Tourism Analytics

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Cayman Islands’ border reopening set for 20th November 2021.
The Cayman Islands border will reopen on the 20th November 2021, Premier Wayne Panton announced on Friday October 22nd 2021.
At that point, all quarantine requirements will be lifted for most vaccinated travellers entering the jurisdiction as the island moves to Phase 4 of government’s reopening plan.
The much-anticipated announcement, made at a government press briefing, paves the way for visitors to return to the islands.
There are still several restrictions in place, including testing requirements for arriving passengers. But the removal of quarantine is considered key to allowing tourism to resume. As it stands, children – who cannot be vaccinated – will not be able to come to the islands without quarantining, but Panton said this was being kept under consideration.
He said, “While we’ve had some visitors during the recent months, our tourism partners have always made it very clear that the real economic turnaround will come with the removal of quarantine for vaccinated travellers.
“This now gives us the opportunity as a country to rebuild our reputation, rebuild our world-class tourism destination and get many families and businesses back to work.”
To read more click here.

U.S. citizens’ outbound travel from the USA to international destinations fell by 11.1% in August 2021.
The United States Government’s Department of Commerce, International Trade Administration’s National Travel and Tourism Office (NTTO) recently released the figures for U.S. citizens outbound travel from the USA to international destinations for August 2021.

The overall number of trips taken by US citizens to international destinations declined by 11.1% in August 2021, falling from 5,512,187 trips in July 2021 to 4,900,377 trips in August 2021.
The number of trips taken to the Caribbean declined by 25.1%, falling from 868,730 trips in July 2021 to 650,496 trips in August 2021.
The 650,496 trips were 13.3% of all international trips taken by US citizens in August 2021 to all international destinations.
Given that many countries had restrictions in place in August 2020, limiting international arrivals, only 147,332 US citizens visited Caribbean countries in August 2020.
The 650,496 trips taken to the Caribbean in August 2021 were 86.0% of the 756,533 trips taken to the Caribbean in August 2019.
Trips to Europe increased by 0.3% in August, growing from 814,907 trips in July 2021 to 817,101 trips in August 2021. Trips to Europe were 16.7% of trips taken by US citizens in August 2021. The 817,101 trips taken by US citizens to Europe in August 2021 were 41.9% of the 1,950,485 trips taken to Europe in August 2019.
The number of trips taken to Mexico by air declined by 31.8%, falling from 1,214,262 trips in July 2021 to 827,615 trips in August 2021.This segment’s share of all trips taken by US citizens was 16.9% in August 2021. The 827,615 trips were 14.0% more than the 726,111 trips taken to Mexico by air by US citizens in August 2019.

The overall number of trips taken by US citizens to international destinations increased by 23.3% in the first eight months of 2021, growing from 23.40 million trips in the first eight months of 2020 to 28.84 million trips in the same eight months of 2021.
The 28,842,664 total international trips taken in the first eight months of 2021 were 42.4% of the 67,949,965 trips taken in the first eight months of 2019.
The number of trips taken to the Caribbean increased by 92.3% in the first eight months of 2021, growing from 2,204,032 trips in 2020, to 4,190,851 trips in the first eight months of 2021. The share of trips taken to the Caribbean grew from 9.3% in 2020 to 14.5% in 2021.
The 4,190,851 trips taken to the Caribbean in the first eight months of 2021 were 60.2% of the 6,965,753 trips taken by US residents to the Caribbean in the first eight months of 2019.
Trips to Europe increased by 18.9%, growing from 2,204,032 trips in the first eight months of 2020 to 2,620,893 in the same eight months of 2021. The 2,620,893 trips taken in 2021 were just 19.9% of the 13,150,617 trips taken to Europe in the first eight months of 2019.
The number of trips taken to Mexico by air grew by 115.6%, from 2,947,531 trips in the first eight months of 2020 to 6,354,306 in the same eight months of 2021. The 6,354,306 trips were 89.5% of the 7,101,082 trips taken by US citizens by air to Mexico in the first eight months of 2019. This segment’s share of all trips grew from 12.6% in the first eight months of 2020 to 22.0% in the same eight months of 2021.

Saint Lucia received 14,896 stopovers in September 2021, 27.6% fewer than the 20,569 stopovers received in August 2021.
According to the Ministry of Tourism and Investment, Saint Lucia saw a 27.6% decrease in stopover visitor arrivals in September 2021, falling from 20,569 stopovers in August 2021 to 14,896 stopovers in September 2021.
Saint Lucia received 1,433 cruise visitors in September from three cruise ship calls. Saint Lucia reopened its ports to cruise ships in June 2021. Saint Lucia also received 102 visitors in September 2021 who arrived by yacht.
Saint Lucia closed its borders to international visitor arrivals on March 23rd 2020 and re-opened its borders in June 2020. Saint Lucia consequently received 4,122 stopover arrivals in September 2020.
The 14,896 stopovers received in September 2021 were 68.9% of the 21,608 stopovers received in September 2019.
Saint Lucia received 11,191 stopover arrivals from the USA in September 2021, 29.5% fewer than the 15,875 stopovers received in August 2021 with the 11,191 stopovers comprising 75.1% of all stopover arrivals in September 2021.
Through the first nine months of 2021, Saint Lucia saw a 24.5% increase in the number of stopover visitors, growing from 100,741 stopovers in the first nine months of 2020 to 125,387 stopovers in the same nine months of 2021.
The number of stopovers from the USA increased by 124.9%, from 48,339 in the first nine months of 2020 to 108,703 in the same nine months of 2021 while the number of stopover visitors from the U.K. fell by 39.7% from 19,639 in 2020 to 11,850 stopovers in the same nine months of 2021.
The 125,387 stopovers received in 2021 were 39.1% of the 320,331 stopovers received in the first nine months of 2019.
Saint Lucia has received 5,400 cruise visitors so far in 2021 compared with 297,885 received in 2020 and received 1,170 visitors who arrived by yacht compared with 21,445 in the first nine months of 2020.

Hawaii’s hotels report an 18.2 percentage point decline in average room occupancy in September compared with August, falling to 55.2%
According to the Hawai‘i Hotel Performance Report published by the Hawai‘i Tourism Authority (HTA), statewide hotel room occupancy fell by 18.2 percentage points from 73.4% in August 2021 to 55.2% in September of this year. ADR also fell 14.2% from $355.24 in August to $304.32 in September, while revpar fell by 35.6%, from $260.84 in August 2021 to $167.92 in September of this year.
Hawai‘i’s quarantine order for travelers due to the COVID-19 pandemic began on March 26, 2020, which immediately resulted in dramatic declines for the hotel industry. Many properties closed or reduced operations starting in April 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The hotel sector posted an average room occupancy of 20.6% in September 2020.
Hawai‘i hotel room revenues statewide fell by 60.5%, from $433.4 million in August 2021 to $270.0 million in September 2021. Room demand fell by 27.3%, from 1,220,100 room nights in August to 887,100 room nights in September while room supply fell by 3.2% from 1,661,700 room nights in August to 1,607,700 room nights in September.
In September 2021, passengers arriving from out-of-state could bypass the State’s mandatory 10-day self-quarantine if they were fully vaccinated in the United States or with a valid negative COVID-19 NAAT test result from a Trusted Testing Partner prior to their departure through the Safe Travels program. On August 23, 2021, Hawaii Governor David Ige urged travelers to curtail non-essential travel until the end of October 2021 due to the Delta variant resulting in the state’s health care system being overburdened.
For the first nine months of 2021 statewide hotel room occupancy increased by 12.2 percentage points from 43.7% in 2020 to 55.9% in the first nine months of 2021. ADR increased by 16.5% from $272.10 in 2020 to $316.88 while revpar grew by 49.0%, from $118.91 in the first nine months of 2020 to $177.19 in the first nine months of this year.
In the first nine months of 2021, Hawai‘i hotel room revenues statewide increased by 110.9% from $1.188 billion in 2020 to $2.504 billion in the first nine months of this year. Room demand increased by 81.1%, to 7,903,100 room nights in the same nine months. Room supply grew by 41.5% to 14,133,600 available room nights also in the first nine months.
The Hawaii Hotel Performance Report is produced using hotel survey data compiled by STR, Inc., the largest survey of its kind in Hawaii. The survey generally excludes properties with under 20 lodging units, such as small bed and breakfasts, youth hostels, single-family vacation rentals, cottages, individually rented vacation condominiums and sold timeshare units no longer available for hotel use. The data has been weighted both geographically and by class of property to compensate for any over and/or under representation of hotel survey participants by location and type.
For September, the survey included 144 properties representing 46,094 rooms, or 85.4 percent of all lodging properties and 86.0 percent of operating lodging properties with 20 rooms or more in the Hawaiian Islands, including full service, limited service, and condominium hotels.
The September survey included 75 properties on Oahu representing 28,639 rooms (95.2% of operating properties); 39 properties in the County of Maui, representing 9,548 rooms (74.4% of operating properties); 15 properties on the island of Hawaii, representing 4,760 rooms (71.4% of operating properties); and 15 properties on Kauai, representing 3,147 rooms (78.8% of operating properties).

Jamaica received 183,676 stopover arrivals in July 2021, a 10.6% increase compared with June 2021.
According to the Jamaica Tourist Board, Jamaica received 183,676 stopover arrivals in July 2021, a 10.6% increase compared with the 166,046 stopovers received in June 2021 and 67.9% of the 270,642 stopovers received in July 2019.
Jamaica closed its borders to international arrivals as of March 21st 2020 and reopened again on June 15th 2020. Jamaica consequently had just 41,941 arrivals in July 2020.
Stopover arrivals from the USA totaled 167,289 in July 2021, that is 6.2% more than the 157,472 stopover visitors received from the USA in June 2021. Stopover arrivals from the USA comprised 91.1% of all stopover arrivals received in July 2021.
There were no cruise visitors in July 2021 as Jamaica remained closed to cruise ship calls.
Through the first seven months of 2021 Jamaica saw a 14.9% increase in the volume of stopover arrivals, growing from 623,260 stopover arrivals in the first seven months of 2020 to 716,221 arrivals in the same seven months of 2021.
The 716,221 stopovers received in the first seven months of 2021 were 43.1% of the 1,661,325 stopovers received in the first seven months of 2019.
Arrivals from the USA increased by 60.5% in the first seven months of 2021, growing from 420,882 arrivals in 2020 to 675,420 arrivals in the same seven months of 2021.
The USA’s share of all stopover arrivals grew from 67.5% in the first seven months of 2020 to 94.3% in the same seven months of 2021.

Costa Rica received 85,183 stopover arrivals in September 2021, 30.3% fewer than the 122,162 stopovers received in August 2021.
According to the Costa Rica Institute of Tourism (ICT), Costa Rica received 85,183 stopovers in September 2021, 30.3% fewer than the 122,162 stopovers received in August 2021.
Costa Rica closed its borders to international arrivals as of March 19th 2020 and reopened to international tourists arriving by air as of November 2020. It reopened its land borders in April 2021. Costa Rica consequently received just 3,817 stopovers in September 2020.
The 85,183 stopovers received in September 2021 were 53.2% of the 160,206 stopovers received in September 2019.
Costa Rica received 48,509 stopovers from the USA in September, 56.9% of the overall total, and 7,359 stopovers from Central America.
The volume of stopovers decreased by 1.2% in the first nine months of 2021, falling from 889,218 stopovers in the first nine months of 2020 to 878,574 stopovers in the first nine months of 2021. The 878,574 stopover visitors were 36.9% of the 2,380,844 stopovers received in the first nine months of 2019.
The number of stopovers from the USA increased by 68.7% in the first nine months of 2021, from 358,379 stopovers in 2020 to 604,639 in 2021 while the number from Central America declined by 76.7%, falling from 192,045 in the first nine months of 2020 to 44,759 in the same nine months of 2021.
The share of visitors from the USA grew from 40.3% in the first nine months of 2020 to 68.8% in the first nine months of 2021.

Cuba announces it received 22,448 international stopover visitors in August 2021, 16.4% fewer than the 26,856 international visitors received in July 2021.
The Cuban Government’s Office of National Statistics and Information (ONEI) recently announced that total international tourist arrivals declined by 16.4% in August 2021, falling from 26,856 international stopover arrivals in July 2021 to 22,448 arrivals in August of this year. This number includes both stopover visitors and cruise visitors.
Cuba closed its borders to international tourist arrivals on March 20 2020 and consequently received just 1,310 international stopovers in August 2020.
The 22,448 stopovers received in August 2021 were just 8.3% of the 269,310 international visitors received in August 2019.
Cuba received 12,779 stopovers from Russia in August 2021, 56.9% of all stopovers received for the month.
In the first eight months of 2021 Cuba saw an 83.4% decrease in total international arrivals, falling from 987,983 arrivals in 2020 to 163,764 stopovers this year. The 163,764 arrivals were just 5.2% of the 3,126,071 international visitors received in the first eight months of 2019.
Total tourist arrivals from Canada fell by 98.2% in the first eight months of 2021, from 403,628 arrivals in 2020 to 7,366 in 2021. The number one source market in the first eight months of 2021 was Russia with 103,028 stopovers, 62.9% of all arrivals, up from just 6.4% of all such arrivals in the first eight months of 2020.

Dubai saw 380,000 international visitors in August, an 8.6% increase in visitors compared with July 2021.
According to the Government of Dubai’s Statistics Center, Dubai saw an 8.6% increase in the number of international visitors in August 2021, growing from 350,000 visitors in July 2021 to 380,000 in August 2021. The equivalent visitor numbers for August 2020 are not available. It should be noted that Dubai closed its borders to international visitor arrivals as of July 26th 2020.
In the first eight months of 2021 Dubai received 3,230,000 international visitors, down 70.2% compared with the 10,850,000 visitors received in the first eight months of 2019.
The number one source market in the first eight months of 2021 was India which generated 435,000 visitors, 13.5% of the overall total followed by Russia which generated 236,000 visitors.
As of August 2021, Dubai had 531 hotels offering 105,104 hotel rooms and 186 apartment hotels offering 24,285 units. The hotel sector achieved an average room occupancy of 57.1% in the first eight months of 2021 while the apartment sector achieved an average occupancy of 69.4%

The United States Virgin Islands received 66,092 air arrivals in August 2021, 31.7% fewer than the 96,797 air visitors received in July 2021.
According to numbers published by the USVI Bureau of Economic Research, the USVI saw the volume of air arrivals decline by 31.7% in August 2021, falling from 96,797 air arrivals in July 2021 to 66,092 air arrivals in August of this year.
The 66,092 air arrivals received in August 2021 were 36.6% more than the 48,376 received in August 2019.
The USVI closed its borders to air arrivals as of March 21st 2020 and re-opened as of July 1st 2020. The USVI received 29,535 air arrivals in August 2020.
The USVI received 10,551 cruise visitors in August 2021.
Through the first eight months of 2021 the USVI saw the volume of air arrivals increase by 106.6%, from 284,212 air arrivals in the first eight months of 2020 to 587,164 air arrivals in the first eight months of 2021.
The 587,164 arrivals received in the first eight months of 2021 were 26.3% higher than the 464,928 air arrivals received in the first eight months of 2019.
The USVI reopened to cruise visitors in July 2021 and in the two months of July and August received 14,925 cruise visitors, just 3.4% of the 442,027 cruise visitors received in the first three months of 2020.

Belize received 11,685 stopover visitors in September 2021, down 30.4% from the 16,782 received in August 2021.
According to the Belize Tourism Board, Belize received 11,685 stopover visitors in September 2021, down 30.4% from the 16,782 received in August 2021.
Belize closed its borders as of April 5th 2020, and consequently just received 772 stopover visitors in September 2020. The country reopened to visitors in October 2020.
The 11,685 stopover visitors received in September 2021 were 59.5% of the 19,645 stopover visitors received in September 2019.
Belize received 9,226 stopover arrivals from the USA in September 2021, 465 from Europe, 148 from Mexico and 256 from Canada.
Belize received eleven cruise ship calls in September with 22,180 cruise visitors. Belize re-opened to cruise visitors in July 2021.
In the first nine months of 2021 Belize saw the number of stopovers increase by 16.9%, from 126,875 visitors in the first nine months of 2020 to 148,282 in the first nine months of 2021. The 148,282 visitors received in 2021 were 38.7% of the 383,171 received in the first nine months of 2019.
Stopovers from the USA increased by 60.5% in the first nine months of 2021, from 78,256 in 2020 to 125,620 in the same nine months of 2021. Stopovers from Canada fell by 87.4% in the first nine months, to 1,768 arrivals while stopovers from Europe fell by 75.2% in the same nine months, to 3,890 arrivals.
Belize received 48,513 cruise visitors in July through September of 2021, down 85.9% compared with the 343,099 cruise visitors received in 2020.

Curacao reports it received 27,539 stopover arrivals in September 2021, 10.7% fewer than the 30,852 received in August of this year.
According to the Curaçao Tourist Board, Curaçao saw a 10.7% decrease in stopover visitor arrivals in September, falling from 30,852 stopovers received in August 2021 to 27,539 stopovers received in September of this year.
The 27,539 stopovers received in September 2021 were 84.7% of the 32,510 stopovers received in September 2019.
Curaçao closed its borders to international visitors as of March 17th, 2020 and reopened its borders to visitors from Europe and the Caribbean as of July 1st 2020. Consequently, Curaçao received just 10,420 stopover visitors in September 2020.
Curacao received 17,137 stopover visitors from the Netherlands in September 2021 and 3,363 stopovers from the USA, 62.2% and 12.2% of all stopovers, respectively.
Curacao received seven cruise ship calls with 9,730 cruise visitors in September 2021. The island re-opened to cruise traffic in June 2021.
In the first nine months of 2021 Curaçao saw a 9.1% increase in the number of stopover visitors, growing from 137,705 visitors in 2020 to 150,245 visitors in the first nine months of this year.
The number of stopovers from the USA increased by 17.2% during the first nine months, growing from 21,364 in 2020 to 25,029 in the first nine months of 2021. The number of stopovers from the Netherlands increased by 35.2%, growing from 67,009 visitors during the first nine months of 2020, to 90,582 in the first nine months of 2021.
The 150,245 stopovers received in the first nine months of 2021 was 43.4% of the 346,464 stopovers received in the same nine months of 2019.
Between June and September 2021 Curacao received 27 cruise ship calls which brought 30,796 cruise passengers.

AHATA reports Aruba’s hotels achieved a 56.3% average room occupancy in September 2021, down 14.6 percentage points from the 70.9% achieved in August.
The Aruba Hotel and Tourism Association reports that average hotel room occupancy in September 2021 was 56.3%, 14.6 percentage points lower than the 70.9% achieved in August 2021.
Aruba closed its orders to international travel as of March 17, 2020, and while the borders re-opened as of July 2020, Aruba’s hotels achieved a 13.3% average room occupancy in September 2020.
And compared with September 2019, the average room occupancy in September 2021 was 23.2 percentage points lower, falling from 79.5% in September 2019 to 56.3% in September this year.
ADR was $243.25 in September 2021, 13.6% higher than in September 2019, with revpar at $136.89, 19.6% lower than in September 2019.
Aruba’s timeshare resorts reported an average occupancy of 74% in September 2021.
Through the first nine months of 2021 AHATA reports that Aruba’s hotels achieved an average room occupancy of 53.4% compared with 27.4% for the first nine months of 2020. Again, compared with the first nine months of 2020, ADR fell by 26.7% to $254.95 although RevPAR grew by 42.9% to $136.10.
By comparison with the first nine months of 2019 average room occupancy was 32.2 percentage points lower in 2021, while ADR fell by 8.6%, and revpar was 43.0% lower.
AHATA is projecting that Aruba’s hotels will achieve an average room occupancy of 63% for October, 71% for November, 73% for December and 58% for 2021 as a whole.

Mauritius announces it received 2,494 stopover visitors in September, almost unchanged from the 2,499 received in August 2021.
The Mauritius Government’s Ministry of Finance and Economic Development recently reported that the country received 2,494 total stopover arrivals in September 2021, five fewer than the 2,499 stopovers received in August 2021. This number includes both air and sea stopover visitors.
Mauritius re-entered a hard lock-down in March 2021 consequent upon an increase in local Covid19 infections but re-opened to vaccinated international travellers on the 15th July 2021 as part of a two-phase programme.
Mauritius closed its borders to all international arrivals as of March 19th, 2020, and consequently received just 369 stopovers in September 2020.
The 2,494 arrivals received in September 2021 were 2.5% of the 100,837 stopovers received in September 2019.
From 15th July to 30 September 2021, vaccinated travellers were admitted for a resort-based holiday on the island and had to stay within their chosen resort premises. All travellers had to have proof of a negative PCR test prior to travel and were tested again on arrival. Further tests were taken on day 7 and 14 of their resort holiday if applicable. Phase 2 began on 1 October 2021, allowing vaccinated travellers entry without restrictions upon presentation of a negative PCR test taken within 72 hours before departure.
In the first nine months of 2021 Mauritius saw a 96.9% decrease in total stopover arrivals, falling from 305,612 arrivals in 2020 to 9,460 arrivals in the first nine months of this year. Mauritius received 973,642 stopovers through the first nine months of 2019 with the total received during the first nine months of 2021 being 1.0% of this total.

Antigua and Barbuda received 11,589 stopovers in September 2021, 38.3% fewer than the 18,792 received in August 2021.
According to the Ministry of Tourism and Investment, Antigua and Barbuda saw a 38.3% decline in stopover visitor arrivals in September 2021, falling from 18,792 stopovers received in August 2021 to 11,589 stopovers this September.
Antigua and Barbuda re-opened its borders to international travel as of June 4th, 2020, and consequently received 3,673 visitors in September 2020.
The 11,589 stopovers received In September 2021 were 17.9% fewer than the 14,124 stopovers Antigua received in September 2019.
The 5,708 stopover visitors received from the USA in September 2021 were 42.2% fewer than the 9,877 stopovers received from the USA in August but comprised 49.3% of all stopovers received in September. Antigua also received 4,736 stopover visitors from the U.K. in September.
Through the first nine months of 2021, Antigua and Barbuda saw a 12.6% increase in the number of stopover visitors, growing from 98,483 stopovers in the first nine months of 2020 to 110,890 stopovers in the same nine months of 2021.
The number of stopovers from the USA increased by 67.3%, from 45,833 stopovers in the first nine months of 2020 to 76,666 stopovers in the same nine months of 2021 while the number of stopover visitors from the U.K. increased by 8.8%, from 22,489 in 2020 to 24,471 stopovers in the same nine months of 2021.
The number of stopovers received in the first nine months of 2021 was 51.3% of the 216,228 stopovers received in the same nine months of 2019.

Fiji To Reopen to International Travellers as of December 1st, 2021.
Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama has announced Fiji will reopen its borders again from December 1, 2021. Bainimarama said this while commemorating Fiji Day and 51 years of the island nation’s independence on the 10th of October 2021. Like other destinations, Fiji was also closed for almost two years due to COVID -19.
This official announcement comes off the heels of Fiji reaching its goal to get 80% of its eligible population vaccinated with both doses.
Travellers to Fiji must be fully vaccinated (children under 18 can travel with a vaccinated adult) from a “Travel Partner” country (defined as one with high vaccination rates and low-test positivity rates), as well as providing a negative PCR test taken 72-hours prior to departure.
“It’s been almost two years since we welcomed international visitors. And in these two years, we’ve struggled, we’ve adapted, and we’ve prepared. Today, our national airline is ready, our hotels and tour providers are ready, and Fijians are ready to safely welcome the world back. We are ready to let happiness find you again,” Faiyaz Koya, Minister for Tourism, Fiji, said.
“We are ecstatic that Fiji will open its borders to international visitors before the end of the year,” says Tourism Fiji’s CEO Brent Hill. “This is the moment we have been planning for nearly two years now and I can assure the world that Fiji is safe and ready to welcome you back. The islands are just as beautiful – if not more beautiful – than ever and the locals just as warm and friendly. Fiji is the vacation the world needs and deserves right now, and we can finally offer that again from December.”

The Seychelles received 16,609 visitor arrivals in September 2021, 15.3% fewer than the 19,611 received in August 2021.
The Seychelles Government’s National Bureau of Statistics recently announced that the country received 16,609 total stopover arrivals in September 2021, down 15.3% from the 19,611 received in August 2021. This number includes both air and sea stopover visitors and transit visitors.
The Seychelles re-opened to international visitors from most countries as of March 25th 2021 with visitors being required to produce evidence of a negative PCR test.
The 16,609 visitor arrivals received in September 2021 were 66.8% of the 24,860 received in September 2019.
The number one source market in September was Germany which generated 2,256 stopover visitors (13.6% of the total for the month) followed by France with 1,974 stopover visitors (11.9%).
The Seychelles closed its borders to cruise ships as of March 9th 2020 and to international air visitors as of March 30th 2020. The Seychelles re-opened its borders to visitors from low and medium risk countries as of September 1st 2020 and consequently received 1,575 stopover visitors in September 2020.
In the first nine months of 2021 The Seychelles saw a 14.5% increase in total visitor arrivals, growing from 93,269 arrivals in 2020 to 106,826 arrivals in the first nine months of 2021. The 106,826 stopovers received in the first nine months of 2021 were 38.9% of the 274,823 received in the first nine months of 2019.
Total stopover arrivals from Germany, the number one source market in 2020, fell by 59.9% from 20,740 arrivals in the first nine months of 2020 to 8,308 arrivals in the same nine months of 2021.
The number one source market in the first nine months of 2021 was Russia which generated 20,169 visitors, 18.9% of all visitor arrivals for those first nine months.
The Seychelles received no cruise visitors in the first nine months of 2021.

Aruba Airport Authority reports 67,021 departing passengers in September 2021, 32.4% fewer than the 99,093 handled in August 2021.
The Aruba Airport Authority (AAA) reports that in September 2021 67,021 Revenue Generating Passengers (RGPs) travelled out of the Queen Beatrix International Airport (AUA Airport) to its various markets. This was 32.4% fewer than the 99,093 RGPs who departed in August 2021.
A revenue generating passenger is an outbound traveler leaving Aruba and includes tourists returning to their homes as well as Arubans departing for trips overseas.
While Aruba reopened to travel to and from Bonaire and Curacao as of June 15th, 2020, the country did not reopen to travel from Europe, Canada, and the Caribbean until July 1st, 2020, and from the USA until July 10th, 2020. Consequently, the airport had just 16,818 RGPs in September 2020.
The airport also handled 6,309 passengers in transit in September 2021 as well as 133 transferring passengers.
In September 2021 67,021 passengers (pax) travelled to the USA,129 pax to Canada, 6,466 pax to Europe, 6,874 pax to Latin America and 2,663 pax to the Dutch Caribbean.
The airlines provided 104,837 outbound seats in September 2021, 88.6% of the 118,293 seats provided in September 2019.
Airlines flying to the USA in September experienced an average load factor of 68.9%, 69.8% to Canada, while flights to Europe averaged a 78.7% load factor. The overall average load factor for all flights for September was 70.7%.
In the first nine months of 2021 the airport handled a total of 624,375 RGPs, up 84.7% compared with the 338,065 handled in the first nine months of 2020. Traffic to the USA increased by 108.5%, from 250,226 RGPs in the first nine months of 2020 to 521,819 in the same nine months of 2021. Traffic to Canada fell by 94.3% to 1,030 RGPs, while traffic to Europe increased by 78.2%, from 25,617 RGPS in the first nine months of 2020 to 45,651 RGPs this year.
Seat capacity through the first nine months of 2021 increased by 92.0% compared with the same nine months of 2020, from 501,824 available seats in 2020 to 963,333 seats in 2021. The 963,333 seats available in 2021 were 73.7% of the 1,306,565 seats available in the first nine months of 2019.
The overall average load factor of outbound flights fell from 85.4% in the first nine months of 2019 to 70.0% in the same nine months of 2021. The average load factor of flights to the USA fell from 85.5% in the first nine months of 2019 to 69.8% in the same nine months of 2021.
The AAA has estimated it will receive a total of 1,350,852 seats for the whole of 2021, 79.4% of the 1,701,062 available seats received in 2019.
It also estimates that the airport will receive 1,651,581 seats in 2022, that is 97.1% of the 1,701,062 seats received in 2019.
The AAA stated that these seat projections are preliminary and subject to change.

Maldives economy expected to recover by 2023: World Bank
The World Bank has said the Maldives' economy is expected to recover to pre-COVID-19 levels by 2023.
The Economy Outlook published by the World Bank said the real GDP of the Maldives is projected to grow by 22.3 percent this year. This is possible if the Maldives welcomes at least 1.1 million tourists this year, double the amount recorded last year and 65 percent of 2019 levels, the report said. The Tourism Ministry has said 1.3 million tourists are expected to visit the Maldives this year.
The World Bank further said the economy is expected to grow by 11 percent if the number of tourist arrivals continue to pick up as global travel normalizes. The poverty rate is expected to decline to 9.1 percent in 2021 and subsequently to 4.3% by 2023.
The World Bank's Country Director to the Maldives, Faris Hadad-Zervos said the Maldives needs to strengthen its finances in preparation for disasters and catastrophes. The Maldives must work to decrease debt and increase economic growth, he said.
The Finance Ministry has also predicted that the Maldives' economy will recover in 2023.
For full press release click here

Caribbean Hotel Update: Two Markets Showing High Levels of Occupancy Recovery.
STR | October 05, 2021
The summer travel season, helped by growing vaccination rates around the world, allowed Caribbean hotels to pick up steam in their road to recovery.
Regardless of world region, the markets that truly stand out are those with favorable comparisons to 2019—the last “normal year” prior to the pandemic. In the Caribbean, we have been comparing 2021 vs. 2019 data for year-to-date periods to remove the effects of seasonality, which are usually substantial in the region. As of August, we saw two of fourteen markets with hotel occupancy near or above the 2019 comparable.
The only Caribbean market to achieve an August year-to-date occupancy level higher than its 2019 comparable was the U.S Virgin Islands. The market reported an occupancy of 73.4% through the first eight months of the year, which was 8.4% higher than the same period in 2019.
Puerto Rico reported a 64.9% occupancy level, which came in relatively close to the 2019 comparable (68.1%). Prior to August, the market had seen eight consecutive months of occupancy improvement, with July occupancy even surpassing the same month in 2020, 2019 and 2018. Despite a month-over-month decline in August, Puerto Rico’s occupancy remained similar to levels seen earlier in the summer.
The U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico have benefitted from the U.S. corridor and the fact that U.S. travelers do not need a passport or a different currency. Additionally, domestic tourism in Puerto Rico is quite popular and has carried this market through the COVID-19 storm.
Another market that performed closer to its 2019 comparable was Turks and Caicos. Occupancy came in at 59.7%, which was 12.7% below the 2019 comparable (68.4%).
While other Caribbean markets hang on the tail of their 2019 comparables, some markets, such as the Cayman Islands, remain far off from achieving similar 2019 levels. The market reported a 42.6% August year-to-date occupancy level, which was down 72.3% from its 2019 comparable.
Overall, the Caribbean registered a 39.5% year-to-date occupancy level, down 41.4% from 2019. As shown in STR’s School Break Report, a majority of U.S. K-9 and college students returned to school by mid-to-late August, with some students set for a fall break weekend in mid-October. While travel to the Caribbean is possible, we have seen that travelers often spend those longer weekend trips at drive-to destinations. Add in hurricane season to the mix, and September and October tend to be the slower months for the Caribbean. However, since pent-up demand is still existent, we could see higher performance figures before winter season kicks in.

San Juan, Puerto Rico (SJU) handled 684,451 total passenger movements in September 2021, 26.9% fewer than the 935,781 handled in August 2021.
According to ASUR, which manages many airports in Mexico, Colombia and which also manages the Luis Munoz Marin International Airport in San Juan, Puerto Rico, SJU saw a 26.9% decline in passenger movements in September 2021, falling from 935,781 total passenger movements in August 2021 to 684,451 movements in September 2021.
The 684,451 passenger movements handled in September 2021 were 19.9% higher than the 571,010 handled in September 2019.
It should be noted that restrictions on travel began to be put in place in the middle of March 2020. In September 2020 San Juan’s airport handled 297,505 total passenger movements.
In the first nine months of 2021 the overall volume of air passenger movements at San Juan’s airport increased by 104.7%, from 3,505,793 in 2020 to 7,175,392 in the same nine months of 2021.
The total for the first nine months of 2021 was 1.5% more than the total for the same nine months of 2019, that is 7,175,392 in 2021 of the 7,072,180 passengers handled in the first nine months of 2019.

Cancun’s Airport handled 933,081 international air passenger movements in September 2021, 24.6% fewer than the 1,237,207 passengers handled in August 2021.
According to ASUR, which manages many of Mexico’s airports, Cancun Airport saw a 24.6% decline in international passenger movements in September 2021, falling from 1,237,207 international movements in August 2021 to 933,081 such movements in September 2021.
The 933,081 international passenger movements handled in September 2021 were 4.9% more than the 889,419 international passengers handled in September 2019.
Domestic passenger movements declined by 11.7% in September 2021, falling from 824,710 passenger movements in August 2021 to 727,985 domestic movements in September of this year.
The 727,985 domestic passenger movements handled in September 2021 were 3.7% more than the 701,857 handled in September 2019.
Mexico re-opened to international tourist arrivals as of June 8th, 2020, and consequently Cancun handled 304,003 international passenger movements in September 2020, up from 297,389 handled in August 2020.
In the first nine months of 2021 the volume of international air passenger movements increased by 80.1%, growing from 5,032,366 movements in 2020 to 9,062,268 movements in the first nine months of 2021 while the volume of domestic air passenger movements increased by 86.9%, from 3,500,852 movements in the first nine months of 2020 to 6,542,411 in the same nine months of 2021.
By comparison with the first nine months of 2019 the volume of international air passenger movements in 2021 was 71.5% of the 2019 total, falling from 12,671,074 movements in 2019 to 9,062,268 movements in the first nine months of 2021 while the volume of 2021 domestic air passenger movements was 97.6% of the 2019 total, falling from 6,703,534 movements in the first nine months of 2019 to 6,542,411 in the same nine months of 2021.
In the first nine months of 2021 international passenger movements accounted for 58.1% of all passenger movements, down from 59.0% in 2020 and down from 65.4% in the first nine months of 2019.

Los Cabos handled 235,500 international passenger movements in September 2021, down 24.4% compared with August 2021.
According to Aeroportuario del Pacifico, which manages many of Mexico’s airports, Los Cabos Airport saw a 24.4% decline in international passenger traffic in September 2021, that is enplanements and deplanements, falling from 311,600 international passenger movements in August 2021 to 235,500 international passenger movements in September 2021.
Mexico re-opened to international tourist arrivals as of June 8th, 2020, and consequently Los Cabos handled 102,000 international passenger movements in September 2020.
The 235,500 international passenger movements seen in September 2021 were 39.6% higher than the 168,700 international movements handled in September 2019.
Domestic traffic declined by 10.4%, falling from 191,400 passenger movements in August 2021 to 171,400 passenger movements in September 2021. Los Cabos handled 115,100 domestic passenger movements in September 2020.
The 171,400 domestic passenger movements seen in September 2021 were 19.4% more than the 143,600 domestic passenger movements handled in September 2019.
Through the first nine months of 2021 Los Cabos Airport saw international passenger movements increase by 95.5%, from 1,259,500 in 2020 to 2,462,000 in the first nine months of 2021. Domestic passenger movements increased by 84.2% in the first nine months of 2021, from 784,500 in 2020 to 1,445,400 in the first nine months of 2021.
By comparison with the first nine months of 2019 international passenger movements were down 10.9%, while domestic movements declined by 0.2%.

Montego Bay Airport handled 191,000 total passenger movements in September 2021, 34.9% less than the 293,400 handled in August 2021.
According to Aeroportuario del Pacifico, which manages many of Mexico’s airports and which also manages the airports in Montego Bay and Kingston, Jamaica, saw the total number of passenger movements, that is both enplanements and deplanements, at Montego Bay Airport decline by 34.9% in September 2021, falling from 293,400 total movements in August 2021 to 191,000 movements in September 2021.
The total number of passenger movements in September 2021 was 74.3% of the 256,900 handled in September 2019.
It should be noted that Jamaica closed its borders to international visitors as of March 21st, 2020, and re-opened to such visitors as of June 15th 2020. As a result, Montego Bay Airport handled just 48,000 passenger movements in September 2020.
Through the first nine months of 2021 Montego Bay Airport saw total passenger movements increase by 32.9%, from 1,325,100 in 2020 to 1,760,600 in the first nine months of 2021. The 2021 total of 1,760,600 movements was 48.6% of the 3,622,200 passenger movements handled in the first nine months of 2019.
In 2021 international passenger movements made up 100.0% of all passenger movements.

Kingston, Jamaica Airport saw 74,900 total passenger movements in September 2021, 23.0% down compared with August 2021.
According to Aeroportuario del Pacifico, which manages many of Mexico’s airports and which also manages the airports in Montego Bay and Kingston, Jamaica, saw the total number of passenger movements, that is both enplanements and deplanements, at Kingston Jamaica’s Airport decline by 23.0% in September 2021, falling from 97,300 total movements in August 2021 to 74,900 total passenger movements in September 2021.
While Kingston Airport re-opened to international travelers as of June 15th, 2020, the total number of passenger movements in September 2020 was 33,400 passengers.
Through the first nine months of 2021 Kingston’s Airport saw total passenger movements grow by 14.5%, from 495,700 in 2020 to 567,700 in the first nine months of 2021. Numbers for 2019 are not available.
In 2021 international passenger movements made up 100.0% of all passenger movements.

UNWTO reports international tourism shows slight recovery in June and July 2021 driven by vaccinations and border reopening.
4th October 2021
International tourism enjoyed signs of rebound in June and July 2021 as some destinations eased travel restrictions and the global vaccination rollout advanced in many parts of the world.
According to the latest edition of the UNWTO World Tourism Barometer, an estimated 54 million tourists crossed international borders in July 2021, down 67% from the same month in 2019, but the strongest results since April 2020. This compares to an estimated 34 million international arrivals recorded in July 2020, though well below the 164 million figure recorded in 2019.
Moderate rebound for most destinations
Most destinations reporting data for June and July 2021 saw a moderate rebound in international arrivals compared to 2020. Nevertheless, 2021 continues to be a challenging year for global tourism, with international arrivals down 80% in January-July compared to the same seven months of 2019.
Asia and the Pacific continued to suffer the weakest results in the period January to July 2021, with a 95% drop in international arrivals compared to 2019. The Middle East (-82%) recorded the second largest decline, followed by Europe and Africa (both -77%). The Americas (-68%) saw a comparatively smaller decrease, with the Caribbean showing the best performance among world subregions, down just 52% compared to the same seven months of 2019.
Meanwhile, some small islands in the Caribbean, Africa, and Asia and the Pacific, together with a few small European destinations recorded the best performance in June and July, with arrivals close to, or sometimes exceeding pre-pandemic levels.
The true restart of tourism and the benefits it brings, remain on hold as inconsistent rules and regulations and uneven vaccination rates continue to affect confidence in travel
Confidence in travel slowly rising
This improvement was underpinned by the reopening of many destinations to international travel, mostly in Europe and the Americas. The relaxation of travel restrictions for vaccinated travellers, coupled with progress made in the roll-out of COVID-19 vaccines, contributed to lifting consumer confidence and gradually restoring safe mobility in Europe and other parts of the world. In contrast, most destinations in Asia remain closed to non-essential travel.
UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili said: “There is clearly a strong demand for international tourism, and many destinations have started welcoming visitors back safely and responsibly. However, the true restart of tourism and the benefits it brings, remain on hold as inconsistent rules and regulations and uneven vaccination rates continue to affect confidence in travel.”
Tourism Earnings
Although destinations continued to report weak international tourism revenues in the first seven months of 2021, several did record a modest improvement in June and July, and some even surpassed the earnings of 2019.
Among the larger destinations, Mexico earned roughly the same tourism receipts in June 2021 as in 2019, and in July posted a 2% increase over 2019.
The same is true for outbound travel. Among the larger markets, France (-35%) and the United States (-49%) saw a significant improvement in July, though tourism spending was still well below 2019 levels.
Looking Ahead
Prospects for September-December 2021 remain mixed, according to the latest UNWTO Panel of Experts survey, with 53% of respondents believing the period will be worse than expected. Only 31% of experts expect point to better results towards the end of the year. The survey also shows that most tourism professionals continue to expect a rebound driven by unleashed pent-up demand for international travel in 2022, mostly during the second and third quarters.
Almost half of all experts (45%) continue to see international tourism returning to 2019 levels in 2024 or later, while 43% point to a recovery in 2023. By regions, the largest share of experts pointing to a return to 2019 levels in 2024 or later are in Asia and the Pacific (58%). In Europe, half of respondents indicate this could happen in 2023. The Middle East is the most optimistic, with a full recovery expected by 2022.
Click here for UNWTO Tourism Barometer - Issue 5 - September 2021.

Cruise leaders stress protocols are working, demand is building.
September 28th 2021.
Richard Fain, chairman and CEO, Royal Caribbean Group, said he expects ships in core markets to be back to 100% occupancy by the end of this year.
'Every day, we're getting further and further along the road of demonstrating how [effective our protocols are],' Fain said.
'People have moved from the zero-risk mindset,' according to Arnold Donald, president and CEO, Carnival Corp. & plc. They're used to dealing with risks in their daily lives, he said, and those who've cruised are 'comfortable' with the environment because they know how much care is taken on board.
'The most powerful marketing tool there is word of mouth. As we continue to sail safely and successfully and people have the time of their life, they're going to communicate that,' Donald said.
'Our guest satisfaction [level] is amazing,' Fain asserted. 'We all assumed' the rebound would be fueled by experienced cruisers; however, Royal Caribbean is actually attracting first-timers thanks to the protocols, and to innovation.
80% of global cruise fleet operating by year-end
The cruise industry had 16% of its fleet operating in June, now it's at 56% and is projected to be 80% by end of December, with 220 oceangoing ships carrying passengers by then, CLIA Global Chairman Pierfrancesco Vago said in his keynote address. Taking the stage for this live event in Miami, Vago pumped his arms and said: 'Hello, Miami! It's great to be back!'
'Other industries are looking at how we've managed it,' CLIA President and CEO Kelly Craighead said. She noted the virus is continually evolving and said the industry's protocols are continually evolving, too.
Craighead also stressed cruising's economic importance to people around the world, showing a video with workers like a PortMiami longshoreman, a Juneau shopkeeper, ship's crew and officers who all conveyed appreciation for their cruise industry jobs and said these enable them to support their families.
Sidestepping politics
The panel sidestepped moderator Seema Mody of CNBC's questions about Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and whether the Trump or the Biden administration is more cruise-friendly.
'Gov. DeSantis is a strong supporter of the cruise industry,' Craighead said, adding that what's reported can't always be believed. She said CLIA has a good relationship with governors, the Biden administration and officials in the rest of the world.
Craighead noted cruise ships weren't sailing from the US when President Biden said he hoped to have the country open by July 4th but the administration is aware of cruising's $55.5bn contribution to the US economy and the fact that it draws 2.5m international visitors to the US in a normal year.
'We're dealing with hundreds, if not thousands of administrations' around the world, Fain pointed out.
New competition?
As for new companies like Virgin Voyages, Fain indicated: bring 'em on. It's like when Disney expanded into cruising: 'New players benefit us because they attract attention ... They're adding more to the demand than they are to the supply,' he said.
The real competition, according to Fain, is land-based vacations and other discretionary purchases like wide-screen TVs.
'We're a tiny industry with 30 million cruisers [annually] pre-COVID, while there's opportunity of over half a billion people a year who take vacations,' Donald added.
ESG matters
The cruise leaders also talked about the importance of ESG matters and said those continue to be priorities even during the pandemic. All the companies professed to be working toward decarbonization.
Vago challenged governments to help wth the development of alternative fuels to meet decarbonization goals, noting that lines are doing their part but the issue is emissions created from well to wake.
Cruise industry greenhouse gas emissions are barely measurable in the grand scheme of things, Donald said, adding that many other industries could say that, too, but it's the cumulative impact that's important.
The Carnival chief cited efforts like building LNG ships — a bridge to reduced emissions, not the solution, Donald added — and the use of exhaust gas cleaning systems, shore power and work with fuel cells, lithium batteries and biofuels, among other initiatives.

Mexico received 1,188,098 international air arrivals in August, down 23.6% compared with July 2021.
According to the Government of Mexico’s SECTUR (Department of Tourism) Mexico received 1,188,098 international air arrivals in August 2021, down 23.6% compared with the 1,554,859 arrivals received in July 2021.
Mexico’s border with the USA was closed as of March 20, 2020 and consequently Mexico received 337,421 international visitors in August 2020.
The 1,188,098 international air arrivals received in August 2021 were 83.1% of the 1,429,074 international visitors received in August 2019.
Mexico received 835,519 air visitors from the USA in August, 70.3% of the total. Colombia was the second biggest market (42,651 visitors) with Spain third largest (32,956 visitors).
Cancun Airport received 562,517 international air visitor arrivals in August 2021, 47.3% of the overall total. Los Cabos received 137,960 international air arrivals with Puerto Vallarta receiving 69,591 air visitors.
In the first eight months of 2021 the volume of international air arrivals to Mexico increased by 56.4%, from 5,342,543 arrivals in 2020 to 8,356,767 arrivals in the first eight months of this year. The 8,356,767 arrivals received in 2021 were 61.6% of the 13,557,877 international arrivals received in the first eight months of 2019.
The volume of air arrivals from the USA increased by 112.2% in the same eight months, from 3,058,713 air arrivals in 2020 to 6,489,302 air arrivals in 2021 while the volume from Canada fell by 88.8%, from 893,988 air arrivals in 2020 to 100,199 in 2021.
Cancun Airport saw a 77.8% increase in international air arrivals in the first eight months of 2021, growing from 2,185,200 arrivals in 2020 to 3,884,708 arrivals in 2021 while Los Cabos saw a 97.3% increase growing from 542,224 international air arrivals in 2020 to 1,069,834 air arrivals in 2021. Puerto Vallarta saw a 16.0% increase, growing from 529,201 international arrivals in 2020 to 613,873 international arrivals in the first eight months of 2021.

Las Vegas saw a 9.2% decline in visitors in August 2021 compared with July 2021.
According to the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, Las Vegas saw the volume of visitors decline by 9.2% in August 2021, falling from 3,302,400 arrivals in July 2021 to 2,998,400 in August of 2021.
The state of Nevada ordered the closure of all casinos as of March 17th, 2020 but re-opened all casinos as of June 4th, 2020. Consequently, Las Vegas received 1,537,400 visitors in August 2020.
The 2,998,400 arrivals received in August 2021 were 83.8% of the 3,579,000 arrivals received in August 2019.
Las Vegas had a weighted average of 150,169 open hotel rooms in August 2021 (up 17.6% compared with August 2020) and achieved an average city-wide room occupancy of 72.8% (42.7% in August 2020), an ADR of $140.32 and a RevPar of $102.15.
Through the first eight months of 2021 Las Vegas saw a 55.7% increase in the volume of visitors, growing from 12,708,200 arrivals in the first eight months of 2020 to 19,788,100 visitors in the same eight months of 2021. The total number of visitors for the first eight months of 2021 was 69.7% of the 28,404,400 received in the first eight months of 2019.
Las Vegas achieved an average city-wide room occupancy of 62.0% in the first eight months of 2021 (up 19.2 percentage points compared with the first eight months of 2020), an ADR of $123.42 (down 4.5% compared with the same eight months of 2020) and a RevPar of $76.52, up 38.4%, also compared with the same eight months of 2020.
Gaming revenue increased by 80.5% in the first eight months of 2021, from $4.005 billion in 2020 to $7.232 billion in the same eight months of 2021. Gaming revenue in the first eight months of 2021 was 5.7% higher than the $6.842 billion in gaming revenue generated in the first eight months of 2019.

Hawaii reports the state received 722,393 out-of-state tourists in August, down 17.9% compared with July 2021.
According to the Hawaii Tourism Authority, Hawaii saw the volume of air arrivals decline by 17.9% in August 2021, falling from 879,551 air arrivals received in July 2021 to 722,393 arrivals in August 2021. Total spending for visitors arriving in August 2021 was $1.37 billion, down 13.3% compared with July 2021.
In August 2021, passengers arriving from out-of-state could bypass the State’s mandatory 10-day self-quarantine if they were fully vaccinated in the United States or with a valid negative COVID-19 NAAT test result from a Trusted Testing Partner prior to their departure through the Safe Travels program.
On August 23, 2021, Hawai‘i Governor David Ige urged travelers to curtail non-essential travel until the end of October 2021 due to a surge in Delta variant cases that has overburdened the state’s health care facilities and resources.
April 2020 was the first full month of travel restrictions to keep the community safe, following the State of Hawai‘i’s 14-day mandatory travel quarantine for all passengers (effective March 26, 2020). Consequently the number of out of state air arrivals was just 23,356 for August 2020.
The 722,393 arrivals received in August 2021 were 77.8% of the 926,417 arrivals received in August 2019.
Hawaii received 692,305 air arrivals from the mainland USA in August 2021, 95.8% of the overall total, 6,154 arrivals from Canada, 3,005 arrivals from Japan and 20,929 air arrivals from other markets.
Through the first eight months of 2021 Hawaii saw a 100.4% increase in the volume of air arrivals, growing from 2,172,361 air arrivals in the first eight months of 2020 to 4,353,793 air arrivals in the same eight months of 2021.
Air arrivals in the first eight months of 2021 were 62.1% of the 7,015,774 received in the first eight months of 2019.
For the first eight months of 2021, total visitor spending was estimated to be $7.98 billion, 66.3% of the $12.03 billion spent in the first eight months of 2019. Person per trip spending grew by 6.9% from $1,714.30 per person per trip in the first eight months of 2019 to $1,832.60 per person per trip in the first eight months of 2021.
Air arrivals from the USA increased by 181.8% in the first eight months of 2021, growing from 1,496,403 air arrivals in 2020 to 4,217,574 air arrivals in the same eight months of 2021, fell by 95.4% from Japan (from 286,716 arrivals in 2020 to 13,271 air arrivals in 2021) and fell by 91.5% from Canada (from 158,965 in 2020 to 13,586 air arrivals in 2021).

