Travelsmart
Building on record 2018 arrivals and supported by continued public relations and marketing efforts to attract target audiences, Grenada has maintained its growth momentum in 2019.
The destination – composed of Grenada, Carriacou and Petite Martinique – saw a preliminary total visitor number of 525,453 last year.
According to data released by the Grenada Tourism Authority, stayover visitor arrivals, which are considered the most valuable visitor in terms of on-island spend, accounted for 162,902, a one per cent increase on 2018.
Considering one of the largest hotels on island, the Rex Grenadian, has been closed for refurbishment since May, the figure can be considered a positive endorsement of the island.
Cruise visitor arrivals accounted for 337,940 guests, down slightly on the 342,826 welcomed the previous year.
To bump up numbers, plans are in place for Royal Caribbean Cruise Line to increase visits from 19 cruise calls in 2019 to 29 this year.
Carnival Fascination is also planning 12 new calls to Grenada throughout 2021.
Grenada continues its stellar growth in yachting, with preliminary visitor arrivals currently at 24,611.
Grenada Tourism Authority chief executive, Patricia Maher, stated that tourism prospects are excellent for the destination, not just for 2020 but beyond, with the announcement of a Six Senses Hotel to open in 2022.
Montserrat
Also in the Caribbean, the Montserrat Tourism Division has confirmed visitor arrivals to the island increased by 14 per cent last year when compared to 2018.
The figure signals that, for the first time since the eruption of the Soufriere Hills Volcano in 1995, the number has crossed 20,000 threshold.
Montserrat recorded 20,956 visitor arrivals last year, compared to 18,338 for 2018.
A 59 per cent increase in cruise visits was largely responsible for the overall growth, and this was complemented by a two per cent increase in stayover arrivals.
The Caribbean region led the way, generating 19 per cent of total stayover visits, followed by the UK, which accounted for 13.4 per cent, and the US, which produced 13 per cent.
Commenting on the positive results, director of tourism, Warren Solomon, said “We’re thrilled that we’ve been able to surpass the threshold of 20,000 visitors.
“It tells us that we’re on the right track with our marketing initiatives and that if we are able to be consistent in our delivery, we could continue the growth trend.”
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