Encouraging signs point to "progressive improvement" in Caribbean tourism this year, according to Hugh Riley, secretary general of the Caribbean Tourism Organization.
While officials are reluctant to forecast percentage gains in 2010 over 2009, Riley said that the U.S. market is on the rebound.
"The overall scenario is one of hope and optimism. We are happy to see a reduction in the size of the blow we experienced in 2009," Riley said during a state-of-the-industry analysis.
Although 2009 tourist arrivals declined 3.6% from the year before, to 22.1 million, fourth-quarter arrivals rose 1%. In the first quarter of 2009, arrivals fell 6.6%.
In 2009, Jamaica and Cuba fared the best in terms of visitors, while the Dominican Republic had a modest 0.3% increase, according to Winfield Griffith, the CTO’s director of research and information technology.
The Canadian market was robust in 2009, as Caribbean arrivals from Canada increased 8.6%. Arrivals from the U.S. market dropped 4.4%, and Europe was down 8.9%, with the largest decline coming from the U.K., the Caribbean's largest source market in Europe.
The increase in the U.K.’s Air Passenger Duty last November also impacted travel in the fourth quarter.
Hotel rates in the region fell more than 13% last year.
"Visitors spent less last year, which indicates considerable prudence in their spending," Riley said.
In assessing the current state of the industry, Riley said, "We look at a number of different markers, including the Consumer Confidence Index, unemployment figures, the housing market and the stock market, because they all play a part in a consumer’s decision to travel."
Riley said the CTO has not lost focus on travel agents "as an important tool in helping grow this region again. Agents are central to rebuilding this industry. We will be collaborating with ASTA on specific measures to push that forward."
In regard to Haiti, Riley emphasized, "Whatever efforts CTO makes in helping that nation recover must be done in cooperation with the government of Haiti."