Anguilla received 6,974 air visitors in the first six months of 2021.
According to the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank Anguilla received 6,974 air visitors in the first six months of 2021, down 70.0% from the 23,220 received in the first six months of 2020 and just 12.4% of the 55,878 visitors who arrived by air in the first six months of 2019.
Of the 6,974 visitors 86.7% arrived from the USA while 2.1% arrived from the United Kingdom and 1.9% arrived from Canada.

US Consumer Confidence Fell Further in September
The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index® declined again in September, following decreases in both July and August. The Index now stands at 109.3 (1985=100), down from 115.2 in August. The Present Situation Index—based on consumers’ assessment of current business and labor market conditions—fell to 143.4 from 148.9 last month. The Expectations Index—based on consumers’ short-term outlook for income, business, and labor market conditions—fell to 86.6 from 92.8.
“Consumer confidence dropped in September as the spread of the Delta variant continued to dampen optimism,” said Lynn Franco, Senior Director of Economic Indicators at The Conference Board. “Concerns about the state of the economy and short-term growth prospects deepened, while spending intentions for homes, autos, and major appliances all retreated again. Short-term inflation concerns eased somewhat but remain elevated. Consumer confidence is still high by historical levels—enough to support further growth in the near-term—but the Index has now fallen 19.6 points from the recent peak of 128.9 reached in June. These back-to-back declines suggest consumers have grown more cautious and are likely to curtail spending going forward.”
Present Situation
Consumers’ appraisal of current business conditions declined in September.

19.3% of consumers said business conditions are “good,” down from 20.2%.
25.4% of consumers said business conditions are “bad,” up from 24.1%.

Consumers’ assessment of the labor market was mixed.

55.9% of consumers said jobs are “plentiful,” up from 55.6%.
Conversely, 13.4% of consumers said jobs are “hard to get,” up from 11.2%.

Expectations Six Month Hence
Consumers’ optimism about the short-term business conditions outlook eroded further in September.

21.5% of consumers expect business conditions will improve, down from 23.4%.
17.6% expect business conditions to worsen, up from 17.4%.

Consumers were also less optimistic about the short-term labor market outlook.

21.5% of consumers expect more jobs to be available in the months ahead, down from 23.1%.
20.3% anticipate fewer jobs, up from 18.0%.

Consumers were slightly less positive about their short-term financial prospects.

17.3% of consumers expect their incomes to increase, down from 18.2%.
11.5% expect their incomes will decrease, up from 9.9%.

Orlando saw a 23.9 percentage point drop in average room occupancy in August 2021, falling from 76.1% in July 2021 to 52.2% this August.
According to STR Orlando had 126,493 hotel rooms in August 2021 and achieved an average city-wide room occupancy of 52.2%, down 23.9 percentage points compared with July 2021 (76.1%), and an ADR of $113.68 down 15.2% compared with July 2021 ($134.07).
Orlando’s theme parks closed to visitors as of March 15th, 2020 and consequently Orlando’s hotels experienced an average room occupancy of 28.6% in August 2020.
In the first eight months of 2021 Orlando’s hotels saw an average hotel room occupancy of 56.4%, up 18.4 percentage points from the 38.0% achieved in the first eight months of 2020. ADR fell by 3.0% from $118.25 for the first eight months of 2020 to $114.70 for the first eight months of 2021.

Orlando’s Airports saw a 3.7% drop in international deplanements in August 2021.
Orlando, Florida is served by two primary airports, Orlando International (MCO) and Sanford International Airport (SFB).
In August 2021, the two airports combined saw a decrease of 3.7% in international deplanements, falling from 106,948 deplanements from international airports in July 2021 to 102,950 international deplanements in August 2021. Orlando International handled 99.8% of all international deplanements.
International deplanements made up 5.7% of total deplanements in August 2021.
The two airports combined also saw a 20.0% decrease in domestic deplanements, that is from airports within the USA, falling from 2,142,785 domestic deplanements in July 2021 to 1,714,562 in August 2021.
The two airports combined saw a 19.2% decrease in total deplanements, falling from 2,249,733 deplanements in July 2021 to 1,817,512 in August 2021. The two airports saw just 611,707 total deplanements in August 2020.
In the first eight months of 2021, the two airports combined saw a drop of 28.9% in international deplanements, falling from 707,438 deplanements from international airports in the first eight months of 2020 to 502,973 international deplanements in the first eight months of 2021.
The two airports combined however saw an 82.7% increase in domestic deplanements, that is from airports within the USA, growing from 7,181,305 domestic deplanements in the first eight months of 2020 to 13,122,728 in the same eight months of 2021.
The two airports combined saw a 49.7% increase in total deplanements, growing from 7,888,743 deplanements in the first eight months of 2020 to 13,625,701 in the first eight months of 2021.

Belize received 16,782 stopover visitors in August 2021, down 39.5% from the 27,742 received in July 2021.
According to the Belize Tourism Board, Belize received 16,782 stopover visitors in August 2021, down 39.5% from the 27,742 received in July 2021.
Belize closed its borders as of April 5th 2020, and consequently just received 705 stopover visitors in August 2020. The country reopened to visitors in October 2020.
The 16,782 stopover visitors received in August 2021 were 49.7% of the 33,764 stopover visitors received in August 2019.
Belize received 13,508 stopover arrivals from the USA in August 2021, 766 from Europe, 132 from Mexico and 284 from Canada.
Belize received seven (7) cruise ship calls in August with 14,932 cruise visitors. July was the first month in 2021 the cruise port in Belize re-opened to cruise visitors.
Belize saw the number of stopovers increase by 8.3% in 2021, from 126,103 visitors in the first eight months of 2020 to 136,598 in the first eight months of 2021. The 136,598 visitors received in 2021 were 37.6% of the 363,526 received in the first eight months of 2019.
Stopovers from the USA increased by 48.8% in the first eight months of 2021, from 78,211 in 2020 to 116,394 in the same eight months of 2021. Stopovers from Canada fell by 89.2% in the first eight months, to 1,512 arrivals while stopovers from Europe fell by 78.2% in the same eight months, to 3,425 arrivals.
Belize received 26,333 cruise visitors in June and July of 2021, down 92.3% compared with the 343,099 cruise visitors received in 2020.

U.S. citizens’ outbound travel from the USA to international destinations grew by 18.4% in July 2021.
The United States Government’s Department of Commerce, International Trade Administration’s National Travel and Tourism Office (NTTO) recently released the figures for U.S. citizens outbound travel from the USA to international destinations for July 2021.

The overall number of trips taken by US citizens to international destinations increased by 18.4% in July 2021, growing from 4,654,439 trips in June 2021 to 5,512,187 trips in July 2021.
The number of trips taken to the Caribbean increased by 13.6%, growing from 764,838 trips in June 2021 to 868,730 trips in July 2021.
The 868,730 trips were 15.8% of the total number of international trips taken by US citizens in July 2021 to all international destinations.
Given that many countries had restrictions in place in July 2020, limiting international arrivals, only 156,242 US citizens visited Caribbean countries in July 2020.
The 868,730 trips taken to the Caribbean in July 2021 were 88.7% of the 979,916 trips taken to the Caribbean in July 2019.
Trips to Europe increased by 72.0% in July, growing from 473,587 trips in June 2021 to 814,907 trips in July 2021. Trips to Europe were 14.8% of trips taken by US citizens in July 2021. The 814,907 trips taken by US citizens to Europe in July 2021 were 38.8% of the 2,240,071 trips taken to Europe in July 2019.
The number of trips taken to Mexico by air increased by 7.1%, growing from 1,133,996 trips in June 2021 to 1,214,262 trips in July 2021 as Mexico was able to increase its share of such overseas trips consequent upon less rigorous restrictions on entry to Mexico. This segment’s share of all trips taken by US citizens was 22.0% in July 2021. The 1,214,262 trips were 20.6% more than the 1,006,762 trips taken to Mexico by air by US citizens in July 2019.

The overall number of trips taken by US citizens to international destinations increased by 9.9% in the first seven months of 2021, growing from 21.79 million trips in the first half of 2020 to 23.94 million trips in the first seven months of 2021.
The 23,942,287 total international trips taken in the first seven months of 2021 were 40.9% of the 58,511,523 trips taken in the first half of 2019.
The largest percentage decline was in trips by both land and by air to Canada which declined by 83.4%, falling from 1,727,812 trips in the first seven months of 2020 to just 286,501 in the same seven months of 2021.
The number of trips taken to the Caribbean increased by 74.2% in the first seven months of 2021, growing from 2,032,400 trips in 2020, to 3,540,355 trips in the first seven months of 2021. The share of trips taken to the Caribbean grew from 9.3% in 2020 to 14.8% in 2021.
The 3,540,355 trips taken to the Caribbean in the first seven months of 2021 were 57.0% of the 6,209,220 trips taken by US residents to the Caribbean in the seven months of 2019.
Trips to Europe decreased by 14.1%, falling from 2,100,083 trips in the first seven months of 2020 to 1,803,792 in the same seven months of 2021. The 1,803,792 trips taken in 2021 were just 16.1% of the 11,200,132 trips taken in the first seven months of 2019.
The number of trips taken to Mexico by air grew by 107.8%, from 2,659,356 trips in the first seven months of 2020 to 5,526,691 in the same seven months of 2021. The 5,526,691 trips were 86.7% of the 6,374,971 trips taken by US citizens by air to Mexico in the first seven months of 2019. This segment’s share of all trips grew from 12.2% in the first seven months of 2020 to 23.1% in the same seven months of 2021.

Half of Global Cruise Fleet in Service for Second Consecutive Month.
The cruising restart has seen a positive trend over the past few months. Fueled by various countries and markets reopening ports to cruise vessels, the industry saw an unprecedented number of vessels resuming revenue operations around the world over the summer.
As the restart continues, 205 ships are expected to be in guest operations by the end of September 2021. This number means that, for the second month in a row, nearly half of the entire global cruise fleet is in operation.
According to the 2022 Global Cruise Ship Index by Cruise Industry News, the combined fleets of the nearly 90 active cruise lines currently account for approximately 410 cruise ships.
After significant growth over the previous months, 190 cruise ships were sailing with paying guests by August 31st 2021. With 15 additional ships entering service through the end of September, the active cruise fleet is growing nearly 8 percent this month.
More ships resuming service means that more cruise lines are relaunching revenue operations. In September, brands like Regent, Plantours and Star Clippers are welcoming guests back, making it 63 brands back in service.
The aforementioned data is from the Cruise Ships in Service Report by Cruise Industry News.
The restart numbers started growing in May, which saw 55 ships operating revenue sailings. In the preceding eight months – only an average of 20 ships were in service.
A turning point, however, was reached in July. With the U.S. ports reopening for business, 141 vessels were back in service by the end of that month – an 82 percent increase over June numbers.
From May to September, the average guest capacity per ship grew significantly, too, going from 994 to 1,454.

Hawaii’s hotels report a 9.0 percentage point decline in average room occupancy in August compared with July, to reach 73.4%
According to the Hawai‘i Hotel Performance Report published by the Hawai‘i Tourism Authority (HTA), statewide hotel room occupancy fell by 9.0 percentage points from 82.4% in July 2021 to 73.4% in August of this year. ADR also fell from $367.81 in July to $355.24 in August, a drop of 3.4%, while revpar fell by 13.9%, from $303.01 in July 2021 to $260.84 in August of this year.
Hawai‘i’s quarantine order for travelers due to the COVID-19 pandemic began on March 26, 2020, which immediately resulted in dramatic declines for the hotel industry. Many properties closed or reduced operations starting in April 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The hotel sector posted an average room occupancy of 22.3% in August 2020.
Hawai‘i hotel room revenues statewide fell by 21.2%, from $550.2 million in July 2021 to $433.4 million in August 2021. Room demand fell by 10.3%, from 1,359,800 room nights in July to 1,220,100 room nights in August while room supply grew by 0.7% from 1,650,600 room nights in July to 1,661,700 room nights in August.
In August 2021, passengers arriving from out-of-state could bypass the State’s mandatory 10-day self-quarantine if they were fully vaccinated in the United States or with a valid negative COVID-19 NAAT test result from a Trusted Testing Partner prior to their departure through the Safe Travels program. On August 23, 2021, Hawai‘i Governor David Ige urged travelers to curtail non-essential travel until the end of October 2021 due to the Delta variant resulting in the state’s health care system being overburdened.
For the first eight months of 2021 statewide hotel room occupancy increased by 10.0 percentage points from 46.0% in 2020 to 56.0% in the first eight months of 2021. ADR increased by 14.9% from $277.24 in 2020 to $318.55 while revpar grew by 40.0%, from $127.41 in the first eight months of 2020 to $178.34 in the first eight months of this year.
In the first eight months of 2021, Hawai‘i hotel room revenues statewide increased by 92.6% from $1.160 billion in 2020 to $2.234 billion in the first eight months of this year. Room demand increased by 67.6%, to 7,014,600 room nights in the same eight months. Room supply grew by 37.6% to 12,529,300 available room nights also in the first eight months.
The Hawai‘i Hotel Performance Report is produced using hotel survey data compiled by STR, Inc., the largest survey of its kind in Hawai‘i. The survey generally excludes properties with under 20 lodging units, such as small bed and breakfasts, youth hostels, single-family vacation rentals, cottages, individually rented vacation condominiums and sold timeshare units no longer available for hotel use. The data has been weighted both geographically and by class of property to compensate for any over and/or under representation of hotel survey participants by location and type.
For August, the survey included 142 properties representing 45,886 rooms, or 85.0% of all lodging properties and 85.6% of operating lodging properties with 20 rooms or more in the Hawaiian Islands, including full service, limited service, and condominium hotels.
The August survey included 74 properties on O‘ahu representing 28,581 rooms (95.0% of operating properties); 38 properties in the County of Maui, representing 9,398 rooms (73.2% of operating properties); 15 properties on the island of Hawai‘i, representing 4,760 rooms (71.4% of operating properties); and 15 properties on Kaua‘i, representing 3,147 rooms (78.8% of operating properties).

Trinidad and Tobago received 2,774 air visitors in the first six months of 2021.
According to the Government of Trinidad and Tobago’s Ministry of Tourism, Culture and the Arts Trinidad and Tobago received 2,774 air visitors in the first six months of 2021, down 97.0% from the 92,251 received in the first six months of 2020 and just 1.4% of the 197,700 visitors who arrived by air in the first six months of 2019. Of the 2,774 visitors 34.8% arrived from the USA while 8.0% arrived from the United Kingdom and 7.2% arrived from Canada.

The Maldives reports it received 143,599 stopover visitor arrivals in August, up 41.0% compared with July 2021.
The Maldives Government’s Ministry of Tourism recently announced that The Maldives received 143,599 stopover visitors in August 2021, up 41.0% from the 101,818 stopovers received in July 2021.
The Maldives closed its borders to tourist arrivals on March 27th 2020 and re-opened to all tourists as of July 15th 2020. Consequently, the Maldives received just 7,636 stopover visitors in August 2020.
The 143,599 stopovers received in August 2021 were 3.1% more than the 139,338 stopovers received in August 2019.
In August 2021 India was by far the number one source market and generated 54,094 stopovers of the total overall stopovers (37.7%) while Russia was the number two source market and generated 17,069 stopovers (11.9%). The Maldives re-opened its borders to visitors from India as of July 15th 2021.
Other markets which generated significant business in August were Germany (9,916 visitors), Spain (8,338 visitors), Saudi Arabia (7,448 visitors), and the USA (5,064 visitors).
In the first eight months of 2021 The Maldives saw a 92.7% increase in total arrivals, growing from 392,205 stopovers in the first eight months of 2020 to 755,966 stopovers in the same eight months of 2021 with Russia (159,873 visitors) and India (157,289 visitors) being, by far, the two largest source markets in these eight months.
The 755,966 visitors received in the first eight months of 2021 was 66.7% of the 1,134,071 visitors received in the first eight months of 2019.
The Maldives saw the overall number of registered accommodation establishments grow by 6.6% from an average of 967 in the first eight months of 2020 to an average of 1,031 establishments in the same eight months of 2021.
The number of beds in operation grew by 94.1% from 24,430 in the first eight months of 2020 to 47,418 this year.
It should be noted many accommodation establishments closed in April 2020 consequent upon the closure of the borders.
Through the end of August 2021 overall average room occupancy had grown by 25.2 percentage points from 26.1% in 2020 to 51.3% for the first eight months of this year.
Of the 717 establishments in operation 152 were resorts which offered 35,715 beds. These resorts achieved a 58.4% average room occupancy through the first eight months of 2021 up from 29.6% for the first eight months of 2020. Through the first eight months of 2020 there was an average of 79 resorts in operation offering 18,364 beds.

Costa Rica received 122,162 stopover arrivals in August 2021, 21.0% fewer than the 154,706 stopovers received in July 2021.
According to the Costa Rica Institute of Tourism (ICT), Costa Rica received 122,162 stopovers in August 2021, 21.0% fewer than the 154,706 stopovers received in July 2021.
Costa Rica closed its borders to international arrivals as of March 19th 2020 and reopened to international tourists arriving by air as of November 2020. It reopened its land borders in April 2021. Costa Rica consequently received just 2,357 stopovers in August 2020.
The 122,162 stopovers received in August 2021 were 54.2% of the 225,299 stopovers received in August 2019.
Costa Rica received 77,421 stopovers from the USA in August, 63.4% of the overall total, and 7,023 stopovers from Central America.
The volume of stopovers decreased by 10.4% in the first eight months of 2021, falling from 885,401 stopovers in the first eight months of 2020 to 793,391 stopovers in the first eight months of 2021. The 793,391 stopovers was 35.7% of the 2,220,638 stopovers received in the first eight months of 2019.
The number of stopovers from the USA increased by 56.4% in the first eight months of 2021, from 356,906 stopovers in 2020 to 558,130 in 2021 while the number from Central America declined by 80.6%, falling from 191,601 in the first eight months of 2020 to 37,220 in the same eight months of 2021.
The share of visitors from the USA grew from 40.3% in the first eight months of 2020 to 70.1% in the first eight months of 2021.

The Dominican Republic’s hotels averaged 60.9% room occupancy during August 2021.
According to ASONAHORES, the hotel and tourism association of the Dominican Republic, the hotels of the Dominican Republic posted an overall average hotel room occupancy of 60.9% in August 2021, up 7.3 percentage points from the 53.6% achieved in July 2021. The Dominican Republic’s hotels achieved an average room occupancy of 65.5% in August 2019.
It should be noted that on August 16th 2021 the Dominican Republic’s Ministry of Tourism ordered that hotels could open to 100% of their capacity while maintaining social distancing measures to prevent the spread of Covid-19. About 87% of all hotels in the Dominican Republic with approximately 73,000 rooms have re-opened.
At a regional level the hotels in Punta Cana posted an average room occupancy of 62.6% for August 2021, with hotels in Puerto Plata averaging 57.2% and hotels in Santo Domingo averaging 57.8%, also in August of this year.
The hotel sector posted a combined overall average occupancy of 44.3% for the first eight months of 2021 compared with 76.6% for the first eight months of 2019.
At a regional level during the first eight months of the year, the destination Santiago de los Caballeros recorded the highest occupancy rate at 53.1%, being also the only destination to exceed 50 percentage points. Samana’s hotels posted an overall average room occupancy of 46.5% with the Roman–Bayahibe area posting an average occupancy of 48.1%. Punta Cana’s hotels posted an average hotel room occupancy of 44.6% in the first eight months of 2021 while the hotels in Puerto Plata posted an overall average of 41.2%. Hotels in Santo Domingo posted an average room occupancy of 46.2% for the first eight months of 2021.

Saint Lucia received 20,382 stopovers in August 2021, 19.3% fewer than the 25,252 stopovers received in July 2021.
According to the Ministry of Tourism and Investment, Saint Lucia saw an 19.3% decrease in stopover visitor arrivals in August 2021, falling from 25,252 stopovers in July 2021 to 20,382 stopovers in August 2021.
Saint Lucia received 2,331 cruise visitors in August from 10 cruise ship calls. Saint Lucia reopened its ports to cruise ships in June 2021. Saint Lucia also received 284 visitors in August 2021 who arrived by yacht.
Saint Lucia closed its borders to international visitor arrivals on March 23rd 2020 and re-opened its borders in June 2020. Saint Lucia consequently received 3,261 stopover arrivals in August 2020.
The 20,382 stopovers received in August 2021 were 56.1% of the 36,342 stopovers received in August 2019.
Saint Lucia received 15,875 stopover arrivals from the USA in August 2021, 27.9% fewer than the 22,028 stopovers received in July 2021 with the 15,875 stopovers comprising 77.9% of all stopover arrivals in August 2021.
Through the first eight months of 2021, Saint Lucia saw a 14.0% increase in the number of stopover visitors, growing from 96,619 stopovers in the first eight months of 2020 to 110,116 stopovers in the same eight months of 2021.
The number of stopovers from the USA increased by 115.3%, from 45,287 in the first eight months of 2020 to 97,501 in the same eight months of 2021 while the number of stopover visitors from the U.K. fell by 52.8% from 18,963 in 2020 to 8,950 stopovers in the same eight months of 2021.
The 110,116 stopovers received in 2021 were 36.9% of the 298,723 stopovers received in the first eight months of 2019.
Saint Lucia has received 3,967 cruise visitors so far in 2021 compared with 297,885 received in 2020 and received 1,068 visitors who arrived by yacht compared with 21,386 in the first eight months of 2020.

The average spend by air visitors to Mexico is up by 6.5% in 2021 compared to the same seven months of 2019.
According to INEGI (Mexico’s National Institute of Statistics, Geography, and Informatics) the average spend by visitors arriving by air to Mexico has increased by 6.5% from US$1,018.09 for the first seven months of 2019 to US$1,084.27 for the first seven months of 2021.
Typically, visitors arriving by air make up 20% of all visitors travelling to Mexico (both by air and by land) but constitute 80% of all tourist spending.
The average spend by air visitors increased substantially in June 2021 (up 24.2%) and in July 2021 (up 14.9%), both compared with the same months of 2019.
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Curacao reports it received 30,852 stopover arrivals in August 2021, 9.8% fewer than the 34,212 received in July of this year.
According to the Curaçao Tourist Board, Curaçao saw a 9.8% decrease in stopover visitor arrivals in August, falling from 34,212 stopovers received in July 2021 to 30,852 stopovers received in August of this year. The 30,852 stopovers received in August 2021 were 79.2% of the 38,933 stopovers received in August 2019.
Curaçao closed its borders to international visitors as of March 17th 2020 and reopened its borders to visitors from Europe and the Caribbean as of July 1st 2020. Consequently, Curaçao received just 9,229 stopover visitors in August 2020.
Curacao received 20,107 stopover visitors from the Netherlands in August 2021 and 4,349 stopovers from the USA, 65.2% and 14.1% of all stopovers, respectively.
Curacao received 11 cruise ship calls with 11,850 cruise visitors in August 2021. The island re-opened to cruise traffic in June 2021.
In the first eight months of 2021 Curaçao saw a 3.6% decrease in the number of stopover visitors, falling from 127,283 visitors in 2020 to 122,706 visitors in the first eight months of this year.
The number of stopovers from the USA increased by 2.1% during the first eight months, growing from 21,229 in 2020 to 21,666 in the first eight months of 2021. The number of stopovers from the Netherlands increased by 25.8%, growing from 58,359 visitors during the first eight months of 2020, to 73,444 in the first eight months of 2021.
The 122,706 stopovers received in the first eight months of 2021 was 39.1% of the 313,954 stopovers received in the same eight months of 2019.
Between June and August 2021 Curacao received 20 cruise ship calls which brought 21,066 cruise passengers.

Aruba Airport Authority reports 99,093 departing passengers in August 2021, 9.4% fewer than the 109,318 handled in July 2021.
The Aruba Airport Authority (AAA) reports that in August 2021 99,093 Revenue Generating Passengers (RGPs) travelled out of the Queen Beatrix International Airport (AUA Airport) to its various markets. This was 9.4% fewer than the 109,318 RGPs who departed in July 2021.
A revenue generating passenger is an outbound traveler leaving Aruba and includes tourists returning to their homes as well as Arubans departing for trips overseas.
While Aruba reopened to travel to and from Bonaire and Curacao as of June 15th 2020 the country did not reopen to travel from Europe, Canada, and the Caribbean until July 1st 2020 and from the USA until July 10th 2020. Consequently, the airport had just 21,868 RGPs in August 2020.
The airport also handled 8,636 passengers in transit in August 2021 as well as 182 transferring passengers.
In August 2021 80,571 passengers (pax) travelled to the USA, 0 pax to Canada, 9,302 pax to Europe, 5,833 pax to Latin America and 3,387 pax to the Dutch Caribbean.
The airlines provided 126,662 outbound seats in August 2021, 90.3% of the 140,243 seats provided in August 2019.
Airlines flying to the USA in August experienced an average load factor of 86.9% There were no flights to Canada while flights to Europe averaged a 93.3% load factor. The overall average load factor for all flights for August was 85.8%.
In the first eight months of 2021 the airport handled a total of 557,354 RGPs, up 73.5% compared with the 321,247 handled in the first eight months of 2020. Traffic to the USA increased by 100.0%, from 235,513 RGPs in the first eight months of 2020 to 470,930 in the same eight months of 2021. Traffic to Canada fell by 95.0% to 901 RGPs, while traffic to Europe increased by 63.6%, from 23,954 RGPS in the first eight months of 2020 to 39,185 RGPs this year.
Seat capacity through the first eight months of 2021 increased by 85.3% compared with the same eight months of 2020, from 463,277 available seats in 2020 to 858,496 seats in 2021. The 858,496 seats available in 2021 were 72.2% of the 1,188,272 seats available in the first eight months of 2019.
The overall average load factor of outbound flights fell from 85.3% in the first eight months of 2019 to 69.9% in the same eight months of 2021. The average load factor of flights to the USA fell from 87.6% in the first eight months of 2019 to 70.6% in the same eight months of 2021.
The AAA has estimated it will receive a total of 1,350,789 seats for the whole of 2021, 79.4% of the 1,701,062 available seats received in 2019.
The AAA stated that these seat projections are subject to change.

Aruba received 80,230 stopover visitors in August 2021, 19.9% fewer than the 100,178 stopovers received in July 2021.
According to Aruba Tourism Authority, Aruba received 80,230 stopover arrivals in August 2021, 19.9% fewer than the 100,178 stopovers it received in July 2021.
On August 9th 2021 the Government of the United States of America’s State Department moved Aruba to Level 4 when it issued a do not travel to Aruba due to COVID-related conditions travel advisory which received wide publicity and resulted in the numerous cancellation of trips.
Aruba closed its borders to tourist arrivals as of March 17th 2020 and re-opened only to visitors from Curacao and Bonaire as of June 15th 2020 and then to visitors from Europe, Canada, and the Caribbean as of July 1st 2020. Aruba re-opened to visitors from the USA on July 10th 2020. Consequently, there were just 17,420 stopover visitors in August 2020.
The 80,230 stopovers received in August 2021 were 83.5% of the 96,100 stopovers received in August 2019.
Compared with 2019, stopover arrivals from the USA decreased by 3.9%, falling from 70,990 arrivals in August 2019 to 68,245 arrivals in August 2021. Arrivals from the USA comprised 85.1% of all arrivals in August 2021 up from 73.9% in August 2019.
Arrivals from Canada dropped by 83.6%, from 2,879 in August 2019 to 473 stopovers in August 2021. Arrivals from the Netherlands grew by 33.6%, from 3,302 in August 2019 to 4,411 in August this year.
Aruba re-opened its ports to visitors in June of this year and during August 2021 received nine cruise ship calls and a total of 12,342 cruise passengers.
In the first eight months of 2021 Aruba saw a 95.6% increase in the number of stopover visitors, growing from 259,093 visitors in the first eight months of 2020 to 506,795 visitors in the first eight months of this year. The number of stopovers from the USA grew by 121.8% during the first eight months, from 200,450 in 2020 to 444,535 through the end of August 2021.
Compared with the first eight months of 2019, the 506,795 stopover visitors received in the first eight months of 2021 was 65.4% of the 775,213 stopovers received in the first eight months of 2019. There were 444,535 stopovers from the USA in the first eight months of 2021, 75.9% of the 586,058 received from the USA in the first eight months of 2019.
The number of visitors staying in hotels in the first eight months of 2021 declined by 41.7% compared with the same eight months of 2019, falling from 402,439 visitors in 2019 to 234,475 in the same eight months of 2021. The share of visitors staying in hotels fell from 51.9% in the first eight months of 2019 to 46.3% in the same eight months of 2021.
In the first eight months of 2021 165,012 visitors used timeshare accommodation, 79.5% of the 207,619 visitors who used such accommodation in the first eight months of 2019, with the sector’s share growing from 26.8% in 2019 to 32.6% in 2021.
Visitors using other accommodation – private homes, condominiums, short term rental accommodation and apartments – fell by 35.0% when comparing the first eight months of 2019 with the same eight months of 2021 from 165,155 visitors in 2019 to 107,308 in 2021, with the share dropping from 21.3% in 2019 to 21.2% in 2021.
In the first eight months of 2021 the primary carrier was JetBlue which brought in 148,484 non-resident visitors, 29.3% of all stopover arrivals, while American Airlines brought in 126,946 non-resident visitors, 25.0% of all visitors. United Airlines brought in 84,451 visitors with Delta carrying 59,109 arrivals. These four carriers brought in 82.7% of all visitors in the first eight months of 2021.
Aruba received 16 cruise ship calls in 2021 with 20,861 cruise passengers compared with the 98 calls cruise ships made in 2020 and 255,384 passengers.

Antigua and Barbuda received 18,792 stopovers in August 2021, 19.7% fewer than the 23,405 received in July 2021.
According to the Ministry of Tourism and Investment, Antigua and Barbuda saw a 19.7% decline in stopover visitor arrivals in August 2021, falling from 23,405 stopovers received in July 2021 to 18,792 stopovers this August.
Antigua and Barbuda re-opened its borders to international travel as of June 4th 2020 and consequently received 4,763 visitors in August 2020 up from the 4,002 received in July 2020.
The 18,792 stopovers received In August 2021 were 6.5% more than the 17,646 stopovers Antigua received in August 2019.
The 9,877 stopover visitors received from the USA in August 2021 were 35.6% fewer than the 15,350 stopovers received from the USA in July but comprised 52.6% of all stopovers received in August. Antigua also received 7,429 stopover visitors from the U.K. in August.
Through the first eight months of 2021, Antigua and Barbuda saw a 4.7% increase in the number of stopover visitors, growing from 94,810 stopovers in the first eight months of 2020 to 99,301 stopovers in the same eight months of 2021.
The number of stopovers from the USA increased by 62.9%, from 43,555 stopovers in the first eight months of 2020 to 70,958 stopovers in the same eight months of 2021 while the number of stopover visitors from the U.K. fell by 9.2%, from 21,725 in 2020 to 19,735 stopovers in the same eight months of 2021.
The number of stopovers received in the first eight months of 2021 was 49.1% of the 202,097 stopovers received in the same eight months of 2019.

Mauritius announces it received 2,499 stopover visitors in August, 101% more than the 1,242 received in July 2021.
The Mauritius Government’s Ministry of Finance and Economic Development recently reported that total stopover arrivals increased by 1,257 stopovers in August 2021 (101%), from 1,242 arrivals received in July 2021 to 2,499 arrivals in August of this year. This number includes both air and sea stopover visitors.
Mauritius re-entered a hard lock-down in March 2021 consequent upon an increase in local Covid19 infections but re-opened to international travellers on the 15 July 2021 as part of a two-phase programme.
Mauritius closed its borders to all international arrivals as of March 19th 2020 and consequently received just 317 stopovers in August 2020.
The 2,499 arrivals received in August 2021 were 2.3% of the 107,275 stopovers received in August 2019.
From 15 July to 30 September 2021, vaccinated travellers will be admitted for a resort-based holiday on the island and must stay within their chosen resort premises. All travellers must have proof of a negative PCR test prior to travel and will tested again on arrival. Further tests will be taken on day 7 and 14 of their resort holiday if applicable. Phase 2 begins on 1 October 2021, allowing vaccinated travellers entry without restrictions upon presentation of a negative PCR test taken within 72 hours before departure.
In the first eight months of 2021 Mauritius saw a 97.7% decrease in total stopover arrivals, falling from 305,243 arrivals in 2020 to 6,966 arrivals in the first eight months of this year. Mauritius received 872,805 stopovers through the first eight months of 2019 with the total received during the first eight months of 2021 being 0.8% of this total.

Expedia: 58% of Americans have fall travel plans
In a recent survey of 2,200 Americans conducted in collaboration with Morning Consult, Expedia Group found the majority (58%) of respondents have travel plans during the fall—but millennials are in the lead (67%) compared to Gen Z (61%), Gen X (53%) and boomers (53%).
Across geographic regions, those who live in suburbia (62%) are most likely to travel as temperatures start to cool down, followed by city dwellers (58%). Travel plans scale with income level, as 80% of those making six-digit salaries have a trip booked in the next three months.
Monthly trip searches were up 70% over the summer compared to earlier in the year according to Expedia Group Media Solutions Q2 Travel Recovery Trend Report, and the company reported seeing positive signals continue into the fall.
Where are travelers headed?
Travelers are prioritizing sunshine and open attractions—but Americans are also choosing cities over small towns, which may indicate some people are more comfortable visiting places where vaccination rates are high. These are the top U.S. locations from September through November based on hotel demand across Expedia.com, Hotels.com, Hotwire, Orbitz and Travelocity:

Las Vegas
Orlando
New York City
Cancun, Mexico
Orange County, CA
Chicago
Los Angeles
Riviera Maya, Mexico
San Diego
Miami

Meanwhile, vacation rental trends tell a slightly different story. Looking at the same months on Vrbo, here are some of the trending fall destinations for American travelers, where they can go off the grid, or soak up the sun oceanside.

Pigeon Forge, TN
Miramar and Rosemary Beach, FL
Gulf Shores, AL
Panama City, FL
Fort Walton, FL
Myrtle Beach, SC
Hilton Head, SC
Clearwater and St. Petersburg, FL
Kissimmee, FL
Fort Myers and Cape Coral, FL

Who are they going with?
While most people plan to take trips with a significant other, solo travel is on the rise in recent months, looking at bookings in the fall across multiple lines of Expedia Group’s business. Among those surveyed, the top three reasons were a change of scenery (47%), self-discovery (34%) and to be fully immersed in their destination (27%). Millennials and Gen Z (72%) are more into solo trips compared to Gen X (59%) and boomers (47%).
During the pandemic, solo travel can be a responsible option, and planning for one is easier than curating an itinerary for many. Solo travelers can flex their schedules around off hours for attractions, and they don’t have to worry about party size limitations at restaurants or bars.

Expedia Group Media Solutions publishes report on Travel Trends for the Second Quarter of 2021.
Searches Globally Are Growing
Monthly global search volumes continued to grow in Q2, increasing more than 70% quarter over-quarter. The ongoing rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, expanded vaccine eligibility and production, and changes to travel restrictions around the world, contributed to consecutive weeks of positive global search volume.
Search Windows Lengthening Globally
Half of global searches fell within the 0 to 21 days search window in Q2, but as travel confidence grows, so too does the global search window. Global searches 22 to 90 days out were up nearly 25% quarter-over quarter, indicating that travelers are starting to plan trips further out.
Positive Signs for International Travel
Travel shoppers continue to show preference for domestic travel, but the global growth in searches for international destinations outpaced that for domestic destinations during multiple weeks in Q2. This suggests traveler confidence is increasing, in part due to growing vaccination rates, resulting in increased interest and planning for international travel.
Big Cities in the Spotlight
During Q2, beach and city destinations, such as Atlanta, Mykonos, Paris, Seoul, and Sydney, made up the top 10 booked destinations in each region of the world. However, it’s cities that are making the big moves into the top 10 lists, or up the rankings. The return to big cities is also helping to fuel a rise in global hotel demand.
Renewed Interest in Sustainable Travel.
As travelers plan and embark on their next trip, many are taking into account environmentally and socially conscious considerations. Sustainability credentials are more than ever impacting their choice of destination and other travel options.
For full report click here.

The Dominican Republic expects 4,840,376 tourists by year end, 75.1% of the 2019 total.
Santo Domingo – According to the Minister of Tourism, the Dominican Republic will receive 4,840,376 tourists by the end of this year. While positive this will still be just 75.1% of the 6,446,036 non-resident foreigners who arrived in 2019.
On Wednesday, September 8th the Minister of Tourism David Collado said that between January and August 2021 2,938,200 tourists arrived in the country and he projected that, from October to December, “if everything continues normal within the pandemic,” a further 1,552,621 visitors will arrive in the Dominican Republic.
“We are going to end the year at 4,840,376 non-resident arrivals, which is a number that we could never imagine we would be able to have in 2021. We are giving clear signals that tourism is recovering in a sustainable way in the Dominican Republic.”

Punta Cana received 218,245 tourists in August 2021, 11.1% fewer than the 245,589 received in July 2021.
According to the Central Bank of the Dominican Republic, Punta Cana, in the Dominican Republic, saw the volume of non-resident stopover arrivals decline by 11.1% in August, falling from 245,589 arrivals in July 2021 to 218,245 in August 2021.
The volume of arrivals in August 2021 was 84.4% of the 258,457 stopovers received by Punta Cana in August 2019.
The Dominican Republic closed its borders to international tourist arrivals as of March 19th 2020 and re-opened to tourists as of July 1st 2020. Consequently, Punta Cana received 17,405 visitors in August 2020.
Punta Cana received 123,112 stopover arrivals from the USA in August 2021, 23.2% fewer than the 160,278 stopovers received in July 2021. Spain was the second largest source market (13,190 stopovers) with France third (13,144 stopovers).
The Dominican Republic currently has limited restrictions for entry to the country.
During the first eight months of 2021 Punta Cana saw a 53.4% increase in the volume of stopover arrivals, growing from 777,378 arrivals in the first eight months of 2020 to 1,192,238 non-resident arrivals in the first eight months of 2021. However, the total for 2021 was just 44.8% of the 2,659,487 stopovers received in the first eight months of 2019.
Arrivals from the USA increased by 251.0% in the first eight months of 2021, growing from 225,334 arrivals in the first eight months of 2020 to 790,876 arrivals in the same eight months of 2021. Traffic was down 91.0% from Canada, falling from 228,224 arrivals in the first eight months of 2020 to 20,603 arrivals in the first eight months of 2021. Traffic was also down 95.9% from the UK, falling from 26,327 arrivals in 2020 to just 1,074 stopovers in the first eight months of 2021.
Traffic was down 62.5% from Argentina, down 25.8% from France, down 23.1% from Brazil, but increased by 4.4% from Germany.
In the first eight months of 2021, stopover arrivals to Punta Cana made up 40.6% of all non-resident arrivals to the Dominican Republic compared with 47.4% in the same eight months of 2020.

The Dominican Republic received 476,575 non-resident visitors in August, 15.5% fewer than the 563,987 stopovers received in July.
According to the Central Bank of the Dominican Republic, the Dominican Republic received 476,575 non-resident stopover arrivals in August 2021, 15.5% fewer than the 563,987 stopovers it received in July 2021.
The Dominican Republic closed its borders to international tourist arrivals as of March 19th 2020 and re-opened to international visitors as of July 1st 2020 and consequently received just 110,284 stopovers in August 2020.
The 476,575 arrivals received in August 2021 were 95.8% of the 497,380 stopovers received in August 2019.
The Dominican Republic received 213,134 stopover arrivals from the USA in August 2021, 25.6% fewer than the 286,650 stopovers received from the USA in July 2021.
24.9% of the non-resident arrivals in August 2021 were Dominicans living abroad and returning to the Dominican Republic compared with 54.6% in August 2020.
In the first eight months of 2021 the Dominican Republic saw a 79.2% increase in the volume of stopover arrivals, growing from 1,639,538 arrivals in the first eight months of 2020 to 2,938,205 non-resident arrivals in the same eight months of 2021.
Non-resident arrivals from the USA increased by 220.2% in the first eight months of 2021, growing from 442,884 arrivals in 2020 to 1,417,903 arrivals from the USA in the first eight months of 2021. Stopover arrivals from Canada fell by 92.8%, from 341,000 in the first eight months of 2020 to 24,718 in the same eight months of 2021.
The 2,938,205 stopovers received in the first eight months of 2021 were 63.0% of the 4,664,036 stopovers received in the first eight months of 2019.
In the first eight months of 2021 29.6% of all non-resident tourists arriving in the Dominican Republic were non-resident Dominicans returning home, up from 21.1% in the same eight months of 2020.

The United States Virgin Islands received 96,797 air arrivals in July 2021, 5.7% more than the 91,620 air visitors received in June 2021.
According to numbers published by the USVI Bureau of Economic Research, the USVI saw the volume of air arrivals increase by 5.7% in July 2021, growing from 91,620 air arrivals in June 2021 to 96,797 air arrivals in July of this year.
The 96,797 air arrivals received in July 2021 were 57.2% more than the 61,579 received in July 2019.
The USVI closed its borders to air arrivals as of March 21st 2020 and re-opened as of June 1st 2020. The USVI received 43,997 air arrivals in July 2020.
Through the first seven months of 2021 the USVI saw the volume of air arrivals increase by 104.6%, from 254,677 air arrivals in the first seven months of 2020 to 521,072 air arrivals in the first seven months of 2021. The 521,072 arrivals in the first seven months of 2021 were 25.1% higher than the 416,552 air arrivals received in the first seven months of 2019.
There were no cruise visitor arrivals in July 2021.

AHATA reports Aruba’s hotels achieved a 70.9% average room occupancy in August 2021, down 8.8 percentage points from the 79.7% achieved in July.
The Aruba Hotel and Tourism Association reports that average hotel room occupancy in August 2021 was 70.9%, 8.8 percentage points lower than the 79.7% achieved in July 2021.
Aruba closed its orders to international travel as of March 17 2020 and while the borders re-opened as of early July 2020, Aruba’s hotels achieved a 14.2% average room occupancy in August 2020.
And compared with August 2019, the average room occupancy in August 2021 was 18.4 percentage points lower, falling from 86.9% in August 2019 to 70.9% in August this year.
ADR was $252.72 in August 2021, 6.2% higher than in August 2019, with revpar at $179.25, 13.3% lower than in August 2019.
Aruba’s timeshare resorts reported an average occupancy of 79% in August 2021.
Through the first eight months of 2021 AHATA reports that Aruba’s hotels achieved an average room occupancy of 53.0% compared with 29.1% for the first eight months of 2020. Again, compared with the first eight months of 2020, ADR fell by 27.6% to $256.53 although RevPAR grew by 31.9% to $136.00.
By comparison with the first eight months of 2019 average room occupancy was 38.6 percentage points lower in 2021, while ADR fell by 10.2%, and revpar was 44.9% lower.
AHATA is projecting that Aruba’s hotels will achieve an average room occupancy of 60% for September, 65% for October, 72% for November and 59% for 2021 as a whole.

Cuba will reopen its borders in November, hoping its vaccines will keep COVID cases down
Miami Herald SEPTEMBER 07, 2021
Despite an ongoing COVID-19 surge that has overwhelmed its health system, Cuban authorities will reopen the country’s borders starting in mid-November, saying that the country will have vaccinated 90 percent of its population by the beginning of the high season for tourism.
COVID-related measures at airports will be relaxed and “focused on symptomatic patients and taking the temperature,” Granma, the Communist Party’s newspaper, said Monday in a brief note citing information provided by the Ministry of Tourism.
Travelers will no longer be required to show a recent PCR test, and “vaccination certificates will be recognized,” the paper said. It is unclear if this means certificates are mandatory. The borders will start reopening “gradually” on November 15th 2021. Authorities will also allow domestic tourism.
Currently, all travelers are tested for COVID and must comply with a mandatory quarantine in government hotels.
According to Granma, authorities weighed “the progress in the vaccination process in Cuba, its demonstrated effectiveness, and the perspective that more than 90% of the entire population will conclude the vaccination schedules in November.” To reach that goal, the country will need to ramp up the speed of vaccination significantly. Since April, when trials for Cuba’s locally produced vaccines started, to now only 30 percent of the population has been fully immunized.

Orlando saw an 8.3 percentage point increase in average room occupancy in July 2021, growing from 67.8% in June 2021 to 76.1% this July.
According to STR Orlando had 128,000 hotel rooms in July 2021 and achieved an average city-wide room occupancy of 76.1%, up 10.8 percentage points compared with June 2021 (67.8%), and an ADR of $134.07 up 9.7% compared with June 2021 ($122.25).
Orlando’s theme parks closed to visitors as of March 15th 2020 and consequently Orlando’s hotels experienced an average room occupancy of 25.8% in July 2020.
According to Visit Orlando, Orlando saw the volume of air passenger deplanements grow from 656,504 in July 2020 to 2,249,733 in July 2021. The 2,249,733 deplanements seen in July 2021 were 8.9% more than the 2,065,017 deplanements received in June 2021.This includes deplanements at both Orlando International and Sanford airports and includes both international and domestic deplanements.
In the first seven months of 2021 Orlando’s hotels saw an average hotel room occupancy of 57.1%, up 9.5 percentage points from the 47.6% achieved in the first seven months of 2020. ADR fell by 6.0% from $122.18 for the first seven months of 2020 to $114.85 for the first seven months of 2021.
Orlando saw the volume of air passenger deplanements increase by 62.3% in the first seven months of 2021, growing from 7,277,036 deplanements in the first seven months of 2020 to 11,808,189 deplanements in the first seven months of 2021. This includes deplanements at both Orlando International and Sanford airports and includes both international and domestic deplanements.

San Juan, Puerto Rico (SJU) handled 935,781 total passenger movements in August 2021, 16.4% less than the total handled in July 2021.
According to ASUR, which manages many airports in Mexico, Colombia and which also manages the Luis Munoz Marin International Airport in San Juan, Puerto Rico, SJU saw a 16.4% decline in passenger movements in August 2021, falling from 1,118,931 total passenger movements in July 2021 to 935,781 movements in August 2021.
The 935,781 passenger movements handled in August 2021 were 14.8% higher than the 815,043 handled in August 2019.
It should be noted that restrictions on travel began to be put in place in the middle of March 2020. In August 2020 San Juan’s airport handled 302,237 total passenger movements.
In the first eight months of 2021 the overall volume of air passenger movements at San Juan’s airport increased by 102.3%, from 3,208,288 in 2020 to 6,490,941 in the same eight months of 2021.
The total for the first eight months of 2021 was 99.8% of the total for the same eight months of 2019, that is 6,490,941 in 2021 of the 6,501,170 passengers handled in the first eight months of 2019.

Cancun’s Airport handled 1,237,207 international air passenger movements in August 2021, 14.2% less than the 1,441,679 passengers handled in July 2021.
According to ASUR, which manages many of Mexico’s airports, Cancun Airport saw a 14.2% decline in international passenger movements in August 2021, falling from 1,441,679 movements in July 2021 to 1,237,207 such movements in August 2021.
The 1,237,207 international passenger movements handled in August 2021 were 95.1% of the 1,301,415 international passengers handled in August 2019.
Domestic passenger movements declined by 11.5% in August 2021, falling from 931,989 passenger movements in July 2021 to 824,710 domestic movements in August of this year.
The 824,710 domestic passenger movements handled in August 2021 were 95.1% of the 867,640 handled in August 2019.
Mexico re-opened to international tourist arrivals as of June 8th 2020 and consequently Cancun handled 297,389 international passenger movements in August 2020, up from 221,074 in July 2020.
In the first eight months of 2021 the volume of international air passenger movements increased by 71.9%, growing from 4,728,363 movements in 2020 to 8,129,187 movements in the first eight months of 2021 while the volume of domestic air passenger movements increased by 97.0%, from 2,951,018 movements in the first eight months of 2020 to 5,814,426 in the same eight months of 2021.
By comparison with the first eight months of 2019 the volume of international air passenger movements in 2021 was 69.0% of the 2019 total, falling from 11,781,655 movements in 2019 to 81,29,187 movements in the first eight months of 2021 while the volume of 2021 domestic air passenger movements was 96.9% of the 2019 total, falling from 6,001,677 movements in the first eight months of 2019 to 5,814,426 in the same eight months of 2021.
In the first eight months of 2021 international passenger movements accounted for 58.3% of all passenger movements, down from 61.6% in 2020 and down from 66.3% in the first eight months of 2019.

The Seychelles received 19,611 visitor arrivals in August 2021, 2.7% fewer than the 20,162 received in July 2021.
The Seychelles Government’s National Bureau of Statistics recently announced that total stopover arrivals fell by 551 in August 2021 (down 2.7%%) from the 20,162 received in July 2021 to 19,611 in August 2021. This number includes both air and sea stopover visitors and transit visitors.
The Seychelles re-opened to international visitors from most countries as of March 25th 2021 with visitors being required to produce evidence of a negative PCR test.
The 19,611 visitor arrivals received in August 2021 were 58.5% of the 33,536 received in August 2019.
The number one source market in August was Russia which generated 3,009 stopover visitors (15.3% of the total for the month) followed by the United Arab Emirates with 2,702 stopover visitors (13.8%).
The Seychelles closed its borders to cruise ships as of March 9th 2020 and to international air visitors as of March 30th 2020. The Seychelles re-opened its borders to visitors from low and medium risk countries as of August 1 2020 and consequently received 2,072 stopover visitors in August 2020.
In the first eight months of 2021 The Seychelles saw a 1.6% decrease in total visitor arrivals, falling from 91,694 arrivals in 2020 to 90,217 arrivals in the first eight months of 2021. The 90,217 stopovers received in the first eight months of 2021 were 36.1% of the 249,963 received in the first eight months of 2019.
Total stopover arrivals from Germany, the number one source market in 2020, fell by 70.6% from 20,566 arrivals in the first eight months of 2020 to 6,052 arrivals in the same eight months of 2021.
The number one source market in the first eight months of 2021 was Russia which generated 18,348 visitors, 20.3% of all visitor arrivals for those first eight months.
The Seychelles received no cruise visitors in the first eight months of 2021.

