dominican Republic’s first W will open
in Punta Cana in 2024. And a St Regis, the Cap Cana, is coming to the DR in 2023. Hyatt is opening new all-inclusive resorts in 2023: Secrets Tides Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, Zoëtry Marigot Bay St Lucia, Zoetry Curacao and Secrets St Lucia Resort & Spa. Pangolin in Mustique was overhauled in
2022 and added into the Dunton Destinations portfolio. Sandals Dunns River in Jamaica has been refurbished and reopens in spring 2023. Residences are also proving popular. The Strand Residences and the Andaz Residences at Grace Bay will both be arriving in Turks & Caicos in 2023/24. Hilton is opening in Aruba in 2023 — and
plans many more hotels across the Caribbean. “The Caribbean has played a significant role in Hilton’s global growth, as the company’s first hotel outside of the continental United States was in the region, with the opening of Caribe Hilton in 1949,” says Hilton’s Pablo Maturana, vice president of development, Caribbean and Latin America. “Since then, Hilton has grown to more than 25 properties in the Caribbean and expects to double its portfolio with more than 25 additional hotels in its development
Paradise Island, Bahamas
plans, including 2023’s opening of Embassy Suites by Hilton Aruba Resort.”
MORE FLIGHTS Flights are increasing, too. Frontier added Tampa to San Juan, Puerto Rico and Montego Bay, Jamaica in late 2022. And Spirit added Hartford, Connecticut to Montego Bay, Jamaica in Dec 2022. Some islands are still trying to get connections. The British Virgin Islands has no links beyond the Caribbean and is lobbying hard for a U.S. route — expect one to arrive in the next couple of years. One of the problems has been flight cost,
with flights to Mexico historically being far cheaper than flights to Caribbean islands. A new wave of low-cost airlines looks set to disrupt the market, of which Arajet is one of the most exciting entrants. It only started flying in September 2022 but is eyeing up aggressive expansion across the region from its base in the Dominican Republic in the coming years, including interesting non-U.S./ Canada routes such as to Colombia and Ecuador on its newly purchased 737 MAX aircraft. Though Toronto and Montreal are also scheduled to come online soon — as well as U.S. destinations such as Boston — there will also be cheap connections to other Caribbean islands enabling multi-destination trips, which are presently fiddly and costly to attempt. Another start-up is Antigua Airways, which launched from Antigua to Toronto and even to Nigeria and Ghana in 2022. It’s also spying growth potential across the region, and to the U.S., in the coming years.
GOING GREEN Eco-tourism is set to be a big driver for visits, with many islands recognizing they need to do more in the face of the threats tourism can cause to precious habitats and ecosystems. Dominica has pursued this path — organic
farming, green energy and eco-resorts — and is set to continue being one of the Caribbean’s buzziest islands in the coming years, attracting a younger, hipper, more green-minded crowd. The Dutch island of Saba has been exploring eco-tourism for years and is continuing its innovative approach with more new initiatives. In the coming years, expect more of a regional focus on wellness and fitness, with activities such as hiking, climbing and snorkeling, green resorts, engagement with local communities, wildlife experiences and anything that goes beyond the ‘fly-and-flop’ stereotype. Tobago is also going green. In 2022, it
officially inaugurated the UNESCO-designated North East Tobago Biosphere Reserve. “The reserve is a largely intact Caribbean Island ecosystem that includes one of the oldest legally protected tropical rainforest reserves in the world, the Tobago Main Ridge Forest Reserve, and I’m extremely proud to be a part of an island community that works diligently to preserve its environments and wildlife,” says Sheena Des Vignes, marketing coordinator at Tobago Tourism Agency. “Visitors come to Tobago to immerse themselves in our unspoilt natural beauty — from birdwatching to tropical rainforests — and we look forward to welcoming even more visitors in 2023/24.”
CRUISE CONTROL Cruises remain solidly popular, and a slew of new vessels will be coming on stream, including Royal Caribbean’s huge Icon of The Seas, which will boast a massive water park and theater featuring a pool stage and waterfall. She’ll be Miami-based after an initial 2024 launch, with visits to St Thomas, St Kitts, St Maarten and the Bahamas on the cards. Virgin Voyages’ Brilliant Lady will be based at San Juan, Puerto Rico from 2023, with sailings to Puerto Plata and St Croix. From Anguilla to Saint Vincent, the
Caribbean is diverse, rich in natural beauty and ready for the challenges ahead. It will continue to be a tourism hotspot throughout the next few years, offering different experiences to different travelers and continuing to innovate and expand on what it does well. “With everything that we’ve done in terms of upgrading our rooms, attractions and destinations in general, the Caribbean is coming out as the destination of choice for many,” CHTA president Nicola Madden-Greig said at the organization’s AGM in October 2022. “But we must work hard to ensure that it continues to be the destination of choice into 2023 and beyond.”
Worldwide Destination Guide 2023/24 | ASTA | 83
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