TravelMole Interview: Gail Clark, director of research, Caribbean Tourism Organization.

Canadian tour operators and agents are reporting strong bookings this winter in the Caribbean, according to Gail Clark, director of research for the Caribbean Tourism Organization. “Travel to Cuba, the Dominican Republic and Mexico continues to dominate,” she told TravelMole. “And Air Canada’s two daily flights to Barbados have thus far met with limited success.” The US market, however, dominates Caribbean travel, representing more than half of its visitors, Ms Clark said. But that market is also “very strong,” she added. “The economic recovery in the US continues to show considerable staying power on the heels of several new reports,“ she said, including a rise in the Consumer Confidence Index. The Caribbean Tourism Organization includes government and private sector members of the industry. The agency collects and disseminates research and data about the Caribbean. The Caribbean has long maintained good relationships with travel agents, who do many hotel and other bookings, particularly in the higher end facilities. Ms Clark in a recent report called “Tourism Executive Brief,” speculated on the future of travel agents in the area. “Looking ahead, there will undoubtedly by further declines in the brick-and-mortar agencies,” she wrote, as more consumers book directly on-line with Expedia, Orbitz and others. She pointed out that 2,177 travel agencies in the US closed their doors last year, according to the Airlines Reporting Corporation. She asked the question of how much more shrinkage there would be in the brick-and mortar industry. “Those agencies serving niche markets with special expertise are the most likely to survive and even they will benefit from better utilization of new technology,” she concluded. Report by David Wilkening