Jamaica received 166,046 stopover arrivals in June 2021, a 35.5% increase compared with May 2021.
According to the Jamaica Tourist Board, Jamaica received 166,046 stopover arrivals in June 2021, a 35.5% increase compared with the 122,522 stopovers received in May 2021 and 69.5% of the 238,888 stopovers received in June 2019.
Jamaica closed its borders to international arrivals as of March 21st 2020 and reopened again on June 15th 2020. Jamaica consequently had just 7,188 arrivals in June 2020.
Stopover arrivals from the USA totaled 157,472 in June 2021, that is 34.1% more than the 117,443 stopover visitors received from the USA in May 2021. Stopover arrivals from the USA comprised 94.8% of all stopover arrivals received in June 2021.
There were no cruise visitors in June 2021 as Jamaica remained closed to cruise ship calls.
Through the first six months of 2021 Jamaica saw an 8.4% decline in the volume of stopover arrivals, falling from 581,319 stopover arrivals in the first six months of 2020 to 532,545 arrivals in the same six months of 2021.
The 532,545 stopovers received in the first six months of 2021 were 38.3% of the 1,390,683 stopovers received in the first six months of 2019.
Arrivals from the USA increased by 32.5% in the first six months of 2021, growing from 383,534 arrivals in 2020 to 508,131 arrivals in the same six months of 2021. The 508,131 arrivals in 2021 were 53.7% of the 945,761 arrivals received from the USA in the first six months of 2019.
The USA’s share of all stopover arrivals grew from 66.0% in the first six months of 2020 to 95.4% in the same six months of 2021.

U.S. citizens’ outbound travel from the USA to international destinations grew by 30.1% in June 2021.
The United States Government’s Department of Commerce, International Trade Administration’s National Travel and Tourism Office (NTTO) recently released the figures for U.S. citizens outbound travel from the USA to international destinations for June 2021.

The overall number of trips taken by US citizens to international destinations increased by 30.1% in June 2021, growing from 3,577,328 trips in May 2021 to 4,654,439 trips in June 2021.
The number of trips taken to the Caribbean increased by 29.4%, growing from 591,271 trips in May 2021 to 764,838 trips in June 2021.
The 764,838 trips were 16.4% of the total number of international trips taken by US citizens in June 2021 to all international destinations.
Given that many countries had restrictions in place in June 2020, limiting international arrivals, only 10,790 US citizens visited Caribbean countries in June 2020.
The 764,838 trips taken to the Caribbean in June 2021 were 78.0% of the 980,935 trips taken to the Caribbean in June 2019.
Trips to Europe increased by 156% in June , growing from 185,261 trips in May 2021 to 473,857 trips in June 2021. Trips to Europe were 10.2% of trips taken by US citizens in June 2021. The 473,857 trips taken by US citizens to Europe in June 2021 were just 18.4% of the 2,574,573 trips taken to Europe in June 2019.
The number of trips taken to Mexico by air increased by 21.6%, growing from 932,703 trips in May 2021 to 1,133,996 trips in June 2021 as Mexico was able to increase its share of such overseas trips consequent upon less rigorous restrictions on entry to Mexico. This segment’s share of all trips was 24.4% in June 2021. The 1,133,996 trips were 9.7% more than the 1,033,502 trips taken to Mexico by air by US citizens in June 2019.

The overall number of trips taken by US citizens to international destinations decreased by 8.7% in the first six months of 2021, falling from 20.19 million trips in the first half of 2020 to 18.43 million trips in the first six months of 2021.
The 18,430,100 total international trips taken in the first six months of 2021 were 38.6% of the 47,765,856 trips taken in the first half of 2019.
The largest percentage decline was in trips by both land and by air to Canada which declined by 89.5%, falling from 1,687,352 trips in the first six months of 2020 to just 177,692 in the same six months of 2021.
The number of trips taken to the Caribbean increased by 42.4% in the first six months of 2021, growing from 1,876,158 trips in 2020, to 2,671,625 trips in the first six months of 2021. The share of trips taken to the Caribbean grew from 9.3% in 2020 to 14.5% in 2021.
The 2,671,625 trips taken to the Caribbean in the first half of 2021 were 51.2% of the 5,229,304 trips taken by US residents to the Caribbean in the first half of 2019.
Trips to Europe decreased by 51.1%, falling from 2,023,607 trips in the first six months of 2020 to 988,885 in the same six months of 2021. The 988,885 trips taken in 2021 were just 11.0% of the 8,960,061 trips taken in the first half of 2019.
The number of trips taken to Mexico by air grew by 79.7%, from 2,399,206 trips in the first six months of 2020 to 4,312,429 in the same six months of 2021. This segment’s share of all trips grew from 11.9% in the first six months of 2020 to 23.4% in the same six months of 2021.

Los Cabos handled 311,600 international passenger movements in August 2021, down 21.5% compared with July 2021.
According to Aeroportuario del Pacifico , which manages many of Mexico’s airports, Los Cabos Airport saw a 21.5% decline in international passenger traffic in August 2021, that is enplanements and deplanements, falling from 397,200 international passenger movements in July 2021 to 311,600 international passenger movements in August 2021.
Mexico re-opened to international tourist arrivals as of June 8th 2020 and consequently Los Cabos handled 98,000 international passenger movements in August 2020.
The 311,600 international passenger movements seen in August 2021 were 19.6% higher than the 260,500 international movements handled in August 2019.
Domestic traffic declined by 1.9%, falling from 195,200 passenger movements in July 2021 to 191,400 passenger movements in August 2021. Los Cabos handled 107,100 domestic passenger movements in August 2020.
The 191,400 domestic passenger movements seen in August 2021 were 4.9% lower than the 201,300 domestic passenger movements handled in August 2019.
Through the first eight months of 2021 Los Cabos Airport saw international passenger movements increase by 92.4%, from 1,157,500 in 2020 to 2,226,500 in the first eight months of 2021. Domestic passenger movements increased by 90.3% in the first eight months of 2021, from 669,400 in 2020 to 1,274,000 in the first eight months of 2021.
By comparison with the first eight months of 2019 international passenger movements were down 14.2%, while domestic movements declined by 2.3%.

Montego Bay Airport handled 293,400 total passenger movements in August 2021, 6.6% less than the 314,300 handled in July 2021.
According to Aeroportuario del Pacifico, which manages many of Mexico’s airports and which also manages the airports in Montego Bay and Kingston, Jamaica, saw the total number of passenger movements, that is both enplanements and deplanements, at Montego Bay Airport decline by 10.6% in August 2021, falling from 314,300 total movements in July 2021 to 293,400 movements in August 2021.
The total number of passenger movements in August 2021 was 73.1% of the 401,500 handled in August 2019.
It should be noted that Jamaica closed its borders to international visitors as of March 21st 2020 and re-opened to such visitors as of June 15th 2020. As a result, Montego Bay Airport handled just 67,800 passengers movements in August 2020.
Through the first eight months of 2021 Montego Bay Airport saw total passenger movements increase by 22.9%, from 1,277,100 in 2020 to 1,569,300 in the first eight months of 2021. The 2021 total of 1,569,300 movements was 46.6% of the 3,365,300 passenger movements handled in the first eight months of 2019.
In 2021 international passenger movements made up 100.0% of all passenger movements.

Kingston, Jamaica Airport saw 97,300 total passenger movements in August 2021, 1.2% more than the 96,100 handled in July 2021.
According to Aeroportuario del Pacifico, which manages many of Mexico’s airports and which also manages the airports in Montego Bay and Kingston, Jamaica, saw the total number of passenger movements, that is both enplanements and deplanements, at Kingston Jamaica’s Airport increase by 1.2% in August 2021, growing from 96,100 total movements in July 2021 to 97,300 total passenger movements in August 2021.
While Kingston Airport re-opened to international travelers as of June 15th 2020 the total number of passenger movements in August 2020 was 47,800 passengers.
Through the first eight months of 2021 Kingston’s Airport saw total passenger movements grow by 6.6%, from 462,300 in 2020 to 492,900 in the first eight months of 2021. Numbers for 2019 are not available.
In 2021 international passenger movements made up 100.0% of all passenger movements.

Mexico received 1,554,859 international air arrivals in July, up 32.3% compared with June 2021.
According to the Government of Mexico’s SECTUR (Department of Tourism) Mexico received 1,554,859 international air arrivals in July 2021, up 32.3% compared with the 1,175,197 arrivals received in June 2021.
Mexico’s border with the USA was closed as of March 20 2020 and consequently Mexico received 295,207 international visitors in July 2020.
The 1,554,859 international air arrivals received in July 2021 were 89.8% of the 1,731,225 international visitors received in July 2019.
Mexico received 1,229,254 air visitors from the USA in July, 79.1% of the total. Colombia was the second biggest market (40,066 visitors) with Brazil third largest (33,360 visitors).
Cancun Airport received 697,808 international air visitors in July 2021, 44.9% of the overall total. Los Cabos received 190,017 international air arrivals with Puerto Vallarta receiving 111,481 air visitors.
In the first seven months of 2021 the volume of international air arrivals to Mexico increased by 43.2%, from 5,005,122 arrivals in 2020 to 7,168,669 arrivals in the first seven months of this year. The 7,168,669 arrivals received in 2021 were 59.1% of the 12,128,803 international arrivals received in the first seven months of 2019.
The volume of air arrivals from the USA increased by 104.1% in the same seven months, from 2,770,008 air arrivals in 2020 to 5,653,783 air arrivals in 2021 while the volume from Canada fell by 91.8%, from 889,497 air arrivals in 2020 to 72,857 in 2021.
Cancun Airport saw a 62.6% increase in international air arrivals in the first seven months of 2021, growing from 2,042,784 arrivals in 2020 to 3,322,191 arrivals in 2021 while Los Cabos saw an 87.8% increase growing from 496,215 international air arrivals in 2020 to 931,847 air arrivals in 2021. Puerto Vallarta saw a 6.0% increase, growing from 513,332 international arrivals in 2020 to 544,282 international arrivals in the first seven months of 2020.

The Bahamas reports the islands received 143,509 stopovers in July 2021, 21.4% more than the 118,195 stopovers received in June 2021.
According to the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism, The Islands of The Bahamas received 143,509 stopover visitors in July 2021, 21.4% more than the 118,195 stopovers received in June 2021,
The 143,509 stopovers received in July 2021 were 72.1% of the 198,971 stopovers received in July 2019.
The Bahamas closed its borders to foreign visitors as of March 24th 2020 and re—opened its borders as of July 1st 2020. Consequently, The Bahamas received 24,551 stopover visitors in July 2020.
Of the 143,509 stopover visitors who arrived in July, 136,492 (95.1%) were from the USA with 971 coming from Canada and 1,428 from Europe.
During July 102,529 stopovers stayed in Nassau/Paradise Island, that is 71.4% of all stopovers, with 6,704 stopovers (4.7%) staying in Grand Bahama, and 34,276 stopovers (23.9%) staying in The Out Islands.
During the first seven months of 2021 The Bahamas saw a 27.7% increase in the number of stopover visitors, growing from 411,350 stopover visitors in the first seven months of 2020 to 525,224 stopovers in the same seven months of 2021.
The number of visitors from the USA increased by 51.5% in the first seven months, growing from 330,190 stopovers in 2020 to 500,104 stopovers in the first seven months of 2021. The number from Canada fell by 93.4%, falling from 42,182 in 2020 to 2,805 in the first seven months of 2021, while the number from Europe fell by 68.9%, falling from 24,075 in 2020 to 7,484 in the first seven months of 2021.
Traffic from the USA in the first seven months of 2021 was 47.7% of the total from the USA in the first seven months of 2019.
Nassau/Paradise Island saw a 14.4% increase in the first seven months of 2021, growing from 311,969 stopovers in the first seven months of 2020 to 356,922 stopovers in the same seven months of 2021, while Grand Bahama Island saw a 23.2% increase in stopover traffic, growing from 20,055 stopovers in 2020 to 24,712 in the same seven months of 2021. Stopover traffic to the Out Islands increased by 81.0%, growing from 79,326 stopover visitors in 2020 to 143,590 in the first seven months of 2021.
Traffic to Nassau/Paradise Island in the first seven months of 2021 was 38.5% of the total for the same seven months of 2019 while traffic to Grand Bahama was 29.8% of the total for the same seven months of 2019, while traffic to the Out Islands was 55.2% of the total for the same seven months of 2019.
Please note these numbers are preliminary and may be subject to change.

Cuba announces it received 26,856 international stopover visitors in July 2021, 2.4% more than the 26,221 international visitors received in June 2021.
The Cuban Government’s Office of National Statistics and Information (ONEI) recently announced that total international tourist arrivals increased by 2.4% in July 2021, growing from 26,221 international stopover arrivals in June 2021 to 26,856 arrivals in July of this year. This number includes both stopover visitors and cruise visitors.
Cuba closed its borders to international tourist arrivals on March 20 2020 and consequently received just 1,474 international stopovers in July 2020.
The 26,856 stopovers received in July 2021 were just 9.1% of the 295,042 international visitors received in July 2019.
Cuba received 17,945 stopovers from Russia in July 2021, 68.4% of all stopovers received for the month.
In the first seven months of 2021 Cuba saw an 85.7% decrease in total international arrivals, falling from 986,673 arrivals in 2020 to 141,316 stopovers this year. The 141,316 arrivals were just 4.9% of the 2,856,761 international visitors received in the first seven months of 2019.
Total tourist arrivals from Canada fell by 98.9% in the first seven months of 2021, from 403,622 arrivals in 2020 to 4,369 in 2021. The number one source market in the first seven months of 2021 was Russia with 90,249 stopovers, 63.9% of all arrivals, up from just 6.4% of all such arrivals in the first seven months of 2020.

St. Vincent & The Grenadines received 1,260 stopovers in June 2021, 53.9% more than the 819 stopovers received in May 2021.
According to the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank, St. Vincent & The Grenadines saw a 53.9% increase in stopover visitor arrivals in June 2021, growing from 819 stopovers in May 2021 to 1,260 stopovers in June 2021.
St. Vincent & The Grenadines closed its borders to international visitor arrivals on March 27th 2020 and reopened its borders on July 1st 2020. St. Vincent & The Grenadines consequently received 52 stopover arrivals in June 2020.
The 1,260 stopovers received in June 2021 were 17.1% of the 7,382 stopovers received in June 2019.
St. Vincent & The Grenadines received 741 stopover arrivals from the USA in June 2021, 688% more than the 94 stopovers received from the USA in May 2021 with the 741 stopovers comprising 58.8% of all stopover arrivals in June 2021.
St. Vincent & The Grenadines also received 19 visitors who arrived by yacht in June 2021.
Through the first six months of 2021, St. Vincent & The Grenadines saw a 72.1% decrease in the number of stopover visitors, falling from 18,729 stopovers in the first six months of 2020 to 5,217 stopovers in the same six months of 2021.
The number of stopovers from the USA decreased by 68.0%, from 6,459 in the first six months of 2020 to 2,067 in the same six months of 2021 while the number of stopover visitors from the U.K. fell by 72.0% from 3,883 in 2020 to 1,086 stopovers in the same six months of 2021.
The 5,217 stopovers received in the first six months of 2021 were 12.0% of the 43,439 stopovers received in the first six months of 2019.
St. Vincent & The Grenadines also received 2,288 visitors who arrived by yacht in the first six months of 2021, a decrease of 90.2% compared with the first six months of 2020. The 2,288 yacht visitors were just 5.7% of the 40,074 visitors who arrived by yacht in the first six months of 2019.
St. Vincent & The Grenadines received no cruise visitors in the first six months of 2021.

St. Kitts & Nevis received 1,382 stopovers in June 2021, 8.6% more than the 1,272 stopovers received in May 2021.
According to the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank, St. Kitts & Nevis saw an 8.6% increase in stopover visitor arrivals in June 2021, growing from 1,272 stopovers in May 2021 to 1,382 stopovers in June 2021.
St. Kitts & Nevis closed its borders to international visitor arrivals on March 25th 2020 and did not re-open its borders until October 31st 2020. St. Kitts & Nevis consequently received 8 stopover arrivals in June 2020.
The 1,382 stopovers received in June 2021 were 10.7% of the 12,916 stopovers received in June 2019.
St. Kitts & Nevis received 1,152 stopover arrivals from the USA in June 2021, 10.0% more than the 1,047 stopovers received from the USA in May 2021 with the 1,152 stopovers comprising 83.4% of all stopover arrivals in June 2021.
Through the first six months of 2021, St. Kitts & Nevis saw a 77.3% decrease in the number of stopover visitors, falling from 27,874 stopovers in the first six months of 2020 to 6,314 stopovers in the same six months of 2021.
The number of stopovers from the USA decreased by 71.1%, from 17,777 in the first six months of 2020 to 5,136 in the same six months of 2021 while the number of stopover visitors from the U.K. fell by 94.5% from 2,062 in 2020 to 113 stopovers in the same six months of 2021.
The 6,314 stopovers received in the first six months of 2021 were 8.5% of the 74,417 stopovers received in the first six months of 2019.
St. Kitts & Nevis also received 8 visitors who arrived by yacht in the first six months of 2021, a decrease of 99.7% compared with the first six months of 2020. The 8 yacht visitors were just 0.2% of the 3,259 visitors who arrived by yacht in the first six months of 2019.
St. Kitts & Nevis received no cruise visitors in the first six months of 2021.

Dominica received 1,136 stopovers in June 2021, 39.2% more than the 816 stopovers received in May 2021.
According to the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank, Dominica saw a 39.2% increase in stopover visitor arrivals in June 2021, growing from 816 stopovers in May 2021 to 1,136 stopovers in June 2021.
Dominica closed its borders to international visitor arrivals on March 26th 2020 and re-opened its borders on August 7th 2020. Dominica consequently received 1 stopover arrival in June 2020.
The 1,136 stopovers received in June 2021 were 17.9% of the 6,359 stopovers received in June 2019.
Dominica received 572 stopover arrivals from the USA in June 2021, 82.2% more than the 314 stopovers received from the USA in May 2021 with the 572 stopovers comprising 50.4% of all stopover arrivals in June 2021.
Dominica also received 54 visitors in June who arrived by yacht.
Through the first six months of 2021, Dominica saw a 74.7% decrease in the number of stopover visitors, falling from 18,368 stopovers in the first six months of 2020 to 4,643 stopovers in the same six months of 2021.
The number of stopovers from the USA decreased by 49.1%, from 3,503 in the first six months of 2020 to 1,783 in the same six months of 2021 while the number of stopover visitors from the U.K. fell by 77.4% from 1,250 in 2020 to 282 stopovers in the same six months of 2021.
The 4,643 stopovers received in the first six months of 2021 were 10.7% of the 43,303 stopovers received in the first six months of 2019.
Dominica also received 316 visitors who arrived by yacht in the first six months of 2021, a decrease of 94.8% compared with the first six months of 2020. The 316 yacht visitors were just 3.4% of the 9,289 visitors who arrived by yacht in the first six months of 2019.
Dominica received no cruise visitors in the first six months of 2021.

Grenada received 4,192 stopovers in June 2021, 59.9% more than the 2,621 stopovers received in May 2021.
According to the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank, Grenada saw a 59.9% increase in stopover visitor arrivals in June 2021, growing from 2,621 stopovers in May 2021 to 4,192 stopovers in June 2021.
Grenada closed its borders to international visitor arrivals on March 10th 2020 and re-opened its borders on July 15th 2020. Grenada consequently received 30 stopover arrivals in June 2020.
The 4,192 stopovers received in June 2021 were 34.0% of the 12,346 stopovers received in June 2019.
Grenada received 2,705 stopover arrivals from the USA in June 2021, 55.5% more than the 1,739 stopovers received from the USA in May 2021 with the 2.705 stopovers comprising 64.5% of all stopover arrivals in June 2021.
Grenada also received 1,236 visitors in June who arrived by yacht.
Through the first six months of 2021, Grenada saw a 73.1% decrease in the number of stopover visitors, falling from 37,287 stopovers in the first six months of 2020 to 10,027 stopovers in the same six months of 2021.
The number of stopovers from the USA decreased by 59.7%, from 14,581 in the first six months of 2020 to 5,873 in the same six months of 2021 while the number of stopover visitors from the U.K. fell by 95.2% from 6,098 in 2020 to 291 stopovers in the same six months of 2021.
The 10,027 stopovers received in 2021 were 12.2% of the 82,399 stopovers received in the first six months of 2019.
Grenada also received 1,184 visitors who arrived by yacht in the first six months of 2021, a decrease of 87.0% compared with the first six months of 2020. The 1,184 yacht visitors were just 7.7% of the 15,318 visitors who arrived by yacht in the first six months of 2019.
Grenada received no cruise visitors in the first six months of 2021.

Hawaii reports the state received 879,551 out-of-state tourists in July, up 11.2% compared with June 2021.
According to the Hawaii Tourism Authority, Hawaii saw the volume of air arrivals increase by 11.2% in July 2021, growing from 791,053 air arrivals received in June 2021 to 879,551 arrivals in July 2021. Total spending for visitors arriving in July 2021 was $1.58 billion, up 9.7% compared with June 2021.
During July 2021, most passengers arriving from out-of-state and traveling inter-county could bypass the State’s mandatory 10-day self-quarantine with a valid negative COVID-19 NAAT test result from a Trusted Testing Partner prior to their departure to Hawai‘i through the Safe Travels program. In addition, individuals who were fully vaccinated in the United States could bypass the quarantine order beginning July 8. There were no inter-county travel restrictions in July.
April 2020 was the first full month of travel restrictions to keep the community safe, following the State of Hawai‘i’s 14-day mandatory travel quarantine for all passengers (effective March 26, 2020). The state’s seven counties enforced strict stay-at-home orders and curfews during July and consequently the number of out of state air arrivals was just 22,562 for July 2020.
The 879,551 arrivals received in July 2021 were 88.4% of the 995,210 arrivals received in July 2019.
Hawaii received 851,450 air arrivals from the mainland USA in July 2021, 96.8% of the overall total, 1,999 arrivals from Canada, 2,817 arrivals from Japan and 23,285 air arrivals from other markets.
Through the first seven months of 2021 Hawaii saw a 69.0% increase in the volume of air arrivals, growing from 2,149,005 air arrivals in the first seven months of 2020 to 3,631,400 air arrivals in the same seven months of 2021.
Air arrivals in the first seven months of 2021 were 59.6% of the 6,089,357 received in the first seven months of 2019.
For the first seven months of 2021, total visitor spending was estimated to be $6.59 billion, 62.7% of the $10.524 billion spent in the first seven months of 2019. Person per trip spending grew by 5.2% from $1,728.30 per person pert rip in the first seven months of 2019 to $1,817.40 per person per trip in the first seven months of 2021.
Air arrivals from the USA increased by 139.5% in the first seven months of 2021, growing from 1,472,076 air arrivals in 2020 to 3,525,269 air arrivals in the same seven months of 2021, fell by 96.5% from Japan (from 294,348 arrivals in 2020 to 10,265 air arrivals in 2021) and fell by 95.2% from Canada (from 155,915 in 2020 to 7,432 air arrivals in 2021).

Hawaii’s hotels report a 5.4 percentage point increase in average room occupancy in July to reach 82.4%
According to the Hawai‘i Hotel Performance Report published by the Hawai‘i Tourism Authority (HTA), statewide hotel room occupancy grew by 5.4 percentage points from 77.0% in June 2021 to 82.4% in July of this year. ADR increased by 14.8% from $320.30 in June to $367.81 in July, while revpar grew by 22.8%, from $246.75 in June 2021 to $303.01 in July of this year.
Hawai‘i’s quarantine order for travelers due to the COVID-19 pandemic began on March 26, 2020, which immediately resulted in dramatic declines for the hotel industry. Many properties closed or reduced operations starting in April 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The hotel sector posted an average room occupancy of 22.3% in July 2020.
Hawai‘i hotel room revenues statewide grew by 29.0%, from $387.7 million in June 2021 to $550.2 million in July 2021. Room demand grew by 12.4%, from 1,210,300 room nights in June to 1,359,800 room nights in July while room supply grew by 5.1% from 1,571,100 room nights in June to 1,650,600 room nights in July.
In July 2021, most passengers arriving from out-of-state and traveling inter-county could bypass the State’s mandatory 10-day self-quarantine with a valid negative COVID-19 NAAT test result from a Trusted Testing Partner prior to their departure through the Safe Travels program. In addition, individuals who were fully vaccinated in the United States could bypass the quarantine order beginning July 8th.
For the first seven months of 2021 statewide hotel room occupancy increased by 4.9 percentage points from 48.4% in 2020 to 53.3% in the first seven months of 2021. ADR increased by 9.9% from $282.88 in 2020 to $310.88 while revpar grew by 21.1%, from $136.86 in the first seven months of 2020 to $165.75 in the first seven months of this year.
In the first seven months of 2021, Hawai‘i hotel room revenues statewide increased by 59.6% from $1.129 billion in 2020 to $1.802 billion in the first seven months of this year. Room demand increased by 45.2%, to 5,795,000 room nights in the same seven months. Room supply grew by 31.7% to 10,869,100 available room nights also in the first seven months.
The Hawai‘i Hotel Performance Report is produced using hotel survey data compiled by STR, Inc., the largest survey of its kind in Hawai‘i. The survey generally excludes properties with under 20 lodging units, such as small bed and breakfasts, youth hostels, single-family vacation rentals, cottages, individually rented vacation condominiums and sold timeshare units no longer available for hotel use. The data has been weighted both geographically and by class of property to compensate for any over and/or under representation of hotel survey participants by location and type.
For July, the survey included 141 properties representing 45,575 rooms, or 84.3% of all lodging properties and 85.6% of operating lodging properties with 20 rooms or more in the Hawaiian Islands, including full service, limited service, and condominium hotels.
The July 2021 survey included 73 properties on O‘ahu representing 28,270 rooms (94.9% of operating properties); 38 properties in the County of Maui, representing 9,398 rooms (73.5% of operating properties); 15 properties on the island of Hawai‘i, representing 4,760 rooms (71.4% of operating properties); and 15 properties on Kaua‘i, representing 3,147 rooms (78.8% of operating properties).

Las Vegas saw an 11.2% increase in visitors in July 2021 compared with June 2021.
According to the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, Las Vegas saw the volume of visitors increase by 11.2% in July 2021, growing from 2,971,000 arrivals in June 2021 to 3,302,400 in July of 2021.
The state of Nevada ordered the closure of all casinos as of March 17 2020 but re-opened all casinos as of July 4th 2020. Consequently, Las Vegas received 1,438,000 visitors in July 2020.
The 3,302,400 arrivals received in July 2021 were 89.6% of the 3,685,900 arrivals received in July 2019.
Las Vegas had a weighted average of 150,169 open hotel rooms in July 2021 (up 21.4% compared with July 2020) and achieved an average city-wide room occupancy of 79.4% (42.5% in July 2020), an ADR of $152.13 and a RevPar of $120.79.
Through the first seven months of 2021 Las Vegas saw a 50.3% increase in the volume of visitors, growing from 11,170,800 arrivals in the first seven months of 2020 to 16,789,700 visitors in the same seven months of 2021. The total number of visitors for the first seven months of 2021 was 67.6% of the 24,825,400 received in the first seven months of 2019.
Las Vegas achieved an average city-wide room occupancy of 60.4% in the first seven months of 2021 (up 17.6 percentage points compared with the first seven months of 2020), an ADR of $120.38 (down 9.6% compared with the same seven months of 2020) and a RevPar of $72.71, up 27.5%, also compared with the same seven months of 2020.
Gaming revenue increased by 82.9% in the first seven months of 2021, from $3.411 billion in 2020 to $6.238 billion in the same seven months of 2021. Gaming revenue in the first seven months of 2021 was 3.1% higher than the $6.049 billion in gaming revenue generated in the first seven months of 2019.

Aruba Airport Authority reports 109,318 departing passengers in July 2021, 29.0% more than the 84,754 handled in June 2021.
The Aruba Airport Authority (AAA) reports that in July 2021 109,318 Revenue Generating Passengers (RGPs) travelled out of the Queen Beatrix International Airport (AUA Airport) to its various markets. This was 29.0% more than the 84,754 RGPs handled in June 2021.
A revenue generating passenger is an outbound traveler leaving Aruba and includes tourists returning to their homes as well as Arubans departing for trips overseas.
While Aruba reopened to travel to and from Bonaire and Curacao as of June 15th 2020 the country did not reopen to travel from Europe, Canada, and the Caribbean until July 1st 2020 and from the USA until July 10th 2020. Consequently, the airport had just 11,176 RGPs in July 2020.
The airport also handled 6,993 passengers in transit in July 2021 as well as 182 transferring passengers.
In July 2021 91,715 passengers (pax) travelled to the USA, 0 pax to Canada, 7,697 pax to Europe, 6,311 pax to Latin America and 3,595 pax to the Dutch Caribbean.
The airlines provided 133,094 outbound seats in July 2021, 90.9% of the 146,443 seats provided in July 2019.
Airlines flying to the USA in July experienced an average load factor of 90.6% There were no flights to Canada while flights to Europe averaged a 79.5% load factor, while the overall average load factor for all flights for July was 88.1%.
In the first seven months of 2021 the airport handled a total of 458,261 RGPs, up 53.1% compared with the 299,379 handled in the first seven months of 2020. Traffic to the USA increased by 41.6%, from 217,967 RGPs in the first seven months of 2020 to 390,359 in the same seven months of 2021. Traffic to Canada fell by 94.9% to 901 RGPs, while traffic to Europe increased by 47.5%, from 20,254 RGPS in the first seven months of 2020 to 29,883 RGPs this year.
Seat capacity through the first seven months of 2021 increased by 76.9% compared with the same seven months of 2020, from 414,553 available seats in 2020 to 733,253 seats in 2021.
The overall average load factor of outbound flights fell from 84.6% in the first seven months of 2019 to 67.1% in the same seven months of 2021. The average load factor of flights to the USA fell from 85.3% in the first seven months of 2019 to 63.1% in the same seven months of 2021.
The AAA has estimated it will receive a total of 1,344,598 seats for the whole of 2021, 79.0% of the 1,701,062 available seats received in 2019.
The AAA pointed out these seat projections are subject to change.

The Dominican Republic’s hotels averaged 53.6% room occupancy during July 2021.
According to ASONAHORES, the hotel and tourism association of the Dominican Republic, the hotels of the Dominican Republic posted an overall average hotel room occupancy of 53.6% in July 2021, up 3.9 percentage points from the 49.7% achieved in June 2021. The Dominican Republic’s hotels achieved an average room occupancy of 69.7% in July 2019.
At a regional level the hotels in Punta Cana posted an average room occupancy of 52.5% for July 2021, with hotels in Puerto Plate averaging 52.8% and hotels in Santo Domingo averaging 53.1%, also in July of this year.
The hotel sector posted a combined overall average occupancy of 41.9% for the first seven months of 2021 compared with 78.2% for the first seven months of 2019.
At a regional level during the first seven months of the year, the destination Santiago de los Caballeros recorded the highest occupancy rate at 51.8%, being also the only destination to exceed 50 percentage points. Samana’s hotels posted an overall average room occupancy of 45.3% with the Roman–Bayahibe area posting an average occupancy of 45.9%. Punta Cana’s hotels posted an average hotel room occupancy of 42.0% in the first seven months of 2021 while the hotels in Puerto Plata posted an overall average of 38.9%. Hotels in Santo Domingo posted an average room occupancy of 44.5% for the first seven months of 2021.

Belize received 27,668 stopover visitors in July 2021, up 5.5% from the 26,215 received in June 2021.
According to the Belize Tourism Board, Belize received 27,668 stopover visitors in July 2021, up 5.5% from the 26,215 received in June 2021.
Belize closed its borders as of April 5th 2020 and consequently just received 621 stopover visitors in July 2020. The country reopened to visitors in October 2020.
The 27,668 stopover visitors received in July 2021 were 61.2% of the 45,196 stopover visitors received in July 2019.
Belize received 24,549 stopover arrivals from the USA in July 2021, 692 from Europe, 133 from Mexico and 283 from Canada.
Belize received four (4) cruise ship calls in July with 11,401 cruise visitors. July was the first month in 2021 the cruise port in Belize re-opened to cruise visitors.
In the first seven months of 2021 Belize saw the number of stopovers fall by 4.6%, from 125,398 visitors in the first seven months of 2020 to 119,595 in the first seven months of 2021. The 119,595 visitors received in 2021 were 36.3% of the 329,762 received in the first seven months of 2019.
Stopovers from the USA increased by 31.6% in the first seven months of 2021, from 78,165 in 2020 to 102,872 in the same seven months of 2021. Stopovers from Canada fell by 91.2% in the first seven months, to 1,227 arrivals while stopovers from Europe fell by 83.1% in the same seven months, to 2,652 arrivals.

The Maldives reports it received 101,818 stopover visitor arrivals in July, up 81.3% compared with June 2021.
The Maldives Government’s Ministry of Tourism recently announced that The Maldives received 101,818 stopover visitors in July 2021, up 81.3% from the 56,166 stopovers received in June 2021, and only 7.1% less than the 109,585 stopovers received in March 2021.
The Maldives closed its borders to tourist arrivals on March 27th 2020 and re-opened to all tourists as of July 15th 2020. Consequently, the Maldives received just 1,752 stopover visitors in July 2020.
The 101,818 stopovers received in July 2021 were 77.1% of the 132,144 stopovers received in July 2019.
In July 2021 Russia was the number one source market and generated 18,153 stopovers of the total overall stopovers (17.8%) while India was the number two source market and generated 13,520 stopovers (13.3%). The Maldives re-opened its borders to visitors from India as of July 15th 2021.
Other markets which generated significant business in July were Saudi Arabia (9,626 visitors), Germany (6,079 visitors), the USA (5,837 visitors), and the Spain (5,046 visitors).
In the first seven months of 2021 The Maldives saw a 59.2% increase in total arrivals, growing from 384,569 stopovers in the first seven months of 2020 to 612,367 stopovers in the same seven months of 2021 with Russia (142,804 visitors) and India (103,195 visitors) being, by far, the two largest source markets in these seven months.
The 612,367 visitors received in the first seven months of 2021 was 61.6% of the 994,733 visitors received in the first seven months of 2019.
The Maldives saw the overall number of accommodation establishments in operation grow by 64.2% from an average of 425 in the first seven months of 2020 to an average of 698 establishments in the same seven months of 2021. The number of beds grew by 86.7% from 25,168 in the first seven months of 2020 to 46,993 this year.
It should be noted many accommodation establishments closed in April 2020 consequent upon the closure of the borders.
Through the end of July 2021 overall average room occupancy had grown by 21.5 percentage points from 28.1% in 2020 to 49.6% for the first seven months of this year.
Of the 698 establishments in operation 151 were resorts which offered 35,555 beds (75.7% of the overall number of beds). These resorts achieved a 57.0% average room occupancy through the first seven months of 2021 up from 32.0% for the first seven months of 2020. Through the first seven months of 2020 there was an average of 81 resorts in operation offering 18,670 beds.

Saint Lucia received 25,252 stopovers in July 2021, 18.2% more than the 21,357 stopovers received in June 2021.
According to the Ministry of Tourism and Investment, Saint Lucia saw an 18.2% increase in stopover visitor arrivals in July 2021, growing from 21,357 stopovers in June 2021 to 25,252 stopovers in July 2021.
Saint Lucia also received 1,222 cruise visitors in July from 6 cruise ship calls. Saint Lucia reopened its ports to cruise ships in June 2021.
Saint Lucia closed its borders to international visitor arrivals on March 23rd 2020 and re-opened its borders in June 2020. Saint Lucia consequently received 1,959 stopover arrivals in July 2020.
The 25,252 stopovers received in July 2021 were 59.0% of the 42,773 stopovers received in July 2019.
Saint Lucia received 22,028 stopover arrivals from the USA in July 2021, 12.7% more than the 19,553 stopovers received in June 2021 with the 22,028 stopovers comprising 87.2% of all stopover arrivals in July 2021.
Through the first seven months of 2021, Saint Lucia saw a 3.9% decrease in the number of stopover visitors, falling from 93,358 stopovers in the first seven months of 2020 to 89,734 stopovers in the same seven months of 2021.
The number of stopovers from the USA increased by 90.2%, from 42,907 in the first seven months of 2020 to 81,626 in the same seven months of 2021 while the number of stopover visitors from the U.K. fell by 70.3% from 18,401 in 2020 to 5,462 stopovers in the same seven months of 2021.
The 89,734 stopovers received in 2021 were 34.2% of the 262,381 stopovers received in the first seven months of 2019.
Saint Lucia received 1,636 cruise visitors in 2021 compared with 297,885 received in 2020 and received 784 visitors who arrived by yacht compared with 21,265 in the first seven months of 2020.

Costa Rica received 154,706 stopover arrivals in July 2021, 24.1% more than the 124,670 stopovers received in June 2021.
According to the Costa Rica Institute of Tourism (ICT), Costa Rica received 154,706 stopovers in July 2021, 24.1% more than the 124,670 stopovers received in June 2021.
Costa Rica closed its borders to international arrivals as of March 19th 2020 and consequently received just 1,022 stopovers in July 2020.
The 154,706 stopovers received in July 2021 were 57.4% of the 269,376 stopovers received in July 2019.
Costa Rica received 111,353 stopovers from the USA in July, 72.0% of the overall total, and 7,282 stopovers from Central America. Costa Rica’s land borders reopened as of April 5th 2021.
The volume of stopovers decreased by 24.0% in the first seven months of 2021, falling from 883,044 stopovers in the first seven months of 2020 to 671,229 stopovers in the first seven months of 2021. The 671,229 stopovers was 33.6% of the 1,995,339 stopovers received in the first seven months of 2019.
The number of stopovers from the USA increased by 34.2% in the first seven months of 2021, from 356,645 stopovers in 2020 to 478,709 in 2021 while the number from Central America declined by 84.2%, falling from 190,859 in the first seven months of 2020 to 38,657 in the same seven months of 2021.
The share of visitors from the USA grew from 40.4% in the first seven months of 2020 to 71.3% in the first seven months of 2021.

Florida received 31,693,000 tourist arrivals in the second quarter of 2021, 223% more than the 9,799,000 received in the second quarter of 2020.
Visit Florida’s Research Department recently announced that the state of Florida saw a 223% increase in the number of tourist arrivals in the second quarter of 2021, with total arrivals growing from 9,799,000 in the second quarter of 2020 to 31,693,000 arrivals in the second quarter of 2021. These numbers are preliminary and subject to change.
Domestic arrivals were up by 216%, from 9,674,000 arrivals in the second quarter of 2020 to 30,563,000 in the second quarter of 2021, while arrivals from Canada grew by 87.5% from 8,000 in the second quarter of 2020 to 15,000 in the same quarter of 2021. Arrivals from overseas grew by 853%, from 117,000 arrivals in the second quarter of 2020 to 1,115,000 in the same three months of 2021.
Through the first six months of 2021 Florida saw total visitor arrivals grow by 44.8%, from 39,945,000 in the first half of 2020 to 57,855,000 in the same six months of 2021. Domestic arrivals grew by 53.1%, from 36,654,000 in the first half of 2020 to 56,127,000 in the same six months of 2021. Arrivals from Canada fell by 96% to 49,000 visitors while visitors from overseas fell by 18.4% from 2,058,000 visitors in the first half of 2020 to 1,679,000 in the first half of 2021.
By comparison with the first half of 2019 total arrivals fell by 15.2%, from 68,197,000 in the first six months of 2019 to 57,855,000 in the same six months of 2021. International traffic fell by 68.9%, from 5,394,000 visitors in 2019 to 1,679,000 in 2021 while traffic from Canada fell by 97.9%, from 2,361,000 visitors in the first half of 2019 to 49,000 visitors in the same six months of 2021.

Bermuda announces it received 16,438 air visitor arrivals in the second quarter of 2021, 18.3% of the 89,620 received in the 2nd quarter of 2019.
The Bermuda Tourism Authority recently released its second quarter 2021 tourist arrival numbers and announced that Bermuda received 16,438 air visitors in the second quarter of 2021, 13,174 more than the 3,264 received in the first quarter of 2021 but just 18.3% of the 89,620 air arrivals received in the second quarter of 2019.
Bermuda received 1,090 visitors arriving by yacht in the second quarter of 2021, 49.4% of the 2,208 visitors arriving by yacht in the second quarter of 2019. There were no visitors who arrived by cruise ship in the second quarter of 2021.
The 15,064 air visitors received from the number one market the USA in the second quarter of 2021 was 21.9% of the 68,725 visitors received from that market in the second quarter of 2019.
Through the first six months of 2021 Bermuda received 19,702 air visitors 17.7% fewer than the 23,939 visitors who arrived by air in the first six months of 2020 but just 15.4% of the 127,969 visitors who arrived by air in the first six months of 2019. Bermuda received 17,465 air visitors from the USA in the first half of 2021, 18.3% of the 95,344 air visitors received from the USA in the first half of 2019.
Bermuda received 1,167 visitors who arrived by yacht in the first six months of 2021 51.0% more than the 773 who arrived by yacht in the first six months of 2020, but 48.4% of the 2,414 visitors wo arrived by yacht in the first six months of 2019.
No visitors arrived by cruise ship in the first half of 2021.

Aruba received 100,178 stopover visitors in July 2021, 18.4% more than the 84,592 stopovers received in June 2021.
According to Aruba Tourism Authority, Aruba received 100,178 stopover arrivals in July 2021, 18.4% more than the 84,592 stopovers it received in June 2021.
Aruba closed its borders to tourist arrivals as of March 17th 2020 and re-opened only to visitors from Curacao and Bonaire as of June 15th 2020 and then to visitors from Europe, Canada, and the Caribbean as of July 1st 2020. Aruba re-opened to visitors from the USA on July 10th 2020. Consequently, there were just 12,921 stopover visitors in July 2020.
The 100,178 stopovers received in July 2021 were 96.8% of the 103,464 stopovers received in July 2019.
Compared with 2019, stopover arrivals from the USA increased by 8.9%, growing from 79,725 arrivals in July 2019 to 86,789 arrivals in July 2021. Arrivals from the USA comprised 86.6% of all arrivals in July 2021 up from 77.1% in July 2019.
Arrivals from Canada dropped by 86.9%, from 2,692 in July 2019 to 353 stopovers in July 2021. Arrivals from the Netherlands grew by 38.7%, from 3,671 in July 2019 to 5,091 in July this year.
Aruba re-opened its ports to visitors in June of this year and during July 2021 received four cruise ship calls and a total of 6,930 cruise passengers.
In the first seven months of 2021 Aruba saw a 76.5% increase in the number of stopover visitors, growing from 241,673 visitors in the first seven months of 2020 to 426,565 visitors in the first seven months of this year. The number of stopovers from the USA grew by 103.3% during the first seven months, from 185,108 in 2020 to 376,290 through the end of July 2021.
Compared with the first seven months of 2019, the 426,565 stopover visitors received in the first seven months of 2021 was 62.8% of the 679,113 stopovers received in the first seven months of 2019. There were 376,290 stopovers from the USA in the first seven months of 2021, 73.1% of the 515,068 received from the USA in the first seven months of 2019.
The number of visitors staying in hotels in the first seven months of 2021 declined by 44.5% compared with the same seven months of 2019, falling from 350,892 visitors in 2019 to 194,781 in the same seven months of 2021. The share of visitors staying in hotels fell from 51.7% in the first seven months of 2019 to 45.7% in the same seven months of 2021.
In the first seven months of 2021 140,936 visitors used timeshare accommodation, 78.0% of the 180,579 visitors who used such accommodation in the first seven months of 2019, with the sector’s share growing from 26.6% in 2019 to 33.0% in 2021.
The total number of visitors staying in timeshare resorts grew by 124.8% in the first seven months of 2021 compared with the same seven months of 2020.
Visitors using other accommodation – private homes, condominiums, short term rental accommodation and apartments – fell by 38.5% when comparing the first seven months of 2019 with the same seven months of 2021 from 147,642 visitors in 2019 to 90,848 in 2021, with the share dropping from 21.7% in 2019 to 21.3% in 2021.
In the first seven months of 2021 the primary carrier was JetBlue which brought in 124,232 non-resident visitors, 29.1% of all stopover arrivals, while American Airlines brought in 109,815 non-resident visitors, 25.7% of all visitors. United Airlines brought in 69,925 visitors with Delta carrying 49,781 arrivals. These four carriers brought in 82.9% of all visitors in the first seven months of 2021.
Aruba received 7 cruise ship calls in 2021 with 8,519 cruise passengers compared with the 98 calls cruise ships made in 2020 and 255,384 passengers.

Punta Cana received 245,589 tourists in July 2021, 27.6% more than the 192,417 received in June 2021.
According to the Central Bank of the Dominican Republic, Punta Cana, in the Dominican Republic, saw the volume of non-resident stopover arrivals increase by 27.6% in July, growing from 192,417 arrivals in June 2021 to 245,589 in July 2021.
The volume of arrivals in July 2021 was 78.9% of the 311,038 stopovers received by Punta Cana in July 2019.
The Dominican Republic closed its borders to international tourist arrivals as of March 19th 2020 and re-opened to tourists as of July 1st 2020. Consequently, Punta Cana received 17,871 visitors in July 2020.
Punta Cana received 160,278 stopover arrivals from the USA in July 2021, 6.6% more than the 150,391 stopovers received in June 2021.
The Dominican Republic currently has limited restrictions for entry to the country.
During the first seven months of 2021 Punta Cana saw a 28.2% increase in the volume of stopover arrivals, growing from 759,973 arrivals in the first seven months of 2020 to 973,993 non-resident arrivals in the first seven months of 2021. However, the total for 2021 was just 40.6% of the 2,401,030 stopovers received in the first seven months of 2019.
Arrivals from the USA increased by 215.4% in the first seven months of 2021, growing from 211,687 arrivals in the first seven months of 2020 to 667,764 arrivals in the same seven months of 2021. Traffic was down 95.8% from Canada, falling from 227,147 arrivals in the first seven months of 2020 to just 9,527 arrivals in the first seven months of 2021. Traffic was also down 96.4% from the UK, falling from 26,319 arrivals in 2020 to just 955 stopovers in the first seven months of 2021.
Traffic was down 54.6% from France, down 63.9% from Argentina, down 37.9% from Brazil, and down 19.5% from Germany.
In the first seven months of 2021, stopover arrivals to Punta Cana made up 39.6% of all non-resident arrivals to the Dominican Republic compared with 49.7% in the same seven months of 2020.

The Dominican Republic received 563,987 non-resident visitors in July, 21.9% more than the 462,536 stopovers received in June.
According to the Central Bank of the Dominican Republic, the Dominican Republic received 563,987 non-resident stopover arrivals in July 2021, 21.9% more than the 462,536 stopovers it received in June 2021.
The Dominican Republic closed its borders to international tourist arrivals as of March 19th 2020 and re-opened to international visitors as of July 1st 2020 and consequently received just 135,163 stopovers in July 2020.
The 563,987 arrivals received in July 2021 were 95.4% of the 591,348 stopovers received in July 2019.
The Dominican Republic received 286,650 stopover arrivals from the USA in July 2021, 6.9% more than the 268,140 stopovers received from the USA in June 2021.
26.9% of the non-resident arrivals in July 2021 were Dominicans living abroad and returning to the Dominican Republic compared with 60.0% in July 2020.
In the first seven months of 2021 the Dominican Republic saw a 61.0% increase in the volume of stopover arrivals, growing from 1,529,254 arrivals in the first seven months of 2020 to 2,461,630 non-resident arrivals in the same seven months of 2021.
Non-resident arrivals from the USA increased by 200.0% in the first seven months of 2021, growing from 401,647 arrivals in 2020 to 1,204,769 arrivals from the USA in the first seven months of 2021. Stopover arrivals from Canada fell by 96.1%, from 339,836 in the first seven months of 2020 to 13,167 in the same seven months of 2021.
The 2,461,630 stopovers received in the first seven months of 2021 were 59.1% of the 4,166,646 stopovers received in the first seven months of 2019.
In the first seven months of 2021 30.5% of all non-resident tourists arriving in the Dominican Republic were non-resident Dominicans returning home, up from 18.7% in the same seven months of 2020.

AHATA reports Aruba’s hotels achieved a 79.7% average room occupancy in July 2021.
The Aruba Hotel and Tourism Association reports that average hotel room occupancy in July 2021 was 79.7%, 10.2 percentage points higher than the 69.5% achieved in June 2021.
Aruba closed its orders to international travel as of March 17 2020 but re-opened to visitors from Canada, Europe, and the Caribbean as of July 1st 2020 and from the USA as July 10th 2020. Consequently, Aruba’s hotels achieved a 7.5% average room occupancy in July 2020.
Compared with July 2019, the average room occupancy in July 2021 was 8.9 percentage points lower, falling from 88.6% in July 2019 to 79.7% in July this year.
ADR was $258.07 in July 2021, 4.3% higher than in July 2019, and revpar was $205.74 6.1% lower than in July 2019.
Aruba’s timeshare resorts reported an average occupancy of 87% in July 2021.
Through the first seven months of 2021 AHATA reports that Aruba’s hotels achieved an average room occupancy of 50.3% compared with 31.3% for the first seven months of 2020. Again, compared with the first seven months of 2020, ADR fell by 28.9% to $257.34 with RevPAR increasing by 14.4% to $129.45.
By comparison with the first seven months of 2019 average room occupancy was 36.3 percentage points lower in 2021, while ADR fell by 12.2%, and revpar was 48.9% lower.

