Clarice Modeste Curwen, Grenada’s Minister for Tourism and Civil Aviation, expressed her delight with the destination’s performance, of over 500,000 visitors in 2018.
Grenada achieved a historic milestone in 2018, welcoming more than half a million visitors to the island, the Grenada Tourism Authority (GTA) has revealed.
The GTA said that combined cruise, yachting and stay-over arrivals for 2018 was 528,077, representing a 12.90% increase over 2017.
A strong performance was also recorded in stay-over arrivals, with an increase of 9.97%, moving from 146,375 to 160,970 visitors, with special mention given to the bumper Christmas season, in which a growth of 17% was recorded.
Speaking about Grenada, Carriacou and Petite Martinique’s performance, Chief Executive Officer of the GTA, Patricia Maher, said, “We are delighted to surpass the historic 500,000 mark. It is a result of our hard work, in lobbying airlines for more flights and the engagement of top cruise brand executives for more ship calls. I would like to thank our stakeholders for their support, in ensuring our visitors continue to have wonderful experiences in the destination.”
Minister for Tourism and Civil Aviation, Clarice Modeste Curwen, also expressed her delight with the destination’s performance.
“Achieving 500,000 arrivals has been a landmark goal for the destination of Grenada, Carriacou and Petite Martinique. It is a testament to the island’s growing influence in the marketplace and industry growth.
“But we will not stop there, as we want to grow the pie so that everyone gets a bigger slice. To do that, we must continue to keep our islands pure, share our warmth and hospitality with visitors, as well as deliver high-quality, professional service.”
Canadian visitors recorded the highest growth rate in 2018, followed by the USA and the Caribbean. Significant growth was also recorded in non-traditional markets that included Latin America and the category representing all other parts of the world.
The USA maintains the top spot in market share for arrivals to the destination, followed by the United Kingdom.
Meanwhile, the yachting sector recorded double-digit growth, with visitor arrivals moving from 21,911 to 24,281, a direct result of 428 more yacht calls.
As it relates to cruise arrivals, the sector grew by 14.49%, due to larger cruise ship calls.
Additionally, the GTA launched a destination shopping video, which highlighted the destination’s diverse offerings.
The GTA has expressed optimism about 2019 and anticipates deeper collaboration with stakeholders to strive for Grenada’s global brand recognition as a premier tourist destination.
