February 09, 2017 at 2:22 pm | By DANICA COTO <\/p>\n
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) The Caribbean received a record number of visitors last year as arrivals topped 29 million, tourism officials announced Thursday, and they said growth should continue this year, though at a slightly slower pace due to uncertainty over U.S. President Donald Trump and the impact of Britain's move to leave the European Union. <\/p>\n
Last year's 4.2 percent jump marked the seventh consecutive year of growth for the Caribbean, which officials said was a result of relatively low oil prices and U.S. economic growth. <\/p>\n
The majority of tourists came from the U.S., but there was also a more than 11 percent growth in visitors from Europe and the United Kingdom, according to Hugh Riley, secretary general for the Caribbean Tourism Organization. <\/p>\n
Officials said cruise ship arrivals, which are counted separately, also set a record with 26.3 million arrivals. <\/p>\n
Overall, tourists including cruise ship passengers spent $35.5 billion last year, a 3.5 percent increase from the previous year. But Riley said that despite more visitors entering the region, hotels reported a drop in occupancy rates. <\/p>\n
Arrivals to the Caribbean in 2017 are projected to grow somewhat more slowly, between 2.5 and 3.5 percent, said Ryan Skeete, research director for the Barbados-based Caribbean Tourism Organization. <\/p>\n
\"It's a little bit unpredictable,\" he said of Trump's administration. \"We're still monitoring it very closely ... That's all we can do.\" <\/p>\n
He said the fallout of Britain exiting the European Union also could affect the number of visitors to the Caribbean this year. <\/p>\n
Seven destinations reported double-digit growth rates last year, including the Turks & Caicos Islands, Cuba, Bermuda and the South American country of Guyana. Six other destinations reported a drop in visitors, including the Dutch Caribbean islands. <\/p>\n
Visitors from South America dropped 11 percent last year, and those from Canada dropped nearly 3.5 percent. <\/p>\n
\"We haven't reached anywhere close to our full potential,\" Riley said. <\/p>\n
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Caribbean reports record of 29M visits - Beloit Daily News<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" February 09, 2017 at 2:22 pm | By DANICA COTO SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) The Caribbean received a record number of visitors last year as arrivals topped 29 million, tourism officials announced Thursday, and they said growth should continue this year, though at a slightly slower pace due to uncertainty over U.S. Continue reading