Regional hoteliers report uptake in bookings post-Beryl

The Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association, CHTA, says the regional tourism industry has shown extraordinary resilience in the wake of Hurricane Beryl, with data revealing a rapid rebound in travel bookings.

Hurricane Beryl, the first hurricane of the 2024 Atlantic Hurricane season, left a trail of death and destruction in Grenada, St Vincent and the Grenadines, and Jamaica when it made its way through the Caribbean at the start of July.

The CHTA said that despite the initial impact of the storm, which made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane in the Grenadines on July 1, the region has experienced a remarkable turnaround, driven particularly by its largest market, the United States.

The CHTA said that comprehensive air-travel data from ForwardKeys, analysed in collaboration with the association, “reveals a swift rebound in tourism, most notably from the United States.

“While analysis of data is ongoing, with results to be shared in a future report, the overall trend shows the Caribbean’s impressive ability to recover and adapt,” the CHTA said, acknowledging that there was a short-term decline in regional bookings in the wake of Beryl. The CHTA said analysis of air tickets issued between June 30 and July 23 showed a modest two per cent drop compared to the same period in 2023.

“Destinations which were in the storm’s direct path saw more pronounced falls, such as Grenada with a 14 per cent decline and Jamaica with a 24 per cent drop. Notably, the period leading up to the hurricane saw a nine per cent increase in bookings across the Caribbean, demonstrating strong pre-storm travel interest.

“During that period, Jamaica recorded a five per cent increase while Grenada recorded an impressive 26 per cent rise,” CHTA said, noting that the “swift rebound in bookings from the United States, our largest source market, underscores our region’s enduring appeal”.

CHTA President Nicola Madden-Greig said, “This rapid recovery not only highlights our industry’s resilience and strength, but also reaffirms our unwavering commitment to overcoming challenges.”

The CHTA said that the US, which is the largest source market for the Caribbean, had shown encouraging signs of a swift recovery. Starting from July 9, ticket sales from the US to the Caribbean had returned to year-on-year growth, marking a faster recovery compared to the overall average.

This was particularly significant given that the US initially saw a decline of 36 per cent immediately after the hurricane, highlighting the resilience and ongoing appeal of the region.

The CHTA said Grenada, one of the islands directly impacted by the storm, had shown a remarkable recovery.

Although intra-Caribbean ticket sales fell 23 per cent and bookings were down 18 per cent from key US markets, such as Boston (down 19 per cent), Miami ( down 18 per cent), and New York (down 15 per cent), Grenada’s market has quickly bounced back to near-normal levels, the regional hotel trade group said.

It said bookings to Jamaica from elsewhere in the Caribbean have followed a similar pattern as Grenada and the region as a whole, with a swift recovery to 2023 levels, suggesting that the initial hurricane impact was short-lived and traveller confidence was restored “within a matter of days”.

The director of intelligence and marketing at ForwardKeys, Olivier Ponti, said their travel intelligence clearly shows the significant short-term impact that Hurricane Beryl had on travel to the Caribbean, particularly to those islands in the direct path of the storm.

“However, the speed of the recovery is a highly encouraging sign of the resilience of the region’s tourism economy. The US market, which is so critical for the Caribbean, is leading the way, while segments such as group travel and VFR are rebounding more strongly as humanitarian and essential travel pick up pace,” said Ponti.

“While the impact of Hurricane Beryl was felt directly in the affected destinations, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Grenada, Carriacou and Petite Martinique, and the south coast of Jamaica, as well as indirectly in other islands in the region, it’s crucial to remember that the Caribbean is vast. While travel to affected areas temporarily decreased, numerous destinations untouched by the storm remain fully operational and open for business,” Ponti added.

CMC