The Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) – the Caribbean tourism development agency made up of over 30 countries and territories, along with private sector allied members – held its annual State of the Industry Conference (SOTIC) at the Frenchman’s Reef and Morning Star Marriott Beach Resort on St. Thomas, USVI September 17-19, 2014.
This year’s theme was positioning the Caribbean for change but it was sustainability, both of culture and natural resources, that was the watchword for the conference. Sustainability came up throughout the various talks and is forefront on the minds of Caribbean tourism leaders. Rebranding the Caribbean into a year-round destination in the minds of potential visitors was also a key point, both for the conference but also continues as a focus for the CTO’s mandate.
On Wednesday morning, prior to the official opening of the conference, several member countries gave updates on this year’s statistics to date and provided information on new hotel and product developments in the works. From all accounts, this year’s numbers are good and the outlook for the upcoming season is positive. US visitors are still the core tourist market, making up over 50% of arrivals. Areas of potential growth include intra-regional tourism, BRICS countries (particularly Brazil), and Asia. While total tourist arrivals increased only 1.8% in 2013 over 2012, tourists spent more actual cash within the Caribbean destinations. And there were over 25 million visitors over the year.
CAYMAN ISLANDS: First on the agenda was the representative from the Cayman Islands, Director of Cayman Island Tourism, Rosa Harris. Air arrivals as of July 2014 were up 10% over 2013, to almost 250,000. There has been significant year-over-year growth every year since 2009. To facilitate even more growth, major renovations and expansion will begin on the Cayman airport beginning in 2015. Environmental impact studies are currently underway in advance of plans to create a new cruise berthing facility. Cayman hotel news includes: The Kimton, with 263 rooms and 56 residences, as well as 5 restaurants, conference space and spa, set to open in 2016); a luxury coastal resort in Bodden Town (a seaside village on the Eastern side of Grand Cayman); the Hyatt will be closing for renovations and expansion (going from 58 to 78 suites) and will operate under a new, as yet unnamed brand; the Sol d’Or, a luxury eco-resort on Cayman Braque. Work is also underway on a privately-funded seaside boardwalk in Georgetown which will allow better access to the water and beach from downtown, which will be great for cruise ship visitors.
US VIRGIN ISLANDS: Next up was CTO SOTIC host, the US Virgin Islands. Commissioner of Tourism and outgoing CTO Chairman Beverly Nicholson-Doty welcomed the press warmly to the USVI and talked about their new campaign, “Virgin Islands Nice,” introduced earlier this year, which is already seeing results. Over 3000 new packages coordinated with the campaign were sold over Summer 2014. In coordination with the “Nice” campaign aimed at potential markets, a local “Nice” program is also being created, with residents and visitors texting and using social media to talk about their Nice experiences in the USVI. Expats will also be used as “ambassadors” of the islands
Lisa Hamilton, president of the US Virgin Islands Hotel and Tourism Association, was on hand to provide even more information. Hotels are up in both occupancy and revPAR, the latter up 9.1% over last year through July 1. Delta will be resuming and expanding its air service to St. Croix in November and the St. Thomas airport will see a renovation of the baggage area as well as new restrooms. There is a flexible FAM trip planned for St. Croix later this year, with rates as low as $89 per night.
TURKS AND CAICOS: The Honorable Dr. Rufus Ewing, the Premier of Turks and Caicos, spoke on behalf of his country. A full 50% of their GDP is tourism and tourism-related. They’ve seen an increase in revenue, arrivals and job creation. Arrivals are up 30% over last year to date, including both cruise and overnights, which have a seven-day average. They have seen an increase in air arrivals from the US and Canada and are tapping the European, Asian and South American markets. The expansion of the airport will be completed later this year.
Much of their product is considered high-end but they also cater to event, family, eco, and heritage travel. Their current room stock of 3000 is set to grow by an additional 1500 rooms within five years. New hotels planned include a Ritz-Carlton and The Shore Club, a condo/hotel. FAM trips are ongoing.
ANGUILLA: Chantelle Davis, Deputy Director of Tourism, reported an increase of 62.6% in daytrippers to the island last year. The airport expansion should be finished by December 1st. In hotel news, the Malliouhana is set to reopen November 1st and the Viceroy is offering new packages. There are several festivals taking place on the island, including a literary festival /news/anguilla-lit-fest/ in May at the Paradise Cove Resort.
GRENADA: Grenada Tourism is undergoing a destination rebranding emphasizing sustainability in tourism and incentives. Their new slogan is “Pure Grenada, the Spice of the Caribbean.” They are concentrating on attracting the targeted tourist with niche marketing aimed at dive, soft adventure, sail, romance and cruising tourists. Grenada is the only island in the Caribbean where it’s possible to get a marriage license after just 24 hours so wedding tourism will also be a big focus. There will be 182 cruise calls in the upcoming season, including the first Carnival ships docking since 1994. There has also been an increase in their long-stay numbers.
BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS: Sharon Flax-Mars, BVI’s Director of Tourism, gave the news that, once again, Virgin Gorda made Travel & Leisure’s Top Ten Islands list and was their top Caribbean island. November’s BVI Food Fete (bvifoodfete.com/) will be their biggest yet. The hotels are filled, a culinary program “Sea to Table” is planned and the final weekend will be the second annual Lobster Festival.
They’re starting a personal concierge service for BVI travelers from the St. Thomas airport and seaport beginning November 15, 2014. Look for an upcoming wedding promo with TheKnot.
DOMINICA: Director of Tourism Dr. Colin Piper gave the great numbers for Dominica, “The Nature Island.” US arrivals are up 30% and UK 26%. European visitors are up 17.9% July to July, with over 8,000 stay-overs. Tourists from France now represent 33% of their European visitors. 20% of all visitors have been first-timers. “Nature, Culture, Adventure” is their slogan. Between 4,00 and 7,000 people are expected for their 18th annual World Creole Music Festival this October.
SOTIC 2014: Later in the afternoon, the CTO Board of Directors held its biannual election for Chairman. The new Chairman will be Richard Sealy, the Minister for Tourism from Barbados. Mr. Sealy stated, “I look forward to putting my very best foot forward and working along with all of the other entities in the region to deal with some of the vexing problems that we have right now with tourism. And of course to continue the good work that has been done by this organization recently.” Outgoing Chairman Nicholson-Doty, in her remarks at the opening of the conference on Wednesday evening, congratulated Mr. Sealy and wished him well. She implored the members to remember that their strength as a region depends on their unity. Diversity is their greatest asset and should be a bond between them all.
This year’s keynote address was given by Alex Zozaya, CEO of Apple Leisure Group, largest supplier of Caribbean product in the world, bringing one out of ten visitors to the region. That’s a total of two million passengers to 28 different Caribbean destinations, and $79M US in 2013.
Mr. Zozaya highlighted the themes of this year’s conference, and he also illustrated the challenges faced by tourism in the region. He emphasized the need to use those challenges and barriers to growth to create opportunities to aid in long-term growth. Strategies must be integrated, both among the different islands and between the private and public sectors. Bureaucracy and political agendas must be reduced, barriers brought down, and policies must be consistent and long-term.
He ended his remarks with a call to leadership and the need to fully integrate tourism into the social and political agendas. The different countries and islands of the Caribbean must highlight their uniqueness but need to work together for the betterment of tourism in the entire region.
Conference sessions comprised a wide range of regional and tourism issues including using data and new technologies, innovation and enterprise, and steering a mature brand toward major change. The Caribbean Tourism Youth Council, made up of high school students from around the region, also met and discussed issues surrounding tourism that affect Caribbean youth.
One highly anticipated panel was on Medical, Health and Wellness Tourism. Panelists Josef Woodman and Rory Johnston spoke about the realities and potential for medical tourism, emphasizing the importance of safety, accreditation and a solid infrastructure. Another topic that fell under this heading was the possibility of marijuana tourism. Executive Director of the Caribbean Public Heath Agency (CARPHA) Dr. C. James Hospidales spoke to the conference via recorded video and methodically went through the negatives of marijuana use. He stated that he saw no future in health benefits of smoked marijuana however cannabinoids, drugs made with chemicals derived from the marijuana plant, might. Controlled dosage and removal of the more harmful aspects of the plant would make them better suited to any medical use. As for recreational use, he came out as strongly against. In his closing, he asked that people “proceed with caution” when considering decriminalization or legalization. During the Q&A, Terence Johnson, senator from St. Croix, rose and gave an impassioned speech pointing out the ubiquity of marijuana use both by residents of and visitors to the Caribbean. It’s already in the Caribbean and shouldn’t be ignored. (He humorously suggested the CTO change their name to the CCTO for “Caribbean Cannabis Tourism Organization.”)
On Friday morning, Hugh Riley, Secretary General of the CTO, gave a press briefing during which next year’s SOTIC host was announced: Curaçao. Tourism makes up only 14% of Curaçao’s GDP however there is tremendous growth potential. The Curaçao North Sea Jazz Festival has an estimated attendance of 12,000, half of whom are tourists from outside the region.
Mr. Riley thanked the host, USVI, and reiterated the benefits of the conference to the Secretariat of the CTO: the opportunity for a range of tourism industries to come together and share; the strong content from the Caribbean and the world in the sessions; and the importance the newly annexed Aviation Day, which took place on Tuesday, and addressed the many aspects of aviation that are so critical to the whole region. The Caribbean has 37% of all cruise berths in the world and in 2013 enjoyed 20 million cruise visits.
The Caribbean is poised for change. Potential new markets are emerging and established markets are evolving. The more than 250 delegates to SOTIC 2014 were able to engage with each other both professionally and socially, involve themselves in sessions and talks filled with relevant and critical information for each and every region, and come together to work toward a better Caribbean for everyone.
Caribbean Tourism Organization, www.onecaribbean.org