Caribbean Tourism Expansion Continues

by Brian Major
Last updated: 12:30 PM ET, Fri October 13, 2023

Caribbean destinations are building new resorts, expanding cruise itineraries, developing airport and seaport infrastructure and altering tourism management systems to capitalize on the region’s 2023 travel boom.

Speaking at this week’s State of the Industry Conference (SOTIC) in Providenciales, Turks and Caicos, government and tourism officials detailed initiatives intended to support post-pandemic regional growth in land and sea visitors.

Several Caribbean nations reported record arrivals at the gathering, including officials from the event’s host country, among the Caribbean countries to reach pre-pandemic totals.

The Turks and Caicos returned to pre-pandemic visitor arrival levels by 2022, said Josephine Connolly, the country’s minister of tourism, with arrivals currently on track to extend that growth in 2023. Between January and June of this year, the destination has hosted 321,423 airline arrivals and 491,806 cruise, a 51.72 percent year-over-year increase compared with 2022.

Josephine Connolly Minister of Tourism Turks and Caicos

That follows a 13.4 percent arrivals decline from 2019 to 2021, explained Connolly, who said tourism represents more than 85 percent of the country’s GDP.

Already well-connected to U.S. gateways, the country secured additional airlift this year, with new direct Virgin Atlantic flights between London and Providenciales slated to launch November 4. “This is a big deal for the Turks and Caicos,” she said.

The Turks and Caicos was also named a preferred destination by luxury travel consortium Virtuoso, Connolly said.

“We are excited about this new accolade as it further strengthens our brand in the luxury market.” She noted that the destination has eight properties that are preferred Virtuoso resorts.

A New Approach

The country has also revamped its tourism marketing and management, eliminating its tourist board to create two agencies, Experience Turks and Caicos and the Tourism Regulatory Authority.

The former agency is charged with extending development beyond Providenciales’ core resorts to “create awareness and promote” tours and attractions focused on culture, heritage, cuisine and adventure across the archipelago, Connolly said.

“To sustain what we have calls for collaboration and partnership,” she explained. “The tourist board is a model of the past. We are looking toward the future.”

Several other nations offered details on their 2023 visitor arrivals at the SOTIC gathering:

U.S. Virgin Islands

The territory recorded a 22 percent arrivals increase through March 2023 compared to the same period in 2019, said Joeph Boschulte, commissioner of the U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI) Department of Tourism.

A key property, The Westin Beach Resort & Spa at Frenchman’s Reef, reopened recently after 2020 renovation delays due to COVID shutdowns.

Joseph Boschulte, commissioner of U.S. Virgin Islands Department of Tourism

The resort’s boutique wing, the Morningstar Buoy Haus Beach Resort at Frenchman’s Reef, reopened in May after being shuttered since 2017 due to damage from hurricanes Irene and Maria.

Westin Beach Resort’s return should provide a boost to advisors, as inventory for accommodations has been “majority sharing economy over traditional hotels,” during the pandemic and its aftermath, Boschulte said.

“Branded properties help. The Marriott [reopening] is definitely a plus for us,” he added.

The territory’s cruise passenger arrivals are anticipated to surpass pre-COVID levels by the end of 2023, Boschulte said. “We had a tough run when the territory went into COVID. I do not think any of us [previously] believed we would not see a cruise ship in the territory for 18 months.”

Cruise visitors are up substantially following a February pact with Royal Caribbean International to enhance port development.

“Before the agreement, St. Croix averaged between 25,000 and 30,000 cruise passengers per year,” said Boschulte. “Since this agreement, our expectations are between 144,000 and 150,000 passenger per year.”

Cayman Islands

The archipelago’s flag carrier, Cayman Airways, was approved as a TSA PreCheck-participating airline in August and will launch direct flights between Grand Cayman and Bridgetown, Barbados beginning October 18.

Cayman Airways will also launch a second flight to Los Angeles in November, increasing the service to twice weekly.

