Cruise Tourism in the Caribbean and Bahamas

This is a guest post by Erica Kritt, The Cruise Web Team.

A getaway on a sunny Caribbean island where you can spend all day in your bathing suit with a fruity beverage in your hand, sounds good, doesn’t it. And just in case you needed another excuse to head south you should know that by choosing to vacation in the Caribbean or the Bahamas you are also a key part of the Caribbean economy?

Caribbean islands like, Aruba, St. Thomas and Jamaica along with the Bahamas all rely on tourism as the backbone of their economies. In fact, most of the Caribbean nations list tourism as one of their top industries. Tourism brings in money and creates jobs for people living there. The cruise lines have certainly been doing their part; according to the Caribbean Tourism Organization in 1980 3,805,000 people cruised to the Caribbean. In 2004, that number increased five-fold to nearly 20,000,000.

Cruisers don’t just step ashore to see the sights, they are taking tours, buying souvenirs, eating at the local restaurants and drinking at the bars. According to a report commissioned by the Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association, from May 2011 to April 2012 cruise passengers and staff contributed nearly $2 billion to the economies of the Caribbean and the Bahamas. Broken down the report showed that the average cruise passenger spent $64.80 in the Bahamas and in St. Maarten the average passenger spent just over $185.

The Caribbean is still the most visited destination by the cruise industry, according to the Cruise Lines International Association’s most popular destinations based on capacity and deployment. For 2013 The Caribbean and the Bahamas had 34.4 percent of all itineraries. The next most popular destination was the Mediterranean at 21.7 percent.

Cruise lines have even invested in these island nations by developing private islands and building special purpose ports. For instance Norwegian Cruise Line has a private island, Great Stirrup Cay in the Bahamas and Falmouth, Jamaica added a port with space large enough for Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas class of ships.

Do you think the Caribbean will continue to be the most popular destination for cruisers?

Erica Kritt works at The Cruise Web. The Cruise Web is a travel agency that specializes in cruising. The expert cruise consultants focus on providing travelers with the best value for their time and money in finding and booking a cruise vacation! Visit The Cruise Web for the best Caribbean cruise deals.

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Caribbean destinations enjoyed boost in tourism during 2013

The number of tourists visiting the Caribbean increased by 5.4 per cent in 2013 compared to 2011, with almost 25 million visitors over the course of the year, according to figures released by the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO). The region is enjoying a real renaissance, with further increases of between four and five per cent predicted for 2013. The Dutch Caribbean destinations, including Aruba and Curaçao led the charge in 2012, with visitor numbers to the islands increasing 5.6 per cent above the rest of the region, as tourists look beyond the traditional island destinations in the search for good value. The Spanish-speaking Caribbean also enjoyed a strong year, with a six per cent increase in tourism largely led by Mexico's Caribbean region. Visitor spending in the region also saw an upturn during 2013, with a 3.6 per cent increase on the previous year, meaning a total of approximately £17 billion was spent by tourists over the year. This modest increase is seen as a sign that the Caribbean tourism industry is starting to recover from the recession-led struggles of recent years. However, numbers of visitors to the Caribbean from the UK nosedived by 10 per cent during 2012, and enticing UK tourists back to the region provides the CTO with one of its biggest challenges. The Saint Lucia Tourist Board recently did its bit to boost the profile of the Caribbean to British tourists by partnering with British Airways to give away 48 pairs of flight tickets to the island to unsuspecting commuters passing through London's Victoria Station. Image sources: 1 2 3

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Caribbean tourism organisation announces 2013 scholarships    Caribbean nationals aspiring to study tourism or hospitality and language training are being offered the opportunity to secure scholarships from the Caribbean Tourism Organisation (CTO). The region’s tourism development agency, through its scholarship programme, the CTO Foundation, is awarding scholarships of up to $12,000 to individuals wanting to study tourism or hospitality at the post graduate level, and language training for persons already working in the tourism sector. In addition, the CTO Foundation is offering study grants of up to US$2,500 to individuals pursing tourism/hospitality studies at the certificate, diploma, associate degree or first degree level. Studies can be pursued both within and outside the Caribbean region. “The Foundation selects individuals who demonstrate high levels of achievement and leadership both within and outside the classroom and who express a strong interest in making a positive contribution to Caribbean tourism,” said Bonita Morgan, CTO’s director of regional human resource development.

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