It was good news for members of the Caribbean Tourism Organization when the CTO Chairman revealed the industry is finally looking up.
“The state of the Caribbean’s tourism industry is solid, with positive signs that a recovery is in progress,” said Beverly Nicholson-Doty.
The CTO Chairman led a press conference from Government House, Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas USVI on February 10 where she delivered the State of the Industry Report for 2013.
Nicholson-Doty said there were strong indications of recovery in the industry, chiefly, that visitors were spending more money.
“One of the strongest indicators of progress is the rise in estimated visitor spend, with expenditure growing faster than visitor arrivals for the first time in three years,” she said.
According to the Chairman, visitors to the region spent more than 28 billion dollars in 2013, an increase of 2.3 per cent when compared to 2012.
“The hotel sector performed even better, recording a rise of more than 7.5 per cent in room revenues…average room rates were up nearly US $10 to $186, the average revenue per available room also grew by about $10 to $125 and occupancy levels were at 67 per cent.”
