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Bleak tourism winter forecast

Posted by CaribShout on October 24, 2009 at 9:57am

The Caribbean could see a considerable drop in holiday bookings from the UK alone for the upcoming peak winter season. The Association of British Travel Agents says holiday bookings from the UK to the Caribbean, are down by 19 per cent compared to the same period last year. The association feels that while those figures should improve in the coming months, the long-term outlook isn't very rosy. The 19 percent drop for the all-important Caribbean winter bookings from the UK, was recorded as of September this year. And according to the Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA), this decline was generally seen for most other destinations. However, the Association feels there should be an improvement in the figures in what it's calling a late bookings market. Challenges But the association has admitted that any improvement in the Caribbean outlook will be seriously affected by the UK government's decision to, in some cases, double its air passenger tax for some long haul flights come November the first. Caribbean beach

A Caribbean getaway still beckons This, despite strong opposition from the region, some in the UK travel industry and several British MPs. By some estimates it would mean an additional £300 for the cost of a Caribbean holiday for a family of four flying from the UK. And there's another warning to the region, sun-destinations near Europe, such as Turkey and some states in North Africa, have actually seen an increase in tourism arrivals. Sean Tipton a spokesman from the travel agents association, says the Caribbean should see this as a threat and diversify its offerings to travellers, if it's to compete effectively. “What customers are looking for are not just cheap holidays, but better value. “Any country that finds itself in competition with other winter sun destinations like North Africa, needs to look very closely at its product and its pricing levels if its to remain competitive.” Bleak outlook The Caribbean tourism industry needs the upcoming winter season to be a good one, to offset the impact over the past year of the global economic downturn. Hundreds of people have lost their jobs in the industry across the region. Regional industry officials fear that this would result in fewer bookings for Caribbean holidays in an already depressed market.

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