For the first time in over a year, the bottom of the recession seems to be in sight. According to an article published by BBCCaribbean.com , lately inquires about Caribbean travel had increased and the European stock markets show signs of recovery.
With the profits declining all over the world, the International Monetary Fund predicated that, in the Caribbean, the tourism revenues would fall by 15% this year. Last year the drop was 18% and the future didn’t look too bright. The decline in tourist arrivals and revenue also leads to delays in opening new hotels and, even worse, some hotels in the area were forced to shut their doors. The country in the English-speaking Caribbean most affected by the recession has been Jamaica. On the other hand, Cuba has handled the recession well and received record visitors this year.
While hoteliers are forced to cut prices and add free services to entire potential tourists, the British government added another tax on flights in November last year, which also influenced the number of travelers choosing to spend their vacation in the Caribbean. By comparison, since the US requires its citizens to have a passport when visiting the Caribbean, there has been a loss in revenue of over $100m.
New flights available to the Caribbean
But despite the still gloomy economy, several airlines have announced new flights into the Caribbean. AirTran Airways will offer flights to Bahamas and Aruba from several American cities. It is interesting to see if new flights would influence the current prices. Those who plan to save money on flights to Caribbean, typically fly into one of the major hubs such as Puerto Rico, Bahamas and St. Maarten. These large islands offer the possibility to choose a cheap connecting flight for the reminder of the trip and, of course, there are also other ways to travel (by ferry, for example).
The peak tourist season in the Caribbean starts before Christmas and lasts right after New Years, but the high season extends until end of April. There are also some Caribbean nations which are located outside the hurricane belt and which are great vacation destinations year round.
However, the recent good signs coming from the Western European economies and stock markets seem to offer the Caribbean hoteliers a breath of fresh air and the hope for a better season.
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