Over one-third The dependence of Caribbean destinations on the U. Virgin Islands, where it represents nearly 80 percent of all U. In , 20 percent of all U. Accommodations It is estimated that the Caribbean has approximately , hotel rooms, distributed among 32 countries and territories end The Bahamas, Cuba, Jamaica, and the Dominican Republic accounted for about 50 percent of the total and were the only destinations with more than 10, rooms.
The number of hotel rooms in the Caribbean has increased by 74 percent since During the last decade, the hotel capacity of the region increased by nearly 62, rooms about 6 percent a year. However, the growth has been concentrated geographically: 77 percent of the new rooms were constructed in the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Cuba, Guadeloupe, Aruba, and Martinique.
In some countries the total number of rooms has remained unchanged or even declined. With regard to establishment size, over 50 percent of the hotel rooms are in hotels of or more rooms.
However, this proportion varies from country to country. In Aruba, Puerto Rico, and Cuba, over 70 percent of the rooms are in establishments of more than rooms. By contrast, seven Caribbean destinations have no hotels of this size.
The Dominican Republic is the largest destination in terms of room capacity, with 24, in There has been a rapid increase in capacity in Aruba and Puerto Rico in recent years. Also, a high level of hotel construction is under way in Cuba, mostly in association with Western European consortia. Cruise Ships The number of cruise tourists has increased vigorously in the last ten years.
Total cruise-passenger visits to the Caribbean have increased by nearly 40 percent since , equivalent to an annual growth rate of 8. During , 8. In , about 53 percent of total North American berths were allocated to the Caribbean. The three largest cruise destinations in the region are The Bahamas, the U.
Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico, which recorded growth rates averaging 4. Kitts and Nevis. The individual performance of these destinations in terms of cruise-passenger visits was impressive, recording rises of over 25 percent. The cruise-ship sector is expected to continue growing rapidly during the remainder of the decade. Much of this growth is likely to take place in the Caribbean, increasing its share of a growing market that could represent 15 million visits to the region by the end of the s.
This represents an 8 percent increase over the previous year and reflects a continuing rise in average expenditure per visitor although this is partly due to inflation. Gross tourism receipts represented some 25 percent of all export receipts. For many countries, it is the dominant productive sector and generates the most foreign exchange.
Stayover visitors accounted for almost 95 percent of total spending by visitors to the region in Factors Affecting the Caribbean Tourism Industry Global tourism has become the largest industry in the world, with nearly million consumers of tourism services per year spending hundreds of billions of dollars.
The industry provides employment to over million people worldwide. An understanding of these factors is crucial to determine the ways in which national and international financial institutions, NGOs, and other entities can play the most value-adding role. People with incomes high enough for foreign travel are concentrated in a few countries.
Most developing countries are far from key points of origin. In this regard, countries like Mexico and some Caribbean islands that are close to the United States and Canada benefit from a comparative advantage.
These tourist destinations reaped early success in promoting their attractions. In , for example, the Caribbean region captured 2. Tourists have since ventured to further Caribbean islands and coasts such as those of Venezuela and Costa Rica.
Travel between neighboring regional countries is also expanding. Foreign-exchange receipts in Paraguay, which receives over 85 percent of its visitors from Argentina and Brazil, increased eightfold between and Income Elasticity. In several countries, travel receipts have been the fastest-growing export item. The tourism sector represents over two thirds of the value of total exports of goods and services from the Bahamas, three fifths of those from Barbados, and over one third from the Dominican Republic and Jamaica.
As national incomes increase, expenditure on travel increases even faster. Decreasing Travel Costs. According to the WTTC report, as of the report has not been published yet , tourism employs million people, and it is expected that this figure will reach million by This means that tourism is not only a growing economic engine but also an employment engine in itself, since it is the industry with the best evolution in terms of job creation, just behind the manufacturing sector.
It is, in fact, a source of employment that not only generates and employs a large workforce but also does it in an inclusive manner and with great opportunities for both genders, even creating job offers for the youngest.
According to the International Labor Organization ILO , tourism is a source of employment worldwide, so it is expected that, following its growth levels, tourism continues to generate employment exponentially over the years.
Given the growth achieved and its emergence in the global economy, tourism is gaining more and more weight due to the deterioration of other sectors and the downturn of the economy worldwide. Nevertheless, this reality implies a possible risk that could result in a shock in the sector. For other European countries, such as France or Portugal, tourism accounts for 7.
In Latin American countries, such as Mexico, tourism already represents 8. Travel also has become more affordable. In the U. The global number of annual air passenger trips is projected to grow 3. Author: Barbara Palmer.
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