This is a new record, surpassing 2019, the previous high, by 2.4%.
Cruise arrivals, not passenger numbers
These are not passenger numbers but rather the total of cruise arrivals at destinations throughout the region.
The figures are part of the CTO's 'Caribbean Tourism Performance Review 2023' delivered by CTO Secretary-General Dona Regis-Prosper Friday in Bridgetown, Barbados.
The CTO credited pent-up demand and the resumption of operations for driving strong bookings for Caribbean cruises, along with larger ships plus enhanced facilities, itineraries and shore excursions.
CTO projects the cruise sector will continue its upward track, with an estimated 34.2m to 35.8m arrivals expected in 2024.
32.2m stay-over visitors
International stay-over tourism reached about 32.2m visitors in 2023, Regis-Prosper said. This is about 4m more than in 2022, or a 14.3% increase.
According to the CTO, this established a continuous growth trend over the past 33 months as tourism steadily rebounded toward pre-pandemic levels.
Stay-over arrivals either significantly recovered or moderately exceeded the benchmark numbers of 2019, with 11 destinations — Anguilla, Aruba, Curaçao, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, St. Maarten, Turks and Caicos Islands and US Virgin Islands — performing better than in 2019.
In addition, multiple destinations registered new records for stay-over tourists in a single year, CTO said.
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