by Brian Major
Last updated: 1:30 PM ET, Fri March 6, 2015
PHOTO: Grenada tourism officials announced higher land-based and cruise-ship tourist arrivals for 2014 in a press briefing Thursday. (Photo by Brian Major).
Grenada is celebrating growing tourist arrivals on land and sea following last year's launch of "Destination Pure Grenada," a national tourism marketing campaign. Grenada's overnight land-based visitors totaled 133,521 arrivals in 2014, an 18.4 percent increase over 2013. Meanwhile Grenada's 235,140 cruise ship arrivals in 2014 represent a 19 percent increase over 2013.
Grenada's growing tourism was outlined in by Grenada Tourism Authority (GTA) at a press conference Thursday at the agency's headquarters in the capital city of St. George's. Officials at the gathering said Grenada's Maurice Bishop International Airport receives 340 inbound flights annually from major cities in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, Latin America, and the Caribbean.
The 2014 overnight visitor total is an increase of 20,709 travelers compared with 2013. While the totals place Grenada far behind the top-drawing member nations of the Caribbean Tourism Organization (the Dominican Republic led the organization's 28 countries with 5.1 million overnight travelers in 2014), Grenada's 18.4 percent overnight arrivals increase was surpassed only by the Turks & Caicos (where arrivals grew 40.6 percent in 2014). Overnight visitors contributed $128.5 million to the nation's economy, said GTA officials.
Grenada's cruise business was equally strong, increasing 19.2 percent with 235,140 arrivals in 2014. Cruise passengers contributed $9.63 million to the country's economy as the country's ports welcomed 11 inaugural cruise calls in 2014. In all, Grenada hosted 156 cruise ship calls at its three major cruise ship ports in 2014.
Visitors came to Grenada and its sister islands of Carriacou and Petite Martinique in 2014 were mostly leisure vacationers, including travelers arriving for weddings and honeymoons. Others came to Grenada to visit family or friends, or conduct business. The majority of vacationers traveling to Grenada for weddings and honeymoons in 2014 were from the United States; 90 percent of business travelers in Grenada were from the Caribbean, said GTA officials.
"'Destination Pure Grenada - the Spice of the Caribbean' is being recognized more in the marketplace, due to the work of the Grenada Tourism Authority and all our stakeholders," said Richard Strachan, chairman of GTA's board of directors. "My fellow directors, managers and officers of the GTA thank you all for your dedication to developing our tourism sector."
For the latest travel news, updates and deals, subscribe to the daily TravelPulse newsletter.
Topics From This Article to Explore
