Limited summer air service from Canada hurts Caribbean
Lack of summertime air service between this country and the Caribbean is hindering the region’s tourist trade, delegates to the Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Association’s annual Caribbean Travel Marketplace were told.
Consultant Olivier Ponti told delegates who gathered for the May 19 opening — held on the island of Antigua — that there are a lot of Canadians conducting internet searches for information on such destinations as the U.S. Virgin Islands, the British Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico and St. Kitts Nevis, but getting to such destinations is often difficult for us.
People tell themselves that they’re “not going to spend some of my precious holiday time waiting in a (airport) hub. I’m going to go somewhere else,” Ponti said.
The Caribbean sees a “big drop” in summer air service from Canada, continued Ponti, who said that reduced service amounts to “lost opportunities” for the region.
Nevertheless, the total number of visits to the Caribbean is on the upswing, with former CHTA president Nicola Madden-Greig telling the same audience that the Caribbean saw 34.2 million visitors last year, up 6.1% from 2023.
Stopover arrivals are expected to further rise between 2% and 5% this year, she added.
Madden-Greig added it’s important that tourist dollars reach the locals in the communities hosting the visitors.
Meanwhile, Carl Gordon of Mastercard said that that company’s Global Traffic Report 2025 contains welcome news for the Caribbean, a part of the world famed for its beaches.
Visiting large cities has been in vogue in recent years but interest in visiting sunny shores is now rising, he said.
“Beaches are back… We have to capitalize on that,” he said, adding that Caribbean destinations need to promote their beaches in advertising campaigns.
“The Caribbean has some of the best and most pristine beaches in the world,” he added. “We have to maximize that.”
Gordon also noted that many Canadians who might normally vacation in the United States but are now looking for alternative destinations because of lingering Canada-U.S. tensions.
“How do we reach those Canadians who are now focusing on other markets,” he asked? “How do we reach them?”
This marked the first time Antigua has hosted Caribbean Marketplace, always seen as a showcase for the host destination’s tourist trade. The show — which traditionally rotated between Nassau, San Juan and Montego Bay — has now been held outside of those 3 destinations for 2 of the last 4 years, with Barbados also being a recent host.
Caribbean Travel Marketplace speakers frequently cited differences between Caribbean destinations, working to dispel any notion that some travellers might believe that they’re all similar.
“Each Caribbean island has something different to offer,” Tameka Wharton, who oversees the Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority’s Canadian office, told Travel Courier.
Those distinguishing features can reveal themselves in terms of culture, landscapes and cuisine, she noted.
