A REGIONAL OFFICIAL has compiled a lengthy to-do list as part of efforts to ensure Caribbean tourism improves this year.
In a 2016 Year In Review report, Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA) president Karolin Troubetzkoy said there was “good reason to look forward and strategise how we can ensure that 2017 will be everything, and more, that 2016 was not”.
She characterised last year as successful in some areas but challenging in others, and said “it has become abundantly clear that nothing short of a major shift in focus and commitment is necessary for Caribbean tourism to grow in 2017 and beyond”.
As a result, the 2017 priorities includes “taking the bite out of Zika, putting the ‘share’ in the sharing economy, advancing a regional tourism strategy, marketing brand Caribbean, making travel to and within the Caribbean better”.
This was in addition to “engaging members and stakeholders, investing in our people, increasing the value of CHTA membership, helping member firms to reduce costs, increase revenue, sustainability: safeguarding and nurturing our environment, natural resources, creative industries and economic linkages”.
Looking back at the 2016 performance, the CHTA official said: “Hotel occupancy rates and average daily rate would continue to increase; stopover visitor arrivals would break a record 30 million barrier; and the wedding and honeymoon business would be rekindled in the ‘Year Of Romance’.
“With 2016 behind us, we can look back and see that, on average, both Caribbean occupancy rates and ADR failed to meet budget targets.
“A number of factors contributed to this, including the threat of Zika, a warm winter in our primary markets, the depreciation of the Canadian dollar and British pound, and political and economic uncertainty in many parts of the world.”
She added: “Despite these challenges, the lure and popularity of the Caribbean continued to attract travellers and the Caribbean Tourism Organisation announced that the region will surpass the 30 million stopover visitor milestone in 2016.”
However, she noted that “the increased visitor arrivals were not evenly spread across the region and not all Caribbean destinations could register arrival increases. Growth has been disproportionate, with most of it concentrated on a handful of destinations”. (SC)