Antigua and Barbuda received 23,405 stopovers in July 2021, 58.9% more than the 14,732 received in June 2021.
According to the Ministry of Tourism and Investment, Antigua and Barbuda saw a 58.9% increase in stopover visitor arrivals in July 2021, growing from 14,732 stopovers received in June 2021 to 23,405 stopovers this July.
Antigua and Barbuda re-opened its borders to international travel as of June 4th 2020 and consequently received 4,022 visitors in July 2020 up from the 2,677 received in June 2020.
The 23,405 stopovers received In July 2021 were 1.6% more than the 23,031 stopovers Antigua received in July 2019.
The 15,350 stopover visitors received from the USA in July 2021 were 23.9% higher than the 12,391 stopovers received from the USA in June and comprised 65.6% of all stopovers received in July. Antigua also received 6,521 stopover visitors from the U.K. in July.
Through the first seven months of 2021, Antigua and Barbuda saw a 10.6% decrease in the number of stopover visitors, falling from 90,049 stopovers in the first seven months of 2020 to 80,509 stopovers in the same seven months of 2021.
The number of stopovers from the USA increased by 51.4%, from 40,352 stopovers in the first seven months of 2020 to 61,081 stopovers in the same seven months of 2021 while the number of stopover visitors from the U.K. fell by 40.9%, from 20,836 in 2020 to 12,306 stopovers in the same seven months of 2021.
By comparison with the first seven months of 2019 the number of stopovers decreased by 56.3%, falling from 184,319 in 2019 to 80,509 in the same seven months of 2021.

Mauritius announces it received 1,242 stopover visitors in July, 962 more than the 280 received in June 2021.
The Mauritius Government’s Ministry of Finance and Economic Development recently reported that total stopover arrivals increased by 962 stopovers in July 2021, from 280 arrivals received in June 2021 to 1,242 arrivals in July of this year. This number includes both air and sea stopover visitors. Mauritius re-entered a hard lock-down in March 2021 consequent upon an increase in local Covid19 infections but re-opened to international travellers on the 15 July 2021 as part of a two-phase programme.
Mauritius closed its borders to all international arrivals as of March 19th 2020 and consequently received just 45 stopovers in July 2020.
Mauritius received 115,448 stopovers in July 2019.
From 15 July to 30 September 2021, vaccinated travellers will be admitted for a resort-based holiday on the island and must stay within their chosen resort premises. All travellers must have proof of a negative PCR test prior to travel and will tested again on arrival. Further tests will be taken on day 7 and 14 of their resort holiday if applicable. Phase 2 begins on 1 October 2021, allowing vaccinated travellers entry without restrictions upon presentation of a negative PCR test taken within 72 hours before departure.
In the first seven months of 2021 Mauritius saw a 98.5% decrease in total stopover arrivals, falling from 304,926 arrivals in 2020 to 4,467 arrivals in the first seven months of this year. Mauritius received 765,530 stopovers through the first seven months of 2019.

Curacao reports it received 34,212 stopover arrivals in July 2021, 61.2% more than the 21,223 received in June of this year.
According to the Curaçao Tourist Board, Curaçao saw a 61.2% increase in stopover visitor arrivals in July, growing from 21,223 stopovers received in June 2021 to 34,212 stopovers received in July of this year. The 34,212 stopovers received in July 2021 were 91.9% of the 37,249 stopovers received in July 2019.
Curaçao closed its borders to international visitors as of March 17th 2020 and reopened its borders to visitors from Europe and the Caribbean as of July 1st 2020. Consequently, Curaçao received just 8,195 stopover visitors in July 2020.
Curacao received 22,249 stopover visitors from the Netherlands in July 2021 and 5,194 stopovers from the USA, 65.0% and 15.2% of all stopovers, respectively.
Curacao received six cruise ship calls with 7,630 cruise visitors in July 2021. The island re-opened to cruise traffic in June 2021.
In the first seven months of 2021 Curaçao saw a 22.2% decrease in the number of stopover visitors, falling from 118,054 visitors in 2020 to 91,853 visitors in the first seven months of this year.
The number of stopovers from the USA declined by 18.1% during the first seven months, falling from 21,138 in 2020 to 17,316 in the first seven months of 2021. The number of stopovers from the Netherlands increased by 4.9%, growing from 50,839 visitors during the first seven months of 2020, to 53,332 in the first seven months of 2021.
The 91,853 stopovers received in the first seven months of 2021 was 33.4% of the 275,021 stopovers received in the same seven months of 2019.

In July 2021 Cancun saw its hotels achieve an average hotel room occupancy of 63.9% up 0.9 percentage points from the 63.0% reported for June.
Sedetur, the Department of Tourism of the state of Quintana Roo, recently released the hotel occupancy numbers for the hotels in Cancun/Puerto Morelos and Riviera Maya for July 2021.
In July, the hotels in Cancun/Puerto Morelos saw a 0.9 percentage point increase in average hotel room occupancy from 63.0% in June 2021 to 63.9% in July of this year.
Cancun’s hotels reported an average hotel room occupancy of 23.7% in July 2020.
It should be noted that as of mid-March 2020 the hotels saw a sharp drop in average room occupancies for the second half of the month as strict restrictions on international travel came into effect and the hotels saw very limited business in April, May, June, and July 2020.
The 63.9% average room occupancy for July 2021 was 18.4 percentage points lower than the 82.3% achieved in July 2019.
The hotels in Riviera Maya saw a 4.3 percentage point increase in average hotel room occupancy from 62.3% in June 2021 to 66.6% in July of this year. As with Cancun, traffic in April, May, June, and July of 2020 was extremely limited. In July 2020, the hotels in Riviera Maya averaged a 19.9% room occupancy. The same hotels reported an average hotel room occupancy of 84.4% in July 2019.
Through the first seven months of 2021 the hotels in Cancun/Puerto Morelos achieved a 50.3% average room occupancy, up 11.9 percentage points from the 38.4% achieved in the same seven months of 2020. The hotels achieved an average occupancy of 80.2% in the first seven months of 2019.
For the first seven months of 2021 the hotels in Riviera Maya achieved an average room occupancy of 44.1%, up 8.2 percentage points from the 35.9% achieved in the same seven months of 2020. The hotels achieved an average occupancy of 82.3% in the first seven months of 2019.
Riviera Maya/Tulum has 48,200 hotel rooms while the Cancun/Puerto Morelos area has 42,910 hotel rooms.

The Seychelles received 20,162 visitor arrivals in July 2021, 6,749 more than the 13,413 received in June 2021.
The Seychelles Government’s National Bureau of Statistics recently announced that total stopover arrivals increased by 6,749 in July 2021 (up 50.3%) from the 13,413 received in June 2021. This number includes both air and sea stopover visitors and transit visitors.
The Seychelles re-opened to international visitors from most countries as of March 25th 2021 with visitors being required to produce evidence of a negative PCR test.
The 20,162 visitor arrivals received in July 2021 were 68.8% of the 29,319 received in July 2019.
The number one source market in July was the United Arab Emirates which generated 4,531 stopover visitors (22.5% of the total for the month) followed by Russia with 3,558 stopover visitors (17.7%).
The Seychelles closed its borders to cruise ships as of March 9th 2020 and to international air visitors as of March 30th 2020. The Seychelles received just 475 stopover visitors in July 2020.
In the first seven months of 2021 The Seychelles saw a 21.2% decrease in total visitor arrivals, falling from 89,622 arrivals in 2020 to 70,606 arrivals in the first seven months of 2021. Total stopover arrivals from Germany, the number one source market in 2020, fell by 80.3% from 20,469 arrivals in the first seven months of 2020 to 4,042 arrivals in the same seven months of 2021.
The number one source market in the first seven months of 2021 was Russia which generated 15,339 visitors, 21.7% of all visitor arrivals for those first seven months.

Cancun’s Airport handled 1,441,679 international air passenger movements in July 2021, 11.7% more than the total handled in June 2021.
According to ASUR, which manages many of Mexico’s airports, Cancun Airport saw an 11.7% increase in international passenger movements in July 2021, growing from 1,291,026 movements in June 2021 to 1,441,679 such movements in July 2021.
The 1,441,679 international passenger movements handled in July 2021 were 97.1% of the 1,484,897 international passengers handled in July 2019.
Domestic passenger movements increased by 16.8% in July 2021, from 799,084 passenger movements in June 2021 to 931,989 domestic movements in July of this year.
The 931,989 domestic passenger movements handled in July 2021 were 1.9% more than the 914,987 handled in July 2019.
Mexico re-opened to international tourist arrivals as of June 8th 2020 and consequently Cancun handled 221,074 international passenger movements in July 2020, up from 44,418 in June 2020.
In the first seven months of 2021 the volume of international air passenger movements increased by 55.5%, growing from 4,430,974 movements in 2020 to 6,891,980 movements in the first seven months of 2021 while the volume of domestic air passenger movements increased by 105.4%, from 2,429,042 movements in the first seven months of 2020 to 4,989,716 in the same seven months of 2021.
By comparison with the first seven months of 2019 the volume of international air passenger movements in 2021 was 65.8% of the 2019 total, falling from 10,480,240 movements in 2019 to 6,891,980 movements in the first seven months of 2021 while the volume of 2021 domestic air passenger movements was 97.2% of the 2019 total, falling from 5,134,037 movements in the first seven months of 2019 to 4,989,716 in the same seven months of 2021.
In the first seven months of 2021 international passenger movements accounted for 58.0% of all passenger movements, down from 64.6% in 2020 and down from 67.1% in the first seven months of 2019.

San Juan, Puerto Rico (SJU) handled 1,118,931 total passenger movements in July 2021, 10.8% more than the total handled in June 2021.
According to ASUR, which manages many airports in Mexico, Colombia and which also manages the Luis Munoz Marin International Airport in San Juan, Puerto Rico, SJU saw a 10.8% increase in passenger movements in July 2021, growing from 1,009,754 total passenger movements in June 2021 to 1,118,931 movements in July 2021.
The 1,118,931 passenger movements handled in July 2021 were 15.6% higher than the 968,319 handled in July 2019.
It should be noted that restrictions on travel began to be put in place in the middle of March 2020. In July 2020 San Juan’s airport handled 363,935 total passenger movements.
In the first seven months of 2021 the overall volume of air passenger movements at San Juan’s airport increased by 91.2%, from 2,906,051 in 2020 to 5,555,160 in the same seven months of 2021.
The total for the first seven months of 2021 was 97.7% of the total for the same seven months of 2019, that is 5,555,160 in 2021 of the 5,686,127 passengers handled in the first seven months of 2019.

Los Cabos handled 397,200 international passenger movements in July 2021, up 3.8% compared with June 2021.
According to Aeroportuario del Pacifico , which manages many of Mexico’s airports, Los Cabos Airport saw a 3.8% increase in international passenger traffic in July 2021, that is enplanements and deplanements, growing from 382,800 international passenger movements in June 2021 to 397,200 international passenger movements in July 2021.
Mexico re-opened to international tourist arrivals as of June 8th 2020 and consequently Los Cabos handled 84,200 international passenger movements in July 2020.
The 397,200 international passenger movements seen in July 2021 were 25.6% higher than the 316,200 international movements handled in July 2019.
Domestic traffic increased by 11.7%, growing from 174,700 passenger movements in June 2021 to 195,200 passenger movements in July 2021. Los Cabos handled 83,600 domestic passenger movements in July 2020.
The 195,200 domestic passenger movements seen in July 2021 were 10.2% lower than the 217,300 domestic passenger movements handled in July 2019.
Through the first seven months of 2021 Los Cabos Airport saw international passenger movements increase by 80.7%, from 1,059,500 in 2020 to 1,914,900 in the first seven months of 2021. Domestic passenger movements increased by 92.5% in the first seven months of 2021, from 562,300 in 2020 to 1,082,600 in the first seven months of 2021.
By comparison with the first seven months of 2019 international passenger movements were down 18.0%, while domestic movements declined by 1.8%.

Montego Bay Airport handled 314,300 total passenger movements in July 2021, 10.6% more than the 284,300 handled in June 2021.
According to Aeroportuario del Pacifico, which manages many of Mexico’s airports and which also manages the airports in Montego Bay and Kingston, Jamaica, saw the total number of passenger movements, that is both enplanements and deplanements, at Montego Bay Airport increase by 10.6% in July 2021, growing from 284,300 total movements in June 2021 to 314,300 movements in July 2021.
The total number of passenger movements in July 2021 was 70.9% of the 443,100 handled in July 2019.
It should be noted that Jamaica closed its borders to international visitors as of March 21st 2020 and re-opened to such visitors as of June 15th 2020. As a result, Montego Bay Airport handled just 58,800 passengers movements in July 2020.
Through the first seven months of 2021 Montego Bay Airport saw total passenger movements increase by 5.5%, from 1,209,300 in 2020 to 1,275,700 in the first seven months of 2021. The 2021 total of 1,275,700 movements was 43.0% of the 2,963,700 passenger movements handled in the first seven months of 2019.
In 2021 international passenger movements made up 100.0% of all passenger movements.

Kingston Jamaica Airport saw 96,100 total passenger movements in July 2021, 20.7% more than the 79,600 handled in June 2021.
According to Aeroportuario del Pacifico, which manages many of Mexico’s airports and which also manages the airports in Montego Bay and Kingston, Jamaica, saw the total number of passenger movements, that is both enplanements and deplanements, at Kingston Jamaica’s Airport increase by 20.7% in July 2021, growing from 79,600 total movements in June 2021 to 96,100 total passenger movements in July 2021.
While Kingston Airport re-opened to international travelers as of June 15th 2020 the total number of passenger movements in July 2020 was just 38,100 passengers.
Through the first seven months of 2021 Kingston’s Airport saw total passenger movements fall by 4.5%, from 414,400 in 2020 to 395,600 in the first seven months of 2021. Numbers for 2019 are not available.
In 2021 international passenger movements made up 100.0% of all passenger movements.

IMF believes tourism in Curacao and Sint Maarten not to recover to pre-pandemic levels until 2024.
IMF - Washington D.C., August 2nd 2021.
On July 29, 2021, the Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) concluded the Article IV consultation discussions with the Kingdom of the Netherlands-Curaçao and Sint Maarten.
The COVID-19 pandemic inflicted another major shock on the economies of Curaçao and Sint Maarten. It followed major hurricanes in Sint Maarten in 2017 and the spillovers of the Venezuelan crisis on Curaçao that caused a decline of the oil refining sector, one of Curaçao’s major economic pillars.
The pandemic led to a collapse of tourism in both countries. Despite significant response measures swiftly designed by the authorities and financed by the Netherlands, real GDP is estimated to have fallen 20 percent in Curaçao and 24 percent in Sint Maarten in 2020 due to the high dependence on tourism.
A particularly severe outbreak of COVID-19 in Curaçao in March-April 2021 required a near-lockdown and brought tourism to a halt again.
A combination of depressed fiscal revenue and higher spending needs due to COVID-19 response measures widened fiscal deficits in 2020, increasing government debt stocks to about 89 and 65 percent of GDP in Curaçao and Sint Maarten, respectively.
The economic recovery is likely to be protracted as tourism is expected to reach its pre-pandemic levels (in both countries) only in 2024.
Zero real GDP growth is projected in Curaçao in 2021 due to the effects of the COVID-19 outbreak, followed by 6.5 percent growth in 2022 as tourism partially recovers. Unless the refinery resumes operations in a sustainable way, it could take a decade for real GDP to recover to its pre-pandemic (2019) level as the refinery-related sectors decline.
In Sint Maarten, real GDP growth is projected at 4 percent in 2021 and 15 percent in 2022 driven by the recovery of tourism and the implementation of post-hurricane projects including reconstruction of the airport. Real GDP is likely to recover to the pre-pandemic level in 2024.
The outlook is subject to elevated uncertainty and risks, including the risk of another COVID-19 outbreak and delays in securing the required liquidity support.

Mexico received 1,175,197 international air arrivals in June, up 20.1% compared with May 2021.
According to the Government of Mexico’s SECTUR (Department of Tourism) Mexico received 1,411,003 international air arrivals in June 2021, up 20.1% compared with the 1,175,197 arrivals received in May 2021.
Mexico’s border with the USA was closed as of March 20 2020 and consequently Mexico received 117,064 international visitors in June 2020.
The 1,411,003 international air arrivals received in June 2021 were 82.7% of the 1,706,927 international visitors received in June 2019.
Mexico received 1,158,889 air visitors from the USA in June, 82.1% of the total. Colombia was the second biggest market (35,924 visitors) with Brazil third largest (27,768 visitors).
Cancun Airport received 627,283 international air visitors in June 2021, 44.5% of the overall total. Los Cabos received 187,576 international air arrivals with Puerto Vallarta receiving 105,025 air visitors.
In the first six months of 2021 the volume of international air arrivals to Mexico increased by 19.2%, from 4,709,915 arrivals in 2020 to 5,613,811 arrivals in the first six months of this year.
The volume of air arrivals from the USA increased by 76.6% in the same six months, from 2,505,825 air arrivals in 2020 to 4,424,529 air arrivals in 2021 while the volume from Canada fell by 93.7%, from 886,099 air arrivals in 2020 to 55,694 in 2021.
Cancun Airport saw a 36.0% increase in international air arrivals in the first six months of 2021, growing from 1,930,353 arrivals in 2020 to 2,624,383 arrivals in 2021 while Los Cabos saw a 63.5% increase growing from 453,612 international air arrivals in 2020 to 741,857 air arrivals in 2021. Puerto Vallarta saw a 12.9% decrease, falling from 496,937 international arrivals in 2020 to 432,801 international arrivals in the first six months of 2020.

Hawaii reports the state received 791,053 out-of-state tourists in June, up 25.6% compared with May 2021.
According to the Hawaii Tourism Authority, Hawaii saw the volume of air arrivals increase by 25.6% in June 2021, growing from 629,681 air arrivals received in May 2021 to 791,053 arrivals in June 2021. Total spending for visitors arriving in June 2021 was $1.44 billion.
During June 2021, most passengers arriving from out-of-state and traveling inter-county could bypass the State’s mandatory 10-day self-quarantine with a valid negative COVID-19 NAAT test result from a Trusted Testing Partner prior to their departure to Hawai‘i through the Safe Travels program. In addition, individuals who were fully vaccinated in Hawai‘i could bypass the quarantine order beginning June 15, 2021. Inter-county travel restrictions were lifted also as of June 15, 2021.
April 2020 was the first full month of travel restrictions to keep the community safe, following the State of Hawai‘i’s 14-day mandatory travel quarantine for all passengers (effective March 26, 2020). The state’s six counties enforced strict stay-at-home orders and curfews during June and consequently the number of out of state air arrivals was just 17,068 for June 2020.
The 791,053 arrivals received in June 2021 were 83.2% of the 836,058 arrivals received in June 2019.
Hawaii received 769,178 air arrivals from the mainland USA in June 2021, 627 arrivals from Canada, 1,859 arrivals from Japan and 19,390 air arrivals from other markets.
Through the first six months of 2021 Hawaii saw a 29.4% increase in the volume of air arrivals, growing from 2,109,375 air arrivals in the first six months of 2020 to 2,751,849 air arrivals in the same six months of 2021. Air arrivals in the first six months of 2021 were 53.8% of the 5,115,051 received in the first six months of 2019.
For the first six months of 2021, total visitor spending was estimated to be $4.86 billion, 54.9% of the $8.86 billion spent in the first six months of 2019.
Air arrivals from the USA increased by 84.2% in the first six months of 2021, growing from 1,451,670 air arrivals in 2020 to 2,673,818 air arrivals in the same six months of 2021, fell by 97.5% from Japan (from 294,295 arrivals in 2020 to 7,448 air arrivals in 2021) and fell by 96.5% from Canada (from 155,821 in 2020 to 5,434 air arrivals in 2021).

Las Vegas saw a 3.2% increase in visitors in June 2021 compared with May 2021.
According to the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, Las Vegas saw the volume of visitors increase by 3.2% in June 2021, growing from 2,878,200 arrivals in May 2021 to 2,971,000 in June of 2021.
The state of Nevada ordered the closure of all casinos as of March 17 2020 but re-opened all casinos as of June 4th 2020. Consequently, Las Vegas received 1,065,100 visitors in June 2020.
The 2,971,000 arrivals received in June 2021 were 82.4% of the 3,607,400 arrivals received in June 2019.
Las Vegas had a weighted average of 147,777 open hotel rooms in June 2021 (up 54.9% compared with June 2020) and achieved an average city-wide room occupancy of 75.9% (40.9% in June 2020), an ADR of $127.90 and a RevPar of $97.08.
Through the first six months of 2021 Las Vegas saw a 38.6% increase in the volume of visitors, growing from 9,732,800 arrivals in the first six months of 2020 to 13,487,300 visitors in the same six months of 2021. The total number of visitors for the first six months of 2021 was 63.8% of the 21,139,500 received in the first six months of 2019.
Las Vegas achieved an average city-wide room occupancy of 57.1% in the first six months of 2021 (up 14.2 percentage points compared with the first six months of 2020), an ADR of $112.61 (down 18.1% compared with the same six months of 2020) and a RevPar of $64.30, up 9.0%, also compared with the same six months of 2020.
Gaming revenue increased by 81.4% in the first six months of 2021, from $2.799 billion in 2020 to $5.076 billion in the same six months of 2021.

New report reveals how hard pandemic hit Las Vegas tourism industry in 2020.
LAS VEGAS (KTNV) July 28 2021 — Southern Nevada's tourism industry took a big hit in 2020 with a new report revealing the pandemic's impact on visitation to Las Vegas last year and it's not pretty.
The 22-page report was commissioned by the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority and prepared by Applied Analysis, a Las Vegas-based consulting firm. It reveals what many already suspected, that 2020 was arguably Las Vegas' worst economic year ever, and it's all thanks to COVID-19.
Employment fell nearly 45% and visitor volume fell 55%. In 2019, visitors spending had an economic output of more than $60 billion in southern Nevada. In 2020, that number was cut by more than half, down to $29.6 billion. Convention attendance fell to its lowest level in 21 years.
While Las Vegas’s tourism industry has bounced back in 2021, with visitor numbers through the first five months of 2021 60% of the total for the first five months of 2019, there's one main area where Southern Nevada is still lagging behind pre-pandemic levels.
"Probably mid-week visitation because when you're really seeing the town packed, both with the official numbers and when you just walk the streets, is on weekends. And weekdays are getting there, but they still have a ways to go and that’s probably what we’re missing the most. And that has a lot to do with conventions and tourists flying in from overseas," said Anthony Curtis of the Las Vegas Advisor.
For full report click here.

Orlando saw a 10.8 percentage point increase in average room occupancy in June 2021, up from 57.0% in May 2021 to 67.8% this June.
According to STR Orlando had 128,000 hotel rooms in June 2021 and achieved an average city-wide room occupancy of 67.8%, up 10.8 percentage points compared with May 2021 (57.0%), and an ADR of $122.25 up 7.8% compared with May 2021 ($113.37).
Orlando’s theme parks closed to visitors as of March 15th 2020 and consequently Orlando’s hotels experienced an average room occupancy of 25.8% in June 2020.
According to Visit Orlando, Orlando saw the volume of air passenger deplanements grow from 511,382 in June 2020 to 2,065,017 in June 2021. The 2,065,017 deplanements seen in June 2021 were 3.8% more than the 1,989,070 deplanements received in May 2021.This includes deplanements at both Orlando International and Sanford airports and includes both international and domestic deplanements.
In the first six months of 2021 Orlando’s hotels saw an average hotel room occupancy of 53.7%, up 3.1 percentage points from the 50.6% achieved in the first six months of 2020. ADR fell by 12.5% from $125.35 for the first six months of 2020 to $109.68 for the first six months of 2021.
Orlando saw the volume of air passenger deplanements increase by 44.4% in the first six months of 2021, growing from 6,620,632 deplanements in the first six months of 2020 to 9,558,456 deplanements in the first six months of 2021. This includes deplanements at both Orlando International and Sanford airports and includes both international and domestic deplanements.

New Research Reveals Price No Longer Primary Driver Of Travel Decisions
Safety and financial security emerge as top considerations in pandemic-focused study from Expedia Group
New research from Expedia Group reveals shifting views on travel, including positive sentiment on vaccine passports, increased budgets, and an enduring demand for safety and financial security. The Traveler Value Index examines the views of 8,000 people in eight countries to understand their values and expectations as the pandemic becomes more controlled in many parts of the world.
“As vaccination rates rise and borders open across the globe, people are ready and eager to travel. However, the months of uncertainty are weighing on their travel decisions and shifting the conventional belief that price is the top driver of bookings,” said Ariane Gorin, president, Expedia for Business, Expedia Group. “These insights show people want to book with trusted travel providers that will deliver on their experiences, keep them safe, and protect their financial investments.”
Improved outlook for 2021 and beyond
Despite a period of uncertainty, the Traveler Value Index shows that people are making travel a financial priority. More than a third (34%) of travelers have larger travel budgets now compared to 2020. In fact, nearly one in five respondents globally (18%) expect travel to be the activity they spend most on in 2021, on par with major spending items such as home renovation (18%) and ahead of entertainment (12%), buying or taking care of a car (11%), or healthcare (11%). Additionally, more than third (36%) say they would trade a pay raise for more vacation days
Travelers are thinking differently about the frequency and length of travel. Many (60%) are opting for domestic travel in the short-term, however they are planning to get away more often, nearly half (41%) wanting more frequent, shorter, trips. The outlook for international travel is also improving, with more than a quarter (27%) of travelers considering a trip to another country in the next year. In fact, nearly three-quarters (71%) of travelers are comfortable showing a vaccine passport to travel internationally.
For full report click here

Costa Rica received 124,670 stopover arrivals in June 2021, 30.1% more than the 95,854 stopovers received in May 2021.
According to the Costa Rica Institute of Tourism (ICT), Costa Rica received 124,670 stopovers in June 2021, 30.1% more than the 95,854 stopovers received in May 2021.
Costa Rica closed its borders to international arrivals as of March 19th 2020 and consequently received just 7,210 stopovers in June 2020.
The 124,670 stopovers received in June 2021 were 50.1% of the 248,696 stopovers received in June 2019.
Costa Rica received 96,878 stopovers from the USA in June, 77.7% of the overall total, and 5,826 stopovers from Central America. Costa Rica’s land borders reopened as of April 5th 2021.
The volume of stopovers decreased by 41.4% in the first six months of 2021, falling from 882,022 stopovers in the first six months of 2020 to 516,523 stopovers in first six months of 2021. The 516,523 stopovers was 29.9% of the 1,725,963 stopovers received in the first six months of 2019.
The number of stopovers from the USA increased by 3.1% in the first six months of 2021, from 356,445 stopovers in 2020 to 367,356 in 2021 while the number from Central America declined by 88.0%, falling from 190,292 in the first six months of 2020 to 22,915 in the same six months of 2021.
The share of visitors from the USA grew from 40.4% in the first six months of 2020 to 71.1% in the first six months of 2021.

The Dominican Republic’s hotels averaged 49.7% room occupancy during June 2021.
According to ASONAHORES, the hotel and tourism association of the Dominican Republic, the hotels of the Dominican Republic posted an overall average hotel room occupancy of 49.7% in June 2021, up 5.6 percentage points from the 44.1% achieved in May 2021. The Dominican Republic’s hotels achieved an average room occupancy of 71.5% in June 2019.
At a regional level the hotels in Punta Cana posted an average room occupancy of 51.1% for June 2021, with hotels in Puerto Plate averaging 44.0% and hotels in Santo Domingo averaging 48.7%, also in June of this year.
The hotel sector posted a combined overall average occupancy of 39.9% for the first six months of 2021 compared with 79.6% for the first six months of 2019.
At a regional level during the first six months of the year, the destination Santiago de los Caballeros recorded the highest occupancy rate at 51.3%, being also the only destination to exceed 50 percentage points. Samana’s hotels posted an overall average room occupancy of 42.4% with the Roman–Bayahibe area posting an average occupancy of 42.9%. Punta Cana’s hotels posted an average hotel room occupancy of 40.2% in the first six months of 2021 while the hotels in Puerto Plata posted an overall average of 36.6%. Hotels in Santo Domingo posted an average room occupancy of 43.1% for the first six months of 2021.

Hawaii’s hotels report a 15.5 percentage point increase in average room occupancy in June to 77.0%
According to the Hawai‘i Hotel Performance Report published by the Hawai‘i Tourism Authority (HTA), statewide hotel room occupancy grew by 15.5 percentage points from 61.5% in May 2021 to 77.0% in June of this year. ADR increased by 11.3% from $287.76 in May to $320.30 in June, while revpar grew by 39.3%, from $177.08 in May 2021 to $246.75 in June of this year.
Hawai‘i’s quarantine order for travelers due to the COVID-19 pandemic began on March 26, 2020, which immediately resulted in dramatic declines for the hotel industry. The hotel sector posted an average room occupancy of 20.1% in June 2020.
The report’s findings utilized data compiled by STR, Inc., which conducts the largest and most comprehensive survey of hotel properties in the Hawaiian Islands. For June, the survey included 138 properties representing 44,614 rooms, or 82.6 percent of all lodging properties1 and 85.2 percent of operating lodging properties with 20 rooms or more in the Hawaiian Islands, including full service, limited service, and condominium hotels. Vacation rental and timeshare properties were not included in this survey.
Hawai‘i hotel room revenues statewide grew by 35.6%, from $285.9 million in May 2021 to $387.7 million in June 2021. Room demand grew by 21.8%, from 993,600 room nights in May to 1,210,300 room nights in June while room supply fell by 2.7% from 1,614,600 room nights in May to 1,571,100 room nights in June.
During June 2021, most passengers arriving from out-of-state and traveling inter-county could bypass the State’s mandatory 10-day self-quarantine with a valid negative COVID-19 NAAT test result from a Trusted Testing Partner prior to their departure to Hawai‘i through the Safe Travels program. In addition, individuals who were fully vaccinated in Hawai‘i could bypass the quarantine order beginning June 15. Inter-county travel restrictions were lifted also on June 15.
For the first six months of 2021 statewide hotel room occupancy fell by 3.2 percentage points from 51.3% in 2020 to 48.1% in the first six months of 2021. ADR increased by 1.6% from $288.60 in 2020 to $293.32 while revpar fell by 4.7%, from $148.09 in the first six months of 2020 to $141.14 in the first six months of this year.
In the first six months of 2021, Hawai‘i hotel room revenues statewide increased by 18.5% from $1.098 billion in 2020 to $1.301 billion in the first six months of this year. Room demand increased by 16.6%, to 4,435,600 room nights in the same six months. Room supply grew by 24.3% to 9,218,400 available room nights also in the first six months.

Cuba announces it received 26,221 international stopover visitors in June 2021, 11.5% more than the 23,527 international visitors received in May 2021.
The Cuban Government’s Office of National Statistics and Information (ONEI) recently announced that total international tourist arrivals increased by 11.5% in June 2021, growing from 23,527 international stopover arrivals in May 2021 to 26,221 arrivals in June of this year. This number includes both stopover visitors and cruise visitors.
Cuba closed its borders to international tourist arrivals on March 20 2020 and consequently received just 1,067 international stopovers in June 2020.
The 26,221 stopovers received in June 2021 were just 9.5% of the 274,837 international visitors received in June 2019.
Cuba received 20,260 stopovers from Russia in June 2021, 77.3% of all stopovers received for the month.
In the first six months of 2021 Cuba saw an 88.4% decrease in total international arrivals, falling from 985,199 arrivals in 2020 to 114,460 stopovers this year. The 114,460 arrivals were just 4.5% of the 2,561,719 international visitors received in the first six months of 2019.
Total tourist arrivals from Canada fell by 99.4% in the first six months of 2021, from 403,620 arrivals in 2020 to 2,296 in 2021. The number one source market in the first six months of 2021 was Russia with 72,304 stopovers, 63.2% of all arrivals, up from just 6.4% of all such arrivals in the first six months of 2020.

International Tourist Arrivals Numbers Down 85% in the first five months of 2021, UNWTO Reports.
International tourist arrivals plunged 85% in the first five months of 2021 when compared to the same five months of 2019, according to the July issue of the UNWTO’s World Tourism Barometer (Volume 19 Issue 4), published on July 21st 2021. Arrivals were down 65% compared with the same five months of 2020.
The Caribbean saw a 59.8% decline in international tourist arrivals in the first five months of 2021 compared with the same five months of 2019 and had the smallest decline in arrivals of any region in the world. Growing travel from the United States has benefitted destinations in the Caribbean and Central America, as well as Mexico.
By regions, Asia and the Pacific continued to suffer the largest declines with a 95.5% drop in international arrivals in the first five months of 2021 when compared to the same five months of 2019. Europe recorded the second largest decline with an 84.7% decline, followed by Africa (-81%), and the Americas (-71.9%), all compared to the same five months of 2019.
In June, the number of destinations with complete closure of borders decreased to 63, from 69 in February. Of these, 33 were in Asia and the Pacific, while just seven in Europe, the region with the fewest restrictions on travel currently in place.
International tourism is slowly picking up, though recovery remains very fragile and uneven. Rising concerns over the Delta variant of the virus have led several countries to reimpose restrictive measures. In addition, the volatility and lack of clear information on entry requirements could continue to weigh on the resumption of international travel during the Northern Hemisphere’s summer season. However, vaccination programmes around the world, together with softer restrictions for vaccinated travellers and the use of digital tools such as the EU Digital COVID Certificate, are all contributing to the gradual normalization of travel.
In addition, domestic travel is driving the recovery in many destinations, especially those with large domestic markets. Domestic air seat capacity in China and Russia has already exceeded pre-crisis levels, while domestic travel in the United States is strengthening further.
Nearly half of all experts (49%) see a return to 2019 levels in 2024 or later, while the percentage indicating a return to pre-pandemic levels in 2023 has somewhat decreased (36%) when compared to the January survey (43%).
Due to weaker-than-expected results in the first quarter of 2021, our scenarios for 2021 were revised downward. The first scenario points to a rebound in July and would result in a 40% increase in international arrivals in 2021 compared to 2020, though still 63% below the pre-pandemic levels of 2019. The second scenario considers a rebound in the month of September and a 10% increase in arrivals compared to 2020, though a 75% decrease compared to 2019.
International tourism receipts plunged by US$ 930 billion in 2020, an estimated 64% drop in real terms (local currencies, constant prices) due to the slump in global travel. International visitors spent about US$ 536 billion in destinations last year, about one third of the amount spent in 2019 (US$ 1,466 billion).
Click here for full UNWTO Tourism Barometer Report Volume 19 Issue 4 July 2021

The United States Virgin Islands saw 82,172 air arrivals in May 2021, 14.4% more than the 71,837 air visitors received in April 2021.
According to revised numbers published by the USVI Bureau of Economic Research, the USVI saw the volume of air arrivals increase by 14.4% in May 2021, growing from 71,837 air arrivals in April 2021 to 82,172 air arrivals in May of this year.
The 82,172 air arrivals received in May 2021 was 46.2% more than the 56,220 received in May 2019.
The USVI closed its borders to air arrivals as of March 21st 2020 and thus received just 7,311 air arrivals in May 2020.
Through the first five months of 2021 the USVI saw the volume of air arrivals increase by 77.2%, from 187,751 air arrivals in the first five months of 2020 to 332,655 air arrivals in the first five months of 2021. The 332,655 arrivals in the first five months of 2021 were 13.5% higher than the 292,991 air arrivals received in the first five months of 2019.
There were no cruise visitor arrivals in May 2021.

Jamaica received 122,522 stopover arrivals in May 2021, a 48.1% increase compared with April 2021.
According to the Jamaica Tourist Board, Jamaica received 122,502 stopover arrivals in May 2021, a 48.1% increase compared with the 82,702 stopovers received in April 2021 and 58.2% of the 2 stopovers received in May 2019.
Jamaica closed its borders to international arrivals as of March 21st 2020 and consequently had zero arrivals in May 2020.
Stopover arrivals from the USA totaled 117,443 in May 2021, that is 44.8% more than the 81,114 stopover visitors received from the USA in April 2021. Stopover arrivals from the USA comprised 95.9% of all stopover arrivals received in May 2021.
There were no cruise arrivals in May 2021 as Jamaica remained closed to cruise ship arrivals.
Through the first five months of 2021 Jamaica saw a 36.2% decline in the volume of stopover arrivals, falling from 574,131 stopover arrivals in the first five months of 2020 to 366,499 arrivals in the same five months of 2021.
The 366,499 stopovers received in the first five months of 2021 were 31.8% of the 1,151,795 stopovers received in the first five months of 2019.
Arrivals from the USA declined by 7.0% in the first five months of 2021, falling from 377,076 arrivals in 2020 to 350,659 arrivals in the same five months of 2021.
The USA’s share of all stopover arrivals grew from 65.7% in the first five months of 2020 to 95.7% in the same five months of 2021.

The Maldives reports it received 56,166 stopover visitor arrivals in June, down 13.1% compared with May 2021.
The Maldives Government’s Ministry of Tourism recently announced that The Maldives received 56,166 stopover visitors in June 2021, down 13.1% from the 64,613 stopovers received in May 2021, and down 48.7% since receiving 109,585 stopovers in March 2021.
The Maldives closed its borders to tourist arrivals on March 27th 2020 and consequently received just one stopover visitor in June 2020.
The 56,166 stopovers received in June 2021 were 49.5% of the 113,475 stopovers received in June 2019.
In June 2021 Russia was the number one source market and generated 18,727 stopovers of the total overall stopovers (33.1%) while Saudi Arabia was the number two source market and generated 6,309 stopovers (11.2%). Other markets which generated significant business in June were the USA (3,843 visitors), Germany (2,709 visitors) and the Spain (2,308 visitors).
In the first six months of 2021 The Maldives saw a 33.4% increase in total arrivals, growing from 382,817 stopovers in the first six months of 2020 to 510,549 stopovers in the same six months of 2021 with Russia (124,651 visitors) and India (89,675 visitors) being, by far, the two largest source markets in these six months.
The Maldives saw the overall number of accommodation establishments in operation grow by 42.2% from an average of 486 in the first six months of 2020 to an average of 691 establishments in the same six months of 2021. The number of beds grew by 68.4% from 27,725 in the first six months of 2020 to 46,702 this year.
It should be noted many accommodation establishments closed in April 2020 consequent upon the closure of the borders.
Through the end of June 2021 overall average room occupancy had grown by 18.0 percentage points from 31.5% in 2020 to 49.5% for the first six months of this year.
Of the 691 establishments in operation 150 were resorts which offered 35,369 beds (75.7% of the overall number of beds). These resorts achieved a 56.6% average room occupancy through the first six months of 2021 up from 36.0% for the first six months of 2020. Through the first six months of 2020 there was an average of 87 resorts in operation offering 20,252 beds.

Belize received 26,215 stopover visitors in June 2021, up 26.0% from the 20,813 received in May 2021.
According to the Belize Tourism Board, Belize received 26,215 stopover visitors in June 2021, up 26.0% from the 20,813 received in May 2021.
Belize closed its borders as of April 5th 2020 and consequently just received 212 stopover visitors in June 2020. The country reopened to visitors in October 2020.
The 26,215 stopover visitors received in June 2021 were 61.0% of the 42,938 stopover visitors received in June 2019.
Belize received 23,243 stopover arrivals from the USA in June 2021, 448 from Europe, 144 from Mexico and 194 from Canada.
There were no cruise visitors in June 2021 as Belize remained closed to cruise ships.
In the first six months of 2021 Belize saw the number of stopovers fall by 26.3%, from 124,777 in the first six months of 2020 to 91,927 in the first six months of 2021. The 91,927 visitors received in 2021 were 32.3% of the 284,566 received in the first six months of 2019.
Stopovers from the USA increased by 0.3% in the first six months of 2021, from 78,121 in 2020 to 78,323 in the same six months of 2021. Stopovers from Canada fell by 93.2% in the first six months, to 944 arrivals while stopovers from Europe fell by 87.4% in the same six months, to 1,960 arrivals.
There were no cruise visitors in the first six months of 2021.

Aruba received 84,592 stopover visitors in June 2021, 19.7% more than the 70,683 stopovers received in May 2021.
According to Aruba Tourism Authority, Aruba received 84,592 stopover arrivals in June 2021, 19.7% more than the 70,683 stopovers it received in May 2021.
While Aruba closed its borders to tourist arrivals as of March 17th 2020 and re-opened only to visitors from Curacao and Bonaire as of June 15th 2020 it did not reopen its borders to visitors from Europe, Canada, and the Caribbean until July 1st 2020 and from the USA until July 10th 2020. Consequently, there were no tourist arrivals recorded for June 2020.
The 84,592 stopovers received in June 2021 were 85.5% of the 98,970 stopovers received in June 2019.
Compared with 2019, stopover arrivals from the USA decreased by 2.3%, falling from 77,493 arrivals in June 2019 to 75,727 arrivals in June 2021. Arrivals from the USA comprised 89.5% of all arrivals in June 2021 up from 78.3% in June 2019.
Arrivals from Canada dropped by 93.7%, from 2,243 in June 2019 to 142 stopovers in June 2021. Arrivals from the Netherlands fell by 9.1%, from 2,951 in June 2019 to 2,682 in June this year.
Aruba re-opened its ports to visitors in June 2021 and received three cruise ship calls and a total of 1,589 cruise passengers.
In the first six months of 2021 Aruba saw a 42.7% increase in the number of stopover visitors, growing from 228,752 visitors in the first six months of 2020 to 326,387 visitors in the first six months of this year. The number of stopovers from the USA grew by 65.3% during the first six months, from 175,177 in 2020 to 289,501 through the end of June 2021.
Compared with the first six months of 2019, the 326,387 stopover visitors received in the first six months of 2021 was 56.7% of the 575,649 stopovers received in the first six months of 2019. There were 289,501 stopovers from the USA in the first six months of 2021, 66.5% of the 435,343 received from the USA in the first six months of 2019.
The number of visitors staying in hotels in the first six months of 2021 declined by 50.4% compared with the same six months of 2019, falling from 294,976 visitors in 2019 to 146,442 in the same six months of 2021. The share of visitors staying in hotels fell from 50.4% in the first six months of 2019 to 44.9% in the same six months of 2021.
In the first six months of 2021 110,276 visitors used timeshare accommodation, 72.4% of the 152,254 visitors who used such accommodation in the first six months of 2019, with the sector’s share growing from 26.4% in 2019 to 33.8% in 2021.
The total number of visitors staying in timeshare resorts grew by 89.4% in the first six months of 2021 compared with the same six months of 2020.
Visitors using other accommodation – private homes, condominiums, short term rental accommodation and apartments – fell by 45.7% when comparing the first six months of 2019 with the same six months of 2021 from 128,419 visitors in 2019 to 69,669 in 2021, with the share dropping from 22.3% in 2019 to 21.3% in 2021.
In the first six months of 2021 the primary carrier was JetBlue which brought in 96,389 non-resident visitors, 29.5% of all stopover arrivals, while American Airlines brought in 82,940 non-resident visitors, 25.4% of all visitors. United Airlines brought in 52,699 visitors with Delta carrying 39,039 arrivals. These four carriers brought in 83.0% of all visitors in the first six months of 2021.

Saint Lucia received 21,357 stopovers in June 2021, 48.9% more than the 14,339 stopovers received in May 2021.
According to the Ministry of Tourism and Investment, Saint Lucia saw a 48.9% increase in stopover visitor arrivals in June 2021, growing from 14,339 stopovers in May 2021 to 21,257 stopovers in June 2021.
Saint Lucia also received 414 cruise visitors in June as Saint Lucia reopened its ports to cruise ships.
Saint Lucia closed its borders to international visitor arrivals on March 23rd 2020 and consequently received zero stopover arrivals in June 2020.
The 21,357 stopovers received in June 2021 were 62.7% of the 34,040 stopovers received in June 2019.
Saint Lucia received 19,553 stopover arrivals from the USA in June 2021, 48.1% more than the 13,205 stopovers received in May 2021 with the 19,553 stopovers comprising 91.6% of all stopover arrivals in June 2021.
Through the first six months of 2021, Saint Lucia saw a 29.4% decrease in the number of stopover visitors, falling from 91,399 stopovers in the first six months of 2020 to 64,482 stopovers in the same six months of 2021.
The number of stopovers from the USA increased by 44.8%, from 41,155 in the first six months of 2020 to 59,598 in the same six months of 2021 while the number of stopover visitors from the U.K. fell by 83.8% from 18,298 in 2020 to 2,962 stopovers in the same six months of 2021.

The Aruba Airport Authority reports 84,754 departing passengers in June 2021, 20.3% more than the 70,452 handled in May 2021.
The Aruba Airport Authority (AAA) reports that in June 2021 84,754 Revenue Generating Passengers (RGPs) travelled out of the Queen Beatrix International Airport (AUA Airport) to its various markets. This was 20.3% more than the 70,452 RGPs handled in May 2021.
A revenue generating passenger is an outbound traveler leaving Aruba and includes tourists returning to their homes as well as Arubans departing for trips overseas.
While Aruba reopened to travel to and from Bonaire and Curacao as of June 15th 2020 the country did not reopen to travel from Europe, Canada, and the Caribbean until July 1st 2020 and from the USA until July 10th 2020. Consequently, the airport had just 1,208 RGPs in June 2020.
The airport also handled 5,056 passengers in transit in June 2021 as well as 117 transferring passengers.
In June 2021 74,566 passengers (pax) travelled to the USA, 0 pax to Canada, 4,384 pax to Europe, 3,569 pax to Latin America and 2,235 pax to the Dutch Caribbean.
The airlines provided a total of 116,061 outbound seats in June 2021, 81.6% of the 142,179 seats provided in June 2019.
Airlines flying to the USA in June experienced an average load factor of 80.3% There were no flights to Canada while flights to Europe averaged a 74.1% load factor. The overall average load factor for all flights for June was 78.1%.
In the first six months of 2021 the airport handled a total of 348,943 RGPs, up 21.1% compared with the 288,203 handled in the first six months of 2020. Traffic to the USA increased by 41.6%, from 210,925 RGPs in the first six months of 2020 to 298,644 in the same six months of 2021. Traffic to Canada fell by 94.9% to 901 RGPs, while traffic to Europe increased by 25.4%, from 17,688 RGPS in the first six months of 2020 to 22,186 RGPs this year.
Seat capacity through the first six months of 2021 increased by 58.2% compared with the same six months of 2020, from 379,487 available seats in 2020 to 600,159 seats in 2021.
The overall average load factor of outbound flights fell from 83.3% in the first six months of 2019 to 62.5% in the same six months of 2021. The average load factor of flights to the USA fell from 85.3% in the first six months of 2019 to 63.1% in the same six months of 2021.
The Aruba Airport Authority projects that the airport will handle 347,716 seats in the third quarter of 2021, up 184% over the 122,337 seats offered in third quarter of 2020. The 347,716 seats offered in 2021 will be 85.9% of the 404,979 offered in the third quarter of 2019. The AAA has estimated it will receive a total of 1,336,269 seats for the whole of 2021, 78.6% of the total for 2019.
The AAA pointed out these seat projections are subject to change.

In June 2021 Cancun saw its hotels achieve an average hotel room occupancy of 63.0% up 5.9 percentage points from the 57.1% reported for May.
Sedetur, the Department of Tourism of the state of Quintana Roo, recently released the hotel occupancy numbers for the hotels in Cancun/Puerto Morelos and Riviera Maya for June 2021.
In June, the hotels in Cancun/Puerto Morelos saw a 5.9 percentage point increase in average hotel room occupancy from 57.1% in May 2021 to 63.0% in June of this year.
Cancun’s hotels reported an average hotel room occupancy of 15.2% in June 2020.
It should be noted that as of mid-March 2020 the hotels saw a sharp drop in average room occupancies for the second half of the month as strict restrictions on international travel came into effect and the hotels saw very limited business in April, May, and June.
The 63.0% average room occupancy for June 2021 was 16.0 percentage points lower than the 79.0% achieved in June 2019.
The hotels in Riviera Maya saw an 8.9 percentage point increase in average hotel room occupancy from 53.4% in May 2021 to 62.3% in June of this year. As with Cancun, traffic in April, May and June was extremely limited. In June 2020, the hotels in Riviera Maya averaged an 11.0% room occupancy. The same hotels reported an average hotel room occupancy of 80.8% in June 2019.
Through the first six months of 2021 the hotels in Cancun/Puerto Morelos achieved a 48.1% average room occupancy, up 7.3 percentage points from the 40.8% achieved in the same six months of 2020. The hotels achieved an average occupancy of 79.9% in the first six months of 2019.
For the first six months of 2021 the hotels in Riviera Maya achieved an average room occupancy of 40.3%, up 1.7 percentage points from the 38.6% achieved in the same six months of 2020. The hotels achieved an average occupancy of 82.0% in the first six months of 2019.
Riviera Maya/Tulum has 48,200 hotel rooms while the Cancun/Puerto Morelos area has 42,910 hotel rooms.

Mauritius announces it received 280 stopover visitors in June, 143% more than the 115 received in May 2021.
The Mauritius Government’s Ministry of Finance and Economic Development recently reported that total stopover arrivals increased by 143% in June 2021, from 115 arrivals received in May 2021 to 280 arrivals in June of this year. This number includes both air and sea stopover visitors. Mauritius re-entered a hard lock-down in March 2021 consequent upon an increase in local Covid19 infections.
Mauritius closed its borders to all international arrivals as of March 19th 2020 and consequently received just 9 stopovers in June 2020.
Mauritius received 92,398 stopovers in June 2019.
Mauritius will open up to international travellers from 15 July 2021 during a two-phase programme. From 15 July to 30 September 2021, vaccinated travellers will be admitted for a resort-based holiday on the island and must stay within their chosen resort premises. All travellers must have proof of a negative PCR test prior to travel and will tested again on arrival. Further tests will be taken on day 7 and 14 of their resort holiday if applicable. Phase 2 begins on 1 October 2021, allowing vaccinated travellers entry without restrictions upon presentation of a negative PCR test taken within 72 hours before departure.
In the first six months of 2021 Mauritius saw a 98.9% decrease in total stopover arrivals, falling from 304,881 arrivals in 2020 to 3,225 arrivals in the first six months of this year. Mauritius received 650,082 stopovers through the first six months of 2019.