Among commercial carriers, JetBlue is adding a second flight to Boston in February 2024, increasing the carrier’s service to twice weekly.

United Airlines will begin daily service between Newark and Grand Cayman on October 29, doubling the airline’s capacity dedicated to the destination.

Saint Lucia

By the end of July 2023, Saint Lucia recorded a 12 percent year-over-year visitor arrivals increase said Lorine Charles-St. Jules, CEO of the Saint Lucia Tourism Authority.

To date, the destination has recovered 89 percent of its year-to-date 2019 arrivals through July. “We continue to see a remarkable rebound in arrivals,” said Charles-St. Jules.

Lorine Charles-St. Jules Saint Lucia Tourism Authority

Saint Lucia’s government is undertaking a redevelopment of Hewanorra International Airport, with work on a new air traffic control tower scheduled for completion by the first half of 2024.

Saint Lucia’s cruise facilities are also slated for an upgrade via a 30-year agreement with Global Ports Holding (GPH), under which the operator will “manage and significantly upgrade” Saint Lucia’s cruise ports.

GPH’s work will include an expansion of the island’s Point Seraphine berth to accommodate the cruise industry’s largest ships, raising the port's capacity.

Meanwhile, Saint Lucia’s resort base will expand next year with the addition of the 351-room Secrets St. Lucia Resort & Spa, scheduled to open in June.

The Bahamas

Data from travel research firm Forward Keys reports the Bahamas’ bookings from September 2023 to February 2024 are growing at 12.7 percent annually compared with the pre-COVID period.

This year, the destination has added several new airline routes, including Delta Air Lines flights between Miami and Nassau, JetBlue service between Los Angeles and Nassau and flights from Seattle to Los Angeles and Nassau aboard Alaska Airlines.

Antigua and Barbuda

“We also had a very busy winter season coming off last year's numbers, which has us going very, very strong,” said Colin James, CEO of the Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority.

The dual-island nation will expand visitor access via new regional flights from Silver Airways beginning November 16.

The regional airline maintains connections with major carriers including American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, JetBlue Airways and United Airlines, expanding traveler options.

The destination’s growing resort options will include the first-quarter 2024 debut of the Royalton Chic, whose first phase will feature 230 rooms.

The iconic luxury resort Curtain Bluff is scheduled to complete a $2.2 million renovation by the end of October.

On the cruise front, Antigua and Barbuda expects to open a new port terminal in 2025, said James. The destination will homeport several small to mid-sized cruise ships this year, including ships from SeaDream Yacht Club, P&O Cruises and Star Clippers.

Anguilla

The tiny Caribbean nation is reporting an outsized arrivals increase, with 113,324 visitors between January and August, a 20 percent year-over-year increase compared with 2022.

Anguilla’s first-ever direct flights from Miami aboard American Airlines have been instrumental in the nation’s tourism growth, said Hadyn Hughes, minister of tourism and infrastructure.

Twice-weekly flights resumed this month and will expand to daily service on November 5. The schedule will again expand to twice-daily flights from December 20 to April 3, 2024.

An expansion of Clayton J. Lloyd International Airport “is well underway,” said Hughes, and will continue in January with construction of a new main terminal.

Jamaica

Jamaica continues to outperform expectations in terms of arrivals, spend and length of stay, said Donovan White, the country’s director of tourism. Preliminary data shows arrivals from January through August 2023 were 5.2 percent higher than the same period in 2019.

White said the destination is on track to host 2,744,230 land-based visitors and 1,138,535 cruise travelers by the end of the year. “We’re chugging along quite aggressively and successfully,” he said.

The 3.88 million expected by the end of 2023 trails the 4.23 million visitors achieved in 2019, reflecting a 368,111 year-over-year shortfall in cruise visitors. Jamaica hosted 133,312 more land-based visitors in 2023 compared with 2019.

For the latest travel news, updates and deals, subscribe to the daily TravelPulse newsletter.