Caribbean’s Rapid Tourism Recovery Continues in Fourth Quarter

As we approach the end of 2022, the global travel industry's recovery is no longer in doubt, but some areas are well ahead of others when it comes to regaining their pre-pandemic tourist numbers.

One of the regions continuing to rebound the most rapidly is the Caribbean, according to a new report from travel intelligence company ForwardKeys. Its latest travel data demonstrates how the Caribbean's ample air connectivity and signature hospitality are attracting more international travelers than anywhere else in the world right now.

Even during the pandemic's worst period, throughout 2020 and 2021, ForwardKeys data highlighted the resilience of places like Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic as tourism recovery success stories, but the number of arrivals across the entire Caribbean has increased dramatically in 2022.

"The Caribbean example is not just about showing a great example of a region recovering, but instead about a region that is growing - despite all the macroeconomic factors taking place now, such as the slowdown of the world economy, rising costs of petrol and the effects of the war in Ukraine," says Olivier Ponti, VP of Insights at ForwardKeys.

In 2022's fourth quarter, overseas tourist arrivals are continuing to climb across many Caribbean nations. Presently at the forefront in terms of international arrivals is the Dominican Republic, which is up 40 percent over 2019 levels, followed by the U.S. Virgin Islands (up 33 percent), Bonaire (up 30 percent) and Martinique ( up 26 percent).

"Air connectivity appears to be the key to achieving growth," Ponti explained. "If we examine our Seat Capacity Data, it shows destinations such as the Dominican Republic and Guadeloupe are performing better thanks to an increase in direct flights since 2019."

Dutch Caribbean islands of Curacao and Bonaire are doing especially well this year, experiencing an influx of affluent international travelers, who originate in various source markets-North America, Europe and Latin America-the report notes.