Multi-nation Caribbean holidays allow travellers to see more of the Caribbean
IAN STALKER
The Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association is hoping a growing number of visitors to the region don’t limit their vacations to holidaying on one island.
CHTA president Nicola Madden-Greig said during a recent “Caribbean Fireworks” press conference update on Caribbean Travel Marketplace, happening in Montego Bay in May, that she doesn’t believe that those who have visited one or two Caribbean islands can truly lay claim to having seen the Caribbean.
“You haven’t really been [until you’ve visited] five, six, seven, eight or nine,” she said, adding, “each Caribbean island has its own distinct experiences.”
Those who decide to visit Europe tend to visit several countries on their vacation, she continued, while suggesting multi-nation Caribbean holidays would give tourists “bragging rights that you have actually come to the Caribbean.”
Tourism officials will soon host a media fam trip that will feature Jamaica, the Dominican Republic and the Cayman Islands, each of which they say provides a different type of vacation.
Jamaican tourism minister Edmund Bartlett said transportation is available that enables multi-destination Caribbean holidays but suggested that harmonized entry requirements for the region — which he said would be similar to those encountered by people travelling in much of Europe — would lead to more people combining different Caribbean islands on their vacations.
He said the public and private sectors must work together to make multi-destination travel more attractive to those visiting the Caribbean.
Caribbean tourism is in full recovery mode from the pandemic, with Madden-Greig telling her virtual audience that the Caribbean is recovering faster than any other region, while Bartlett added that, “Caribbean tourism growth has caught the attention of the world.”
Last year saw the region’s tourism hit 3 per cent growth over the pre-pandemic year of 2019, Madden-Greig reported. Jamaica itself says its own tourism is rebounding quickly, with Bartlett stating that this year’s tourism earnings for the country are up 8 per cent over the same period last year. Jamaica has set a goal of 5 million visitors for 2025.
Meanwhile, Madden-Greig said this year’s Caribbean Travel Marketplace will have a MICE exchange. “The MICE market has tremendous potential for the region… It is time for the Caribbean to focus on getting a bigger slice of that pie,” she said.
Participants will also take part in Responsible Tourism Day, which will deal with such topics as sustainability. “We’re not just about making money but [also] giving back to our community,” she continued, adding she and her colleagues will be “responsible stewards” of communities home to tourism activity.
Montego Bay has frequently been the venue for Caribbean Travel Marketplace. Last year saw the event held in Barbados for the first time, which Madden-Greig said enabled show organizers to “showcase the Eastern Caribbean in a new and imaginative way.”