Curacao reports it received 21,223 stopover arrivals in June 2021, 140% more than the 8,845 received in May of this year.
According to the Curaçao Tourist Board, Curaçao saw a 140% increase in stopover visitor arrivals in June, growing from 8,845 stopovers received in May 2021 to 21,223 stopovers received in June of this year. The 21,223 stopovers received in June 2021 were 62.6% of the 33,926 stopovers received in June 2019.
Curaçao closed its borders to international visitors as of March 17th 2020 and consequently Curaçao received just 947 stopover visitors in June 2020.
Curacao received 12,148 stopover visitors from the Netherlands in June 2021 and 4,763 stopovers from the USA, 57.2% and 22.4% of all stopovers, respectively.
Curacao received three cruise ship calls with 1,586 cruise visitors in June 2021 as the island re-opened to cruise traffic.
In the first six months of 2021 Curaçao saw a 47.5% decrease in the number of stopover visitors, falling from 109,859 visitors in 2020 to 57,641 visitors in the first six months of this year.
The number of stopovers from the USA declined by 42.5% during the first six months, falling from 21,080 in 2020 to 12,122 in the first six months of 2021. The number of stopovers from the Netherlands declined by 30.1%, falling from 44,467 visitors during the first six months of 2020, to 31,083 in the first six months of 2021.
By comparison with the first six months of 2019 the number of stopovers decreased by 75.8%, falling from 237,749 in 2019 to 57,641 in the same six months of 2021.

The Central Bank of Aruba estimates that by the end of 2021 stopover visitor arrivals to Aruba will reach 55% of the 2019 total.
The latest projections by the Centrale Bank van Aruba (CBA) foresee a rebound in output in terms of real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for 2021. Specifically, real GDP is expected to grow by 15.5 percent under the optimistic scenario, 12.7 percent under the baseline scenario, and 8.2 percent under the pessimistic scenario.
Total inflation in 2021 is estimated at 0.0 percent, as a result of the diminishing effect of the electricity tariff reduction in January 2020, as well as the anticipated gradual increase in the price of gasoline. However, core inflation is expected to become negative in 2021, reaching -0.1 percent at the end of the year. In conjunction with pay cuts in the public sector, and the anticipated drop in the Average Daily Rate (ADR), a negative deflator for overall GDP is observed.
The main driver for the 2021 envisaged recovery in economic activities is the tourism sector, as it continues its path to a relatively strong recovery. Each scenario deviates from the baseline based upon the expected number of stay-over visitors in 2021 and its impact on the export of services, benchmarked against the 2019-level. The optimistic scenario assumes stay-over visitors to recover to 58.0 percent of the 2019-level, the baseline 55.0 percent, and the pessimistic scenario 49.0 percent.
The execution pace of the construction projects related to private investments differs in each scenario. In addition, a different unemployment rate, given the recovery of the tourism sector is assumed in each scenario. Therefore, the performance in private consumption is dependent on developments in the labor market, which in turn are determined by the strength of tourism recovery. The Emergency Social Assistance Fund (FASE) program and the wage subsidy program, which are assumed to be available throughout the year, also positively contribute to private consumption.
For more information:
https://www.cbaruba.org/cba/manageArticle.do?dispatch=view&id=1747

Punta Cana received 192,417 tourists in June 2021, 27.3% more than the 151,155 received in May 2021.
According to the Central Bank of the Dominican Republic, Punta Cana, in the Dominican Republic, saw the volume of non-resident stopover arrivals increase by 27.3% in June, growing from 151,155 arrivals in May 2021 to 192,417 in June 2021.
The volume of arrivals in June 2021 was 58.0% of the 331,503 stopovers received by Punta Cana in June 2019.
The Dominican Republic closed its borders to international tourist arrivals as of March 19th 2020 consequently Punta Cana received 126 visitors in June 2020.
Punta Cana received 150,391 stopover arrivals from the USA in June 2021, 38.3% more than the 108,710 stopovers received in May 2021.
The Dominican Republic currently has limited restrictions on entry to the country.
During the first six months of 2021 Punta Cana saw a 1.8% decrease in the volume of stopover arrivals, falling from 742,102 arrivals in the first six months of 2020 to 728,404 non-resident arrivals in the first six months of 2021. However, the total for 2021 was just 34.9% of the 2,089,992 stopovers received in the first six months of 2019.
Arrivals from the USA increased by 154.3% in the first six months of 2021, growing from 199,551 arrivals in the first six months of 2020 to 507,486 arrivals in the same six months of 2021. Traffic was down 97.8% from Canada, falling from 226,605 arrivals in the first six months of 2020 to just 5,034 arrivals in the first six months of 2021. Traffic was also down 97.2% from the UK, falling from 26,295 arrivals in 2020 to just 727 stopovers in the first six months of 2021.
Traffic was down 76.0% from France, down 64.8% from Argentina, down 51.5% from Brazil, and down 39.3% from Germany.
In the first six months of 2021, stopover arrivals to Punta Cana made up 38.4% of all non-resident arrivals to the Dominican Republic compared with 53.2% in the same six months of 2020.

The Dominican Republic received 462,536 non-resident visitors in June, 18.3% more than the 390,948 stopovers received in May.
According to the Central Bank of the Dominican Republic, the Dominican Republic received 462,536 non-resident stopover arrivals in June 2021, 18.3% more than the 390,948 stopovers it received in May 2021.
The Dominican Republic closed its borders to international tourist arrivals as of March 19th 2020 and consequently received just 1,021 stopovers in June 2020.
The 462,536 arrivals received in June 2021 were 78.8% of the 587,143 stopovers received in June 2019.
The Dominican Republic received 268,140 stopover arrivals from the USA in June 2021, 37.6% more than the 194,902 stopovers received from the USA in May 2021.
28.0% of the non-resident arrivals in June 2021 were Dominicans living abroad and returning to the Dominican Republic compared with 65.0% in June 2020.
In the first six months of 2021 the Dominican Republic saw a 36.1% increase in the volume of stopover arrivals, growing from 1,394,091 arrivals in the first six months of 2020 to 1,897,643 non-resident arrivals in the same six months of 2021.
Non-resident arrivals from the USA increased by 158.3% in the first six months of 2021, growing from 355,440 arrivals in 2020 to 918,119 arrivals from the USA in the first six months of 2021. Stopover arrivals from Canada fell by 97.6%, from 339,159 in the first six months of 2020 to 8,002 in the same six months of 2021.
The 1,897,643 stopovers received in the first six months of 2021 were 53.1% of the 3,575,298 stopovers received in the first six months of 2019.
In the first six months of 2021 31.6% of all non-resident tourists arriving in the Dominican Republic were non-resident Dominicans returning home, up from 14.7% in the same six months of 2020.

AHATA reports Aruba’s hotels achieved a 69.5% average room occupancy in June 2021.
The Aruba Hotel and Tourism Association (AHATA) reports that average hotel room occupancy in June 2021 was 69.5%, 13.2 percentage points higher than the 56.3% achieved in May 2021.
Aruba closed its orders to international travel as of March 17 2020 and consequently Aruba’s hotels achieved a 0.6% average room occupancy in June 2020.
And compared with June 2019, the average room occupancy in June 2021 was 13.5 percentage points lower, falling from 83.0% in June 2019 to 69.5% in June this year.
ADR was $246.05 in June 2021, 8.2% higher than in June 2019, and revpar was $171.06, 9.3% lower than in June 2019.
Aruba’s timeshare resorts reported an average occupancy of 81% in June 2021.
Through the first six months of 2021 AHATA reports that Aruba’s hotels achieved an average room occupancy of 45.1% compared with 35.3% for the first six months of 2020. Again, compared with the first six months of 2020, ADR fell by 29.6% to $257.11 with RevPAR falling by 10.2% to $104.48.
By comparison with the first six months of 2019 average room occupancy was 41.1 percentage points lower in 2021, while ADR fell by 14.6%, and revpar was 55.4% lower.
AHATA is projecting that Aruba’s hotels will achieve an average room occupancy of 76% for July, 70% for August, 63% for September, 70% for October and 57% for 2021 as a whole.

Antigua and Barbuda received 14,732 stopovers in June 2021, 28.0% more than the 11,512 received in May 2021.
According to the Ministry of Tourism and Investment, Antigua and Barbuda saw a 28.0% increase in stopover visitor arrivals in June 2021, growing from 11,512 stopovers received in May 2021 to 14,732 stopovers this June.
Antigua and Barbuda re-opened its borders to international travel as of June 4th 2020 and consequently received 2,677 visitors in June 2020 up from the 11 received in May 2020.
The 14,732 stopovers received In June 2021 were 69.6% of the 21,174 stopovers Antigua received in June 2019.
The 12,391 stopover visitors received from the USA in June 2021 were 30.8% higher than the 9,474 stopovers received from the USA in May and comprised 84.1% of all stopovers received in June. Antigua also received 1,422 stopover visitors from the U.K. in June.
Through the first six months of 2021, Antigua and Barbuda saw a 33.6% decrease in the number of stopover visitors, falling from 86,047 stopovers in the first six months of 2020 to 57,104 stopovers in the same six months of 2021.
The number of stopovers from the USA increased by 23.6%, from 36,997 stopovers in the first six months of 2020 to 45,731 stopovers in the same six months of 2021 while the number of stopover visitors from the U.K. fell by 71.9%, from 20,569 in 2020 to 5,785 stopovers in the same six months of 2021.
By comparison with the first six months of 2019 the number of stopovers decreased by 64.6%, falling from 161,420 in 2019 to 57,104 in the same six months of 2021.

Cancun’s Airport handled 1,291,026 international air passenger movements in June 2021, 17.8% more than the total handled in May 2021.
According to ASUR, which manages many of Mexico’s airports, Cancun Airport saw a 17.8% increase in international passenger movements in June 2021, growing from 1,095,433 movements in May 2021 to 1,291,026 such movements in June 2021.
The 1,291,026 international passenger movements handled in June 2021 were 92.2% of the 1,400,407 international passengers handled in June 2019.
Domestic passenger movements increased by 0.2% in June 2021, from 797,780 passenger movements in May 2021 to 799,084 domestic movements in June of this year.
The 799,084 domestic passenger movements handled in June 2021 were 2.2% more than the 781,998 handled in June 2019.
Mexico re-opened to international tourist arrivals as of June 8th 2020 and consequently Cancun handled 44,418 international passenger movements in June 2020 up from 7,355 in May 2020.
In the first six months of 2021 the volume of international air passenger movements increased by 29.5%, growing from 4,209,900 movements in 2020 to 5,450,301 movements in the first six months of 2021 while the volume of domestic air passenger movements increased by 99.6%, from 2,033,084 movements in the first six months of 2020 to 4,057,727 in the same six months of 2021.
By comparison with the first six months of 2019 the volume of international air passenger movements decreased by 39.4%, falling from 8,995,343 movements in 2019 to 5,450,301 movements in the first six months of 2021 while the volume of domestic air passenger movements decreased by 3.8%, from 4,219,050 movements in the first six months of 2019 to 4,057,727 in the same six months of 2021.
In the first six months of 2021 international passenger movements accounted for 57.3% of all passenger movements, down from 67.4% in 2020 and down from 68.1% in the first six months of 2019.

San Juan, Puerto Rico (SJU) handled 1,009,754 total passenger movements in June 2021, 12.7% more than the total handled in May 2021.
According to ASUR, which manages many airports in Mexico, Colombia and which also manages the Luis Munoz Marin International Airport in San Juan, Puerto Rico, SJU saw a 12.7% increase in passenger movements in June 2021, growing from 896,041 total passenger movements in May 2021 to 1,009,754 movements in June 2021.
The 1,009,754 passenger movements handled in June 2021 were 13.7% higher than the 888,007 handled in June 2019.
It should be noted that restrictions on travel began to be put in place in the middle of March 2020. In June 2020 San Juan’s airport handled 214,008 total passenger movements.
In the first six months of 2021 the overall volume of air passenger movements at San Juan’s airport increased by 74.5%, from 2,542,116 in 2020 to 4,436,229 in the same six months of 2021.
The total for the first six months of 2021 was 94% of the total for the same six months of 2019, that is 4,436,229 in 2021 of the 4,717,808 passengers handled in the first six months of 2019.

Los Cabos handled 382,800 international passenger movements in June 2021, up 18.0% compared with May 2021.
According to Aeroportuario del Pacifico , which manages many of Mexico’s airports, Los Cabos Airport saw an 18.0% increase in international passenger traffic in June 2021, that is enplanements and deplanements, growing from 324,500 international passenger movements in May 2021 to 382,800 international passenger movements in June 2021.
Mexico re-opened to international tourist arrivals as of June 8th 2020 and consequently Los Cabos handled 22,700 international passenger movements in June 2020.
The 382,000 international passenger movements seen in June 2021 were 20.6% higher than the 317,300 international movements handled in June 2019.
Domestic traffic declined by 2.0%, falling from 178,300 passenger movements in May 2021 to 174,700 passenger movements in June 2021. Los Cabos handled 36,300 domestic passenger movements in June 2020.
The 174,700 domestic passenger movements seen in June 2021 were 4.0% higher than the 168,000 domestic passenger movements handled in June 2019.
Through the first six months of 2021 Los Cabos Airport saw international passenger movements increase by 55.6%, from 975,300 in 2020 to 1,517,700 in the first six months of 2021. Domestic passenger movements increased by 85.4% in the first six months of 2021, from 478,700 in 2020 to 887,400 in the first six months of 2021.
By comparison with the first six months of 2019 international passenger movements were down 24.8%, while domestic movements grew by 0.2%.

Montego Bay Airport handled 284,300 total passenger movements in June 2021, 32.3% more than the 214,900 handled in May 2021.
According to Aeroportuario del Pacifico, which manages many of Mexico’s airports and which also manages the airports in Montego Bay and Kingston, Jamaica, saw the total number of passenger movements, that is both enplanements and deplanements, at Montego Bay Airport increase by 32.3% in June 2021, growing from 214,900 total movements in May 2021 to 284,300 movements in June 2021.
The total number of passenger movements in June 2021 was 72.5% of the 392,000 handled in June 2019.
It should be noted that Jamaica closed its borders to international visitors as of March 21st 2020 and re-opened to such visitors as of June 15th 2020. As a result, Montego Bay Airport handled just 15,400 passengers movements in June 2020.
Through the first six months of 2021 Montego Bay Airport saw total passenger movements fall 16.4%, from 1,150,500 in 2020 to 961,400 in the first six months of 2021. The 2021 total of 961,400 movements was 38.1% of the 2,520,600 passenger movements handled in the first six months of 2019.
In 2021 international passenger movements made up 100.0% of all passenger movements.

Kingston Jamaica Airport saw 79,600 total passenger movements in June 2021, 34.0% more than the 59,400 handled in May 2021.
According to Aeroportuario del Pacifico, which manages many of Mexico’s airports and which also manages the airports in Montego Bay and Kingston, Jamaica, saw the total number of passenger movements, that is both enplanements and deplanements, at Kingston Jamaica’s Airport increase by 34.0% in June 2021, growing from 59,400 total movements in May 2021 to 79,600 total passenger movements in June 2021.
While Kingston Airport re-opened to international travelers as of June 15th 2020 the total number of passenger movements in June 2020 was just 14,300 passengers.
Through the first six months of 2021 Kingston’s Airport saw total passenger movements fall by 20.4%, from 376,300 in 2020 to 299,500 in the first six months of 2021. Numbers for 2019 are not available.
In 2021 international passenger movements made up 100.0% of all passenger movements.

Orlando saw a 3.2 percentage point drop in average room occupancy in May 2021, down from 60.2% in April 2021 to 57.0% this May.
According to STR Orlando had 128,000 hotel rooms in May 2021 and achieved an average city-wide room occupancy of 57.0%, down 3.2 percentage points compared with April 2021 (60.2%), and an ADR of $113.37 down 1.0% compared with April 2021 ($114.51).
Orlando’s theme parks closed to visitors as of March 15th 2020 and consequently Orlando’s hotels experienced an average room occupancy of 23.1% in May 2020.
According to Visit Orlando, Orlando saw the volume of air passenger deplanements grow from 215,292 in May 2020 to 1,989,070 in May 2021. The 1,989,070 deplanements seen in May 2021 were 16.7% more than the 1,705,150 deplanements received in April 2021.This includes deplanements at both Orlando International and Sanford airports and includes both international and domestic deplanements.
In the first five months of 2021 Orlando’s hotels saw an average hotel room occupancy of 50.7%, down 3.9 percentage points from the 54.6% achieved in the first five months of 2020. ADR fell by 17.6% from $128.98 for the first five months of 2020 to $106.28 for the first five months of 2021.
Orlando saw the volume of air passenger deplanements increase by 22.7% in the first five months of 2021, growing from 6,109,250 deplanements in the first five months of 2020 to 7,493,439 deplanements in the first five months of 2021. This includes deplanements at both Orlando International and Sanford airports and includes both international and domestic deplanements.

Las Vegas saw an 11.8% increase in visitors in May 2021 compared with April 2021.
According to the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, Las Vegas saw the volume of visitors increase by 11.8% in May 2021, growing from 2,573,800 arrivals in April 2021 to 2,878,200 in May of 2021.
The state of Nevada ordered the closure of all casinos as of March 17 2020 and consequently Las Vegas received just 151,300 visitors in May 2020.
The 2,878,200 arrivals received in May 2021 were 78.0% of the 3,691,100 arrivals received in May 2019.
Las Vegas had a weighted average of 146,723 open hotel rooms in May 2021 (down 1.4% compared with May 2020) and achieved an average city-wide room occupancy of 70.9% (just 2.8% in May 2020), an ADR of $126.69 and a RevPar of $89.82.
Through the first five months of 2021 Las Vegas saw a 21.3% increase in the volume of visitors, growing from 8,667,700 arrivals in the first five months of 2020 to 10,516,300 visitors in the same five months of 2021. The total number of visitors for the first five months of 2021 was 60% of the 17,532,100 received in the first five months of 2019.
Las Vegas achieved an average city-wide room occupancy of 53.3% in the first five months of 2021 (up 10.2 percentage points compared with the first five months of 2020), an ADR of $108.24 (down 23.5% compared with the same five months of 2020) and a RevPar of $57.69, down 5.4%, also compared with the same five months of 2020.
Gaming revenue increased by 72.2% in the first five months of 2021, from $2.358 billion in 2020 to $4.060 billion in the same five months of 2021.

Cuba announces it received 23,527 stopover visitors in May 2021, 42.2% more than the 16,549 received in April 2021.
The Cuban Government’s Office of National Statistics and Information (ONEI) recently announced that total tourist arrivals increased by 42.2% in May 2021, growing from 16,549 stopover arrivals in April 2021 to 23,527 arrivals in May of this year. This number includes both stopover visitors and cruise visitors.
Cuba closed its borders to international tourist arrivals on March 20 2020 and consequently received just 1,033 stopovers in May 2020.
The 23,527 stopovers received in May 2021 were just 6.6% of the 358,321 received in May 2019.
Cuba received 18,452 stopovers from Russia in May 2021, 78.4% of all stopovers received for the month.
In the first five months of 2021 Cuba saw a 91.0% decrease in total arrivals, falling from 984,132 arrivals in 2020 to 88,239 stopovers this year. Total tourist arrivals from Canada fell by 99.4% from 403,620 arrivals in the first five months of 2020 to 2,278 in the first five months of 2021. The number one source market in the first five months of 2021 was Russia with 52,044 stopovers, 59.0% of all arrivals, up from just 6.4% in the first five months of 2020.

Mexico received 1,175,197 international air arrivals in May, up 27.5% compared with April 2021.
According to the Government of Mexico’s SECTUR (Department of Tourism) Mexico received 1,175,197 international air arrivals in May 2021, up 27.5% compared with the 921,681 arrivals received in April 2021.
Mexico’s border with the USA was closed as of March 20 2020 and consequently Mexico received just 30,396 international visitors in May 2020.
The 1,175,197 international air arrivals received in May 2021 were 76.5% of the 1,535,433 visitors received in May 2019.
Mexico received 952,553 air visitors from the USA in May, 81.1% of the total. Brazil was the second biggest market (27,094 visitors) with Colombia third largest (25,893 visitors).
Cancun Airport received 537,402 international air visitors in May 2021, 45.7% of the overall total. Los Cabos received 159,534 international air arrivals with Puerto Vallarta receiving 88,123 air visitors.
In the first five months of 2021 the volume of international air arrivals to Mexico fell by 8.5%, from 4,592,851 arrivals in 2020 to 4,202,806 arrivals in the first five months of this year.
The volume of air arrivals from the USA increased by 35.8% in the same five months, from 2,405,299 air arrivals in 2020 to 3,265,640 air arrivals in 2021 while the volume from Canada fell by 94.8%, from 884,614 air arrivals in 2020 to 46,430 in 2021.
Cancun Airport saw a 4.7% increase in international air arrivals in the first five months of 2021, growing from 1,907,317 arrivals in 2020 to 1,997,100 arrivals in 2021 while Los Cabos saw a 25.8% increase growing from 440,528 international air arrivals in 2020 to 554,281 air arrivals in 2021. Puerto Vallarta saw a 33.1% decrease, falling from 489,959 international arrivals in 2020 to 327,776 international arrivals in the first five months of 2020.

Hawaii reports the state received 629,681 out-of-state tourists in May, up 30.1% compared with April 2021.
According to the Hawaii Tourism Authority, Hawaii saw the volume of air arrivals increase by 30.1% in May 2021, growing from 484,071 air arrivals received in April 2021 to 629,681 arrivals in May 2021. Total spending for visitors arriving in May 2021 was $1.1 billion.
In May 2021, the State’s Safe Travels program was still underway, with most passengers arriving from out-of-state able to bypass the 10-day self-quarantine with a valid negative COVID-19 prior to departure.
April 2020 was the first full month of travel restrictions to keep the community safe, following the State of Hawai‘i’s 14-day mandatory travel quarantine for all passengers (effective March 26, 2020). The state’s five counties enforced strict stay-at-home orders and curfews during May and consequently the number of out of state air arrivals was just 9,116 for May 2020.
The 629,681 arrivals received in May 2021 were 75.3% of the 836,058 arrivals received in May 2019.
Hawaii received 612,457 air arrivals from the mainland USA in May 2021, 564 arrivals from Canada, 1,312 arrivals from Japan and 15,347 air arrivals from other markets.
Through the first five months of 2021 Hawaii saw a 7.0% decrease in the volume of air arrivals, falling from 2,109,375 air arrivals in the first five months of 2020 to 1,960,796 air arrivals in the same five months of 2021. Air arrivals were down 52.7% compared with the first five months of 2019.
For the first five months of 2021, total visitor spending was $3.43 billion with visitor spending down by 52.6% from the $7.23 billion spent in the first five months of 2019.
Air arrivals from the USA increased by 32.6% in the first five months of 2021, growing from 1,435,925 air arrivals in 2020 to 1,904,640 air arrivals in the same five months of 2021, fell by 98.1% from Japan (from 294,255 arrivals in 2020 to 5,589 air arrivals in 2021) and fell by 96.9% from Canada (from 155,764 in 2020 to 4,807 air arrivals in 2021).

The Maldives reports it received 64,613 stopover visitor arrivals in May, down 29.2% compared with April 2021.
The Maldives Government’s Ministry of Tourism recently announced that The Maldives received 64,613 stopover visitors in May 2021, down 29.2% from the 91,200 stopovers received in April 2021.
The Maldives closed its borders to tourist arrivals on March 27th 2020 and consequently received just 41 stopover visitors in May 2020.
The 64,613 stopovers received in May 2021 were 62.7% of the 103,022 stopovers received in May 2019.
In May 2021 Russia was the number one source market and generated 19,472 stopovers of the total overall stopovers (30.1%) while Germany was the number two source market and generated 5,008 stopovers (7.8%). Other markets which generated significant business in May were the USA (3,894 visitors), India (2,776 visitors) and the United Kingdom (2,191 visitors).
In the first five months of 2021 The Maldives saw an 18.7% increase in total arrivals, growing from 382,816 stopovers in the first five months of 2020 to 454,383 stopovers in the same five months of 2021 with Russia (105,924 visitors) and India (89,424 visitors) being, by far, the two largest source markets in these five months.
The Maldives saw the overall number of accommodation establishments in operation grow by 17.4% from an average of 580 in the first five months of 2020 to an average of 681 establishments in the same five months of 2021. The number of beds grew by 42.0% from 32,655 in the first five months of 2020 to 46,363 this year.
It should be noted many accommodation establishments closed in April 2020 consequent upon the closure of the borders.
Through the end of May overall average room occupancy had grown by 15.7 percentage points from 37.3% in 2020 to 53.0% for the first five months of this year.
Of the 681 establishments in operation 150 were resorts which offered 35,149 beds (75.8% of the overall number of beds). These resorts achieved a 60.3% average room occupancy through the first five months of 2021 up from 42.7% for the first five months of 2020. Through the first five months of 2020 there was an average of 102 resorts in operation offering 23,701 beds.

Curacao reports it received 8,845 stopover arrivals in May 2021, 151% more than the 3,520 received in April of this year.
According to the Curaçao Tourist Board, Curaçao saw a 151% increase in stopover visitor arrivals in May, growing from 3,520 stopovers received in April 2021 to 8,845 stopovers received in May of this year. The 8,845 stopovers received in May 2021 were 24.3% of the 36,386 stopovers received in May 2019.
Curaçao closed its borders to international visitors as of March 17th 2020 and consequently Curaçao received just 217 stopover visitors in May 2020.
Curacao received 4,797 stopover visitors from the Netherlands in May 2021 and 2,234 stopovers from the USA, 54.2% and 25.3% of all stopovers, respectively.
There were no cruise visitors in May as the island remained closed to cruise traffic.
In the first five months of 2021 Curaçao saw a 66.6% decrease in the number of stopover visitors, falling from 108,912 visitors in 2020 to 36,418 visitors in the first five months of this year.
The number of stopovers from the USA declined by 65.0% during the first five months, falling from 21,009 in 2020 to 7,359 in the first five months of 2021. The number of stopovers from the Netherlands declined by 57.3%, falling from 44,341 visitors during the first five months of 2020, to 18,935 in the first five months of 2021.
By comparison with the first five months of 2019 the number of stopovers decreased by 82.1%, falling from 203,846 in 2019 to 36,418 in the same five months of 2021.

Dubai saw an 8.8% decline in international visitors in April 2021 compared with March 2021.
According to the Government of Dubai’s Statistics Center, Dubai saw an 8.8% drop in the number of international visitors in April 2021, falling from 449,800 visitors in March 2021 to 410,000 in April 2021. The equivalent visitor numbers for April 2020 are not available. It should be noted that Dubai closed its borders to international visitor arrivals as of March 26th 2020.
In the first four months of 2021 Dubai received 1,670,000 international visitors, down 72.6% compared with the 6,090,000 visitors received in the first four months of 2019.
The number one source market in the first four months of 2021 was India which generated 390,000 visitors, 23.4% of the overall total.

Orlando’s Airports saw a 44.5% increase in international deplanements in May 2021.
Orlando, Florida is served by two primary airports, Orlando International (MCO) and Sanford International Airport (SFB).
In May 2021, the two airports combined saw an increase of 44.5% in international deplanements, growing from 45,162 deplanements from international airports in April 2021 to 65,272 international deplanements in May 2021. Orlando International handled 99.2% of all international deplanements.
International deplanements made up 3.4% of total deplanements in May 2021.
The two airports combined also saw a 15.7% increase in domestic deplanements, that is from airports within the USA, growing from 1,659,988 domestic deplanements in April 2021 to 1,923,798 in May 2021.
The two airports combined saw a 16.7% increase in total deplanements, growing from 1,705,150 deplanements in April 2021 to 1,989,070 in May 2021. The two airports saw just 215,292 total deplanements in May 2020.
In the first five months of 2021, the two airports combined saw a drop of 69.2% in international deplanements, falling from 693,850 deplanements from international airports in the first five months of 2020 to 213,517 international deplanements in the first five months of 2021.
The two airports combined however saw a 34.4% increase in domestic deplanements, that is from airports within the USA, growing from 5,415,400 domestic deplanements in the first five months of 2020 to 7,279,922 in the same five months of 2021.
The two airports combined saw a 22.7% increase in total deplanements, growing from 6,109,250 deplanements in the first five months of 2020 to 7,493,439 in the first five months of 2021.

Hawaii’s hotels report a 10.7 percentage point increase in average room occupancy in May to 61.5%
According to the Hawai‘i Hotel Performance Report published by the Hawai‘i Tourism Authority (HTA), statewide hotel room occupancy grew by 10.7 percentage points from 50.8% in April 2021 to 61.5% in May of this year. ADR fell by 4.2% from $300.27 in April to $287.76 in May, while revpar grew by 16.1%, from $152.52 in April 2021 to $177.08 in May of this year.
Hawai‘i’s quarantine order for travelers due to the COVID-19 pandemic began on March 26, 2020, which immediately resulted in dramatic declines for the hotel industry. The hotel sector posted an average room occupancy of 15.3% in May 2020.
The report’s findings utilized data compiled by STR, Inc., which conducts the largest and most comprehensive survey of hotel properties in the Hawaiian Islands. For May, the survey included 140 properties representing 44,771 rooms, or 82.9 percent of all lodging properties and 86.0 percent of operating lodging properties with 20 rooms or more in the Hawaiian Islands, including full service, limited service, and condominium hotels. Vacation rental and timeshare properties were not included in this survey.
Hawai‘i hotel room revenues statewide grew by 20.5%, from $237.2 million in April 2021 to $285.9 million in May 2021. Room demand grew by 25.8%, from 789,900 room nights in April to 993,600 room nights in May while room supply increased by 3.8% from 1,555,000 room nights in April to 1,614,600 room nights in May.
During May 2021, most passengers arriving from out-of-state and traveling inter-county could bypass the State’s mandatory 10-day self-quarantine with a valid negative COVID-19 NAAT test result from a Trusted Testing Partner prior to their departure to Hawai‘i through the Safe Travels program.
For the first five months of 2021 statewide hotel room occupancy fell by 12.9 percentage points from 55.1% in 2020 to 42.2% in the first five months of 2021. ADR fell by 4.1% from $294.96 in 2020 to $282.76 while revpar fell by 26.5%, from $162.39 in the first five months of 2020 to $119.30 in the first five months of this year.
In the first five months of 2021, Hawai‘i hotel room revenues statewide fell by 15.0% from $1.076 billion in 2020 to $915 million in the first five months of this year. Room demand fell by 11.3%, to 3,235,200 room nights in the same five months. Room supply grew by 15.7% however to 7,668,200 available room nights also in the first five months.

In May 2021 Cancun saw its hotels achieve an average hotel room occupancy of 57.1% up 4.5 points from the 52.6% reported for April.
Sedetur, the Department of Tourism of the state of Quintana Roo, recently released the hotel occupancy numbers for the hotels in Cancun/Puerto Morelos and Riviera Maya for May 2021.
In May the hotels in Cancun/Puerto Morelos saw a 4.5 percentage point increase in average hotel room occupancy from 52.6% in April 2021 to 57.1% in May of this year.
Cancun’s hotels reported an average hotel room occupancy of 5.7% in May 2020. It should be noted that as of mid-March 2020 the hotels saw a sharp drop in average room occupancies for the second half of the month as strict restrictions on international travel came into effect and the hotels saw very limited business in both April and May.
The 57.1% average room occupancy for May 2021 was 19.6 percentage points lower than the 76.7% achieved in May 2019.
The hotels in Riviera Maya saw a 6.7 percentage point increase in average hotel room occupancy from 46.7% in April 2021 to 53.4% in May of this year. As with Cancun, traffic in both April and May was extremely limited. In May 2020, the hotels in Riviera Maya averaged a 2.5% room occupancy. The same hotels reported an average hotel room occupancy of 80.6% in May 2019.
Through the first five months of 2021 the hotels in Cancun/Puerto Morelos achieved a 45.1% average room occupancy, down 0.9 percentage points from the 46.0% achieved in the same five months of 2020. The hotels achieved an average occupancy of 80.0% in the first five months of 2019.
For the first five months of 2021 the hotels in Riviera Maya achieved an average room occupancy of 35.9%, down 8.2 percentage points from the 44.1% achieved in the same five months of 2020. The hotels achieved an average occupancy of 82.2% in the first five months of 2019.
Riviera Maya/Tulum has 48,200 hotel rooms while the Cancun/Puerto Morelos area has 42,910 hotel rooms.

The United States Virgin Islands saw 71,837 air arrivals in April 2021, 7.3% fewer than the 77,506 air visitors received in March 2021.
According to revised numbers published by the USVI Bureau of Economic Research, the USVI saw the volume of air arrivals decline by 7.3% in April 2021, falling from 77,506 air arrivals in March 2021 to 71,837 air arrivals in April of this year.
The 71,837 air arrivals received in April 2021 was 65.8% more than the 43,317 received in April 2019.
The USVI closed its borders to air arrivals as of March 21st 2020 and thus received just 2,649 air arrivals in April 2020.
Through the first four months of 2021 the USVI saw the volume of air arrivals increase by 38.8%, from 180,440 air arrivals in the first four months of 2020 to 250,843 air arrivals in the first four months of 2021. The 250,843 arrivals in the first four months of 2021 were 5.8% higher than the 236,771 air arrivals received in the first four months of 2019.
There were no cruise visitor arrivals in April 2021.

Aruba received 70,683 stopover visitors in May 2021, 20.3% more than the 58,774 stopovers received in April 2021.
According to Aruba Tourism Authority, Aruba received 70,683 stopover arrivals in May 2021, 20.3% more than the 58,774 stopovers it received in April 2021.
Aruba closed its borders to tourist arrivals as of March 17th 2020 and consequently there were no tourist arrivals in May 2020.
However, the 70,683 stopovers received in May 2021 were 79.8% of the 88,543 stopovers received in May 2019.
Compared with 2019, stopover arrivals from the USA decreased by 6.4%, falling from 67,227 arrivals in May 2019 to 62,914 arrivals in May 2021. Arrivals from the USA comprised 89.0% of all arrivals in May 2021 up from 75.9% in May 2019.
Arrivals from Canada dropped by 95.5%, from 2,599 in May 2019 to 117 stopovers in May 2021 consequent upon the Government of Canada suspending all non-stop flights to and from Canada to Mexico and the Caribbean from January 2021. Arrivals from the Netherlands fell by 42.3%, from 3,633 in May 2019 to 2,097 in May this year.
In the first five months of 2021 Aruba saw a 5.7% increase in the number of stopover visitors, growing from 228,752 visitors in 2020 to 241,795 visitors in the first five months of this year. The number of stopovers from the USA grew by 22.0% during the first five months, from 175,177 in 2020 to 213,774 through the end of May 2021.
Compared with the first five months of 2019, the 241,795 stopover visitors received in the first five months of 2021 was 50.7% of the 476,679 stopovers received in the first five months of 2019. There were 213,774 stopovers from the USA in the first five months of 2021, 59.7% of the 357,850 received in the first five months of 2019.
The number of visitors staying in hotels in the first five months of 2021 declined by 57.2% compared with the same five months of 2019, falling from 243,131 visitors in 2019 to 104,153 in the same five months of 2021. The share of visitors staying in hotels fell from 51.0% in the first five months of 2019 to 43.1% in the same five months of 2021.
In the first five months of 2021 84,763 visitors used timeshare accommodation, 69.0% of the 122,745 visitors who used such accommodation in the first five months of 2019, with the sector’s share growing from 25.8% in 2019 to 35.1% in 2021.
The total number of visitors staying in timeshare resorts grew by 45.6% in the first five months of 2021 compared with the same five months of 2020.
Visitors using other accommodation – private homes, condominiums, short term rental accommodation and apartments – fell by 52.3% when comparing the first five months of 2019 with the same five months of 2021 with the share dropping from 23.2% in 2019 to 21.9% in 2021.
There were no cruise visitors in May as the island remained closed to cruise traffic.

AHATA reports Aruba’s hotels achieved a 56.3% average room occupancy in May 2021.
The Aruba Hotel and Tourism Association reports that average hotel room occupancy in May 2021 was 56.3%, 3.6 percentage points higher than the 52.7% achieved in April 2021.
Aruba closed its borders to international travel as of March 17 2020 and consequently Aruba’s hotels achieved a 0.5% average room occupancy in May 2020.
And compared with May 2019, the average room occupancy in May 2021 was 24.7 percentage points lower, falling from 81.0% in May 2019 to 56.3% in May this year.
ADR was $232.89 in May 2021, 3.4% higher than in May 2019, and revpar was $131.16, 28.1% lower than in May 2019.
Aruba’s timeshare resorts reported an average occupancy of 76% in May 2021.
Through the first five months of 2021 AHATA reports that Aruba’s hotels achieved an average room occupancy of 40.0% compared with 42.3% for the first five months of 2020. ADR fell by 28.6% to $261.06 in the same five months with RevPAR falling by 32.4% to $104.48.
By comparison with the first five months of 2019 average room occupancy was 46.8 percentage points lower in 2021, while ADR fell by 16.7%, and revpar was 61.6% lower.
AHATA is projecting that Aruba’s hotels will achieve an average room occupancy of 66% for June, 71% for July, 61% for August, 56% for September and 55% for 2021 as a whole.

Saint Lucia received 14,339 stopovers in May 2021, 50.1% more than the 9,555 stopovers received in April 2021.
According to the Ministry of Tourism and Investment, Saint Lucia saw a 50.1% increase in stopover visitor arrivals in May 2021, growing from 9,555 stopovers in April 2021 to 14,339 stopovers in May 2021.
Saint Lucia also received 76 visitors in May who arrived by yacht.
Saint Lucia closed its borders to international visitor arrivals on March 23rd 2020 and consequently received zero stopover arrivals in May 2020.
The 14,339 stopovers received in May 2021 were 41.7% of the 34,354 stopovers received in May 2019.
Saint Lucia received 13,205 stopover arrivals from the USA in May 2021, 42.5% more than the 9,266 stopovers received in April 2021 with the 13,205 stopovers comprising 92.1% of all stopover arrivals in May 2021.
There were no cruise visitors in May 2021.
Through the first five months of 2021, Saint Lucia saw a 52.8% decrease in the number of stopover visitors, falling from 91,399 stopovers in the first five months of 2020 to 43,125 stopovers in the same five months of 2021.
The number of stopovers from the USA fell by 2.7%, from 41,155 in the first five months of 2020 to 40,045 in the same five months of 2021 while the number of stopover visitors from the U.K. fell by 90.8% from 18,298 in 2020 to 1,687 stopovers in the same five months of 2021.
Saint Lucia received 459 visitors who arrived by yacht in the first five months of 2021, down 97.8% from the 21,122 visitors who arrived by yacht in the first five months of 2020.

Jamaica received 82,702 stopover arrivals in April 2021, a 12.3% increase compared with March 2021.
According to the Jamaica Tourist Board, Jamaica received 82,702 stopover arrivals in April 2021, a 12.3% increase compared with the 73,646 stopovers received in March 2021 and 35.5% of the 232,834 stopovers received in April 2019.
Jamaica closed its borders to international arrivals as of March 21st 2020 and consequently had zero arrivals in April 2020.
Stopover arrivals from the USA totaled 81,114 in April 2021, that is 13.0% more than the 71,789 stopover visitors received from the USA in March 2021. Stopover arrivals from the USA comprised 98.1% of all stopover arrivals received in April 2021.
There were no cruise arrivals in April 2021 as Jamaica remained closed to cruise ship arrivals.
Through the first four months of 2021 Jamaica saw a 57.5% decline in the volume of stopover arrivals, falling from 574,131 stopover arrivals in the first four months of 2020 to 243,977 arrivals in the same four months of 2021.
The 243,977 stopovers received in the first four months of 2021 were 25.9% of the 941,131 stopovers received in the first four months of 2019.
Arrivals from the USA declined by 38.2% in the first four months of 2021, falling from 377,076 arrivals in 2020 to 233,216 arrivals in the same four months of 2021.
The USA’s share of all stopover arrivals grew from 65.7% in the first four months of 2020 to 95.6% in the same four months of 2021.

Punta Cana received 151,155 tourists in May 2021, 22.4% more than the 123,529 received in April 2021.
According to the Central Bank of the Dominican Republic, Punta Cana, in the Dominican Republic, saw the volume of non-resident stopover arrivals increase by 22.4% in May, growing from 123,529 arrivals in April 2021 to 151,155 in May 2021. The volume of arrivals in May was 48.3% of the 312,887 stopovers received in May 2019.
The Dominican Republic closed its borders to international tourist arrivals as of March 19th 2020 consequently Punta Cana received 10 visitors in May 2020.
Punta Cana received 108,710 stopover arrivals from the USA in May 2021, 21.7% more than the 89,308 stopovers received in April 2021.
The Dominican Republic reopened its borders to visitors as of July 1st 2020 with limited controls on arrivals but changed its policy on July 30th requiring all visitors to show evidence of a negative RT-PCR test taken prior to arrival. As of September 15th 2020, this requirement was eliminated and was replaced by random breath tests being administered to 3% - 10% of all arriving visitors.
During the first five months of 2021 Punta Cana saw a 27.8% decrease in the volume of stopover arrivals, falling from 741,976 arrivals in the first five months of 2020 to 535,987 non-resident arrivals in the first five months of 2021.
Arrivals from the USA increased by 78.9% in the first five months of 2021, growing from 199,551 arrivals in the first five months of 2020 to 357,095 arrivals in the same five months of 2021. Traffic was down 97.9% from Canada, falling from 226,605 arrivals in the first five months of 2020 to just 4,659 arrivals in the first five months of 2021. Traffic was also down 98.6% from the UK, falling from 26,295 arrivals in 2020 to just 373 stopovers in the first five months of 2021.
Traffic was down 78.3% from France, down 66.7% from Argentina, down 59.1% from Brazil, and down 55.5% from Germany.
In the first five months of 2021, stopover arrivals to Punta Cana made up 37.3% of all non-resident arrivals to the Dominican Republic compared with 53.3% in the same five months of 2020.

The Dominican Republic received 390,948 non-resident visitors in May 2021, 19.5% more than the 327,074 stopovers received in April.
According to the Central Bank of the Dominican Republic, the Dominican Republic received 390,948 non-resident stopover arrivals in May 2021, 19.5% more than the 327,074 stopovers it received in April 2021.
The Dominican Republic closed its borders to international tourist arrivals as of March 19th 2020 and consequently received just 394 stopovers in May 2020.
The 390,948 arrivals received in May 2021 were 74.1% of the 527,732 stopovers received in May 2019.
The Dominican Republic received 194,902 stopover arrivals from the USA in May 2021, 22.1% more than the 159,624 stopovers received from the USA in April 2021.
30.1% of the non-resident arrivals in May 2021 were Dominicans living abroad and returning to the Dominican Republic compared with 81.2% in May 2020.
In the first five months of 2021 the Dominican Republic saw a 3.0% increase in the volume of stopover arrivals, growing from 1,393,070 arrivals in the first five months of 2020 to 1,435,107 non-resident arrivals in the same five months of 2021.
Non-resident arrivals from the USA increased by 83.0% in the first five months of 2021, growing from 355,273 arrivals in 2020 to 649,979 arrivals from the USA in the first five months of 2021. Stopover arrivals from Canada fell by 97.8%, from 339,159 in the first five months of 2020 to 7,308 in the same five months of 2021.
The 1,435,107 stopovers received in the first five months of 2021 were 48.0% of the 2,988,155 stopovers received in the first five months of 2019.
In the first five months of 2021 32.8% of non-resident tourists arriving in the Dominican Republic were non-resident Dominicans returning home, up from 14.6% in the same five months of 2020.

Belize received 20,813 stopover visitors in May 2021, up 42.5% from the 14,609 received in April 2021.
According to the Belize Tourism Board, Belize received 20,813 stopover visitors in May 2021, up 42.5% from the 14,609 received in March 2021.
Belize closed its borders as of April 5th 2020 and consequently just received 543 stopover visitors in May 2020.
The 20,813 stopover visitors received in May 2021 were 56.6% of the 36,779 stopover visitors received in May 2019.
Belize received 18,127 stopover arrivals from the USA in May 2021, 426 from Europe, 165 from Mexico and 162 from Canada.
There were no cruise visitors in May 2021 as Belize remained closed to cruise ships.
In the first five months of 2021 Belize saw the number of stopovers fall by 47.2%, from 124,565 in the first five months of 2020 to 65,712 in the first five months of 2021.
Stopovers from the USA fell by 29.5% in the first five months of 2021, from 78,103 in 2020 to 55,080 in the same five months of 2021. Stopovers from Canada fell by 94.6% in the first five months, to 750 arrivals while stopovers from Europe fell by 90.3% in the same five months, to 1,512 arrivals.
There were no cruise visitors in the first five months of 2021.

Mauritius announces it received 115 stopover visitors in May, 98.3% more than the 58 received in April 2021.
The Mauritius Government’s Ministry of Finance and Economic Development recently reported that total stopover arrivals increased by 98.3% in May 2021, from 58 arrivals received in April 2021 to 115 arrivals in May of this year. This number includes both air and sea stopover visitors. Mauritius re-entered a hard lock-down in March 2021 consequent upon an increase in local Covid19 infections.
Mauritius closed its borders to all international arrivals as of March 19th 2020 and consequently received just 20 stopovers in May 2020.
Mauritius received 96,814 stopovers in May 2019.
Mauritius will open up to international travellers from 15 July 2021 during a two-phase programme. From 15 July to 30 September 2021, vaccinated travellers will be admitted for a resort-based holiday on the island and must stay within their chosen resort premises. All travellers must have proof of a negative PCR test prior to travel and will tested again on arrival. Further tests will be taken on day 7 and 14 of their resort holiday if applicable.
Phase 2 begins on 1 October 2021, allowing vaccinated travellers entry without restrictions upon presentation of a negative PCR test taken within 72 hours before departure.
In the first five months of 2021 Mauritius saw a 99.0% decrease in total stopover arrivals, falling from 304,872 arrivals in 2020 to 2,945 arrivals in the first five months of this year. Mauritius received 557,684 stopovers through the first five months of 2019.

Antigua and Barbuda received 11,512 stopovers in May 2021, 25.3% more than the 9,185 received in April 2021.
According to the Ministry of Tourism and Investment, Antigua and Barbuda saw a 25.3% increase in stopover visitor arrivals in May 2021, growing from 9,185 stopovers received in April 2021 to 11,512 stopovers this May.
Antigua and Barbuda closed its borders to international travel as of March 26th 2020. Consequently, Antigua received just 11 visitors in May 2020.
The 11,512 stopovers received In May 2021 were 51.9% of the 22,190 stopovers Antigua received in May 2019.
The 9,474 stopover visitors received from the USA in May 2021 were 21.2% higher than in April and comprised 82.3% of all stopovers in May. Antigua also received 1,151 stopover visitors from the U.K. in May.
There were no cruise visitors in May 2021.
Through the first five months of 2021, Antigua and Barbuda saw a 49.2% decrease in the number of stopover visitors, falling from 83,370 stopovers in the first five months of 2020 to 42,372 stopovers in the same five months of 2021.
The number of stopovers from the USA fell by 4.5%, from 34,912 stopovers in the first five months of 2020 to 33,340 stopovers in the same five months of 2021 while the number of stopover visitors from the U.K. fell by 78.7%, from 20,514 in 2020 to 4,363 stopovers in the same five months of 2021.
By comparison with the first five months of 2019 the number of stopovers decreased by 69.8%, falling from 140,246 in 2019 to 42,372 in the same five months of 2021.

