- Caribbean Tourism. A More Competitive Scenario.
THE CARIBBEAN TOURISM INFRASTRUCTURE IS EXPECTED TO CLINCH AN EXTRAORDINARY AND MULTIMODAL COMPREHENSIVE MULTIDESTINATION
Cuba’s big break in the Caribbean’s tourism scenario, following the decision made by the U.S. and Cuban governments to normalize relations between the two countries, comes along with a number of initiatives that will have a positive impact on the growth of the subregion’s travel industry and will little by little turn the Caribbean into a world-class mega-destination.
The big shakeups in tourist distribution in the Caribbean over the past two decades have shown that, with the sole exception of the Bahamas, tourist arrivals from all countries have accrued (figure 1).
In 2015, tourist arrivals peaked 28.7 million, with a 5 percent increase so far this year that points to the possibility of cracking the 30-million-visitor plateau. This is an indication that an atmosphere of détente and peace brings opportunities for all nations. A multitude of agreements in the aviation sector, coupled with an uptick in cruise travel, turn tourism inflows to the different Caribbean destinations into a one-and-only travel experience.
The Caribbean: The World’s Top Cruise Region
The Caribbean is the world’s top cruise destination. According to data issued by the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), the industry contributed approximately 60 million passenger-day to all of the Caribbean in the course of 2015, around 40 percent of the world’s total share. Based on that same report, over two thirds (33.7 percent) of world cruise travel unfolds in the Caribbean, followed by the Mediterranean with 18.7 percent.
A recent study conducted by BREA and FCCA shows that the 35 destinations contained in the research yielded 26.8 million passengers and 11.4 million crew members that arrived in cruise destinations during the 2014-2015 season.
Out of this total, almost 40 percent of crew members (4.5 million) and 88 percent of passengers (23.6 million) landed and visited the destinations.
Since 2009 and amid an environment of regional peace and collaboration, the Caribbean has seen a dramatic increase in the arrival of cruise passengers in all major destinations.
New Travel Developments in the Caribbean
Hefty investment in the Caribbean has been the recent trendsetter as far as the development of the region’s travel industry is concerned, with telecommunications leading the way as an indispensable element to pull this off.
» Dominican Republic - Carnival Corporation opened the Amber Cove terminal in the Dominican Republic, the homeport for the company’s Fathom brand. Carnival has foreseen that 23 vessels from its different brands will dock in the new terminal during the first year alone, bringing in 350,000 tourists onboard. As to new hotel developments, Germany’s Lopesan will build a 1,000-plus-room deluxe hotel in Playa Bavaro.
» Jamaica - Development plans in Jamaica are particularly dynamic, especially in terms of foreign investment. Mexican hotel chain Karisma Hotels & Resorts has announced the construction of nine hotels for a total of 4,000 rooms over the next ten years, while Ocean by H10 Hotels is currently building a couple of deluxe hotels. Asian giant China Harbor Engineering Company (CHEC) will build three deluxe hotels for a grand total of 2,500 guestrooms.
» The Bahamas - For the Bahamas, tourism is no doubt the country’s powerhouse. One of the highlights is the Baha Mar project that, in spite of drawbacks and tribulations, has $3.5 billion involved in it. Other outstanding projects are Deep Water Cay Fishing Resort, run by Thai company Six Senses; Malai Resorts World; the luxury hotel project in Mat Lowe’s Cay, managed by Aman Resorts in the UK, and others.
Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC), one of the world’s largest cruise companies, is planning to build a cruise terminal in Sandy Cay.
» Haiti - In the case of Haiti, the local travel industry is taking baby steps with the grand opening of the first Marriott hotel, a 175-room property in Port-au-Prince. As far as Antigua & Barbuda is concerned, China’s Yida Investment Group is building a $2-billion real estate compound that includes several deluxe hotels, more than 1,000 rooms and a number of golf courses. The Sunwing Group is building a 500-room hotel in Deep Bay.
» Cuba - Cuba’s development plan contemplates the addition of some 58,000 new guestrooms by the year 2020, hinging on the advance of foreign investment and management contracts with the world’s top hotel chains. At the same time, cruise travel is on the rise as projects designed to overhaul and streamline the island nation’s maritime, seaport and airport infrastructure are under way at a white-heat’s pace.
In the medium run, the Caribbean travel infrastructure will clinch an extraordinary and multimodal comprehensive multidestination. It’s now up to the national and local tourism administrations and authorities to upgrade competitiveness in each and every destination, raise the training of the human resources and branch out travel options into markets and niches, in such a way that lump sums of investment money could actually yield outcomes that will eventually increase sustainability, life quality and the wellbeing of all Caribbean residents.
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