The Caribbean hosted 23.8 million overnight visitors in 2011, an increase of 3.3 percent over 2010 totals, according to the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO). Cruise passenger arrivals were flat, rising by 0.3 percent to 20.6 million. “Tourist arrivals during the winter months (January to April) were up 4.4 percent over the previous winter, which had grown by 3.9 percent over 2009,” said Sean Smith, CTO’s statistical specialist. “The summer period ending December recorded a lower than expected increase of 3 percent.”

Despite the increases, Caribbean tourism faces numerous challenges, including uneven growth among regional destinations and lagging revenue. “In light of these realities, arrivals to the Caribbean are not expected to exceed a three percent increase in 2012 and visitor expenditure is also not expected to grow meaningfully during this year,” said Smith. Caribbean cruise arrivals, he added, are likely to rise by 2 to 3 percent in 2012.