International Tourist Arrivals Numbers Down 83% in the first quarter of 2021, UNWTO Reports.
International tourist arrivals plunged 83% in the first quarter of 2021 when compared to the same three months of 2020, with the latest data from the World Tourism Organization showing the severe impact COVID-19 has had on the sector.
According to the May issue of the UNWTO’s World Tourism Barometer (Volume 19 Issue 3), published on June 7th 2021, international tourist arrivals dropped by an estimated 83% during the first quarter of 2021.
The Caribbean saw a 59.5% decline in international tourist arrivals in the first three months of 2021 compared with the same three months of 2020 and had the smallest decline in arrivals of any region in the world.
By regions, Asia and the Pacific continued to suffer the largest declines with a 94% drop in international arrivals in the first quarter of 2021, compared to 2020. Europe recorded the second largest decline with -84%, followed by Africa (-82%), and the Americas (-72%).
Industry confidence is slowly rising for the period May-August 2021 according to the latest survey of the UNWTO Panel of Experts. The pace of the vaccination rollout in some key source markets as well as policies to restart tourism safely, most notably the EU Digital Green Certificate, have boosted hopes for a rebound in some markets.
However, uncertainty remains high due to the ongoing pandemic and surge of new variants, the travel restrictions still in place and the uneven rollout of vaccines.
60% of experts now point to a rebound in 2022, up from 50% in January 2021. The remaining 40% still see a potential rebound in 2021, mostly during the second half of the year, though fewer than in the January survey (50%).
Nearly half of all experts see a return to 2019 levels in 2024 or later, while the percentage indicating a return to pre-pandemic levels in 2023 has somewhat decreased (37%) when compared to the January survey (43%).
Due to weaker-than-expected results in the first quarter of 2021, our scenarios for 2021 were revised downward. The first scenario points to a rebound in July and would result in a 40% increase in international arrivals in 2021 compared to 2020, though still 63% below the pre-pandemic levels of 2019. The second scenario considers a rebound in the month of September and a 10% increase in arrivals compared to 2020, though a 75% decrease compared to 2019.
International tourism receipts plunged by US$ 930 billion in 2020, an estimated 64% drop in real terms (local currencies, constant prices) due to the slump in global travel. International visitors spent about US$ 536 billion in destinations last year, about one third of the amount spent in 2019 (US$ 1,466 billion).
Click here for full UNWTO Tourism Barometer Report Volume 19 Issue 3 May 2021

Aruba Airport Authority reports 70,452 departing passengers in May 2021, 7.3% more than the 65,651 handled in April 2021.
The Aruba Airport Authority (AAA) reports that in May 2021 70,452 Revenue Generating Passengers (RGPs) travelled out of the Queen Beatrix International Airport (AUA Airport) to its various markets. This was 7.3% more than the 65,651 RGPs handled in April 2021.
Please note as of March 17th 2020 Aruba closed its international borders to international travel and consequently the airport had no departures in May 2020.
A revenue generating passenger is an outbound traveler leaving Aruba and includes tourists returning to their homes as well as Arubans departing for trips overseas.
The airport also handled 4,473 passengers in transit and 155 transferring passengers.
In May 2021 62,198 passengers (pax) travelled to the USA, 0 pax to Canada (down 100% as Canada closed its borders to flights from the Caribbean), 4,004 pax to Europe, 2,662 pax to Latin America and 1,588 pax to the Dutch Caribbean.
The airlines provided 109,114 outbound seats in May 2021, 80.2% of the 136,016 seats provided in May 2019.
Airlines flying to the USA in May experienced an average load factor of 72.6% There were no flights to Canada while flights to Europe averaged a 64.3% load factor, while the overall average load factor for all flights for May was 69.5%.
In the first five months of 2021 the airport handled a total of 264,189 RGPs, down 8.0% compared with the 287,175 handled in the first five months of 2020. Traffic to the USA increased by 6.2%, from 210,923 RGPs in the first five months of 2020 to 224,078 in the same five months of 2021. Traffic to Canada fell by 94.9% to 901 RGPs, while traffic to Europe increased by 2.6%, from 17,350 RGPS in the first five months of 2020 to 17,802 RGPs this year.
Seat capacity through the first five months of 2021 increased by 28.4% compared with the same five months of 2020, from 377,146 available seats in 2020 to 484,098 seats in 2021.
The overall average load factor of outbound flights fell from 83.0% in the first five months of 2020 to 58.8% in the same five months of 2021. The average load factor of flights to the USA fell from 84.9% in the first five months of 2020 to 58.9% in the same five months of 2021.
The Aruba Airport Authority projects that the airport will handle 338,094 seats in the third quarter of 2021, up 176% over the 122,337 seats offered in third quarter of 2020. The 338,094 seats offered in 2021 will be 83.5% of the 404,979 offered in the third quarter of 2019.
The AAA pointed out these numbers are subject to change.
Based on the latest available insights AUA Airport now expects to recover 60% of its traffic for the year 2021 when comparing this to 2019 by reaching approximately 760,000 departing pax. This would mean an increase of 77% compared with the total for 2020 when the airport handled a total of 430,000 departing passengers.

Costa Rica received 95,854 stopover arrivals in May 2021, 7.3% more than the 89,284 stopovers received in April 2021.
According to the Costa Rica Institute of Tourism (ICT), Costa Rica received 95,854 stopovers in May 2021, 7.3% more than the 89,284 stopovers received in April 2021.
Costa Rica closed its borders to international arrivals as of March 19th 2020 and consequently received just 3,803 stopovers in May 2020.
The 95,854 stopovers received in May 2021 were 45.3% of the 211,598 stopovers received in May 2019.
Costa Rica received 72,329 stopovers from the USA in May, 75.5% of the overall total, and 3,949 stopovers from Central America. Costa Rica’s land borders reopened as of April 5th 2021.
The volume of stopovers decreased by 55.2% in the first five months of 2021, falling from 874,812 stopovers in the first five months of 2020 to 391,853 stopovers in first five months of 2021. The 391,853 stopovers was 26.5% of the 1,477,267 stopovers received in the first five months of 2019.
The number of stopovers from the USA dropped by 24.0% in the first five months of 2021, from 356,084 stopovers in 2020 to 270,478 in 2021 while the number from Central America declined by 90.7%, falling from 183,696 in the first five months of 2020 to 17,089 in the same five months of 2021.
The share of visitors from the USA grew from 40.7% in the first five months of 2020 to 69.0% in the first five months of 2021.

Montego Bay Airport handled 214,900 total passenger movements in May 2021, 36.4% more than the 157,600 handled in April 2021.
According to Aeroportuario del Pacifico, which manages many of Mexico’s airports and which also manages the airports in Montego Bay and Kingston, Jamaica, saw the total number of passenger movements, that is both enplanements and deplanements, at Montego Bay Airport increase by 36.4% in May 2021, growing from 157,600 total movements in April 2021 to 214,900 movements in May 2021.
The total number of passenger movements in May 2021 was 41.8% less than the 365,900 handled in May 2019.
It should be noted that Jamaica closed its borders to international visitors as of March 21st 2020 and as a result Montego Bay Airport handled just 600 passengers movements in May 2020.
Through the first five months of 2021 Montego Bay Airport saw total passenger movements fall 40.3%, from 1,135,100 in 2020 to 677,100 in the first five months of 2021 and by 68.2% compared with the first five months of 2019.
In 2021 international passenger movements made up 100.0% of all passenger movements.

Kingston Jamaica Airport saw 59,400 total passenger movements in May 2021, 32.0% more than the 45,000 handled in April 2021.
According to Aeroportuario del Pacifico, which manages many of Mexico’s airports and which also manages the airports in Montego Bay and Kingston, Jamaica, saw the total number of passenger movements, that is both enplanements and deplanements, at Kingston Jamaica’s Airport increase by 32.0% in May 2021, growing from 45,000 total movements in April 2021 to 59,400 total passenger movements in May 2021.
The total number of passenger movements in May 2020 was just 3,600 passengers.
It should be noted that Jamaica closed its borders to international visitors as of March 21st 2020.
Through the first five months of 2021 Kingston’s Airport saw total passenger movements fall by 39.3%, from 362,000 in 2020 to 219,900 in the first five months of 2021. Numbers for 2019 are not available.
In 2021 international passenger movements made up 100.0% of all passenger movements.

Los Cabos handled 324,500 international passenger movements in May 2021, up 17.5% compared with April 2021.
According to Aeroportuario del Pacifico , which manages many of Mexico’s airports, Los Cabos Airport saw a 17.5% increase in international passenger traffic in May 2021, that is enplanements and deplanements, growing from 276,100 international passenger movements in April 2021 to 324,500 international passenger movements in May 2021. Los Cabos handled 3,100 international passenger movements in May 2020.
The 324,500 international passenger movements seen in May 2021 were 8.2% higher than the 299,900 international movements handled in May 2019.
Domestic traffic increased by 6.4%, growing from 167,500 passenger movements in April 2021 to 178,300 passenger movements in May 2021. Los Cabos handled 17,700 domestic passenger movements in May 2020.
The 178,300 domestic passenger movements seen in May 2021 were 10.9% higher than the 160,800 domestic passenger movements handled in May 2019.
Through the first five months of 2021 Los Cabos Airport saw international passenger movements increase by 19.1%, from 952,600 in 2020 to 1,134,900 in the first five months of 2021. Domestic passenger movements increased by 61.1% in the first five months of 2021, from 442,400 in 2020 to 712,700 in the first five months of 2021.
By comparison with the first five months of 2019 international passenger movements were down 33.3%, while domestic movements were down by just 0.7%.
Regarding the operations of the Los Cabos airport in Mexico, the Government of Mexico has not issued any flight restrictions, however, it has strongly recommended that only essential activities are performed and for persons to avoid as much as possible to leave home, which has caused the cancellation of a large volume of national and international flights. As well, in January 2021 the Government of Canada suspended all non-stop flights from Canada to Mexico and the Government of the USA implemented a requirement that all visitors to the USA and returning residents needed to show evidence of a negative RT-PCR test,

Cancun’s Airport handled 1,095,433 international air passenger movements in May 2021, 18.4% more than the total handled in April 2021.
According to ASUR, which manages many of Mexico’s airports, Cancun Airport saw an 18.4% increase in international passenger movements in May 2021, growing from 924,952 movements in April 2021 to 1,095,433 such movements in May 2021.
The 1,095,433 international passenger movements handled in May 2021 were 17.5% less than the 1,327,014 handled in May 2019.
Domestic passenger movements increased by 11.6% in May 2021, from 714,687 passenger movements in April 2021 to 797,780 domestic movements in May of this year.
The 797,780 domestic passenger movements handled in May 2021 were 0.6% more than the 792,854 handled in May 2019.
It should be noted that restrictions on travel began to be put in place in the middle of March 2020. In May 2020 Cancun’s airport handled just 41,255 domestic passenger movements and 7,355 international passenger movements.
In the first five months of 2021 the volume of international air passenger movements decreased by just 0.1%, falling from 4,165,482 movements in 2020 to 4,159,275 movements in the first five months of 2021 while the volume of domestic air passenger movements increased by 71.3%, from 1,920,083 movements in the first five months of 2020 to 3,258,643 in the same five months of 2021.
By comparison with the first five months of 2019 the volume of international air passenger movements decreased by 45.2%, falling from 7,594,936 movements in 2019 to 4,159,275 movements in the first five months of 2021 while the volume of domestic air passenger movements decreased by 5.2%, from 3,437,052 movements in the first five months of 2019 to 3,258,643 in the same five months of 2021.
In the first five months of 2021 international passenger movements accounted for 56.0% of all passenger movements, down from 68.6% in 2020 and down from 68.8% in the first five months of 2019.

San Juan, Puerto Rico (SJU) handled 896,041 total passenger movements in May 2021, 17.0% more than the total handled in April 2021.
According to ASUR, which manages many airports in Mexico, Colombia and which also manages the Luis Munoz Marin International Airport in San Juan, Puerto Rico, SJU saw a 17.0% increase in passenger movements in May 2021, growing from 765,561 total passenger movements in April 2021 to 896,041 movements in May 2021.
The 896,041 passenger movements handled in May 2021 were 15.4% higher than the 776,383 handled in May 2019.
It should be noted that restrictions on travel began to be put in place in the middle of March 2020. In May 2020 San Juan’s airport handled 79,906 total passenger movements.
In the first five months of 2021 the overall volume of air passenger movements at San Juan’s airport increased by 47.2%, from 2,328,108 in 2020 to 3,426,475 in the same five months of 2021.
However, the total for 2021 was 10.5% less than for the same five months of 2019, falling from 3,829,801 in 2019 to 3,426,475 in 2021.

The Seychelles received 16,001 visitor arrivals in May 2021, 1,756 more than the 14,245 received in April 2021.
The Seychelles Government’s National Bureau of Statistics recently announced that total stopover arrivals increased by 1,756 in May 2021 from the 14,245 received in April 2021 to 16,001 visitors in May. This number includes both air and sea stopover visitors and transit visitors.
The 16,001 visitor arrivals received in May 2021 were 70.4% of the 22,730 received in May 2019.
The Seychelles closed its borders to cruise ships as of March 9th 2020 and to international air visitors as of March 30th 2020. The Seychelles received just 73 stopover visitors in May 2020.
In the first five months of 2021 The Seychelles saw a 58.4% decrease in total visitor arrivals, falling from 89,007 arrivals in 2020 to 37,031 arrivals in the first five months of 2021. Total stopover arrivals from Germany, the number one source market in 2020, fell by 89.7% from 20,468 arrivals in the first five months of 2020 to 2,107 arrivals in the same five months of 2021. The number one source market in the first five months of 2021 was Russia which generated 8,128 visitors, 21.9% of all visitor arrivals for those first five months.

Cruise passengers return to Caribbean as locals still wait to be vaccinated.
Miami Herald June 04th, 2021
All eyes will be on the Caribbean this weekend as passengers board a cruise ship in the region for the first time in seven months.
However, the highly anticipated return of cruising in a region hard-hit by the coronavirus and now seeing a surge in cases amid low vaccination rates and the reopening of tourism-dependent economies, is worrying, say some industry watchers and public health experts, who fear that cruises in the middle of the ongoing global pandemic may do more harm than good.
“It is imperative to act with utmost caution,” said Dr. Sylvain Aldighieri, incident manager for the World Health Organization’s Americas arm, the Pan American Health Organization.
Cruise companies have put new protocols in place to better protect passengers and crew. Still, Aldighieri and his colleagues at PAHO say there are no guarantees that ships, which spread COVID-19 around the region last year, won’t see a repeat of the outbreaks that forced Caribbean nations to shut their ports in March 2020 for fear sick passengers would overwhelm their finite health resources.
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Tourist Numbers Down 83% But Confidence Slowly Rising.
UNWTO June 2nd 2021
International tourist arrivals were down 83% in the first quarter of 2021 as widespread travel restrictions remained in place. However, the UNWTO Confidence Index shows signs of a slow uptick in confidence.
Between January and March 2021 destinations around the world welcomed 180 million fewer international arrivals compared to the first quarter of last year. Asia and the Pacific continued to suffer the lowest levels of activity with a 94% drop in international arrivals over the three-month period. Europe recorded the second largest decline with -83%, followed by Africa (-81%), the Middle East (-78%) and the Americas (-71%). This all follows on from the 73% fall in worldwide international tourist arrivals recorded in 2020, making it the worst year on record for the sector.
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Puerto Rico saw average hotel room occupancy grow to 65.2% in March 2021.
According to the Puerto Rico Tourism Company (PRTC), the hotels and resorts endorsed by the PRTC saw the number of non-resident hotel registrations increase by 67.3% in March 2021, growing from 82,254 registrations in March 2020 to 137,612 registrations in March 2021. Registrations by local residents grew by 119.0% from 23,195 in March 2020 to 50,777 in March 2021.
PRTC reports that the number of hotel/resort available room nights declined by 6.4%, from 384,458 in March 2020 to 359,963 in March 2021. The number of occupied room nights increased by 55.5% however, from 150,988 in March 2020 to 234,712 in March 2021. Average room occupancy increased by 25.9 percentage points from 39.3% in March 2020 to 65.2% in March 2021. ADR grew by 10.3% from $173.63 in March 2020 to $191.50 in March 2021.
In the first three months of 2021 the number of non-resident hotel registrations decreased by 21.8%, falling from 372,315 registrations in 2020 to 290,968 registrations in the first three months of 2021. Registrations by local residents grew by 33.2% from 94,722 in 2020 to 126,129 in 2021.
The number of hotel/resort available room nights declined by 11.8% in the first quarter of 2021, falling from 1,172,458 in 2020 to 1,033,578 in 2021. The number of occupied room nights fell by 24.2% from 684,542 in 2020 to 518,735 in 2021. The overall average room occupancy grew by 8.2 percentage points from 58.4% in 2020 to 50.2% in 2021. ADR grew by 3.2% from $174.71 in 2020 to $179.94 in 2021.

U.S. citizens’ outbound travel from the USA to international destinations fell by 27.0% in March 2021.
The United States Government’s Department of Commerce, International Trade Administration’s National Travel and Tourism Office (NTTO) recently released the figures for U.S. citizens outbound travel from the USA to international destinations for March 2021.

The overall number of trips taken by US citizens to international destinations decreased by 27.0% in March 2021 compared to March 2020, falling from 3.97 million trips in March 2020 to 2.95 million trips in March 2021.
The largest percentage decline was in trips by both land and by air to Canada which declined by 92.0%, falling from 308,399 trips in March 2020 to just 24,525 in March 2021.
Trips to Europe decreased by 76.3%, falling from 323,271 trips in March 2020 to 76,750 trips in the third month of 2021.
The number of trips taken to Mexico by air increased by 35.0%, growing from 518,317 trips in March 2020 to 699,598 trips in March 2021 as Mexico was able to increase its share of such overseas trips consequent upon less rigorous restrictions on entry to Mexico. This segment’s share of all trips grew from 13.1% in March 2020 to 24.2% in March 2021.
The biggest segment was trips by land to Mexico which fell by 33.3% from 1,960,523 trips in March 2020 to 1,308,095 trips in March 2021 with this segment’s share falling from 49.4% in March 2020 to 45.2% in March 2021.
The number of trips taken to the Caribbean increased by 3.0%, growing from 392,258 trips in March 2020, to 404,061 trips in the third month of 2021. The share of trips taken to the Caribbean grew from 9.9% in March 2020 to 14.0% in March 2021.

Please note the NTTO’s definition of the Caribbean does not include Puerto Rico or the United States Virgin Islands as, for the purposes of the study, they are deemed to be US territories and the focus of the system (APIS) is non-stop air traffic (segmented here for U.S. citizens) to foreign countries.
On January 26th 2021, the US Federal Government implemented a requirement that all residents returning from an international trip as well as all non-residents entering the USA, present a negative RT-PCR test taken no more than 72 hours prior to arrival back in the USA.
In the first three months of 2021

The overall number of trips taken by US citizens to international destinations decreased by 58.9% in the first three months of 2021, falling from 17.51 million trips in 2020 to 7.20 million trips in the first three months of 2021.
The largest percentage decline was in trips by both land and by air to Canada which declined by 95.7%, falling from 1,629,106 trips in the first three months of 2020 to just 70,072 in the same three months of 2021.
Trips to Europe decreased by 88.5%, falling from 1,965,821 trips in the first three months of 2020 to 227,024 in the same three months of 2021.
The number of trips taken to Mexico by air fell by 32.5%, from 2,264,528 trips in the first three months of 2020 to 1,528,824 in the same three months of 2021. This segment’s share of all trips grew from 12.9% in the first three months of 2020 to 21.2% in the same three months of 2021.
The biggest segment was trips by land to Mexico which fell by 46.7% from 6,808,301 trips in the first three months of 2020 to 3,625,815 trips in the same three months of 2021 with this segment’s share growing from 38.9% in the first quarter of 2020 to 50.3% in the first three months of 2021.
The number of trips taken to the Caribbean decreased by 53.8% in the first three months of 2021, falling from 1,864,486 trips in 2020, to 862,127 trips in the first three months of 2021. The share of trips taken to the Caribbean grew slightly from 10.6% in 2020 to 12.0% in 2021.

Slow tourism industry recovery underscores need for key reforms in Caribbean: IDB report
The extreme uncertainty surrounding the tourism recovery in the Caribbean highlights the importance of boosting innovation and supporting transformations that align tourism destinations and products with post-pandemic global demand trends, according to a report of the Inter-American Development Bank.
Most global tourism reports predict a 2-to-4-year period for a full recovery to 2019 levels. However, the Caribbean could either lead or lag the global recovery, depending upon the specific circumstances in the main Caribbean source countries and in Caribbean destinations themselves.
Imagining a Post-COVID Tourism Recovery: Regional Overview analyzes key drivers of tourism demand in the short term, including the evolution of the pandemic and the COVID-19 vaccination roll-out, the economic environment of source countries, the split between business versus leisure tourism, and airline capacity, among others.
For more and for full report click here.

Mexico received 921,681 international air arrivals in April, up 2.0% compared with March 2021.
According to the Government of Mexico’s SECTUR (Department of Tourism) Mexico received 921,681 international air arrivals in April 2021, up 2.0% compared with the 904,046 arrivals received in March 2021.
Mexico’s border with the USA was closed as of March 20 2020 and consequently Mexico received just 21,636 international visitors in April 2020.
The 921,681 international air arrivals received in April 2021 were 56.6% of the 1,627,749 visitors received in April 2019.
Mexico received 730,072 air visitors from the USA in April, 79.2% of the total. Brazil was the second biggest market (23,445 visitors) with Colombia third largest (21,074 visitors).
Cancun Airport received 434,430 international air visitors in April 2021, 47.1% of the overall total. Los Cabos received 133,294 international air arrivals with Puerto Vallarta receiving 77,503 air visitors.
In the first four months of 2021 the volume of international air arrivals to Mexico fell by 33.7%, from 4,564,031 arrivals in 2020 to 3,027,611 arrivals in the first four months of this year.
The volume of air arrivals from the USA fell by 2.9% in the same four months, from 2,382,031 air arrivals in 2020 to 2,313,087 air arrivals in 2021 while the volume from Canada fell by 95.6%, from 884,002 air arrivals in 2020 to 38,844 in 2021.
Cancun Airport saw a 23.4% decrease in international air arrivals in the first four months of 2021, falling from 1,905,641 arrivals in 2020 to 1,459,698 arrivals in 2021 while Los Cabos saw a 10.1% decrease falling from 439,228 international air arrivals in 2020 to 394,747 air arrivals in 2021. Puerto Vallarta saw a 50.9% decrease, falling from 488,132 international arrivals in 2020 to 239,653 international arrivals in the first four months of 2020.

Bahamas Ministry of Tourism to receive 32% increase in funding.
According to the Government of The Bahamas budget for 2021 - 2022, the estimated allocation for the Ministry of Tourism and Aviation will increase from $106 million this fiscal period to $140.5 million in the upcoming period — an additional $34 million. (The Bahamian dollar is pegged at US$1.00 = B$1.00).
While the government intends to collect $40 million from tourist health visas, according to the projected revenue in the budget, it also expects to spend $37 million on “Tourism Health VISA expenses” — a new line item — in the upcoming fiscal period.

Orlando saw a 2.4 percentage point improvement in average room occupancy in April 2021, up from 57.8% in March 2021 to 60.2% this April.
According to STR Orlando had 128,000 hotel rooms in April 2021 and achieved an average city-wide room occupancy of 60.2%, up 2.4 percentage points compared with March 2021 (57.8%), and an ADR of $114.51, up 4.1% also compared with March 2021 ($109.99).
Orlando’s theme parks closed to visitors as of March 15th 2020 and consequently Orlando’s hotels experienced an average room occupancy of 16.4% in April 2020.
According to Visit Orlando, Orlando saw the volume of air passenger deplanements grow from 73,110 in April 2020 to 1,705,150 in April 2021. The 1,705,150 deplanements seen in April 2021 were 1.3% less than the 1,727,619 deplanements received in March 2021.This includes deplanements at both Orlando International and Sanford airports and includes both international and domestic deplanements.
In the first four months of 2021 Orlando’s hotels saw an average hotel room occupancy of 49.1%, down 10.4 percentage points from the 59.5% achieved in the first four months of 2020. ADR fell by 21.1% from $131.55 for the first four months of 2020 to $103.81 for the first four months of 2021.
Orlando saw the volume of air passenger deplanements decrease by 6.6% in the first four months of 2021, falling from 5,893,958 deplanements in the first four months of 2020 to 5,504,369 deplanements in the first four months of 2021. This includes deplanements at both Orlando International and Sanford airports and includes both international and domestic deplanements.

Las Vegas saw a 15.4% increase in visitors in April 2021 compared with March 2021.
According to the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, Las Vegas saw the volume of visitors increase by 15.4% in April 2021, growing from 2,230,100 arrivals in March 2021 to 2,573,800 in April of 2021.
The state of Nevada ordered the closure of all casinos as of March 17 2020 and consequently Las Vegas received just 106,900 visitors in April 2020.
The 2,573,800 arrivals received in April 2021 were 72.7% of the 3,542,000 arrivals received in April 2019.
Las Vegas had a weighted average of 146,849 open hotel rooms in April 2021 (down 1.3% compared with April 2020) and achieved an average city-wide room occupancy of 65.6% (just 1.7% in April 2020), an ADR of $109.36 and a RevPar of $71.74.
Through the first four months of 2021 Las Vegas saw a 10.3% decrease in the volume of visitors, falling from 8,516,400 arrivals in the first four months of 2020 to 7,638,100 visitors in the same four months of 2021.
Las Vegas achieved an average city-wide room occupancy of 48.7% in the first four months of 2021 (down 4.8 percentage points compared with the first four months of 2020), an ADR of $101.26 (down 29.0% compared with the same four months of 2020) and a RevPar of $49.31, down 35.4%, also compared with the same four months of 2020.
Gaming revenue increased by 27.9% in the first four months of 2021, from $2.352 billion in 2020 to $3.007 billion in the same four months of 2021.

Hawaii reports the state received 484,071 out-of-state tourists in April, up 10.1% compared with March 2021.
According to the Hawaii Tourism Authority, Hawaii saw the volume of air arrivals increase by 10.1% in April 2021, growing from 439,785 air arrivals received in March 2021 to 484,071 arrivals in April 2021. Total spending for visitors arriving in April 2021 was $811.4 million.
April 2020 was the first full month of travel restrictions to keep the community safe, following the State of Hawai‘i’s 14-day mandatory travel quarantine for all passengers (effective March 26, 2020). The state’s four counties enforced strict stay-at-home orders and curfews during April and consequently the number of out of state air arrivals was just 4,564 for that month.
When compared to 2019, visitor arrivals in April 2021 were 58.2% of the April 2019 count of 831,445 air arrivals and visitor spending was down 38.4% from the $1.32 billion spent in April 2019.
Hawaii received 471,336 air arrivals from the mainland USA in April 2021, 527 arrivals from Canada, 1,367 arrivals from Japan and 10,842 air arrivals from other markets.
Through the first four months of 2021 Hawaii saw a 36.6% decrease in the volume of air arrivals, falling from 2,100,259 air arrivals in the first four months of 2020 to 1,331,115 air arrivals in the same four months of 2021.
For the first four months of 2021, total visitor spending was $2.33 billion with visitor spending down by 60.0% percent from the $5.81 billion spent in the first four months of 2019.
Air arrivals from the USA decreased by 9.5% in the first four months of 2021, falling from 1,427,436 air arrivals in 2020 to 1,292,183 air arrivals in the same four months of 2021, fell by 98.5% from Japan (from 294,241 arrivals in 2020 to 4,277 air arrivals in 2021) and fell by 97.3% from Canada (from 155,744 in 2020 to 4,243 air arrivals in 2021).

For content of Podcast How air travel is evolving post-pandemic presented by McKInsey and Company
click here.

Optimism When Borders Reopen
Geneva May 26 2021 - The International Air Transport Association (IATA) and Tourism Economics released a long-term view for post-COVID-19 passenger demand recovery which demonstrates that people remain eager to travel in the short and long-term. To ensure that aviation can sustainably deliver its social and economic benefits as it meets this long-term demand, it is critical that governments step-up their support for more efficient operations and foster an effective energy transition.
Forecast highlights include: -

In 2021 global passenger numbers are expected to recover to 52% of pre-COVID-19 levels (2019).
In 2022 global passenger numbers are expected to recover to 88% of pre-COVID-19 levels.
In 2023 global passenger numbers are expected to surpass pre-COVID-19 levels (105%).
By 2030 global passenger numbers are expected to have grown to 5.6 billion. That would be 7% below the pre-COVID-19 forecast and an estimated loss of 2-3 years of growth due to COVID-19.
Beyond 2030 air travel is expected to slow, due to weaker demographics and a baseline assumption of limited market liberalisation, giving average annual growth between 2019 and 2039 of 3.2%. IATA’s pre-COVID-19 growth forecast for this period was 3.8%.

The recovery in passenger numbers is slightly stronger than the recovery in demand measured in revenue passenger kilometres (RPKs), which is expected to grow by an annual average of 3% between 2019 and 2039. This is owing to the expected strength of domestic markets like China with large passenger numbers and shorter distances.
“I am always optimistic about aviation. We are in the deepest and gravest crisis in our history. But the rapidly growing vaccinated population and advancements in testing will return the freedom to fly in the months ahead. And when that happens, people are going to want to travel. The immediate challenge is to reopen borders, eliminate quarantine measures and digitally manage vaccination/testing certificates. At the same time, we must assure the world that aviation’s long-term growth prospects are supported with an unwavering commitment to sustainability. Both challenges require governments and industry to work in partnership. Aviation is ready. But I don’t see governments moving fast enough,” said Willie Walsh, IATA’s Director General.
Short Term: Restart
The damage of the COVID-19 crisis will be felt for years to come, but all indications are that people have retained their need and desire to travel:

Any possibility for borders to re-open is met with an instant surge in bookings. The most recent example is the 100-percentage point spike in bookings from the UK to Portugal when the UK’s “Green List” was announced in early May.
The economy is strong and can fuel growth in travel. February 2021 industrial production levels stood at 2% above February 2019 levels.
Consumers have accumulated savings in the lockdowns, in some cases exceeding 10% of GDP.
Vaccination rates in developed countries (with the notable exception of Japan) should exceed 50% of the population by the third quarter of 2021.

“This should be a clarion call to governments to get ready. The travel and tourism sector is a major contributor to GDP. People’s livelihoods are at stake. To avoid greater long-term economic and social damage, restart must not be delayed. Governments can facilitate a safe restart with policies that enable restriction-free travel for vaccinated people, and testing alternatives for those unable to be vaccinated. Governments must also be ready with processes to digitally manage the vaccine or test certificates—ensuring that a safe restart is also efficient,” said Walsh.
Sustainability
“Aviation will grow because people want and need to travel. But we must be able to fulfil that consumer demand sustainably. Those are the ground rules for any business. It is no secret that this is more challenging for aviation than sectors with broader energy alternatives. But with the support of governments, we will get there through a combination of means,” said Walsh.
Aviation is committed to cutting its net carbon emissions to half of 2005 levels by 2050. It already has a good track record of decoupling emissions and demand growth per passenger journey in half since 1990 through efficiency gains, but governments need to step up as well.
In addition to efficiency and technology gains, CORSIA (the first global carbon offsetting scheme for an industrial sector) is stabilizing emissions from international flights at 2019 levels. A low-carbon energy transition for aviation has commenced with sustainable aviation fuels that are powering flight today, to be followed by electric and hydrogen-powered aircraft. And there is much more that can be done with infrastructure—airports and air traffic management—to operate with maximum efficiency and minimum emissions.
“If we work in partnership with governments there is great potential in all these areas. But easy sustainability wins are being left on the table. In Europe, which has led on many sustainability initiatives, why are we still waiting for the Single European Sky? This could immediately reduce emissions by up to 10%. There is no excuse as the technology has been here for two decades or more. The partnership with governments on sustainability must exist in deeds as well as words,” said Walsh.
For 12 page PowerPoint Presentation An almost full recovery of air travel in prospect from Brian Pearce, IATA's Chief Economist click here.

The Maldives reports it received 91,200 stopover visitor arrivals in April, down 16.8% compared with March 2021.
The Maldives Government’s Ministry of Tourism recently announced that The Maldives received 91,200 stopover visitors in April 2021, down 16.8% from the 109,585 stopovers received in March 2021.
The Maldives closed its borders to tourist arrivals on March 27th 2020 and consequently received just 13 stopover visitors in April 2020.
The 91,200 stopovers received in April 2021 were 55.9% of the 163,114 stopovers received in April 2019.
In April 2021 Russia was the number one source market and generated 22,929 stopovers of the total overall stopovers (25.1%) while India, the number two source market, generated 16,918 stopovers (18.6%). Other markets which generated significant business in April were Germany (5,457 visitors), the USA (3,765 visitors), and the Ukraine (3,653 visitors).
In the first four months of 2021 The Maldives saw a 1.8% increase in total arrivals, growing from 382,775 stopovers in the first four months of 2020 to 389,770 in the same four months of 2021 with India (86,648 visitors) and Russia (86,452 visitors) being, by far, the two largest source markets in these four months.
The Maldives saw the overall number of accommodation establishments in operation fall by 7.2% from an average of 722 in the first four months of 2020 to an average of 670 establishments in the same four months of 2021. The number of beds grew by 14.2% from 40,074 in the first four months of 2020 to 45,782 this year.
It should be noted many accommodation establishments closed in April 2020 consequent upon the closure of the borders.
Through the end of April overall average room occupancy had grown by 11.4 percentage points from 45.3% in 2020 to 56.7% for the first four months of this year.
Of the 670 establishments in operation 149 were resorts which offered 34,722 beds (75.8% of the overall number of beds). These resorts achieved a 64.5% average room occupancy through the first four months of 2021 up from 52.0% for the first four months of 2020. Through the first four months of 2020 there was an average of 124 resorts in operation offering 28,901 beds.

US Consumer Confidence Holds Steady in May
The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index® Virtually Unchanged as Expectations Soften
25 May. 2021
The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index® held steady in May, following a gain in April. The Index now stands at 117.2 (1985=100), down marginally from 117.5 in April. The Present Situation Index—based on consumers’ assessment of current business and labor market conditions—increased from 131.9 to 144.3. However, the Expectations Index—based on consumers’ short-term outlook for income, business, and labor market conditions—fell to 99.1 in May, down from 107.9 last month.
“After rebounding sharply in recent months, U.S. consumer confidence was essentially unchanged in May,” said Lynn Franco, Senior Director of Economic Indicators at The Conference Board. “Consumers’ assessment of present-day conditions improved, suggesting economic growth remains robust in Q2. However, consumers’ short-term optimism retreated, prompted by expectations of decelerating growth and softening labor market conditions in the months ahead. Consumers were also less upbeat this month about their income prospects—a reflection, perhaps, of both rising inflation expectations and a waning of further government support until expanded Child Tax Credit payments begin reaching parents in July. Overall, consumers remain optimistic, and confidence should remain resilient in the short term, as vaccination rates climb, COVID-19 cases decline further, and the economy fully reopens.”
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Costa Rica received 89,284 stopover arrivals in April, almost identical to the 89,263 stopovers received in March 2021.
According to the Costa Rica Institute of Tourism (ICT), Costa Rica received 89,284 stopovers in April 2021, almost the same as the 89,263 stopovers received in March 2021.
Costa Rica closed its borders to international arrivals as of March 19th 2020 and consequently received just 8,342 stopovers in April 2020.
The 89,284 stopovers received in April 2021 were 34.1% of the 262,016 stopovers received in April 2019.
Costa Rica received 62,659 stopovers from the USA in April, 70.2% of the overall total, and 4,139 stopovers from Central America. Costa Rica’s land borders reopened as of April 5th 2021.
The volume of stopovers decreased by 66.0% in the first four months of 2021, falling from 871,009 stopovers in the first four months of 2020 to 295,999 stopovers in first four months of 2021. The 295,999 stopovers was 23.4% of the 1,265,669 stopovers received in the fist four months of 2019.
The number of stopovers from the USA dropped by 44.3% in the first four months of 2021, from 355,799 stopovers in 2020 to 198,149 in 2021 while the number from Central America declined by 93.0%, falling from 180,370 in the first four months of 2020 to 13,140 in the same four months of 2021.
The share of visitors from the USA grew from 40.8% in the first four months of 2020 to 66.9% in the first four months of 2021.

Florida received 26,162,000 tourist arrivals in the first quarter of 2021, 86.0% of the total received in the first quarter of 2020.
Visit Florida’s Research Department recently announced that the state of Florida saw a 14.0% decline in the number of tourist arrivals in the first quarter of 2021, with total arrivals falling from 30,408,00 in the first quarter of 2020 to 26,162,000 arrivals in the first quarter of 2021. These numbers are preliminary and subject to change.
Domestic arrivals were down by 5.2%, from 26,980,00 arrivals in 2020 to 25,564,000 in the first quarter of 2021, while arrivals from Canada fell by 97.2% from 1,225,000 in the first quarter of 2020 to just 34,000 in the same quarter of 2021. Arrivals from overseas fell by 74.4% from 2,203,000 arrivals in the first quarter of 2020 to 564,000 in the same three months of 2021.
The 26,162,000 arrivals in the first quarter of 2021 were 37.0% more than the 19,096,000 arrivals received in the fourth quarter of 2020.

Dubai saw a 67.2% decline in international visitors in the first quarter of 2021.
According to the Government of Dubai’s Statistics Center, Dubai saw a 67.2% drop in the number of international visitors in the first three months of 2021, falling from 3,840,000 visitors in 2020 to 1,260,000 in the same three months of 2021.
Dubai closed its borders to international visitors as of March 26th 2020.
The number one market, India, saw a 29.2% decline in visitors, falling from 452,000 visitors in the first three months of 2020 to 320,000 in the same three months of 2021.
In the first quarter of 2021 the average room occupancy of Dubai’s 712 hotels and apartments fell by 6.6 percentage points from 69.1% in 2020 to 62.5% in the same three months of 2021. The total number of rooms in the hotels and apartment complexes remained almost unchanged at 127,244 rooms/units.
Dubai had 526 hotels in March 2021 offering 102,945 rooms. Of these 132 hotels were five star, 163 four star, and 231 one to three stars. The 526 hotels achieved an average room occupancy of 60.1% in the first three months of 2021, down 8.2 percentage points from the 68.3% achieved in the first three months of 2020.
Dubai had 186 hotel apartments in March 2021 which offered 24,299 units and achieved an average occupancy of 81.8%.

Cuba announces it received 16,549 stopover visitors in April 2021, 31.8% more than the 12,552 received in March 2021.
The Cuban Government’s Office of National Statistics and Information (ONEI) recently announced that total tourist arrivals increased by 31.8% in April 2021, growing from 12,552 stopover arrivals in March 2021 to 16,549 arrivals in April of this year. This number includes both stopover visitors and cruise visitors.
Cuba closed its borders to international tourist arrivals on March 20 2020 and consequently received just 1,163 stopovers in April 2020.
The 16,549 stopovers received in April 2021 were just 3.6% of the 458,104 received in April 2019.
Cuba received 12,152 stopovers from Russia in April 2021, 73.3% of all stopovers received for the month.
In the first four months of 2021 Cuba saw a 93.4% decrease in total arrivals, falling from 983,099 arrivals in 2020 to 64,712 stopovers this year. Total tourist arrivals from Canada fell by 99.4% from 403,620 arrivals in the first four months of 2020 to 2,247 in the first four months of 2021. The number one source market in the first four months of 2021 was Russia with 33,592 stopovers, 51.9% of all arrivals, up from just 6.4% in the first four months of 2020.

Jamaica received 73,646 stopover arrivals in March 2021, a 68.1% increase compared with February 2021.
According to the Jamaica Tourist Board, Jamaica received 73,646 stopover arrivals in March 2021, a 68.1% increase compared with the 43,798 stopovers received in February 2021 and 66.2% of the 111,191 stopovers received in March 2020 but 27.1% of the 271,742 stopovers received in March 2019.
Stopover arrivals from the USA totaled 71,789 in March 2021, that is 8.3% fewer than the 78,318 stopover visitors received from the USA in March 2020. Stopover arrivals from the USA comprised 97.5% of all stopover arrivals received in March 2021, up from 70.4% in March 2020.
There were no cruise arrivals in March 2021 as Jamaica remained closed to cruise ship arrivals.
Through the first three months of 2021 Jamaica saw a 77.2% decline in the volume of stopover arrivals, falling from 574,131 stopover arrivals in the first three months of 2020 to 161,275 arrivals in the same three months of 2021.
The 161,275 stopovers received in the first three months of 2021 were 22.8% of the 708,297 stopovers received in the first three months of 2019.
Arrivals from the USA declined by 59.7% in the first three months of 2021, falling from 377,076 arrivals in 2020 to 152,102 arrivals in the same three months of 2021.
The USA’s share of all stopover arrivals grew from 65.7% in the first three months of 2020 to 94.3% in the same three months of 2021.

Hawaii’s hotels report a 7.7 percentage point increase in average room occupancy in April to 50.8%
According to the Hawai‘i Hotel Performance Report published by the Hawai‘i Tourism Authority (HTA), statewide hotel room occupancy grew by 7.7 percentage points from 43.1% in March 2021 to 50.8% in April this year. ADR grew by 5.4% from $284.73 in March to $300.27 in April, while revpar grew by 24.1%, from $122.86 in March 2021 to $152.52 in April this year.
Hawai‘i’s quarantine order for travelers due to the COVID-19 pandemic began on March 26, 2020, which immediately resulted in dramatic declines for the hotel industry. The hotel sector posted an average room occupancy of 8.8% in April 2020.
The Hawai‘i Hotel Performance Report is produced using hotel survey data compiled by STR, Inc., the largest survey of its kind in Hawai‘i. The survey generally excludes properties with under 20 lodging units, such as small bed and breakfasts, youth hostels, single-family vacation rentals, cottages, individually rented vacation condominiums and sold timeshare units no longer available for hotel use.
For April, the survey included 138 properties3 representing 43,760 rooms, or 81.0 percent of all lodging properties and 84.4 percent of operating lodging properties with 20 rooms or more in the Hawaiian Islands, including full service, limited service, and condominium hotels.
Hawai‘i hotel room revenues statewide grew by 23.3%, from $192.4 million in March 2021 to $237.2 million in April 2021. Room demand grew by 16.9%, from 675,500 room nights in March to 789,900 room nights in April while room supply fell slightly by 0.7% from 1,566,100 room nights in March to 1,555,000 room nights in April.
During April, most passengers arriving from out-of-state and traveling inter-county could bypass the State’s mandatory 10-day self-quarantine with a valid negative COVID-19 NAAT test result from a Trusted Testing Partner through the state’s Safe Travels program.
For the first four months of 2021 statewide hotel room occupancy fell by 23.6 percentage points from 60.6% in 2020 to 37.0% in the first four months of 2021. ADR fell by 6.9% from $301.13 in 2020 to $280.21 while revpar fell by 43.2%, from $182.59 in the first four months of 2020 to $103.75 in the first four months of this year.
In the first four months of 2021, Hawai‘i hotel room revenues statewide fell by 40.6% from $1.061 billion in 2020 to $630.2 million in the first four months of this year. Room demand fell by 40.6%, to 2,249,000 room nights in the same four months. Room supply grew by 4.5% however to 6,074,000 available room nights also in the first four months.

Accepting Vaccinated Passengers Should be Best Practice to Reopen Borders.
Geneva (May 19th 2021) - The International Air Transport Association (IATA) applauded the growing number of countries making data and evidence-driven decisions to open their borders to vaccinated travelers. The latest data collected by IATA, including its Timatic service, shows that more than 20 countries have wholly or partially lifted restrictions for vaccinated travelers.
IATA supports unrestricted access to travel for vaccinated travelers. In cases where vaccination is not possible, access to quarantine-free travel should be provided through COVID-19 testing strategies based on widely available, free-of-charge tests.
Germany is among the latest countries to make quarantine alleviations for vaccinated travelers. Vaccinated travelers are no longer subject to quarantine measures (except from certain high-risk countries). Germany has also removed quarantine requirements for travelers with a negative COVID-19 test result (except from certain high-risk countries).
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Dubai targets over 5.5 million overseas tourists this year
DUBAI (Reuters – May 18th 2021) – Dubai expects to attract over 5.5 million overseas visitors this year, hopeful that new markets can help make up for the loss of visitors from key places where travel is restricted.
Dubai had 5.5 million overseas visitors in 2020, when the tourism sector was pummeled by the coronavirus pandemic. In 2019, Dubai received 16.7 million stopover visitors.
Visitors from India, traditionally Dubai’s top source market, are largely banned from the United Arab Emirates due to the latest outbreak in the South Asian nation.
Meanwhile, the United Kingdom, Dubai’s third biggest source market in 2019, has barred direct flights and requires travellers from the UAE to hotel quarantine.
But Dubai Tourism Chief Executive Issam Kazim said visitor numbers from newer markets in Europe, Africa and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) were performing well.
“All of these markets will start to add up and hopefully fill the gaps and give us a much stronger foundation to build a confident rebound going forward,” he told Reuters at the Arabian Travel Market in Dubai
The Middle East city reopened its borders to international visitors last July and was a popular holiday spot over the New Year with many other global destinations shut off due to the pandemic.
But the influx of foreign tourists coincided with a second wave of coronavirus infections across the UAE and led Dubai to tighten capacity restrictions on hotels and restaurants.
Many of those restrictions were eased this week.
Kazim cited a high rate of testing in UAE as the reason behind the rise in case numbers, arguing that the more people are tested the more infections will be uncovered.
The number of infections in the country have now fallen from a daily peak of 3,977 in February to roughly 1,300. Figures for each emirate are not disclosed by authorities.
Dubai is also expecting Expo 2020, which runs from October to March after being delayed by the pandemic last year, to be a draw for many tourists who have never visited before.
Expo organizers said before the coronavirus outbreak the event could attract 11 million foreign visitors, though Kazim said on Tuesday that the pandemic now made it difficult to predict numbers.
In the UAE’s north, the smaller Ras Al Khaimah emirate expects 915,000 visitors this year, a 14% increase on 2020 but still down from 1.1 million in 2019.
“I am cautiously optimistic that we will probably do better than that the way things are travelling but there is so much uncertainty,” Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority CEO Raki Phillips told Reuters.

Mauritius announces it received 58 stopover visitors in April, 81.4% fewer than the 311 received in March 2021.
The Mauritius Government’s Ministry of Finance and Economic Development recently announced that total stopover arrivals fell by 81.4% in April 2021, from 311 arrivals received in March 2021 to just 58 arrivals in April of this year. This number includes both air and sea stopover visitors. Mauritius re-entered a hard lock-down in March 2021 consequent upon an increase in local Covid19 infections.
Mauritius closed its borders to all international arrivals as of March 19th 2020 and consequently received just 10 stopovers in April 2020.
Mauritius received 108,565 stopovers in April 2019.
In the first four months of 2021 Mauritius saw a 99.1% decrease in total stopover arrivals, falling from 304,852 arrivals in 2020 to 2,830 arrivals in the first four months of this year. Mauritius received 460,870 stopovers through the first four months of 2019.

Belize received 14,609 stopover visitors in April 2021, down 5.4% from the 15,444 received in March 2021.
According to the Belize Tourism Board, Belize received 14,609 stopover visitors in April 2021, down 5.4% from the 15,444 received in March 2021.
Belize closed its borders as of April 5th 2020 and consequently just received 689 stopover visitors in April 2020.
The 14,609 stopover visitors received in April 2021 were 31.3% of the 46,694 stopover visitors received in April 2019.
Belize received 12,850 stopover arrivals from the USA in April 2021, 317 from Europe, 162 from Mexico and 108 from Canada.
There were no cruise visitors in April 2021 as Belize remained closed to cruise ships.
In the first four months of 2021 Belize saw the number of stopovers fall by 63.8%, from 124,022 in the first four months of 2020 to 44,899 in the first four months of 2021.
Stopovers from the USA fell by 52.7% in the first four months of 2021, from 78,103 in 2020 to 36,953 in the same four months of 2021. Stopovers from Canada fell by 95.8% in the first four months, to 588 arrivals while stopovers from Europe fell by 93.0% in the same four months, to 1,086 arrivals.
There were no cruise visitors in the first four months of 2021.

Saint Lucia received 9,555 stopovers in April 2021, 19.4% more than the 8,004 stopovers received in March 2021.
According to the Ministry of Tourism and Investment, Saint Lucia saw a 19.4% increase in stopover visitor arrivals in April 2021, growing from 8,004 stopovers in March 2021 to 9,555 stopovers in April 2021.
Saint Lucia also received 142 visitors who arrived by yacht.
Saint Lucia closed its borders to international visitor arrivals on March 23rd 2020 and consequently received zero stopover arrivals in April 2020.
The 9,555 stopovers received in April 2021 were 25.9% of the 36,828 stopovers received in April 2019.
Saint Lucia received 9,266 stopover arrivals from the USA in April 2021, 20.4% more than the 7,698 stopovers received in March 2021 with the 9,266 stopovers comprising 97.0% of all stopover arrivals in April 2021.
There were no cruise visitors in April 2021.
Through the first four months of 2021, Saint Lucia saw a 68.5% decrease in the number of stopover visitors, falling from 91,399 stopovers in the first four months of 2020 to 28,786 stopovers in the same four months of 2021. The number of stopovers from the USA fell by 34.8%, from 41,155 in the first four months of 2020 to 26,840 in the same four months of 2021 while the number of stopover visitors from the U.K. fell by 94.5% from 18,298 in 2020 to 1,008 stopovers in the same four months of 2021.
Saint Lucia received 383 visitors who arrived by yacht in the first four months of 2021, down 98.2% from the 21,122 visitors who arrived by yacht in the first four months of 2020.

Punta Cana received 123,529 tourists in April 2021, 8.5% more than the 113,904 received in March 2021.
According to the Central Bank of the Dominican Republic, Punta Cana, in the Dominican Republic, saw the volume of non-resident stopover arrivals increase by 8.5% in April, growing from 113,904 arrivals in March 2021 to 123,529 in April 2021. The volume of arrivals in April was 36.0% of the 343,026 stopovers received in April 2019.
The Dominican Republic closed its borders to international tourist arrivals as of March 19th 2020 consequently Punta Cana received zero visitors in April 2020.
Punta Cana received 89,308 stopover arrivals from the USA in April 2021, 13.4% more than the 78,728 stopovers received in March 2021.
The Dominican Republic reopened its borders to visitors as of July 1st 2021 with limited controls on arrivals but changed its policy on July 30th requiring all visitors to show evidence of a negative RT-PCR test taken prior to arrival. As of September 15th 2020, this requirement was eliminated and was replaced by random breath tests being administered to 3% - 10% of all arriving visitors.
During the first four months of 2021 Punta Cana saw a 48.1% decrease in the volume of stopover arrivals, falling from 741,966 arrivals in the first four months of 2020 to 384,382 non-resident arrivals in the first four months of 2021.
Arrivals from the USA increased by 24.5% in the first four months of 2021, growing from 199,551 arrivals in the first four months of 2020 to 248,385 arrivals in the same four months of 2021. Traffic was down 98.0% from Canada, falling from 226,605 arrivals in the first four months of 2020 to just 4,428 arrivals in the first four months of 2021. Traffic was also down 99.0% from the UK, falling from 26,295 arrivals in 2020 to just 266 stopovers in the first four months of 2021.
Traffic was down 75.7% from Germany, down 72.5% from Brazil, down 79.0% from France and down 70.3% from Argentina.
In the first four months of 2021, stopover arrivals to Punta Cana made up 36.9% of all non-resident arrivals to the Dominican Republic compared with 53.3% in the same four months of 2020.

