Caribbean tourism ‘trumps’ ravages of COVID 19

Notwithstanding the ravages of the COVID 19 malady that cut a swathe through visitor arrivals in the region, Guyana has been named by the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) as being among eleven (11) countries in the Caribbean that surpassed their 2019 arrivals last year. The regional tourism organization has named Anguilla, Aruba, Curaçao, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, St. Maarten, Turks & Caicos Islands, and the US Virgin Islands as countries in the region that achieved record-breaking levels for annual tourist arrivals.

In the instance of Guyana, the inflow of visitors last year was, in large measure, a function of the significantly altered international image which accrued to the country on account of its raised profile as a potential investment haven, arising out of its ‘world class’ oil find. Fellow Caribbean Community (CARICOM) member country, Jamaica, was also named among the countries to remove the obstacles placed in its way by the pandemic, further enhancing its credentials as a world class tourist by returning record earnings from the sector between January and February this year [2024]. In the course of the first two months of 2024, the country ‘s tourism industry raked in one million visitors and generated earnings of US$1 billion, a record for the CARICOM member country, according to the country’s Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett.