MIAMI — Hotels in Caribbean destinations spared by this year’s hurricanes are reporting holiday season occupancies in excess of 90%.
More than 70% of the Caribbean was not impacted by hurricanes Irma and Maria, notes Frank Comito, CEO and Director General of the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA).
CHTA says it canvassed a number of Caribbean destinations this week to see how they are faring for the holidays and into the first quarter of 2018.
The results are encouraging, says Comito, with a surge in holiday bookings, and forward bookings into the first quarter of 2018 that are keeping pace with or surpassing 2017.
Several destinations reported that a number of their hotels are anticipating sell-outs over the Christmas and New Year’s period. Antigua, Aruba, Barbados, Belize, Cancun, Cayman Islands, Curaçao, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Jamaica, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia and The Bahamas all reported strong bookings, and Comito says he expects that most of the other destinations which were unaffected by the storms are experiencing similar booking levels.
Turks and Caicos Islands, which was one of the first hurricane-impacted destinations to rebound, fully recovering and opening within weeks following the storms, is reporting occupancies in excess of 90% over the holidays and strong first quarter bookings.
Puerto Rico announced last week that it is open for business, with many of the hotels in the popular coastal stretch in and around San Juan up and running and thousands of restaurants now operating.
CHTA is bringing Caribbean Travel Marketplace, the region’s largest B2B marketing event, to Puerto Rico from Jan. 30 to Feb. 1, 2018.
Travellers are encouraged to visit www.caribbeantravelupdate.com for information about those destinations and hotels which are welcoming visitors.
“Now is a perfect time to visit and support the Caribbean and to see how the resilience of our people offers travelers from around the world an exceptional experience – especially during this winter season and beyond,” he said.
