The Grenada Tourism Authority has reported a significant increase in visitor arrivals in the first half of this year, from January to July 2024.
According to a press statement by the Grenada Tourism Authority, visitor numbers have risen by 20 pc in Q1 and Q2 compared to 2019 and 18 pc compared to 2023.
This reflects the continued growth of Grenada as a sought-after travel destination, despite recent challenges. In the month of July 2024 alone, visitor arrivals increased by 10 pc over 2019 and 5 pc over 2023.
Travel intelligence and data analytics company ForwardKeys has produced a detailed analysis of the impact of Hurricane Beryl, which struck in the end of June to last for days in July, and included a focus on the quick recovery of Grenada as one of their case studies.
The report says that the market has shown ‘impressive’ resilience, quickly bouncing back to normal booking levels.
“Our comprehensive travel intelligence clearly shows the significant short-term impact that Hurricane Beryl had on travel to the Caribbean, particularly to those islands in the direct path of the storm,” says Olivier Ponti, Director of Intelligence and Marketing at ForwardKeys.
The statement adds that following the passage of Hurricane Beryl, tourism officials worked tirelessly to reassure the world and major source markets of the tri-island state’s resilience.
While the northern parts of the island and sister isles needed relief aid and assistance, mainland Grenada remained open for visitors. These conscientious, strategic efforts have been pivotal in achieving these impressive results.
“We are thrilled to see such positive growth in our visitor arrivals during this period, which speaks volumes about Grenada’s enduring appeal and the hard work of our tourism stakeholders,” says Petra Roach, CEO of the Grenada Tourism Authority.
“Our strategic efforts to maintain and grow our market share have been multifaceted. We have actively engaged with our key source markets to meet directly with travel and airline partners, as well as with members of the media,” she adds.
According to Roach, these interactions were necessary steps that have been crucial in conveying the message that Grenada is open and ready to welcome visitors, as reflected in the data on record.
“The dedicated and collaborative efforts of our entire tourism sector have truly paid off, and we are optimistic about continuing this momentum throughout the rest of 2024 and beyond for Grenada,” Roach adds.