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Dominican Republic heads Caribbean slump
WTM 2004 Special: Bookings to the Caribbean through travel agents declined in line with an overall slump in the market during the summer, according to new statistics from AC Nielsen.
Figures show there were 12.5m trips booked through retailers in summer 2004, compared with 13.3m a year ago. Although precise numbers were not available for the Caribbean, a spokeswoman for the Caribbean Tourism Organisation said sales declined in line with the market.
The Dominican Republic still has the largest share of Caribbean bookings (38%), but was the big loser, with sales down 8%, largely to a reduction in flights to the island.
Cuba was one of the few islands to show an increase in flight-only, all-inclusive and package bookings.
The figures were released at the CTO European Marketing Forum on the eve of World Travel Market.
Among other findings, bookings to the Caribbean through agent shops grew by 15%, although direct bookings via agents, for example through their websites, fell by 21%.
The Caribbean has also seen a growth in holidays of different duration, with a 10% jump in the number of 15-29 day stays and a 13% rise in the number of people staying for six nights or less.
In line with other destinations, people are booking their holidays to the Caribbean closer to departure.
A spokeswoman for the CTO said the islands were in competition for holidaymakers with destinations like Dubai.
“Not many local people work in tourism in Dubai, so when you visit the destination you are often meeting ex-pats,” she said.
“The Caribbean needs to stress the friendliness of the local people and the cultural experience of visiting the islands.”
Report by Jeremy Skidmore
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