Demand for spring and summer travel to the Caribbean is expected to surpass pre-pandemic 2019 levels, according to the latest forecast.
Spring arrivals are projected to exceed 2019 figures by 20% and summer arrivals set to eclipse pre-Covid records by 48%.
International arrivals to the Caribbean for the first two months of the year were behind by just one percent when compared to the same period in 2019.
But Europe registered a 25% lag, while Asia-Pacific was 54% behind. The UK is not mentioned in the latest figures released by the Caribbean Hotels and Tourism Association (CHTA)
Total international inbound travel was trailing by 31% compared to the same period in 2019, according to the statistics.
New research from ForwardKeys, a strategic data partner of CHTA, revealed that the US Virgin Islands is leading the recovery.
The USVI recorded an increase of more than 22%, according to ticket booking data for arrivals to the end of March compared to the same period in 2019.
Following closely behind is St Maarten, with a growth rate of 18%, while Guadeloupe and Turks and Caicos are tied at 17%.
Curacao is leading the region in attracting visitors from South America, followed by the Dominican Republic and Aruba.
Colombia and Argentina are among the top-growing international markets to the region, with growth rates of 50% and 15% respectively. Curacao, Jamaica and Aruba have seen the greatest increases in business from Argentina.
Curacao has also shown “impressive growth” from the US, with Grenada and Antigua and Barbuda following closely behind.
St Barts, St Maarten and Puerto Rico are seeing the highest rates of increase from France.
According to ForwardKeys, there has been a rise in flight searches from Canada, described as welcome news for the region as travel from the country has been slower to recover.
Olivier Ponti, vice president of insights at ForwardKeys, highlighted the importance of regional hubs for travellers from South America who typically have to connect to reach their destination.
He said: “ForwardKeys has uncovered the growth of Panama City as a gateway to the Caribbean for trips from South America. Miami is, on the contrary, losing its market share (for connections to the region from South America).”
However, he also noted that limited air capacity remains one of the main challenges hindering growth in some emerging markets for the Caribbean.