Caribbean tourism up but growth is slowing
The number of tourists visiting the Caribbean was up last year, but the pace of growth was only half that of the two previous years, according to the Caribbean Tourism Organization.
Tourism grew in 2003 and 2004 by about 7% a year.
The Dominican Republic reported the most robust growth with 3.7 million visitors for an increase of 7%. Cuba, despite being off-limits to most US citizens, had 2.3 million tourists for an increase of 13%.
Tourism in the Dutch Caribbean islands, including Aruba and Curacao, grew by nearly 2%. Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands had gains of about 3%.
Meanwhile, tourism officials announced they were taking a more business-like approach to the future development of tourism. One new major area of focus will be improving Web sites to bring them to world-class quality, tourism officials said.
They say the Caribbean is getting away from its simple “sun and fun” message to pitching consumers looking for life-enriching experiences. The theme will continue to be “Life Needs The Caribbean.”
Report by David Wilkening
David
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