Travel Agent is in Jamaica this week for the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association’s (CHTA) 42nd Caribbean Travel Marketplace. What’s of note? The Caribbean ended 2023 with tourism arrivals on par with the full year of 2019—its high-water mark. As for the first half of 2024 so far, arrivals are up 20 percent over last year. Should these trends continue, the Caribbean may hit pre-pandemic levels of visitation this year. CHTA President Nicola Madden-Greig also noted that premium class is significantly outpacing standard class, leading to a more diverse array of hotel product developments. Speaking of, member hotels and destinations have over 18,000 hotel rooms in various stages of development.

In our first day, we also had the chances to hear from several tourist boards about the latest and greatest from their destinations. Here’s a rundown of what we learned:

The Bahamas

The Bahamas broke all previous tourism records in 2023, according to I. Chester Cooper, minister of tourism. Last year, the destination received 9.65 million arrivals and the forecast shows these arrivals will continue through 2024. Already, this year I pacing 15 percent ahead of 2023 numbers. Upcoming hotel properties will include a Six Senses and a Montage, among others.

Six Senses Grand Bahama will comprise 45 waterfront and canal villas as well as28 branded residences. Spanning 50 acres, the resort will have direct access to a half-mile-long stretch of beach adjacent to the Grand Lucayan Waterway and a newly developed marina. Plans call for a signature restaurant, beach venue, boathouse and pool bar, not to mention direct access to that new marina. Six Senses Grand Bahama is slated to open in 2026.

As for Montage Cay, it will offer a collection of restaurant and bar experiences including all-day dining, a signature dinner-only restaurant, two beach bar and grilles, lobby and pool bars, as well as a spa café and juice bar. The robust water sports and recreation center will provide guests with ways to explore the Bahamas’ coral reefs and more. The 53-acre private island resort in the Abaco Islands will also offer a selection of villa residences, as well as custom homes.

On the cruise front, Grand Bahama will see the opening of Carnival Cruise Line’s Celebration Key next year. The $600 million port development will welcome 2 million guests annually and will offer a family area complete with a beach, a freshwater pool, waterslides, sports and gaming areas and floating cabanas. Guests can also make use of an adults-only area, pickleball courts, shops and more. Royal Caribbean is also investing $165 million private beach club in Nassau. What’s notable is that it will be 49 percent owned by Bahamians. Plans call for three pools with swim-up bars, private cabanas, four island-style spots for quick bites and local fare, and experiences that host local artisans and live music.

Jamaica

Jamaica, the host destination this year, always has plenty going on. In the first four-plus months of 2024, the island has received nearly 1.8 million visitors (that’s about 1 million stopover visitors and over 700,000 cruise passengers). Minister of Tourism Edmund Bartlett says that the destination could see 4.58 million visitors this year (3.23 million of which would be overnight guests). Two-thousand new rooms are slated to open this year, including the first 1,000 (of 2,000) a the Princess Grand Jamaica, 753 rooms at the Riu Palace Aquarelle and 450 rooms at the UNICO 18°77° Hotel Montego Bay. Between 15,000 and 20,000 rooms are slated for construction over the next five years, many of which located in the “Rose Hall Corridor” (from Montego Bay to about Falmouth, a roughly 21-mile stretch). Other projects on the docket include a Moon Palace resort with 1,250 rooms and new Sandals projects in Port Antonio and Negril, totaling about 1,000 rooms.

A major focus of Bartlett’s, however, is investment in tourism workers. Jamaica has developed a training program for hospitality employees, which has seen 15,000 certified. It also established a tourism workers’ pension (which Bartlett touts as the world’s first), which has, two years in, already saved 3 million Jamaican dollars for workers’ retirements. He is also ensuring that plenty of housing is built for tourism workers. “Workers are at the heart of our future growth, development and services, and we are committed to working together with our private sector partners to create a new labor market environment for the workers,” he said. “The whole effort here is to create a worker core of qualified, certified and competent [employees] so as to uplift the quality of service that is provided and enhance the experience [for visitors].”

In addition, Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay has received a runway expansion, new dining, an expanded immigration hall and upgraded departure lounge, as well as updates to the retail space, Club Mobay and more. Among the immigration updates at 100 new kiosks planned by the end of 2024. An electronic passenger declaration form that can be filled out online up to 30 days in advance also works to speed up the customs and border patrol process.

Stay tuned for updates on St. Lucia, Turks and Caicos, the United States Virgin Islands and more.

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