| Tourist arrivals up in 2009 | | Print | |
| Friday, 12 February 2010 08:37 | |||
 TCI Breaks Tourism Trend While other markets across the globe are clinging to marginal declines in tourist numbers, the Turks and Caicos Tourist Board announced this week that combined long-stay and cruise arrivals for 2009 were up 12.5 percent compared to 2008 in the TCI.This is a major increase when compared to other Caribbean markets such as the Cayman Islands, which experienced a 10.2 percent decline for the same period. Although the majority of the increase was in the area of cruise passengers, tourist arrivals stayed virtually flat for 2009 compared with 2008. Given the global economic crisis over the past 12 months and compared with other Caribbean markets, many are taking this is a positive sign. “Seeing increases in cruise ship arrivals and a minimal decrease in long-stay arrivals confirms that our islands are still one of the most sought after vacation destinations” said Ralph Higgs, director of tourism for the Turks and Caicos Tourist Board. “Based on these numbers, it is apparent that the destination showed much resilience through the global financial situation, and I am confident that 2010 will be a stronger tourism year.” Local tourism statistics for the 2009 calendar year shows cruise arrivals up 21 percent from 2008. Long-stay arrivals were down marginally, with only 773 fewer visitors. The United States, Canada and major European markets remain the top sources of visitors, respectively. The U.S. market showed a 4.4 percent increase, while the European market remained steady, reporting no percentage change. The biggest change came from the Canadian market, which showed a 20 percent increase in passengers arriving on scheduled and charter flights in 2009. A large factor in the increased visitor numbers from Canada was the addition of three weekly direct flights through Toronto with WestJet. US Airways also introduced additional flights from Boston, Philadelphia and Charlotte, and American Airlines from Dallas. “The destination has showed tremendous strength during the global recession, and I am extremely optimistic of the projections going forward,” said John Smith, chief executive officer of Turks and Caicos Airport Authority. “I am happy to note that the projected growth driven by the demand can finally be accommodated by the redevelopment of the Providenciales International Airport.” The true test will come in 2010 when the effects of the country’s marketing efforts — limited by financial constraints — will start to show. In 2009, the Tourism Board admits it did not participate in its usual marketing calendar of international promotional events; however, the destination was featured on a number of U.S. and U.K. television series and publications, which contributed to its continued popularity. “We anticipate that 2010 will be a strong tourism year” Higgs said. “We are seeing an increase in our tourist arrivals, additional flights to the islands, approval for the expansion of the Providenciales International Airport, as well as a number of resort properties to be added to the accommodation collection.” If the numbers for January are any indication, there is more good news to come. Arrivals in January were up 12 percent over January 2009, with both the cruise ship arrivals and the long-stay visitors reporting a major increase. In January, the TCI welcomed 37,481 long-stay visitors, topping the 33,907 who came in January 2009. The tourism board also announced its plans to market and promote the destination throughout 2010, noting expected presence at international trade shows and a tourism awareness campaign topping their list of priorities. The country expects more specific details when the results of the tourism planning study conducted under the leadership of Clive Stanbrook are released in the coming weeks.
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