Canadians Are Hot For The Caribbean
In spite of a plummeting dollar, Canadians are still hot for the Caribbean. During the final day of the annual State of the Industry Conference (SOTIC 2015) on Oct. 23, Richard Sealy, chairman of the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) revealed international arrivals had a strong growth during the first half of 2015, with North America making up 60% of visitors, reports staff writer, Ann Ruppenstein in this week’s digital edition of Canadian Travel Press.
“The US remains our main market with 7.3 million tourist visits between January and June, representing a 5.3% increase,” he says. “The Canadian market continues to perform well with 2.1 million visitors during the period.”
Held in Willemstad, Curacao, SOTIC 2015 consisted of panel discussions, workshops, industry sessions addressing concerns and opportunities in Caribbean tourism, and a keynote speech by Robin Hayes, CEO of US-based airline JetBlue, who announced added lift service to the region. Tourism representatives from member-countries including Anguilla, Barbados, Curacao, Trinidad and Tobago and St. Martin were also in attendance.
“We are outpacing all other major regions in the world,” says Sealy. “More specifically, for the first six months the Caribbean welcomed 14.8 million visitors, approximately 800,000 [people] or 5.8% higher than the corresponding period in 2014, and well above the 4.1% recorded globally.”
For the full story, check out this week’s digital edition of Canadian Travel Press by clicking here.
