CTO data shows Caribbean first-half tourism boost
The Caribbean Tourism Organization revealed first-half growth of nearly 10% in tourist arrivals to the Caribbean.
It represents more than double the global average, said Dominic Fedee, chairman of CTO at World Travel Market last week.
More than 17 million trips were made from January-June, up by 1.5 million compared to 2018.
"The foundation of this performance was a strong United States market, which grew by 20.2% totalling a first-half record of 8.9 million overnight international tourists," Fedee said.
Increased air capacity and a strong cruise industry helped boost arrivals despite political and economic concerns like the trade war and Brexit.
"The (cruise) demand for the Caribbean was so strong in the first six months of 2019, that there was a record 16.7 million cruise visits, 1.3 million more than in the same period of 2018."
Going forward, the CTO is predicting an increase of 5-7% in stayover arrivals and up to 5% growth in cruise passenger traffic.
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