The Dominican Republic received 327,074 non-resident visitors in April, 4.2% more than the 313,289 stopovers received in March.
According to the Central Bank of the Dominican Republic, the Dominican Republic received 327,074 non-resident stopover arrivals in April 2021, 4.2% more than the 313,289 stopovers it received in March 2021.
The Dominican Republic closed its borders to international tourist arrivals as of March 19th 2020 and consequently received just 217 stopovers in April 2020.
The 327,074 arrivals received in April 2021 were 56.0% of the 584,279 stopovers received in April 2019.
The Dominican Republic received 159,624 stopover arrivals from the USA in April 2021, 12.7% more than the 141,660 stopovers received from the USA in March 2021.
31.0% of the non-resident arrivals in April 2021 were Dominicans living abroad and returning to the Dominican Republic compared with 53.0% in April 2020.
In the first four months of 2021 the Dominican Republic saw a 25.0% decrease in the volume of stopover arrivals, falling from 1,392,676 arrivals in the first four months of 2020 to 1,044,159 non-resident arrivals in the same four months of 2021.
Non-resident arrivals from the USA increased by 28.1% in the first four months of 2021, growing from 355,217 arrivals in 2020 to 455,077 arrivals from the USA in the first four months of 2021. Stopover arrivals from Canada fell by 98.1%, from 339,159 in the first four months of 2020 to 6,545 in the same four months of 2021.
In the first four months of 2021 33.8% of non-resident tourists arriving in the Dominican Republic were non-resident Dominicans returning home, up from 14.6% in the same four months of 2020.

Curacao reports it received 3,520 stopover arrivals in April 2021, 65.2% less than the 10,116 received in March of this year.
According to the Curaçao Tourist Board, Curaçao saw a 65.2% decrease in stopover visitor arrivals in April, falling from 10,116 stopovers received in March 2021 to 3,520 stopovers received in April of this year. The 3,520 stopovers received in April 2021 were just 8.7% of the 40,290 stopovers received in April 2019.
Curaçao closed its borders to international visitors as of March 17th 2020 and Consequently Curaçao received just 210 stopover visitors in April 2020.
Curacao received 1,130 stopover visitors from the Netherlands in April 2021 and 1,220 stopovers from the USA, 32.1% and 34.7% of all stopovers, respectively.
There were no cruise visitors in April as the island remained closed to cruise traffic.
In the first four months of 2021 Curaçao saw a 74.6% decrease in the number of stopover visitors, falling from 108,695 visitors in 2020 to 27,571 visitors this year.
The number of stopovers from the USA declined by 75.6% during the first four months, falling from 20,960 in 2020 to 5,117 in the first four months of 2021. The number of stopovers from the Netherlands declined by 68.1%, falling from 44,288 visitors during the first four months of 2020, to 14,124 in the first four months of 2021.
By comparison with the first four months of 2019 the number of stopovers decreased by 83.5%, falling from 167,460 in 2019 to 27,571 in the same four months of 2021.

Antigua and Barbuda received 9,185 stopovers in April 2021, 11.1% more than in March 2021.
According to the Ministry of Tourism and Investment, Antigua and Barbuda saw an 11.1% increase in stopover visitor arrivals in April 2021, growing from 8,271 stopovers received in March 2021 to 9,185 stopovers this April.
Antigua and Barbuda closed its borders to international travel as of March 26th 2020. Consequently, Antigua received just 5 visitors in April 2020.
The 9,185 stopovers received In April 2021 were just 33.6% of the 27,302 stopovers Antigua received in April 2019.
The number of stopover visitors received from the USA in April 2021 were 9.3% higher than in March, growing from 7,154 stopovers in March to 7,819 stopovers in April 2021. The share of visitors from the USA grew to 86.5% in April 2021.
There were no cruise visitors in April 2021.
Through the first four months of 2021, Antigua and Barbuda saw a 63.0% decrease in the number of stopover visitors, falling from 83,359 stopovers in the first four months of 2020 to 30,860 stopovers in the same four months of 2021.
The number of stopovers from the USA fell by 31.6%, from 34,904 stopovers in the first four months of 2020 to 23,866 stopovers in the same four months of 2021 while the number of stopover visitors from the U.K. fell by 84.3%, from 20,514 in 2020 to 3,212 stopovers in the same four months of 2021.
By comparison with the first four months of 2019, the number of stopovers decreased by 73.9%, falling from 118,056 in 2019 to 30,860 in the same four months of 2021.

Aruba received 58,774 stopover visitors in April 2021, 20.0% more than the 48,967 stopovers received in March 2021.
According to Aruba Tourism Authority, Aruba received 58,774 stopover arrivals in April 2021, 20.0% more than the 48,967 stopovers it received in March 2021.
Aruba closed its borders to tourist arrivals as of March 17th 2020 and consequently there were no tourist arrivals in April 2020.
However, the 58,774 stopovers received in April 2021 were 37.4% less than the 93,953 stopovers received in April 2019.
Compared with 2019 stopover arrivals from the USA decreased by 26.4%, falling from 72,681 arrivals in April 2019 to 53,473 arrivals in April 2021. Arrivals from the USA comprised 91.0% of all arrivals in April 2021 up from 77.4% in April 2019.
Arrivals from Canada dropped by 97.9%, from 3,997 in April 2019 to 83 stopovers in April 2021 consequent upon the Government of Canada suspending all non-stop flights to and from Canada to Mexico and the Caribbean from January 2021. Arrivals from the Netherlands fell by 51.1%, from 3,669 in April 2019 to 1,795 in April this year.
In the first four months of 2021 Aruba saw a 25.2% decrease in the number of stopover visitors, falling from 228,752 visitors in 2020 to 171,112 visitors in the first four months of this year. The number of stopovers from the USA declined by 13.9% during the first four months, from 175,177 in 2020 to 150,860 through the end of April 2021.
Compared with the first four months of 2019, the 171,112 stopover visitors received in the first four months of 2021 was 55.9% less than the 388,136 stopovers received in the first four months of 2019. There were 150,860 stopovers from the USA in the first four months of 2021, 48.1% less than the 290,623 received in the first four months of 2019.
The number of visitors staying in hotels in the first four months of 2021 declined by 64.1% compared with the same four months of 2019, falling from 196,855 visitors in 2019 to 70,662 in the same four months of 2021. Consequently, the share of visitors staying in hotels fell from 50.9% in the first four months of 2019 to 41.3% in the same four months of 2021.
The share of visitors staying in timeshare accommodation grew from 24.8% in the first four months of 2019 to 36.2% in the same four months of 2021 with the total number of visitors staying in timeshare resorts growing by 6.4% in the first four months of 2021 compared with the same four months of 2020.
Visitors using other accommodation – private homes, condominiums, short term rental accommodation and apartments – fell by 58.9% when comparing the first four months of 2019 with the same four months of 2021 with the share dropping from 24.2% in 2019 to 22.5% in 2021.
There were no cruise visitors in April as the island remained closed to cruise traffic.

AHATA reports Aruba’s hotels achieved a 52.7% average room occupancy in April 2021.
The Aruba Hotel and Tourism Association reports that average hotel room occupancy in April 2021 was 52.7%, 16.4 percentage points higher than the 36.4% achieved in March 2021.
Aruba closed its orders to international travel as of March 17 2020 and consequently Aruba’s hotels achieved a 0.5% average room occupancy in April 2020.
And compared with April 2019, the average room occupancy in April 2021 was 29.9 percentage points lower, falling from 82.6% in April 2019 to 52.7% in April this year.
ADR was $246.96 in April 2021, 14.2% lower than in April 2019, and revpar was $130.08, 45.3% lower than in April 2019.
Aruba’s timeshare resorts reported an average occupancy of 74% in April 2021.
Through the first four months of 2021 AHATA reports that Aruba’s hotels achieved an average room occupancy of 35.6% compared with 53.1% for the first four months of 2020. ADR fell by 25.5% to $273.05 in the same four months with RevPAR falling by 50.0% to $97.29.
By comparison with the first four months of 2019 average room occupancy was 52.8 percentage points lower in 2021, while ADR fell by 18.4%, and revpar was 67.1% lower.
AHATA is projecting that Aruba’s hotels will achieve an average room occupancy of 58% for May 2021, 61% for June, 65% for July, 60% for August. and 55% for 2021 as a whole.

Aruba Airport Authority reports 65,651 departing passengers in April 2021, 37.7% more than the 47,664 handled in March 2021.
The Aruba Airport Authority (AAA) reports that in April 2021 65,651 Revenue Generating Passengers (RGPs) travelled out of the Queen Beatrix International Airport (AUA Airport) to its various markets. This was 37.7% more than the 47,664 RGPs handled in March 2021.
Please note as of March 17th 2020 Aruba closed its international borders to international travel and consequently the airport had no departures in April 2020.
The 65,651 RGPS handled in April 2021 were 59.8% of the 109,808 RGPs handled in April 2019.
A revenue generating passenger is an outbound traveler leaving Aruba and includes tourists returning to their homes as well as Arubans departing for trips overseas.
The airport also handled 2,355 passengers in transit and 40 transferring passengers.
In April 2021 58,122 passengers (pax) travelled to the USA, 0 pax to Canada (down 100% as Canada closed its borders to flights from the Caribbean), 3,127 pax to Europe, 3,522 pax to Latin America and 880 pax to the Dutch Caribbean.
The airlines provided 102,480 outbound seats in April 2021, 71.2% of the 143,945 seats provided in April 2019.
Airlines flying to the USA in April experienced an average load factor of 69.6% There were no flights to Canada while flights to Europe averaged a 53.5% load factor, while the overall average load factor for all flights for April was 67.0%.
In the first four months of 2021 the airport handled 193,737 RGPs, down 32.4% compared with the 286,563 handled in the first four months of 2020. Traffic to the USA fell by 23.2%, from 210,836 RGPs in the first four months of 2020 to 161,880 in the same four months of 2021. Traffic to Canada fell by 94.9% to 901 RGPs, while traffic to Europe fell by 19.6%, from 17,200 RGPS in the first four months of 2020 to 13,798 this year.
Seat capacity through the first four months of 2021 fell by 0.2% compared with the same four months of 2020, from 374,976 available seats in 2020 to 374,984 seats in 2021.
The overall average load factor of outbound flights fell from 83.6% in the first four months of 2020 to 55.6% in the same four months of 2021. The average load factor of flights to the USA fell from 87.5% in the first four months of 2020 to 55.0% in the same four months of 2021.
The Aruba Airport Authority also reported that as of May 11th 2021 seat capacity will increase by 319,196 seats in the second quarter of 2021 from the 4,511 available seats offered during the second quarter of 2020 to 323,707 available seats currently scheduled for the second quarter of 2021. AAA further projects that the airport will handle 344,974 seats in the third quarter of 2021, up 182% over the 122,337 seats offered in theird quarter of 2020. The 344,974 seats offered in 2021 will be 85% of the total offered in the third quarter of 2019.
The AAA pointed out these numbers are subject to change.
Based on the latest available insights the Aruba Airport Authority now forecast the airport will handle 621,085 RGPs in 2021, 49% of the 1,265,965 RGPs handled in 2019 but 44.3% more than the 430,496 RGPS handled in 2020.

Bermuda announces total air visitor arrivals fell by 86.3% in the first three months of 2021.
The Bermuda Tourism Authority recently released its first quarter 2021 tourist arrival numbers and announced that total air arrivals fell by 86.3% in 2021, falling from 23,897 air arrivals in the first quarter of 2020 to 3,264 in the same three months of 2021.
The number of visitors arriving by yacht fell by 80.9% from 404 in the first three months 2020 to 77 in 2021 while the number of cruise visitors fell by 100% from 9,366 in 2020 zero in 2021 as Bermuda closed its borders to cruise ships in March 2020.
The number of air visitors from the number one market the USA, fell by 84.8%, from 15,788 arrivals in the first quarter of 2020 to 2,401 in the same three months of 2021, while the number of air visitors from Canada fell by 96.9%, and the number from the United Kingdom fell by 83.3%.

The Bahamas reports the islands received 33,155 stopovers in April 2021, 40.8% fewer than the 55,978 stopovers received in March 2021.
According to the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism, The Islands of The Bahamas received 33,155 stopover visitors in April 2021, 40.8% fewer than the 55,978 stopovers received in March 2021, and just 18.0% of the 184,200 stopovers received in April 2019.
The Bahamas closed its borders to foreign visitors as of March 24th 2020. The Bahamas received just 65 stopover visitors in April 2020.
Of the 33,155 stopover visitors who arrived in April, 31,607 (95.3%) were from the USA with 183 coming from Canada and 517 from Europe.
During April 28,479 stopovers stayed in Nassau/Paradise Island, that is 85.9% of all stopovers, with 589 stopovers (1.7%) staying in Grand Bahama, and 4,087 stopovers (12.3%) staying in The Out Islands.
During the first four months of 2021 The Bahamas saw a 64.3% decline in the number of stopover visitors, falling from 382,817 stopover visitors in the first four months of 2020 to 136,486 stopovers in the same four months of 2021.
The number of visitors from the USA declined by 57.7% in the first four months, falling from 303,186 stopovers in 2020 to 128,114 stopovers in the first four months of 2021. The number from Canada fell by 97.3%, falling from 42,004 in 2020 to 1,146 in the first four months of 2021, while the number from Europe fell by 89.2%, falling from 23,631 in 2020 to 2,543 in the first four months of 2021.
Nassau/Paradise Island saw a 68.2% decrease in the first four months of 2021, falling from 300,106 stopovers in the first four months of 2020 to 95,527 stopovers in the same four months of 2021, while Grand Bahama Island saw a 75.5% decline in stopover traffic, falling from 17,697 stopovers in 2020 to 4,334 in the same four months of 2021. Stopover traffic to the Out Islands decreased by 43.7%, falling from 65,014 stopover visitors in 2020 to 336,625 in the first four months of 2021.
Please note these numbers are preliminary and could be subject to change.

The Seychelles received 14,245 visitor arrivals in April 2021, 9,276 more than the 4,969 received in March 2021.
The Seychelles Government’s National Bureau of Statistics recently announced that total stopover arrivals increased by 9,276 in April 2021 from the 4,969 received in March 2021. This number includes both air and sea stopover visitors and transit visitors.
The 14,245 visitor arrivals received in April 2021 were 38.4% of the 37,103 received in April 2020.
The Seychelles closed its borders to cruise ships as of March 9th 2020 and to international air visitors as of March 30th 2020. The Seychelles received just 22 stopover visitors in April 2020.
In the first four months of 2021 The Seychelles saw a 76.4% decrease in total visitor arrivals, falling from 88,934 arrivals in 2020 to 21,030 arrivals in the first four months of 2021. Total stopover arrivals from Germany, the number one source market in 2020, fell by 93.6% from 20,468 arrivals in the first four months of 2020 to 1,302 arrivals in the same four months of 2021. The number one source market in the first four months of 2021 was Russia which generated 4,179 visitors, 19.9% of all visitor arrivals for those first four months.

San Juan, Puerto Rico (SJU) handled 765,561 total passenger movements in April 2021, 1.8% more than the total handled in March 2021.
According to ASUR, which manages many airports in Mexico, Colombia and which also manages the Luis Munoz Marin International Airport in San Juan, Puerto Rico, SJU saw a 1.8% increase in passenger movements in April 2021, growing from 751,974 total passenger movements in March 2021 to 765,561 movements in April 2021.
The 765,561 passenger movements handled in April 2021 were 1.7% higher than the 752,910 handled in April 2019.
It should be noted that restrictions on travel began to be put in place in the middle of March 2020. In April 2020 San Juan’s airport handled just 41,682 total passenger movements.
In the first four months of 2021 the overall volume of air passenger movements at San Juan’s airport increased by 12.6%, from 2,248,202 in 2020 to 2,530,434 in the same four months of 2021.
However, the total for 2021 was 17.1% less than for the same four months of 2019, falling from 3,053,418 in 2019 to 2,530,434 in 2021.

Cancun’s Airport handled 924,952 international air passenger movements in April 2021, 5.4% more than the total handled in March 2021.
According to ASUR, which manages many of Mexico’s airports, Cancun Airport saw a 5.4% increase in international passenger movements in April 2021, growing from 877,579 movements in March 2021 to 924,952 such movements in April 2021.
The 924,952 international passenger movements handled in April 2021 were 38.7% less than the 1,507,701 handled in April 2019.
Domestic passenger movements increased by 3.2% in April 2021, from 692,686 passenger movements in March 2021 to 714,687 domestic movements in April of this year.
The 714,687 domestic passenger movements handled in April 2021 were just 4.1% less than the 745,015 handled in April 2019.
It should be noted that restrictions on travel began to be put in place in the middle of March 2020. In April 2020 Cancun’s airport handled just 57,968 domestic passenger movements and 7,349 international passenger movements.
In the first four months of 2021 the volume of international air passenger movements decreased by 26.3%, falling from 4,158,127 movements in 2020 to 3,063,842 movements in the first four months of 2021 while the volume of domestic air passenger movements increased by 32.2%, from 1,860,828 movements in the first four months of 2020 to 2,460,863 in the same four months of 2021.
By comparison with the first four months of 2019 the volume of international air passenger movements decreased by 51.1%, falling from 6,267,922 movements in 2019 to 3,063,842 movements in the first four months of 2021 while the volume of domestic air passenger movements decreased by 6.9%, from 2,644,198 movements in the first four months of 2019 to 2,460,863 in the same four months of 2021.
In the first four months of 2021 international passenger movements accounted for 55.5% of all passenger movements, down from 69.0% in 2020 and down from 70.3% in the first four months of 2019.

Los Cabos handled 276,100 international passenger movements in April 2021, down 20.2% compared with April 2019.
According to Aeroportuario del Pacifico , which manages many of Mexico’s airports, Los Cabos Airport saw a 20.2% decline in international passenger traffic in April 2021, that is enplanements and deplanements, falling from 345,800 international passenger movements in April 2019 to 276,100 international passenger movements in April 2021. Los Cabos handled 2,400 international passenger movements in April 2020.
Domestic traffic grew by 3.4%, growing from 162,000 passenger movements in April 2019 to 167,500 passenger movements in April 2021.Los Cabos handled 22,100 domestic passenger movements in April 2020.
The 276,100 international passenger movements seen in April 2021 were 19.1% higher than the 231,900 international movements handled in March 2021.
Through the first four months of 2021 Los Cabos Airport saw international passenger movements fall 42.2%, from 1,402,000 in 2019 to 810,400 in the first four months of 2021. Domestic passenger movements fell by 4.0% in the first four months of 2021, from 556,600 in 2019 to 534,400 in the first four months of 2021.
Regarding the operations of the Los Cabos airport in Mexico, the Government of Mexico has not issued any flight restrictions, however, it has strongly recommended that only essential activities are performed and for persons to avoid as much as possible to leave home, which has caused the cancellation of a large volume of national and international flights. As well, in January 2021 the Government of Canada suspended all non-stop flights from Canada to Mexico and the Government of the USA implemented a requirement that all visitors to the USA and returning residents needed to show evidence of a negative RT-PCR test,

Kingston Jamaica Airport saw 45,000 total passenger movements in April 2021, 22.6% more than the 36,700 achieved in March 2021.
According to Aeroportuario del Pacifico, which manages many of Mexico’s airports and which also manages the airports in Montego Bay and Kingston, Jamaica, saw the total number of passenger movements, that is both enplanements and deplanements, at Kingston Jamaica’s Airport increase by 22.6% in April 2021, growing from 36,700 total movements in March 2021 to 45,000 total passenger movements in April 2021.
The total number of passenger movements in April 2020 was just 3,700 passengers.
It should be noted that Jamaica closed its borders to international visitors as of March 21 2020.
Through the first four months of 2021 Kingston’s Airport saw total passenger movements fall by 55.2%, from 358,400 in 2020 to 160,500 in the first four months of 2021.
In 2021 international passenger movements made up 100.0% of all passenger movements.

Montego Bay Airport saw 157,600 total passenger movements in April 2021, 37.1% of the 424,700 achieved in April 2019.
According to Aeroportuario del Pacifico, which manages many of Mexico’s airports and which also manages the airports in Montego Bay and Kingston, Jamaica, saw the total number of passenger movements, that is both enplanements and deplanements, at Montego Bay Airport decrease by 62.9% in April 2021, falling from 424,700 total movements in April 2019 to 157,600 movements in April 2021.
The total number of passenger movements in April 2021 was 21.8% more than the 129,400 handled in March 2021.
It should be noted that Jamaica closed its borders to international visitors as of March 21 2020.
Through the first four months of 2021 Montego Bay Airport saw total passenger movements fall 73.8%, from 1,762,700 in 2019 to 462,200 in the first four months of 2021.
In 2021 international passenger movements made up 100.0% of all passenger movements.

Mexico received 904,046 international air arrivals in March, up 65.8% compared with February 2021.
According to the Government of Mexico’s SECTUR (Department of Tourism) Mexico received 904,046 international air arrivals in March 2021 up 65.8% compared with the 545,194 arrivals received in February 2021.
The 904,046 international air arrivals received in March 2021 were just 4.5% less than the 946,472 received in March 2020.
The volume of air arrivals from the USA increased by 31.8% in March, growing from 544,282 in March 2020 to 717,591 in March 2021, with the USA’s share growing from 57.5% in March 2020 to 79.4% in March 2021. The volume of arrivals from Canada fell by 96.5%, from 152,678 in March 2020 to 5,391 in March 2021 as Canada continued to keep its borders closed to flights from Mexico and the Caribbean.
Cancun Airport saw an 11.5% increase in international air arrivals in March 2021, growing from 399,697 arrivals in March 2020 to 445,655 arrivals in March 2021. Los Cabos saw a 31.1% increase in international arrivals, growing from 93,052 international arrivals in March 2020 to 121,962 international air arrivals in March 2021. Puerto Vallarta saw a 21.6% decrease however, falling from 94,928 international arrivals in March 2020 to 74,455 in March 2021.
In the first three months of 2021 the volume of international air arrivals to Mexico fell by 53.6%, from 4,542,395 arrivals in 2020 to 2,105,924 arrivals in the first three months of this year.
The volume of air arrivals from the USA fell by 33.1% in the same three months, from 2,365,791 arrivals in 2020 to 1,583,015 arrivals in 2021 while the volume from Canada fell by 96.3%, from 883,650 in 2020 to 33,047 in 2021.
Cancun Airport saw a 46.2% decrease in international air arrivals in the first three months of 2021, falling from 1,904,517 arrivals in 2020 to 1,025,268 arrivals in 2021 while Los Cabos saw a 40.4% decrease falling from 438,634 international air arrivals in 2020 to 261,453 air arrivals in 2021. Puerto Vallarta saw a 66.7% decrease, falling from 487,359 international arrivals in 2020 to 162,350 arrivals in the first three months of 2020.

New wave of COVID-19 infection threatens Costa Rica tourist revival.
May 3, 2021
SAN JOSE (Reuters) – Costa Rica’s internationally renowned green escapes are likely to suffer through a second year of costly tourist hesitancy as the spread of the pandemic intensifies in the Central American nation, further battering the key travel sector.
Amid an April surge of COVID-19 infections, hospital beds are scarce in the tropical country. Its infection rate last week surpassed even tragedy-struck India and Brazil, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.
Given the lack of widespread testing, the real figures could be even worse.
Costa Rica’s hoteliers and other travel businesses expected increasingly vaccinated travelers from top markets in North American and Europe to inject an infusion of cash for the industry after record-low visits last year, but that does not seem likely anymore.
“We’re anticipating a much worse year than 2020,” said Shirley Calvo, head of the tourism business chamber.
“If there’s no government aid, we will have a cemetery of companies by the end of this year,” she added.
Costa Rica’s tourism sector in pre-pandemic 2019 was estimated at about $5 billion, or about 8.5% of country’s GDP.
The central bank forecasts less than 800,000 foreign tourists visiting Costa Rica this year, which would mark a more than 20% slide from last year. And last year saw only a third of the international travelers who visited in 2019, or about 1.01 million, which was the fewest in more than two decades.
During the first three months of this year, which is typically high season, visits were down a whopping 76% compared to the same period last year as lockdown-weary travelers with money to spend resisted the urge to vacation among the country’s vibrant wildlife and pristine beaches.
Tourism Minister Gustavo Segura acknowledged a worsening scenario.
“We trust we’ll be able to control the situation for our population soon, but we can’t deny that some people will decide to postpone visits,” he told Reuters, though he stressed he did not have official figures on cancellations.
He argued the country’s famed eco-tourism naturally promotes outdoor social distancing and pitched the travel sector’s high standards for hygiene.
To bolster his point, the minister pointed to official data for the first four months of the year showing that less than 1% of tourists tested positive for COVID-19 as they exited the country.
Even so, the U.S. government issued a fresh travel warning for Costa Rica on April 20, citing a “very high level” of infections.

Dubai Airport passenger traffic plunges 67.8% in Q1 2021
29th April 2021
Dubai International Airport (DXB) has reported passenger traffic of 5.75 million in the first quarter (Q1) of 2021, a 67.8% slump from the same period in 2020 that largely escaped the jitters of the Covid-19-induced turbulence.
The operator stated that travel curbs by airlines and airports globally amid a spike in Covid-19 cases were placed only towards the end of March last year.
Of the total passenger traffic in Q1 2021, more than two million was recorded in March alone.
By the end of Q1 2021, the airport provided services to around 63% of the stops in 89% of the countries via 74% of the carriers, in comparison with the period before the pandemic.
However, the operator noted that the airport is gradually recovering in passenger numbers and cargo volumes.
The airport managed 550,811 tons of airfreight during Q1 2021, marking a 3.2% rise from the previous year.
The combined flight movements in the first three months of 2021 were 50,176, representing a drop of 38.3% from a year ago.
With around 1.3 million traffic, India retained its spot as DXB’s top destination country.
India was followed by Pakistan, Bangladesh and Russia, with other notable destination countries including Egypt and Turkey.
Dubai Airports mentioned that the top three cities served by the airport were New Delhi, Dhaka and Addis Ababa.
Dubai Airports CEO Paul Griffiths said: “Whilst passenger numbers for the first quarter remained significantly below the monthly volumes we handled before March 2020, in the context of the current global situation they are very encouraging and reflect the consolidation phase in our business recovery.
“Despite the ongoing challenges to air travel as the world continues to battle against the impact of the global pandemic, as an important hub, DXB will continue to play its role of enabling mobility and connectivity and contribute to the much needed social and economic recovery globally.”

U.S. citizens’ outbound travel from the USA to international destinations fell by 70.4% in February 2021.
The United States Government’s Department of Commerce, International Trade Administration’s National Travel and Tourism Office (NTTO) recently released the figures for U.S. citizens outbound travel from the USA to international destinations for February 2021.

The overall number of trips taken by US citizens to international destinations decreased by 70.4% in February 2021 compared to February 2020, falling from 6.67 million trips in February 2020 to 1.97 million trips in February 2021.
The largest percentage decline was in trips by both land and by air to Canada which fell by 97.3%, falling from 699,976 trips in February 2020 to just 19,247 in February 2021.
Trips to Europe decreased by 93.2%, from 791,270 trips in February 2020 to 53,950 trips in the second month of 2021.
The number of trips taken to Mexico by air fell by 56.8%, from 904,043 trips in February 2020 to 390,612 trips in February 2021 as Mexico was able to increase its share of such overseas trips consequent upon less rigorous restrictions on entry to Mexico. The share of all trips grew from 13.5% in February 2020 to 19.8% in February 2021.
The biggest segment was trips by land to Mexico which fell by 56.6% from 2,374,782 trips in February 2020 to 1,029,741 trips in February 2021 with their share growing from 35.6% in 2020 to 52.2% in February 2021.
The number of trips taken to the Caribbean decreased by 70.5%, falling from 777,998 trips in February 2020, to 229,881 trips in the second month of 2021. Interestingly the share of trips taken to the Caribbean fell only slightly from 11.7% in February 2020 to 11.6% in February 2021.

The overall number of trips taken by US citizens to international destinations decreased by 68.2% in the first two months of 2021, falling from 13.54 million trips in 2020 to 4.31 million trips in the first two months of 2021.
The largest percentage decline was in trips by both land and by air to Canada which fell by 97.3%, falling from 699,976 trips in February 2020 to just 19,247 in February 2021.
Trips to Europe decreased by 96.6%, from 1,320,707 trips in the first two months of 2020 to 45,547 in the same two months of 2021.
The number of trips taken to Mexico by air fell by 52.5%, from 1,746,211 trips in the first two months of 2020 to 829,226 in the same two months of 2021. The share of all trips grew from 12.9% in the first two months of 2020 to 19.3% in the same two months of 2021.
The biggest segment was trips by land to Mexico which fell by 52.2% from 4,847,778 trips in the first two months of 2020 to 2,317,720 trips in the same two months of 2021 with their share growing from 35.8% in 2020 to 53.8% in the first two months of 2021.
The number of trips taken to the Caribbean decreased by 68.9% in the first two months of 2021, falling from 1,472,228 trips in 2020, to 458,066 trips in the first two months of 2021. Interestingly the share of trips taken to the Caribbean fell only slightly from 10.9% in 2020 to 10.6% in 2021.

Hawaii reports the state received 439,785 out-of-state tourists in March, up 86.9% compared with February 2021.
According to the Hawaii Tourism Authority, Hawaii saw the volume of air arrivals increase by 86.9% in March 2021, growing from 235,283 air arrivals received in February 2021 to 439,785 arrivals in March 2021.
The 439,785 arrivals received in March were 2.1% more than the 430,691 arrivals received in March 2020.
On March 26, 2020, the state of Hawaii implemented a 14-day mandatory travel quarantine.
Air arrivals from the USA grew by 33.7% in March 2021, from the 320,988 air arrivals received in March 2020 to 429,279 air arrivals in March 2021 but fell by 97.7% from Japan (from 45,322 arrivals in March 2020 to 1,051 air arrivals in March 2021). Air arrivals fell by 98.8% from Canada (from 26,426 arrivals in March 2020 to 326 air arrivals this March). Arrivals from the USA grew from 74.5% of all arrivals in March 2020 to 97.6% in March 2021.
Through the first three months of 2021 Hawaii saw a 59.6% decrease in the volume of air arrivals, falling from 2,095,695 air arrivals in the first three months of 2020 to 847,044 air arrivals in the same three months of 2021.
Air arrivals from the USA decreased by 42.3% in the first three months of 2021, falling from 1,423,192 air arrivals in 2020 to 820,847 air arrivals in the same three months of 2021, fell by 99.0% from Japan (from 294,228 arrivals in 2020 to 2,910 air arrivals in 2021) and fell by 97.6% from Canada (from 155,735 in 2020 to 3,716 air arrivals in 2021).
The Hawaii Tourist Authority estimates total tourist expenditures fell by 61.1% in the first three months of 2021, falling from $3.892 billion in 2020 to $1.515 million in the first three months of 2021.

The Maldives reports it received 109,585 visitor arrivals in March, up 13.1% compared with February 2021.
The Maldives Government’s Ministry of Tourism recently announced that The Maldives received 109,585 stopover visitors in March 2021, up 13.1% from the 96,882 stopovers received in February 2021. The 109,585 stopovers were 83.8% more than the 59,630 stopover visitors the country received in March 2020.
The Maldives closed its borders to tourist arrivals on March 27th 2020.
In March 2021 India was the number one source market and generated 25,690 stopovers of the total overall stopovers (23.4%) while Russia, the number two source market, generated 22,826 stopovers (20.8%). Other markets which generated significant business in March were Germany (7,278 visitors), the Ukraine (5,372 visitors), and Kazakhstan (4,958 visitors).
In the first three months of 2021 The Maldives saw a 22.0% decrease in total arrivals, falling from 382,762 stopovers in the first three months of 2020 to 298,570 in the same three months of 2021 with India (69,730 visitors) and Russia (63,523 visitors) being, by far, the two largest source markets in these three months.
The Maldives saw the overall number of accommodation establishments in operation fall by 31.5% from 949 in the first three months of 2020 to 650 establishments in the same three months of 2021. The number of beds fell by 11.2% from 50,869 in the first three months of 2020 to 45,155 this year. Through the end of March overall average room occupancy had fallen by 1.4 percentage points from 59.1% in 2020 to 57.7% for the first three months of this year.
Of the 650 establishments in operation 147 were resorts which offered 34,416 beds (76.2% of the overall number of beds). These resorts achieved a 66.7% average room occupancy through the first three months of 2021 down from 68.1% for the first three months of 2020. In March 2020 there were 155 resorts in operation offering 36,179 beds.

The Bahamas reports the islands received 55,978 stopovers in March 2021, 109% more than the 26,768 stopovers received in February 2021.
According to the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism, The Islands of The Bahamas received 55,978 stopover visitors in March 2021, 109.1% more than the 26,768 stopovers received in February 2021, but 31.8% fewer than the 82,088 stopovers received in March 2020.
Of the 55,978 stopover visitors who arrived in March, 53,126 (94.9%) were from the USA with 263 coming from Canada and 905 from Europe.
During March 38,806 stopovers stayed in Nassau/Paradise Island, that is 69.3% of all stopovers, with 1,137 stopovers (2.0%) staying in Grand Bahama, and 16,035 stopovers (28.7%) staying in The Out Islands.
During the first three months of 2021 The Bahamas saw a 73.0% decline in the number of stopover visitors, falling from 382,752 stopover visitors in the first three months of 2020 to 103,331 stopovers in the same three months of 2021.
The number of visitors from the USA declined by 68.2% in the first three months, falling from 303,147 stopovers in 2020 to 96,507 stopovers in the first three months of 2021. The number from Canada fell by 97.7%, falling from 42,003 in 2020 to 963 in the first three months of 2021, while the number from Europe fell by 91.4%, falling from 23,622 in 2020 to 2,026 in the first three months of 2021.
Nassau/Paradise Island saw a 77.7% decrease in the first three months of 2021, falling from 300,061 stopovers in the first quarter of 2020 to 96,507 stopovers in the same three months of 2021, while Grand Bahama Island saw a 78.8% decline in stopover traffic, falling from 17,692 stopovers in 2020 to 3,745 in the same three months of 2021. Stopover traffic to the Out Islands decreased by 49.9%, falling from 64,999 stopover visitors in 2020 to 32,538 in the first quarter of 2021.
These numbers have been revised from previously published information.

US Consumer Confidence Up Sharply Again in April
The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index® Climbs to Highest Level since February 2020
The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index® rose sharply again in April, following a substantial gain in March. The Index now stands at 121.7 (1985=100), up from 109.0 in March.
The Present Situation Index—based on consumers’ assessment of current business and labor market conditions—soared from 110.1 to 139.6. The Expectations Index—based on consumers’ short-term outlook for income, business, and labor market conditions—rose moderately, from 108.3 last month to 109.8 in April.
The monthly Consumer Confidence Survey®, based on a probability-design random sample, is conducted for The Conference Board by Nielsen, a leading global provider of information and analytics around what consumers buy and watch. The cutoff date for the preliminary results was April 16.
“Consumer confidence has rebounded sharply over the last two months and is now at its highest level since February 2020,” said Lynn Franco, Senior Director of Economic Indicators at The Conference Board. “Consumers’ assessment of current conditions improved significantly in April, suggesting the economic recovery strengthened further in early Q2. Consumers’ optimism about the short-term outlook held steady this month. Consumers were more upbeat about their income prospects, perhaps due to the improving job market and the recent round of stimulus checks. Short-term inflation expectations held steady in April but remain elevated. Vacation intentions posted a healthy increase, likely boosted by the accelerating vaccine rollout and further loosening of pandemic restrictions.”
Consumers’ appraisal of current conditions improved significantly in April. The percentage of consumers claiming business conditions are “good” increased from 18.3 percent to 23.3 percent, while the proportion claiming business conditions are “bad” fell from 30.1 percent to 24.8 percent. Consumers’ assessment of the labor market also improved. The percentage of consumers saying jobs are “plentiful” increased from 26.5 percent to 37.9 percent, while those claiming jobs are “hard to get” declined from 18.5 percent to 13.2 percent.
Consumers’ optimism about the short-term outlook improved moderately. The percentage of consumers expecting business conditions to improve over the next six months rose marginally, from 40.3 percent to 40.5 percent, while the proportion expecting business conditions to worsen stood relatively unchanged at 11.9 percent. Consumers’ outlook regarding the job market was slightly less upbeat. The proportion expecting more jobs in the months ahead fell from 35.9 percent to 34.5 percent, while those anticipating fewer jobs rose from 14.4 percent to 15.5 percent. Regarding short-term income prospects, 17.9 percent of consumers expect their incomes to increase in the next six months, up from 15.4 percent in March. Those expecting their incomes to decrease fell to 10.9 percent, down from 12.6 percent.

Las Vegas saw a 44.8% increase in visitors in March 2021 compared with February 2021.
According to the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, Las Vegas saw the volume of visitors increase by 44.8% in March 2021, growing from 1,540,100 arrivals in February 2021 to 2,230,100 in March of 2021.
The 2,230,100 arrivals in March 2021 were 45.7% higher than the 1,531,100 visitors received in March 2020 but 39.7% lower than the 3,697,100 visitors received in March 2019.
Las Vegas had a weighted average of 145,648 open hotel rooms in March 2021 (down 1.7% compared with March 2020) and achieved an average city-wide room occupancy of 55.5% (up 15.7 percentage points compared with March 2020 (39.8%)), an ADR of $100.11 (down 30.4% compared with March 2020) and a RevPar of $55.56 (down 2.9%) also compared with March 2020.
Through the first three months of 2021 Las Vegas saw a 39.8% decrease in the volume of visitors, falling from 8,409,400 arrivals in the first three months of 2020 to 5,064,300 visitors in the same three months of 2021.
Las Vegas achieved an average city-wide room occupancy of 43.1% in the first three months of 2021 (down 27.4 percentage points compared with the first three months of 2020), an ADR of $97.11 (down 32.2% compared with the same three months of 2020) and a RevPar of $41.85, down 58.6%, also compared with the same three months of 2020.
Gaming revenue fell by 8.8% from $2.348 billion in the first three months of 2020 to $2.142 billion in the same three months of 2021.

Jamaica received 43,798 stopover arrivals in February 2021, almost the same as the 43,831 stopovers received in January 2021.
According to the Jamaica Tourist Board, Jamaica received 43,798 stopover arrivals in February 2021, almost the same as the 43,831 stopovers received in January 2021 and 18.6% of the 235,740 stopovers received in February 2020.
Stopover arrivals from the USA totaled 41,813 in February 2021, that is down by 73.1% from the 155,298 visitors received in February 2020. Stopover arrivals from the USA comprised 95.5% of all stopover arrivals received in February 2021, up from 65.9% in February 2020.
There were no cruise arrivals in February 2021 as Jamaica remained closed to cruise ship arrivals.
Through the first two months of 2021 Jamaica saw an 81.1% decline in the volume of stopover arrivals, falling from 462,940 stopover arrivals in the first two months of 2020 to 87,629 arrivals in the same two months of 2021.
Arrivals from the USA declined by 73.1% in the first two months of 2021, falling from 298,758 arrivals in 2020 to 80,313 arrivals in the same two months of 2021.
The USA’s share of all stopover arrivals grew from 64.5% in the first two months of 2020 to 91.7% in the same two months of 2021.

Orlando saw a 16.0 percentage point improvement in average room occupancy in March 2021, up from 41.8% in March 2020 to 57.8% this March.
According to STR Orlando had 128,000 hotel rooms in March 2021 and achieved an average city-wide room occupancy of 57.8%, up 16.0 percentage points compared with March 2020 (41.8%), and an ADR of $109.99, down 9.4% compared with March 2020 ($121.40).
According to Visit Orlando, Orlando saw the volume of air passenger deplanements increase by 41.4% in March 2021, growing from 1,221,785 deplanements in March 2020 to 1,727,619 deplanements in March 2021. This includes deplanements at both Orlando International and Sanford airports and includes both international and domestic deplanements.
In the first three months of 2021 Orlando’s hotels saw an average hotel room occupancy of 45.4%, down 32.3 percentage points from the 77.7% achieved in the first three months of 2020. ADR fell by 26.9% from $135.80 for the first three months of 2020 to $99.27 for the first three months of 2021.
Orlando saw the volume of air passenger deplanements decrease by 34.7% in the first three months of 2021, falling from 5,820,848 deplanements in the first three months of 2020 to 3,799,219 deplanements in the first three months of 2021. This includes deplanements at both Orlando International and Sanford airports and includes both international and domestic deplanements.

Macau received 754,541 visitors in March 2021 up 76.7% compared with February 2021.
Nelson Moura - MacauBusiness.com April 22 2021
The Macau SAR reported a total of 754,541 visitors in March of this year, a 76.7 per cent rise from the previous month, data published today (Thursday) by the Statistics and Census Bureau (DSEC) reveals.
However, the total number of tourist arrivals for the first three months of 2021 still reported a 7.4 per cent decline from the previous quarter to some 1.7 million visits.
While number of overnight visitors (919,192) dropped by 10 per cent quarter-to-quarter between January and March of this year, same-day visitors decreased by 4 per cent.
The average length of stay of visitors went up by 0.2 days quarter-to-quarter to 1.7 days.
Of the 688,353 mainland visitors that entered Macau in March, about 48.5 per cent came from Zhuhai.
Visitor arrivals reached a 15-month high of 34,252 on 16 April, with the coming May 1 holiday period will be a critical test for Macau visitation and gaming.
Daily visitor arrivals to and departures from Macau reached levels between 36,500 to 56,600 per day between April 5 to April 11, up from 30,000 to 40,000 earlier this year and close to the March average of about 49,000 per day.
At the same time, daily gaming revenues have continued a trend of growth in April, reaching MOP128 million between April 1 and 18, a 12 per cent rise whence compared to the March average.

Now hiring: Employers in Hawaii struggle to find new workers.
By Tom Linder West Hawaii Today tlinder@westhawaiitoday.com | Thursday, April 22, 2021, 12:05 a.m.
Help wanted. Now hiring. Job fair.
Job advertisements aren’t hard to find on the Big Island. Tougher to find, as businesses are discovering with the rebound of tourism, are workers to fill the plethora of available positions.
Despite Hawaii’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate hovering at 9% in March, employers are struggling to bring on new hires.
“It’s a major problem,” said Eric von Platen Luder, owner of multiple restaurants including Huggo’s, Lava Lava Beach Club and Kai, which is set to open next month. “We’re experiencing it with all of our locations… Right now, we’re getting maybe half a dozen applications a week, if we’re lucky. Before, we would put an ad in Facebook and Craigslist, and we would get 10, 15 applicants within a day or two.”
“It’s been unbelievable,” added Poi Dog Deli’s owner Taylor Cline. “I’ve never seen a hiring drought like this before.”
Early on during the pandemic, Gov. David Ige waived the work search requirements to qualify for unemployment benefits. In April 2020, less than 5,000 visitors arrived in the Aloha State and the unemployment rate soared to over 21%. As many as 53,113 initial unemployment claims were made in a single week, and it was under these conditions — when few places remained open and even less were hiring new workers — when waiving that requirement made sense. A year later, business owners are now calling for work search requirements to be reinstated.
“Business is here,” said Patrick Almarza, general manager of Sansei Seafood, Steak & Sushi Bar at Queens’ MarketPlace Waikoloa Beach Resort’s job fair on Wednesday.
read more/...

Punta Cana received 113,904 tourists in March 2021, 62.9% more than the 69,923 received in February 2021.
According to the Central Bank of the Dominican Republic, Punta Cana, in the Dominican Republic, saw the volume of non-resident stopover arrivals increase by 62.9% in March, growing from 69,923 arrivals in February 2021 to 113,904 in March 2021. The volume of arrivals in March was 79.4% of the 143,531 stopovers received in March 2020 and 28.4% of the 401,518 stopovers received in March 2019.
The Dominican Republic closed its borders to international tourist arrivals as of March 19 2020.
Stopover arrivals from the USA grew by 65.6% in March, from 47,548 US arrivals in March 2020 to 78,728 US arrivals in March 2021 with the US share of all arrivals growing from 33.1% in March 2020 to 69.1% in March 2021.
There was a significant 99.7% drop in arrivals from Canada, falling from 41,849 stopover arrivals in March 2020 to just 115 in March 2021 as Canada continued to close its borders to travel to and from the Caribbean. Traffic also fell by 98.5% from the UK, falling from 4,811 stopovers in March 2020 to just 71 in March 2021 and was down 97.6% from France, falling from 7,230 stopovers in March 2020 to 173 in March 2021.
The Dominican Republic reopened its borders to visitors as of July 1st 2021 with limited controls on arrivals but changed its policy on July 30th requiring all visitors to show evidence of a negative RT-PCR test taken prior to arrival. As of September 15th 2020, this requirement was eliminated and was replaced by random breath tests being administered to 3% - 10% of all arriving visitors.
During the first three months of 2021 Punta Cana saw a 64.8% decrease in the volume of stopover arrivals, falling from 741,966 arrivals in the first three months of 2020 to 261,303 non-resident arrivals in the first three months of 2021.
Arrivals from the USA fell by 20.3% in the first three months of 2021, falling from 199,551 arrivals in the first three months of 2020 to 159,077 arrivals in the same three months of 2021. Traffic was down 98.1% from Canada, falling from 226,605 arrivals in the first three months of 2020 to just 4,282 arrivals in the first three months of 2021. Traffic was also down 99.4% from the UK, falling from 26,295 arrivals in 2020 to just 162 stopovers in the first three months of 2021.
Traffic was down 83.3% from Germany, down 81.1% from Brazil, down 79.8% from France and down 73.1% from Argentina.
In the first three months of 2021, stopover arrivals to Punta Cana made up 36.4% of all non-resident arrivals to the Dominican Republic compared with 53.3% in the same three months of 2020.

The Dominican Republic received 313,289 non-resident visitors in March, 57.8% more than the 198,485 stopovers received in February.
According to the Central Bank of the Dominican Republic, the Dominican Republic received 313,289 non-resident stopover arrivals in March 2021, 57.8% more than the 198,485 stopovers it received in February 2021.
The 313,289 arrivals received in March 2021 were 16.0% more than the 270,049 stopovers received in March 2020 but was 46.6% of the 672,969 stopovers received in March 2019.
The Dominican Republic closed its borders to international tourist arrivals as of March 19 2020.
Stopover arrivals from the USA increased by 76.7% in March 2021, growing from 80,153 arrivals in March 2020 to 141,660 arrivals in March 2021. The number of stopover arrivals from Canada fell by 99.4%, from 62,041 in March 2020 to just 360 in March 2021 as Canada continued to close its borders to travel to and from Mexico and the Caribbean.
33.4% of the non-resident arrivals in March 2021 were Dominicans living abroad and returning to the Dominican Republic compared with 16.1% in March 2020.
In the first three months of 2021 the Dominican Republic saw a 48.5% decrease in the volume of stopover arrivals, falling from 1,392,459 arrivals in the first three months of 2020 to 717,085 non-resident arrivals in the same three months of 2021.
Non-resident arrivals from the USA decreased by 16.8% in the first three months of 2021, falling from 355,208 arrivals in 2020 to 295,453 arrivals in the first three months of 2021. Stopover arrivals from Canada fell by 98.2%, from 339,159 in the first three months of 2020 to 6,098 in the same three months of 2021.
In the first three months of 2021 35.1% of non-resident tourists arriving in the Dominican Republic were non-resident Dominicans returning home, up from 14.6% in the same three months of 2020.

Cuba announces it received 12,552 stopover visitors in March 2021, 5.1% fewer than the 13,220 received in February 2021.
The Cuban Government’s Office of National Statistics and Information (ONEI) recently announced that total tourist arrivals fell by 93.4% in March 2021, falling from 189,431 arrivals in March 2020 to 12,552 arrivals in March of this year. This number includes both stopover visitors and cruise visitors.
The 12,552 arrivals for March were 5.1% less than the 13,220 stopover visitors received in February 2021.
Cuba closed its borders to international tourist arrivals on March 20 2020.
The number of visitors from Cuba’s 2020 number one market, Canada, fell by 100% in March, from 73,031 stopover arrivals in March 2020 to just 23 this March. The number one source market for March 2021 was Russia with 7,643 arrivals, 60.9% of all stopover arrivals for the month.
In the first three months of 2021 Cuba saw a 95.1% decrease in total arrivals, falling from 981,936 arrivals in 2020 to 48,163 stopovers this year. Total tourist arrivals from Canada fell by 99.5% from 403,620 arrivals in the first three months of 2020 to 2,217 in the first three months of 2021. The number one source market in the first three months of 2021 was Russia with 21,467 stopovers, 44.6% of all arrivals, up from just 6.4% in the first three months of 2020.

Hawaii’s hotels report a 0.7 percentage point drop in average room occupancy in March to 43.1%.
According to the Hawai‘i Hotel Performance Report published by the Hawai‘i Tourism Authority (HTA), statewide hotel room occupancy fell by 0.8 percentage points from 43.9% in March 2020 to 43.1% in March this year. ADR grew by 1.4% from $280.71 to $284.73 while revpar fell by 0.3%, from $123.20 in March 2020 to $122.86 in March this year.
The 43.1% occupancy achieved in March was 12.6 percentage points higher than the 30.5% achieved in February 2021.
Hawai‘i’s quarantine order for travelers due to the COVID-19 pandemic began on March 26, 2020, which immediately resulted in dramatic declines for the hotel industry.
The report’s findings utilized data compiled by STR, Inc., which conducts the largest and most comprehensive survey of hotel properties in the Hawaiian Islands. For March, the survey included 150 properties representing 43,889 rooms, or 82.6 percent of all lodging properties and 86.9 percent of operating lodging properties with 20 rooms or more in the Hawaiian Islands, including full service, limited service, and condominium hotels. Vacation rental and timeshare properties were not included in this survey.
Hawai‘i hotel room revenues statewide fell by 7.1% to $192.4 million in March. Room demand fell by 8.4% to 675,700 room nights while room supply fell by 6.8% to 1,566,100 room nights.
During March, most passengers arriving from out-of-state and traveling inter-county could bypass the State’s mandatory 10-day self-quarantine with a valid negative COVID-19 NAAT test result from a Trusted Testing Partner through the state’s Safe Travels program.
For the first three months of 2021 statewide hotel room occupancy fell by 38.0 percentage points from 70.4% in 2020 to 32.4% in the first three months of 2021. ADR fell by 12.0% from $305.53 in 2020 to $268.97 while revpar fell by 59.5%, from $215.16 in the first three months of 2020 to $87.21 in the first three months of this year.
In the first three months of 2021, Hawai‘i hotel room revenues statewide fell by 62.5% from $1.050 billion in 2020 to $394.1 million this year. Room demand fell to 1,465,300 room nights, down 57.4% compared to a year ago. Room supply fell by 7.4% to 4,519,100 available room nights.

