CAUTIOUSLY OPTIMISTIC is how Caribbean Tourism Organisation (CTO) chairman Richard Sealy is describing the outlook for regional tourism.
Sealy, who is also Barbados’ Minister of Tourism and International Transport, said rejuvenated British and Europe markets and the upsurge in infrastructural investments, highlighted by the current construction 170 new Caribbean hotels, was a main reason for the positive outlook.
However, he acknowledged there were challenges including reduced visitor spending, fear of a resurgence in communicable diseases and the need to improve service delivery in the sector.
Sealy made the comments recently while speaking on the latest edition of the CTO’s television programme Destination programme, during which he and CTO Secretary General Hugh Riley discussed the topic Challenges, Opportunities And What’s Next For Caribbean Tourism.
“Currently the picture in the Caribbean as far as tourism is concerned is one where we are optimistic, maybe cautiously so. Certainly there is increase in the tourism activity in the region at the moment, fuelled largely because of the comeback
of UK (and) Europe. We have seen increases basically to the region. Most of the members of the CTO would have seen increases,” Sealy said.
“Obviously we are still coming out of an economic recession so the whole issue of the spend that we enjoy is a factor. People are a little more cautious in terms of how they spend their money and those are some of the factors that we are looking at.
“Of course, the challenges along with those realities would be dealing with the resurgence in some communicable diseases etc that we have had to deal with. Along with that the usual issues of making sure that we have the correct service levels.”
He was happy, however, about the construction of new hotels.
“About 170 hotels right now are under construction in CTO member countries, close to 30 000 rooms. That’s a very good sign because that suggests confidence in the sector, it also suggests capacity for future growth and greater contribution to the economy of the Caribbean,” he said. (SC)
