by Brian Major
Last updated: 12:40 AM ET, Fri January 26, 2018
Gripping images of post-hurricane damage in some Caribbean destinations have somewhat obscured significant 2017 visitor growth in several islands across the region.
For a handful of destinations beyond hurricane belt, these are among the best of tourism times.
Grenada's robust 2017 arrivals data, announced earlier this week, places it among several Caribbean nations reporting record visitor numbers, including the Cayman Islands, Barbados and Jamaica.
For example, Grenada was supported by a comprehensive North American marketing campaign and posted an eight percent year-over-year arrivals increase for 2017, with 146,359 land-based visitors. U.S. travelers to Grenada increased by 16 percent (to 67,250 visitors) during the same period.
Grenada's near 10 percent arrivals increase places the three-island nation first among Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) destinations reporting arrivals growth for 2017 said Grenada Tourism Authority (GTA) officials.
"We are excited about the fact that Grenada is trending as a destination in the global tourism industry," said Patricia Maher, GTA's CEO. "The future for Grenada, Carriacou and Petite Martinique looks bright with new hotels and new attractions opening in the next two years."
Closer geographically to South America than the Windward islands to its north and measuring just 133 square miles, Grenada offers an exotic Caribbean experience highlighted by profound natural beauty little altered by modern life. One-ninth of the country's land mass is dedicated to national parks and wildlife sanctuaries, including Grand Etang Forest Reserve and Grand Etang Lake, a 30-acre lake formed from the crater of an extinct volcano.
Grenada will welcome new hotel options in 2018, as Silversands, a $60 million, 43-suite luxury resort is scheduled to open on Grenada's Grand Anse Beach. A 146-room Kimpton Kawana Bay Grenada Resort is also planned, said GTA officials. Grenada's hotel room stock is expected to grow by 26 percent by 2020, said Maher.
Meanwhile tourism officials in the Cayman Islands-another Caribbean destination often considered outside the region's mainstream-recently announced record-breaking 2017 arrivals in both the territory's land-based and cruise visitor segments.
While the archipelago is geographically outside the Caribbean, the country is a CTO member and reported 418,403 overnight visitors during 2017 compared with 385,451 in 2016, an increase of 8.55 percent.
The Cayman Islands' hotel segment has been enhanced with the 2017 opening of Kimpton Seafire Resort + Spa and renovation of the Westin Grand Cayman Seven Mile Beach Resort & Spa. The Margaritaville Beach Resort Grand Cayman also opened in 2017.
"We've had quite a fruitful year in the Cayman Islands, and we're filled with so much gratitude as we look at the year ahead," said Rosa Harris, director of the Cayman Islands Department of Tourism. "We have much to look forward to in 2018."
Earlier this year, William 'Billy' Griffith, CEO of the Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc. (BTMI), announced improved tourist arrivals for the southern Caribbean destination. Griffith said between January and August of 2017 Barbados recorded 453,645 visitors, a 7.4 percent year-over-year increase compared with 2016.
Griffith said the U.S. and Canada recorded 16.4 percent and 12.1 percent year-over-year visitor arrival increases, respectively. Barbados visitors will find several new and refurbished resort options, including the new Sandals Royal Barbados, which opened during December.
Earlier this week Jamaica officials announced the country hosted 4.3 million visitors in 2017-the first time the country has hosted as many as four million travelers in one year. Jamaica joined the Bahamas and the Dominican Republic as the only countries tracked by the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) to exceed four million travelers.
CTO's 2017 visitor arrivals leaders also have cruising in common: In addition to a diverse resort base, nearly all of the countries are significant Caribbean cruise ship ports of call and homeports.
Grenada hosted 291 cruise ship calls in 2017, a 13 percent increase over 2016. The Cayman Islands remained one of the Caribbean's premier cruise ports in 2017, with 1,728,444 visitors. Barbados' 323 cruise calls between January and August 2017 represent a 20.3 percent increase compared with the same period during 2016. Jamaica has become a regional cruise industry hub with nearly two million passengers arriving at the country's major ports in Falmouth, Montego Bay and Ocho Rios during 2017.
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