On the heels of double-digit growth and a record visitor arrival total of 528,077 in 2018, the Grenada Tourism Authority (GTA) reports positive growth in total visitor arrivals of 1 percent for the first half of 2019. The destination welcomed a total of 318,559 visitors between January and June 2019 compared to 314,916 for the same period in 2018; this represents a 1.15 percent growth, the GTA said.
The stayover market, which the GTA said represents its most lucrative visitor, grew by 3.81 percent during the first half of 2019, to a total of 82,399 stayover. The average length of stay was 8.5 days, with the U.S. accounting for 45 percent of the island’s market share, followed by the UK with 17 percent and the Canadian market with 12 percent. The GTA said that its focus is on expanding the destination’s reach in its traditional source markets, and that Grenada now has four international gateways in the U.S. for the upcoming winter season: New York - JFK, Miami, Atlanta and Charlotte, North Carolina.
The GTA said the island also recorded a slight increase of 1.33 percent in cruise visitor arrivals, a total of 223,051, for the period, compared with stronger growth numbers of 220,125 last year. The GTA said it is planning an Aquila Professional Tour Guide training in September for public and private stakeholders to enhance the customer experience in the destination.
Yacht arrivals for the period remained flat with 15,318 compared to 15,420 in 2018. Grenada’s geographical location south of the hurricane belt should bode well for these numbers in the coming months, though, the GTA said. Port Louis Camper & Nicholson Marina is currently expanding its berths by 50 percent to accommodate more yachts for the winter season.
With increased airlift from major airlines JetBlue, LIAT, Caribbean Airlines and American Airlines for the carnival and winter seasons, the GTA projects stayover visitor arrivals to grow by 5 percent in 2019.
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