Belize received 15,444 stopover visitors in March 2021, up 94.6% from the 7,938 received in February 2021.
According to the Belize Tourism Board, Belize received 15,444 stopover visitors in March 2021, up 94.6% from the 7,938 received in February 2021 and 64.6% of the 23,962 stopovers received in March 2020. The March 2021 total was just 26.8% of the 57,697 stopover visitors received in March 2019.
Belize did not completely close its borders until April 4th 2020.
In March 2021 stopover arrivals from the USA fell by 22.7% from 16,176 in March 2020 to 12,504 in March 2021. Stopover arrivals from Canada fell by 95.0% from 2,430 in March 2020 to 122 in March this year while stopover visitors from Europe fell by 86.9%, from 2,441 in March 2020 to 319 in March 2021.
There were no cruise visitors in March 2021 as Belize remained closed to cruise ships.
In the first three months of 2021 Belize saw the number of stopovers fall by 75.4%, from 123,333 in the first three months of 2020 to 30,290 in the first three months of 2021.
Stopovers from the USA fell by 69.1% in the first three months of 2021, from 78,097 in 2020 to 24,103 in the same three months of 2021. Stopovers from Canada fell by 96.6% in the first three months, to 480 arrivals while stopovers from Europe fell by 95.0% in the same three months, to 769 arrivals.
There were no cruise visitors in the first three months of 2021.

Mauritius announces it received 311 stopover visitors in March, 74.7% fewer than the 1,229 received in February 2021.
The Mauritius Government’s Ministry of Finance and Economic Development recently announced that total stopover arrivals fell by 74.7% in March 2021, from 1,229 arrivals received in February 2021 to 311 arrivals in March of this year. This number includes both air and sea stopover visitors.
The 311 stopovers received in March 2021 were just 0.6% of the 55,863 stopovers received in March 2020. Mauritius re-entered a hard lock-down in March 2021 consequent upon an increase in local Covid19 infections.
Mauritius closed its borders to all international arrivals as of March 19th 2020.
In the first three months of 2021 Mauritius saw a 99.1% decrease in total stopover arrivals, falling from 304,842 arrivals in 2020 to 2,772 arrivals in the first three months of this year. Total stopover arrivals from France, the number one market, fell by 99.3% from 78,638 arrivals in the first three months of 2020 to 531 arrivals in the same three months of 2021.

Curacao reports it received 10,116 stopover arrivals in March 2021, 24.2% more than the 8,144 received in February of this year.
According to the Curaçao Tourist Board, Curaçao saw a 24.2% increase in stopover visitor arrivals in March, growing from 8,144 stopovers received in February 2021 to 10,116 stopovers received in March of this year. The 10,116 stopovers received in March 2021 were 54.4% of the 18,596 stopovers received in March 2020 and 24.2% of the 41,866 stopovers received in March 2019.
Curaçao closed its borders to international visitors as of March 17th 2020.
Curacao received 4,645 stopover visitors from the Netherlands in March, 61.1% of the 7,602 stopover visitors received from the Netherlands in March 2020. The 4,645 visitors comprised 45.9% of all stopover visitors to Curacao in March 2021.
There were no cruise visitors in March as the island remained closed to cruise traffic.
In the first three months of 2021 Curaçao saw a 77.8% decrease in the number of stopover visitors, falling from 108,485 visitors in 2020 to 24,050 visitors this year. The number of stopovers from the USA declined by 81.3% during the first three months, from 20,878 in 2020 to 3,897 in the first three months of 2021. The number of stopovers from the Netherlands declined by 70.6%, falling from 44,265 visitors during the first three months of 2020, to 12,994 in the first three months of 2021.

Grenada reports it received 876 stopover arrivals in March 2021, 64.4% more than the 533 received in February 2021.
According to the Grenada Tourism Authority, Grenada saw the volume of stopover arrivals increase by 64.4%, from 533 arrivals in February 2021 to 876 in March. The 876 stopovers were 12.5% of the total received in March 2020 and just 5.6% of the total received in March 2019. Grenada closed its borders to international tourist arrivals as of March 22 2020.
The number of visitors arriving by yacht in March 2021 decreased by 94.6% falling from 2,069 visitors arriving by yacht in March 2020 to 111 in March of this year.
In the first three months of 2021 Grenada saw a 94.2% decrease in the volume of stopover arrivals, falling from 37,253 arrivals in 2020 to 2,168 arrivals in the first three months of 2021. Arrivals from the USA decreased by 91.7% in 2021, falling from 17,059 arrivals in the first three months of 2020 to 1,421 arrivals in the same three months of 2021 while arrivals from the U.K. declined by 98.3% in 2021, falling from 6,856 stopovers in 2020 to 115 stopovers in the first three months of 2021.
The number of cruise visitors declined by 100% in the first three months of 2021, falling from 162,517 cruise visitors in 2020 to zero in 2021 as Grenada remained closed to cruise visitors.
The number of visitors arriving by yacht decreased by 96.0% in the first three months of 2021, falling from 8,549 yacht visitor arrivals in 2020 to 342 in the first three months of 2021.

The United States Virgin Islands saw an 11.9% increase in air arrivals in March 2021 compared with March 2020.
According to the USVI Bureau of Economic Research, the USVI saw the volume of air arrivals increase by 11.9% in March 2021, growing from 35,996 air arrivals in March 2020 to 40,285 air arrivals in March of this year. The 40,285 air arrivals received in March 2021 was 57.0% of the 70,648 received in March 2019.
In February 2021, the number of air arrivals was 33.4% lower than in February 2020, falling from 66,668 in 2020 to 44,416 in 2021.
The USVI closed its borders to air arrivals as of March 21st 2020.
Through the first three months of 2021 the USVI saw the volume of air arrivals decrease by 26.9%, from 175,278 air arrivals in the first three months of 2020 to 128,072 air arrivals in the first three months of 2021.
There were no cruise visitor arrivals in March 2021.

Costa Rica received 89,263 stopover arrivals in March, up 61.6% compared with the 55,252 stopovers received in February 2021.
According to the Costa Rica Institute of Tourism (ICT), Costa Rica received 89,263 stopovers in March 2021, 54.8% of the 162,994 stopovers received in March 2020 but up 61.6% compared with the 55,252 stopovers received in February 2021.
Costa Rica closed its borders to international arrivals as of March 19th 2020.
The 89,263 stopovers received in March 2021 were 26.6% of the 335,558 stopovers received in March 2019.
The number of stopovers from the USA fell by 13.5% in March 2021, falling from 72,093 stopovers in March 2020 to 62,370 in March 2021 while the number from Central America declined by 88.1%, from 28,470 in March 2020 to 3,382 in March 2021. Costa Rica’s land borders remained closed in March 2021.
The volume of stopovers decreased by 76.0% in the first three months of 2021, falling from 862,667 stopovers in the first three months of 2020 to 206,715 stopovers in first three months of 2021.
The number of stopovers from the USA dropped by 61.9% in the first three months of 2021, from 355,539 stopovers in 2020 to 135,490 in 2021 while the number from Central America declined by 94.8%, falling from 172,469 in the first three months of 2020 to 9,001 in the same three months of 2021.
The share of visitors from the USA grew from 41.2% in the first three months of 2020 to 65.5% in the first three months of 2021.

Saint Lucia received 8,004 stopovers in March 2021, 64.3% more than the 4,870 stopovers received in February 2021.
According to the Ministry of Tourism and Investment, Saint Lucia saw a 64.3% increase in stopover visitor arrivals in March 2021, growing from 4,870 stopovers in February 2021 to 8,004 stopovers in March 2021.
The 8,004 stopovers received in March 2021 were 44.3% less than the 18,086 stopovers received in March 2020 and 19.2% of the 41,674 stopovers received in March 2019.
Saint Lucia closed its borders to international visitor arrivals on March 23rd 2020.
The number of stopover visitors from the USA fell by 7.6% in March 2021, from 8,333 in March 2020 to 7,698 in March of this year while the number of stopovers from the U.K. fell by 97.7%, from 4,145 stopovers in March 2020 to 96 in March 2021. The number of stopovers from Canada decreased by 99.0%, falling from 2,629 stopovers in March 2020 to 25 in March of 2021 as Canada continued to suspend flights to the Caribbean.
There were no cruise visitors in March 2021.
Through the first three months of 2021, Saint Lucia saw a 79.0% decrease in the number of stopover visitors, falling from 91,399 stopovers in the first three months of 2020 to 19,231 stopovers in the same three months of 2021. The number of stopovers from the USA fell by 57.3%, from 41,155 in the first three months of 2020 to 17,574 in the same three months of 2021 while the number of stopover visitors from the U.K. fell by 95.1% from 18,298 in 2020 to 891 in the same three months of 2021.

Aruba received 48,967 stopover visitors in March 2021, 53.1% more than the 31,982 stopovers received in February 2021.
According to Aruba Tourism Authority, Aruba received 48,967 stopover arrivals in March 2021, 53.1% more than the 31,982 stopovers it received in February 2021.
The 48,967 stopovers received in March were 14.3% more than the 42,842 stopovers received in March 2020 but 45.9% of the 106,730 stopovers received in March 2019.
Aruba closed its borders to tourist arrivals as of March 17th 2020.
Stopover arrivals from the USA increased by 27.8%, growing from 33,941 arrivals in March 2020 to 43,379 arrivals in March 2021. Arrivals from the USA comprised 88.6% of all arrivals in March 2021 up from 79.2% in March 2020.
New York State saw a 92.2% increase in arrivals, growing from 5,517 arrivals in March 2020 to 10,603 in March 2021, while arrivals from New Jersey grew by 75.4%, growing from 3,036 in March 2020 to 5,326 in March 2021. Arrivals from Massachusetts increased by 4.6%, from 5,042 in March 2020 to 5,285 in March this year. These three states generated 48.9% of all arrivals from the USA in March 2021 up from 40.0% in March 2020.
Arrivals from Canada dropped by 97.5%, from 3,370 in March 2020 to 85 stopovers in March 2021 consequent upon the Government of Canada suspending all non-stop flights to and from Canada to Mexico and the Caribbean. Arrivals from the Netherlands fell by 6.8%, from 1,695 in March 2020 to 1,580 in March this year.
The number of visitors using hotel accommodation in March fell by 2.6% from 20,852 in March 2020 to 20,313 this year. The number of visitors using timeshare resorts increased by 52.7%, from 11,159 in March 2020 to 17,041 in March 2021. The number using “other accommodation”, primarily apartments, short term rentals or staying with family or friends, increased by 7.2% from 10,831 in March 2020 to 11,613 in March of this year.
The Aruba Hotel and Tourism Association reports that average hotel room occupancy in March 2021 was 36.4%, down 5.1 percentage points from the 41.5% achieved in March 2020. Aruba closed its orders to international travel as of March 17 2020.
ADR fell by 15.5% from the US$329.32 achieved in March 2020 to US$278.23 in March 2021. RevPar fell by 25.9% to $101.35. Aruba’s timeshare resorts reported an average occupancy of 68% in March 2021.
In the first three months of 2021 Aruba saw a 50.9% decrease in the number of stopover visitors, falling from 228,752 visitors in 2020 to 112,323 visitors in the first three months of this year. The number of stopovers from the USA declined by 44.4% during the first three months, from 175,177 in 2020 to 97,374 through the end of March 2021.
The 112,323 visitors received in the first quarter of 2021 was 61.8% than the 294,183 stopovers received in the first quarter of 2019.
Through the first three months of 2021 AHATA reports that Aruba’s hotels achieved an average room occupancy of 29.9% compared with 70.8% for the first three months of 2020. ADR fell by 21.3% to $288.53 in the same three months with RevPAR falling by 66.8% to $86.25.
AHATA is projecting that Aruba’s hotels will achieve an average room occupancy of 50% for the second quarter of 2021 and 55% for 2021 as a whole.
There were no cruise visitors in March as the island remained closed to cruise traffic.

IATA: Negative passenger demand trend continues in February.
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced that passenger traffic fell in February 2021, both compared to pre-COVID levels (February 2019) and compared to the immediate month prior (January 2021).
Because comparisons between 2021 and 2020 monthly results are distorted by the extraordinary impact of COVID-19, unless otherwise noted all comparisons are to February 2019, which followed a normal demand pattern.
Total demand for air travel in February 2021 (measured in revenue passenger kilometers or RPKs) was down 74.7% compared to February 2019. That was worse than the 72.2% decline recorded in January 2021 versus two years ago.
International passenger demand in February was 88.7% below February 2019, a further drop from the 85.7% year-to-year decline recorded in January and the worst growth outcome since July 2020. Performance in all regions worsened compared to January 2021.
Total domestic demand was down 51.0% versus pre-crisis (February 2019) levels. In January it was down 47.8% on the 2019 period. This largely was owing to weakness in China travel, driven by government requests that citizens stay at home during the Lunar New Year travel period.
“February showed no indication of a recovery in demand for international air travel. In fact, most indicators went in the wrong direction as travel restrictions tightened in the face of continuing concerns over new coronavirus variants. An important exception was the Australian domestic market. A relaxation of restrictions on domestic flying resulted in significantly more travel. This tells us that people have not lost their desire travel. They will fly, provided they can do so without facing quarantine measures,” said Willie Walsh, IATA’s Director General.
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COVID-battered Malta to pay tourists who visit this summer.
April 9 2021 Reuters.
VALLETTA (Reuters) - Aiming to revive its tourism industry and get ahead of rival destinations, Malta plans to offer foreign visitors a handout of up to 200 euros ($238.10) each if they stay at least three days on the Mediterranean island this summer.
Tourism Minister Clayton Bartolo announced the scheme on Friday, saying that with most COVID restrictions expected to be lifted by June 1, tourists booking summer holidays directly through local hotels would receive the handout.
World Travel and Tourism Council data show the tourist industry directly and indirectly accounts for more than 27% of Malta’s economy, but the sector has been hammered by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The country attracted more than 2.7 million foreign visitors in 2019 but figures have fallen by more than 80% since the virus was detected in March 2020.
Bartolo said tourists booking accommodation at a five-star hotel will get 100 euros from Malta’s Tourism Authority, which will be matched by the hotel for a total of 200 euros.
In a similar arrangement, those opting for a four-star hotel will receive a total of 150 euros and those booking a three-star hotel will receive 100 euros.
The grant grows by 10% when bookings are made with hotels on the smaller Maltese island of Gozo, three kilometres (two miles) north of the mainland.
“The scheme is aimed at putting Malta’s hotels in a very competitive position as international tourism restarts,” Bartolo said.
It is expected to benefit some 35,000 visitors.
Malta has the highest virus vaccination rate in the European Union, having given at least one dose to 42% of adults.
It has seen a sharp drop in new COVID-19 cases, with the positivity rate - the percentage of tests that show a positive result - down to 2.6%, and the government has been urging the EU to introduce vaccine passports to facilitate travel.
Bartolo said he was also having talks to encourage travel between Malta and Britain, whose inhabitants account for a third of tourists in the former British colony.
($1 = 0.8400 euros)

In March 2021 Cancun saw its hotels achieve an average hotel room occupancy of 46.3% up 12.5 points from the 33.8% reported for February.
Sedetur, the Department of Tourism of the state of Quintana Roo, recently released the hotel occupancy numbers for the hotels in Cancun/Puerto Morelos and Riviera Maya for March 2021.
In March Cancun/Puerto Morelos saw a 12.5 percentage point increase in average hotel room occupancy from 33.8% in February 2021 to 46.3% in March of this year. Cancun’s hotels saw an average occupancy of 35.6% in January 2021.
Cancun’s hotels reported an average hotel room occupancy of 51.5% in March 2020. It should be noted that as of mid-March 2020 the hotels saw a sharp drop in average room occupancies for the second half of the month as strict restrictions on international travel came into effect.
The hotels in Riviera Maya saw a 9.3 percentage point increase in average hotel room occupancy from 22.5% in February 2021 to 31.8% in March of this year. Riviera Maya’s hotels saw an average occupancy of 25.1% in January 2021. The hotels reported an average hotel room occupancy of 51.6% in March 2020.
Through the first three months of 2021 the hotels in Cancun/Puerto Morelos have achieved a 38.6% average room occupancy, down 34.2 percentage points from the 72.8% achieved in the same first three months of 2020.
For the first three months of 2021 the hotels in Riviera Maya achieved an average room occupancy of 26.5%, down 45.0 percentage points from the 71.5% achieved in the same first three months of 2020.
Riviera Maya/Tulum has 48,200 hotel rooms while the Cancun/Puerto Morelos area has 42,910 hotel rooms.

Tourism Credits for Aruba fell by 49% in 2020.
The Central Bank of Aruba recently reported the tourism credits numbers for calendar year 2020. Tourism credits are defined by the IMF and UNWTO to be tourism receipts plus timeshare maintenance fees.
The Central Bank states that gross tourism receipts for Aruba fell by 6.8% in the first quarter of 2020 compared with the same quarter of 2019, by 82.6% in the second quarter of 2020, by 68.7% in the third quarter and by 51.3% in the fourth quarter.
Consequently, gross tourism receipts fell by 49.2% in 2020, from 3.749 billion florins in 2019 to 1.905 billion in the same 12 months of 2020. 1.79 Aruban florins are equal to one US dollar.
During 2020 the total number of stopovers visiting Aruba declined by 67.1%, falling from 1,118,944 stopovers in 2019 to 368,322 in 2020, while the number of cruise passengers visiting Aruba in 2020 fell by 69.3%, from 832,001 cruise visitors in 2019 to 255,384 in 2020 consequent upon the closure of the port in March 2020 and the suspension of almost all cruises in the region after that date.
While Aruba’s borders were closed to visitors for much of the second quarter credits earned during those months include income from long stay visitors, crew, and from maintenance and other related fees paid to hotels and timeshare resorts.
The Bank also reported that once expenditures made by Arubans travelling abroad were deducted (debits) the total net tourism credits declined by 54.8% in 2020, falling from 3.145 billion florins in 2019 to 1.420 billion florins in the same 12 months of 2020.

Aruba Airport Authority reports 47,664 departing passengers in March 2021, 40.7% more than the 33,874 handled in February 2021.
The Aruba Airport Authority (AAA) reports that in March 2021 47,664 Revenue Generating Passengers (RGPs) travelled out of the Queen Beatrix International Airport (AUA Airport) to its various markets. This was 40.7% more than the 33,874 RGPs handled in February 2021 and 66.3% of the total handled in March 2020.
Please note as of March 16th 2020 Aruba closed its international borders to international travel.
A revenue generating passenger is an outbound traveler leaving Aruba and includes tourists returning to their homes as well as Arubans departing for trips overseas.
The airport also handled 3,371 passengers in transit and 102 transferring passengers.
In March 2021 39,654 passengers (pax) travelled to the US (down 27.0% compared with March 2020), 0 pax to Canada (down 100% as Canada closed its borders to flights from the Caribbean), 3,829 pax to Europe (down 22.4%), 2,787 pax to Latin America (down 41.6%) and 1,394 pax to the Dutch Caribbean (down 52.0%).
The airlines provided 102,375 outbound seats in March 2021, 3.9% more than the 98,572 provided in March 2020.
Airlines flying to the USA in March experienced an average load factor of 48.9% down 35.0 percentage points compared with the 83.9% load factor experienced in March 2020. There were no flights to Canada while flights to Europe averaged a 78.6% load factor, up 7.2 percentage points compared with March 2020.
In the first three months of 2021 the airport handled 128,086 RGPs, down 55.3% compared with the 286,415 handled in the first three months of 2020. Traffic to the USA fell by 50.8%, from 210,777 RGPs in the first three months of 2020 to 103,758 in the same three months of 2021. Traffic to Canada fell by 94.9% to 901 RGPs, while traffic to Europe fell by 37.9%, from 17,172 RGPS in the first three months of 2020 to 10,671 this year.
Seat capacity through the first three months of 2021 fell by 26.6% compared with the same three months of 2020, from 374,976 available seats in 2020 to 275,341 seats in 2021.
The overall average load factor of outbound flights fell from 76.4% in the first three months of 2020 to 46.5% in the same three months of 2021. The average load factor of flights to the USA fell from 86.8% in the first three months of 2020 to 48.4% in the same three months of 2021.
The Aruba Airport Authority also reported that as of early April 2021 that seat capacity will increase by 338,958 seats in the second quarter of 2021 from the 4,511 available seats offered during the second quarter of 2020 to 343,469 available seats currently scheduled for the second quarter of 2021. The AAA pointed out these numbers are subject to change.
Based on the latest available insights the Aruba Airport Authority now forecast the airport will handle 621,085 RGPs in 2021, 49% of the 1,265,965 RGPs handled in 2019 but 44.3% more than the 430,496 RGPS handled in 2020.

The Seychelles received 4,969 visitor arrivals in March 2021, 4,261 more than the 708 received in February 2021.
The Seychelles Government’s National Bureau of Statistics recently announced that total stopover arrivals increased by 4,261 in March 2021 from the 708 received in February 2021. This number includes both air and sea stopover visitors.
The 4,969 stopover arrivals received in March 2021 were 27.5% of the 18,069 received in March 2020.
The Seychelles closed its borders to cruise ships as of March 9th 2020 and to international air visitors as of March 30th 2020.
In the first three months of 2021 The Seychelles saw a 92.4% decrease in total stopover arrivals, falling from 88,912 arrivals in 2020 to 6,785 arrivals in the first three months of 2021. Total stopover arrivals from Germany, the number one source market in 2020, fell by 96.3% from 20,468 arrivals in the first three months of 2020 to 750 arrivals in the same three months of 2021.

San Juan, Puerto Rico (SJU) handled 751,974 total passenger movements in March 2021, 42.9% more than the total handled in March 2020.
According to ASUR, which manages many airports in Mexico, Colombia and which also manages the Luis Munoz Marin International Airport in San Juan, Puerto Rico, SJU saw a 42.9% increase in passenger movements in March 2021, growing from 526,181 total movements in March 2020 to 751,974 movements in March 2021.
It should be noted that restrictions on travel began to be put in place in the middle of March 2020.
March 2021 saw passenger movements increase by 270,074 (+56.2%) compared with February 2021, moving from 481,270 movements in February to 751,974 in March.
In the first three months of 2021 the overall volume of air passenger movements at San Juan’s airport decreased by 20.0%, from 2,206,510 in 2020 to 1,764,873 in the same three months of 2021.

Cancun’s Airport handled 877,579 international air passenger movements in March 2021, 86.5% of such passenger movements handled in March 2020.
According to ASUR, which manages many of Mexico’s airports, Cancun Airport saw a 13.5% drop in international passenger movements in March 2021, falling from 1,104,810 movements in March 2020 to 877,579 such movements in March 2021.
Domestic passenger movements increased by 42.1%, from 487,448 passenger movements in March 2020 to 692,686 movements in March of this year.
It should be noted that restrictions on travel began to be put in place in the middle of March 2020.
March saw international passenger movements increase by 327,997 (+59.7%) compared with February 2021, growing from 549,582 international movements in February to 877,579 in March, while domestic passenger movements increased by 217,009 (+45.6%) moving from 475,677 in February to 692,686 in March.
In the first three months of 2021 the volume of international air passenger movements decreased by 48.5%, falling from 4,150,778 movements in 2020 to 2,138,890 movements in the first three months of 2021 while the volume of domestic air passenger movements fell by 3.1%, from 1,802,860 movements in the first three months of 2020 to 1,746,176 in the same three months of 2021.

Antigua and Barbuda received 8,271 stopovers in March 2021, 46.8% more than in February 2021.
According to the Ministry of Tourism and Investment, Antigua and Barbuda saw a 46.8% increase in stopover visitor arrivals in March 2021, growing from 5,635 stopovers received in February 2021 to 8,271 stopovers in March.
The 8,271 stopovers were 49.7% less than the 16,459 stopovers received in March 2020.
The number of stopover visitors from the USA actually grew by 5.5% in March, growing from 6,784 stopovers in March 2020 to 7,154 stopovers in March 2021. The share of visitors from the USA grew from 41.2% in March 2020 to 86.5% in March 2021.
The number of stopovers from the U.K. fell by 88.7%, from 4,273 stopovers in March 2020 to 481 in March 2021. The number of stopovers from Canada decreased by 98.9%, falling from 2,773 stopovers in March 2020 to 30 in March of 2021 as Canada suspended flights to and from the Caribbean.
There were no cruise visitors in March 2021.
Through the first three months of 2021, Antigua and Barbuda saw a 74.0% decrease in the number of stopover visitors, falling from 83,354 stopovers in the first three months of 2020 to 21,675 stopovers in the same three months of 2021.
The number of stopovers from the USA fell by 54.0%, from 34,903 stopovers in the first three months of 2020 to 16,047 stopovers in the same three months of 2021 while the number of stopover visitors from the U.K. fell by 86.3%, from 20,512 in 2020 to 2,807 stopovers in the same three months of 2021.

U.S. citizens’ outbound travel from the USA to international destinations fell by 66.0% in January 2021.
The United States Government’s Department of Commerce, International Trade Administration’s National Travel and Tourism Office (NTTO) recently released the figures for U.S. citizens outbound travel from the USA to international destinations for January 2021.

The overall number of trips taken by US citizens to international destinations decreased by 66.0% in January 2021 compared to January 2020, falling from 6.9 million trips in 2020 to 2.3 million trips in January 2021.
The largest percentage decline was in trips by both land and by air to Canada which fell by 95.8%, falling from 620,731 trips in January 2020 to just 26,300 in January 2021.
Trips to Europe decreased by 88.7%, from 851,280 trips in January 2020 to 96,324 trips in the first month of 2021.
The number of trips taken to Mexico by air fell by 47.9%, from 842,168 trips in January 2020 to 438,614 trips in January 2021 as Mexico was able to increase its share of such overseas trips consequent upon less rigorous restrictions on entry to Mexico. The share of all trips grew from 12.3% in January 2020 to 18.8% in the first month of 2021.
The biggest segment was trips by land to Mexico which fell by 47.9% from 2,472,996 trips in January 2020 to 1,287,979 trips in January 2021 with their share growing from 36.0% in 2020 to 55.2% in January 2021.
The number of trips taken to the Caribbean decreased by 67.1%, falling from 694,230 trips in January 2020, to 228,185 trips in the first month of 2021. Interestingly the share of trips taken to the Caribbean fell only slightly from 10.1% in January 2020 to 9.8% in the first month of 2021.
Please note the NTTO’s definition of the Caribbean does not include Puerto Rico or the United States Virgin Islands as, for the purposes of the study, they are deemed to be US territories and the focus of the system (APIS) is non-stop air traffic (segmented here for U.S. citizens) to foreign countries.

On January 26th 2021, the US Federal Government implemented a requirement that all residents returning from an international trip as well as all non-residents entering the USA, present a negative RT-PCR test taken no more than 72 hours prior to arrival back in the USA.

Orlando saw a 48.9 percentage point decline in average room occupancy in February 2021 to 43.4%.
According to STR Orlando had 128,000 hotel rooms in February 2021 and achieved an average city-wide room occupancy of 43.4%, down 48.9 percentage points compared with February 2020 (92.3%), and an ADR of $92.47, down 36.6% compared with February 2020 ($145.85).
According to Visit Orlando, Orlando saw the volume of air passenger deplanements decrease by 53.4% in February 2021, falling from 2,313,372 deplanements in February 2020 to 1,077,278 deplanements in February 2021. This includes deplanements at both Orlando International and Sanford airports and includes both international and domestic deplanements.
In the first two months of 2021 Orlando’s hotels saw an average hotel room occupancy of 39.2%, down 51.5 percentage points from the 90.7% achieved in the first two months of 2020. ADR fell by 35.7% from $139.72 for the first two months of 2020 to $89.84 for the first two months of 2021.
Orlando saw the volume of air passenger deplanements decrease by 55.0% in the first two months of 2021, falling from 4,599,063 deplanements in the first two months of 2020 to 2,071,600 deplanements in the first two months of 2021. This includes deplanements at both Orlando International and Sanford airports and includes both international and domestic deplanements.

The Aruba Airport forecasts good growth in the number of seats provided by US airlines in the second and third quarters of 2021 compared with the same six months of 2019.
ORANJESTAD – Queen Beatrix International Airport (AUA Airport) reports that traffic numbers continue to rise steadily at Aruba’s international airport, as air travel demand in the U.S. market picks up.
The airport reports that the total number of movements is expected to hit a new high for 2021 with 151 flights and 15,932 arrivals forecasted for the first full week of April 2021. The busiest day for arriving passengers is expected to be Saturday, April 10 when AUA Airport is forecasted to handle 3,500 arriving passengers and 30 aircraft.
In the first three months of 2019 airlines from the USA provided 298,586 available seats while in the same three months of 2021 they provided 214,297 available seats, that is 71.7% of the 2019 total.
A spokesperson for the Aruba airport reported that the data indicates that week over week capacity is recovering at least from the United States’ major regional markets. The key question however remains “traveler confidence” as the airport looks look ahead into the second quarter of the year. The industry further eagerly awaits news on vaccine passports and the global acceptance of such a program.
The Aruba airport forecasts that the number of seats provided by airlines from the USA will increase by 7.2% in the second quarter of 2021 compared with the same three months of 2019, growing from 266,029 in 2019 to 285,268 and will increase by 7.9% in the third quarter, growing from 254,667 seats provided in the third quarter of 2019 to 274,721 seats forecasted for the same three months of 2021.
“We are excited to see that air travel is picking up at a very steady pace, especially from our main market, the USA. We are optimistic that U.S. carriers will reach pre-pandemic capacity levels by summer (April /May) 2021. We are also noticing an upward trend in the weekly passenger load factors upon arrival (percentage of occupied seats on board an aircraft), which have increased over the last weeks reaching a new high of 64% versus an average load factor in 2019 of 85%”, said Aruba Airport Authority N.V. Air Service Development Manager Jo-Anne Meaux-Arends.

U.S. citizens’ outbound travel from the USA to international destinations fell by 66.4% in 2020.
The United States Government’s Department of Commerce, International Trade Administration’s National Travel and Tourism Office (NTTO) recently released the figures for U.S. citizens outbound travel from the USA to International Regions for calendar year 2020.

The overall number of trips taken by US citizens to international destinations decreased by 66.4% in 2020 compared to the same 12 months of 2019, falling from 99.7 million trips in 2019 to 33.5 million trips in 2019.
The largest percentage decline was in trips by both land and by air to Canada which fell by 87.1%, from 15.0 million trips in 2019 to 1.9 million in 2020.
Trips to Europe decreased by 86.4%, from 19.0 million in 2019 to 2.6 million in 2020.
The number of trips taken to Mexico by air fell by 50.6%, from 10.2 million trips in 2019 to 5.0 million trips in 2020 as Mexico was able to increase its share of such overseas trips consequent upon less rigorous restrictions on entry to Mexico. The share of all trips grew from 10.2% in 2019 to 15.0% in 2020.
The number of trips taken to the Caribbean decreased by 66.9%, falling from 9.4 million trips in 2019, to 3.1 million trips in 2020. Interestingly the share of trips taken to the Caribbean fell only slightly from 9.4% in 2019 to 9.2% in 2020.
Please note the NTTO’s definition of the Caribbean does not include Puerto Rico or the United States Virgin Islands as, for the purposes of the study, they are deemed to be US territories and the focus of the system (APIS) is non-stop air traffic (segmented here for U.S. citizens) to foreign countries.

By way of clarification, in March of 2020, the US Federal Government began to strongly discourage its residents from traveling overseas in an effort to slow down the rate of infections spread by returning residents (and from non-resident travelers visiting from overseas) while, at the same time, many countries outside the USA closed their borders to incoming tourists.
These restrictions began to be slowly relaxed commencing in late June 2020 and travel began to slowly recover in the second half of the year and by December 2020 overseas trips by US residents had reached 36.4% of the total for December 2019.
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Mexico received 545,194 international air arrivals in February, down 16.9% compared with January 2021.
According to the Government of Mexico’s SECTUR (Department of Tourism) Mexico received 545,194 international air arrivals in February 2021 down 69.9% compared with the 1,811,725 arrivals received in February 2020.
The 545,194 international air arrivals received in February 2021 were 16.9% less than the 656,684 received in January 2021.
The volume of air arrivals from the USA fell by 56.8% in February, from 941,899 in February 2020 to 406,773 in February 2021, with the volume from Canada falling by 98.9%, from 361,609 in February 2020 to 4,071 in February 2021 as Canada closed its borders to flights from Mexico and the Caribbean.
Cancun Airport saw a 64.2% decrease in international air arrivals in February 2021, falling from 765,887 arrivals in February 2020 to 274,097 arrivals in February 2021, while Los Cabos saw a 62.4% decrease falling from 179,033 international arrivals in February 2020 to 67,287 international air arrivals in February 2021. Puerto Vallarta saw a 79.6% decrease, falling from 196,129 international arrivals in February 2020 to 39,919 in February 2021.
In the first two months of 2021 the volume of international air arrivals to Mexico fell by 66.6%, from 3,595,923 arrivals in 2020 to 1,201,878 arrivals in the first two months of this year. The volume of air arrivals from the USA fell by 52.5% in the same two months, from 1,821,509 arrivals in 2020 to 865,424 arrivals in 2021 while the volume from Canada fell by 96.2%, from 730,972 in 2020 to 27,656 in 2021.
Cancun Airport saw a 61.5% decrease in international air arrivals in the first two months of 2021, falling from 1,504,820 arrivals in 2020 to 579,613 arrivals in 2021 while Los Cabos saw a 59.6% decrease falling from 345,582 international air arrivals in 2020 to 139,491 air arrivals in 2021. Puerto Vallarta saw a 77.6% decrease, falling from 392,431 international arrivals in 2020 to 87,895 arrivals in the first two months of 2020.

Los Cabos handled 231,900 international passenger movements in March 2021, down 0.4% compared with Match 2020.
According to Aeroportuario del Pacifico , which manages many of Mexico’s airports, Los Cabos Airport saw a 0.4% decline in international passenger traffic in March 2021, that is enplanements and deplanements, falling from 232,900 international passenger movements in March 2020 to 231,900 international passenger movements in March 2021. Domestic traffic grew by 22.3%, growing from 116,400 passenger movements in March 2020 to 142,400 passenger movements in March 2021.
The 231,900 international passenger movements seen in March 2021 were 77.8% higher than the 130,400 international movements handled in February 2021 and 34.8% more than the 172,000 international movements handled in January 2021.
Through the first three months of 2021 Los Cabos Airport saw international passenger movements fall 43.6%, from 947,100 in 2020 to 534,300 in the first three months of 2021. Domestic passenger movements fell by 8.9% in the first three months of 2021, from 402,600 in 2020 to 366,900 in the first three months of 2021.
Regarding the operations of the Los Cabos airport in Mexico, the Government of Mexico has not issued any flight restrictions, however, it has strongly recommended that only essential activities are performed and for persons to avoid as much as possible to leave home, which has caused the cancellation of a large volume of national and international flights. As well, in January 2021 the Government of Canada suspended all non-stop flights from Canada to Mexico and the Government of the USA implemented a requirement that all visitors to the USA and returning residents needed to show evidence of a negative RT-PCR test,

Kingston Jamaica Airport saw 36,700 total passenger movements in March 2021, 50.3% of the total achieved in March 2020.
According to Aeroportuario del Pacifico, which manages many of Mexico’s airports and which also manages the airports in Montego Bay and Kingston, Jamaica, saw the total number of passenger movements, that is both enplanements and deplanements, at Kingston Jamaica’s Airport decrease by 49.7% in March 2021, falling from 72,900 total movements in March 2020 to 36,700 passenger movements in March 2021.
The total number of passenger movements in March 2021 was 21.9% more than the 30,100 passenger movements handled in February 2021.
It should be noted that Jamaica closed its borders to international visitors as of March 21 2020.
Through the first three months of 2021 Kingston’s Airport saw total passenger movements fall 67.4%, from 354,700 in 2020 to 115,500 in the first three months of 2021.
In 2021 international passenger movements made up 100.0% of all passenger movements.

Montego Bay Airport saw 129,400 total passenger movements in March 2021, 49.5% of the total achieved in March 2020.
According to Aeroportuario del Pacifico, which manages many of Mexico’s airports and which also manages the airports in Montego Bay and Kingston, Jamaica, saw the total number of passenger movements, that is both enplanements and deplanements, at Montego Bay Airport decrease by 50.5% in March 2021, falling from 261,500 total movements in March 2020 to 129,400 movements in March 2021.
The total number of passenger movements in March 2021 was 71.2% more than the 75,600 handled in February 2021.
It should be noted that Jamaica closed its borders to international visitors as of March 21 2020.
Through the first three months of 2021 Montego Bay Airport saw total passenger movements fall 73.1%, from 1,133,900 in 2020 to 304,600 in the first three months of 2021.
In 2021 international passenger movements made up 100.0% of all passenger movements.

Cuba announces total visitor arrivals fell by 96.7% in February.
The Cuban Government’s Office of National Statistics and Information (ONEI) recently announced that total tourist arrivals fell by 96.7% in February 2021, falling from 398,845 arrivals in February 2020 to 13,220 arrivals in February of this year. This number includes both stopover visitors and cruise visitors.
The 13,220 arrivals for February were 40.9% less than the 22,391 stopover visitors received in January 2021.
The number of visitors from Cuba’s 2020 number one market, Canada, fell by 100%, from 168,284 stopover arrivals in February 2020 to just 23 this February. The number one source market for February 2021 was Russia with 7,034 arrivals, 53.2% of all stopover arrivals for the month.
In the first two months of 2021 Cuba saw a 95.5% decrease in total arrivals, falling from 792,505 arrivals in 2020 to 35,611 stopovers this year. Total tourist arrivals from Canada fell by 99.3% from 330,589 arrivals in the first two months of 2020 to 2,194 in the first two months of 2021. The number one source market in the first two months of 2021 was Russia with 13,824 stopovers, 38.8% of all arrivals, up from just 6.0% in the first two months of 2020.

Confusion Over Cruise Ships Returning to U.S. Virgin Islands
Confusion over cruise ships returning to the U.S. Virgin Islands. Islands are under CDC Conditional Sailing Order with no cruise ships expected until it is lifted.
By Robert McGillivray Cruise Hive April 1 2021
The resumption of sailings in the Caribbean basin this June spells good news for the Caribbean islands that decided to open their border for the ships. Unfortunately, for one of the busiest cruise ports in the Caribbean, it looks this will not be allowed. The U.S. Virgin Islands are, after all, U.S. territory and therefore governed by the CDC.
This creates a situation where the British Virgin Islands are happily accepting cruise ships this June, while the U.S. Virgin Islands, a few miles to the west, is unable to do so.
No Green Light Has Been Issued
The U.S. Virgin Islands are eager to get started again. According to the West Indian Company Ltd in a local report, there is no green light yet for cruises to resume, and this will likely not happen until the CDC lifts or proceeds with the Conditional Sailing Order.
West Indian Company Ltd. Interim President and CEO Anthony Ottley said:
“Unfortunately for us, it is still questionable when we will be seeing ships to St. Thomas and St. Croix. Royal Caribbean had notified us of their plans to start sailing on June 12, they will be utilizing ships sailing out of the Bahamas, Bermuda and St. Maarten.”
“Unfortunately for the U.S. Virgin Islands at this particular time, it is a fact that we are governed under the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention rules. Which negates us from having the ability at this point to berth those ships on any sort of itinerary.”
Will We See Ships In St. Thomas?
Does this mean that Royal Caribbean thinks the Conditional Sail Order will be lifted sooner rather than later? No, not likely. Neither Royal Caribbean nor Celebrity Cruises have any voyages scheduled calling on the U.S. Virgin Islands in June.
It seems then that Royal Caribbean has been in exploratory talks with the islands to see if a call is possible once the Conditional Sailing Order has been lifted. This is made clear by Royal Caribbean’s Jayne Halcomb, the director of Destination Development for the Americas and Caribbean:
“We are eager to get back there, and we are confident that with the progress and success of the [COVID-19] vaccine and our track record operating safely, that we will be back to the U.S. Virgin Islands,”
The fact that the British Virgin Islands will see calls from several cruise lines this summer will become extra painful for a group of islands that significantly depends on income from the thousands of cruise passengers who usually pass through each day.
The Impact Of Cruises On The USVI
Based on the USVI Department of Tourism data, 1.8 million cruise passengers arrive aboard cruise ships during a typical year. The U.S. Virgin Islands were fifth in the Caribbean with $29.2 million per year in cruise line expenditures, while passenger spending accounted for $276 million.
With these numbers, there is no surprise the Virgin Islands are eager to have a return of cruising as soon as possible. Unfortunately for the USVI, the decision lies not with the Islanders but with a government entity thousands of miles away.

The Maldives reports it received 96,882 visitor arrivals in February, up 5.2% compared with January 2021.
The Maldives Government’s Ministry of Tourism recently announced that The Maldives received 96,882 stopover visitors in February 2021, up 5.2% from the 92,103 stopovers received in January 2021. The 96,882 stopovers were 64.7% of the 149,785 stopover visitors the country received in February 2020.
In February India was the number one source market and generated 24,905 stopovers of the total overall stopovers (25.7%) while Russia, the number two source market, generated 19,724 stopovers (20.4%). Other markets which generated significant business in February were the Ukraine (5,339 visitors), Germany (3,996 visitors), and Kazakhstan (3,732 visitors).
In the first two months of 2021 The Maldives saw a 41.5% decrease in total arrivals, falling from 323,132 stopovers in the first two months of 2020 to 188,985 so far this year with India (44,040 visitors) and Russia (40,697 visitors) being by far the two largest source markets in these two months.
The Maldives has seen the overall number of accommodation establishments in operation fall by 33.6% from 946 in the first two months of 2020 to 628 establishments in 2021. The number of beds fell by 12.1% from 50,803 in the first two months of 2020 to 44,644 this year. Through the end of February overall average room occupancy had fallen by 13.2 percentage points from 70.9% in 2020 to 57.7% for the first two months of this year.
Of the 628 establishments in operation 145 were resorts which offered 34,232 beds (76.7% of the overall number of beds). These resorts achieved a 67.5% average room occupancy through the first two months of 2021 down from 81.3% for the first two months of 2020. In February 2020 there were 155 resorts in operation offering 36,158 beds.

Tourist Arrivals Down 87% in January 2021 As UNWTO Calls for Stronger Coordination to Restart Tourism
31st March 2021
The devastating impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on global tourism has carried on into 2021, with new data showing an 87% fall in international tourist arrivals in January as compared to 2020. The outlook for the rest of the year remain cautious as the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) continues to call for stronger coordination on travel protocols between countries to ensure the safe restart of tourism and avoid another year of massive losses for the sector.
Following a difficult end to 2020, global tourism suffered further setbacks in the beginning of the year as countries tightened travel restrictions in response to new virus outbreaks. According to the latest edition of the UNWTO World Tourism Barometer, all world regions continued to experience large drops in tourist arrivals in the first month of the year. Mandatory testing, quarantines, and in some cases the complete closure of borders, have all hindered the resumption of international travel. In addition, the speed and distribution of the vaccination roll-out have been slower than expected, further delaying the restart of tourism.
All global regions hit hard
The international community needs to take strong and urgent action to ensure a brighter 2021. Many millions of livelihoods and businesses are depending on it
Asia and the Pacific (-96%), the region which continues to have the highest level of travel restrictions in place, recorded the largest decrease in international arrivals in January. Europe and Africa both saw a decline of 85% in arrivals, while the Middle East recorded a drop of 84%. International arrivals in the Americas decreased by 77% in January, following somewhat better results in the last quarter of the year.
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Dominican Republic: Tourism to Fully Recover in 2023
Projects 1 million more visitors this year than in 2020
March 31 2021
The governor of the Central Bank of the Dominican Republic, Héctor Valdez Albizu, said that the country's tourism industry will take until 2023 to fully recover from the financial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. He added that the entity is working to prevent the dollar rate from dropping as well.
Valdez projected that this year, national tourism destinations will receive 1 million more visitors than the 2.4 million visitors received in 2020, so between 3.4 million to 3.5 million visitors would be traveling to the Dominican Republic in 2021, a year-on-year increase of 43.5%.
The official affirmed that "nothing can stop" this industry, "neither the good nor the bad. I have faith that tourism will recover its standing that it lost over the pandemic." He opined that the Dominican Republic is the nation with the best organized financial system in the entire Latin American region.
Meanwhile, he indicated that the Central Bank would prevent the dollar rate from falling too low, after the U.S. dollar is in a process of reduction that has led it to reduce more than 1.34 Dominican pesos for every dollar.
Valdez, who spoke during an activity to present the preliminary results of the local economy, explained that the foreign exchange has been influencing the exchange rate. He said that an excessive fall in the currency would not be beneficial for the Caribbean nation.
He said that the monetary institution would apply some of the mechanisms "to prevent the peso from continuing to depreciate against the dollar and indicated that one of them would be buying the currency and giving the pesos."
In that sense, he announced that this month #900 million would reach the country in remittances and said that the economy will benefit from the aid that the U.S. Government is granting to its citizens, because a part of these resources will be reflected in investments and remittances in the national territory.
Moreover, the official pointed out that the Monthly Index of Economic Activity (MIEA) advanced 1.1 percent in February, thus ending 12 consecutive months of setbacks.
"The momentum has started in February, and that changes the whole expected picture," said Valdez, who noted that the expectation was for a recovery during the second quarter.
According to these data, the growth of February of this year is lower than that registered in the same month of 2020, when the MIEA rose 5.3 percent.
As reported, the activity of the hotel, bar and restaurant sector plummeted 50.8 percent, and tourism has been the sector most affected by the pandemic due to the temporary closure of the borders and the cessation of hotel activities, which continued until last July.

Punta Cana received 69,923 tourists in February 2021, 9.7% less than the 77,476 received in January 2021.
According to the Central Bank of the Dominican Republic, Punta Cana, in the Dominican Republic, saw the volume of non-resident stopover arrivals decrease by 9.7% in February, falling from 77,476 arrivals in January to 69,923 in February 2021.
The volume of arrivals in February was 23.2% of the 302,031 stopovers received in February 2020.
Stopover arrivals from the USA fell by 43.9% in February, from 81,840 US arrivals in February 2020 to 45,926 US arrivals in February 2021. There was a significant 99.9% drop in arrivals from Canada, falling from 94,006 stopover arrivals in February 2020 to just 136 in February 2021 as Canada closed its borders during February to travel to and from the Caribbean. Traffic also fell by 99.8% from the UK, falling from 9,992 stopovers in February 2020 to just 19 in February 2021.
The Dominican Republic reopened its borders to visitors as of July 1st 2020 with limited controls on arrivals but changed its policy on July 30th requiring all visitors to show evidence of a negative RT-PCR test taken prior to arrival. As of September 15th 2020, this requirement was eliminated and was replaced by random breath tests being administered to 3% - 10% of all arriving visitors.
During the first two months of 2021 Punta Cana saw a 75.4% decrease in the volume of stopover arrivals, falling from 598,435 arrivals in the first two months of 2020 to 147,399 non-resident arrivals in the first two months of 2021.
Arrivals from the USA fell by 47.1% in the first two months of 2021, falling from 152,003 arrivals in the first two months of 2020 to 80,349 arrivals in the same two months of 2021. Traffic was also down 97.7% from Canada, falling from 184,756 arrivals in the first two months of 2020 to just 4,167 arrivals in the first two months of 2021. Traffic was also down 99.6% from the UK, falling from 21,484 arrivals in 2020 to just 91 stopovers in the first two months of 2021.
Traffic was down 87.0% from Germany, down 83.8% from Brazil, down 78.0% from Argentina, and down 76.4% from France.
In the first two months of 2021, stopover arrivals to Punta Cana made up 36.5% of all non-resident arrivals to the Dominican Republic compared with 53.3% in the same two months of 2020.

The Dominican Republic received 198,485 non-resident visitors in February, 3.3% less than the 205,311 stopovers received in January.
According to the Central Bank of the Dominican Republic, the Dominican Republic received 198,485 non-resident stopover arrivals in February 2021, 3.3% less than the 205,311 stopovers it received in January 2021.
The volume of arrivals in February was 35.1% of the 565,179 stopovers received in February 2020.
The Dominican Republic reopened its borders to visitors as of July 1st 2020 with limited controls on arrivals but changed its policy on July 30th requiring all visitors to show evidence of a negative RT-PCR test taken prior to arrival. As of September 15th 2020, this requirement was eliminated and was replaced by random breath tests being administered to 3% - 10% of all arriving visitors.
Stopover arrivals from the USA fell by 42.4%, from 148,184 arrivals in February 2020 to 85,360 arrivals in February 2021. The number of stopover arrivals from Canada fell by 99.8%, from 139,788 in February 2020 to just 246 in February 2021 as Canada closed its borders in February to travel to and from Mexico and the Caribbean.
36.2% of the non-resident arrivals in February 2021 were Dominicans living abroad and returning to the Dominican Republic compared with 13.6% in February 2020.
In the first two months of 2021 the Dominican Republic saw a 64.0% decrease in the volume of stopover arrivals, falling from 1,122,410 arrivals in the first two months of 2020 to 403,796 non-resident arrivals in the same two months of 2021. Non-resident arrivals from the USA decreased by 44.1% in the first two months of 2021, falling from 275,055 arrivals in 2020 to 153,793 arrivals in the first two months of 2021. Stopover arrivals from Canada fell by 97.9%, from 277,118 in the first two months of 2020 to 5,738 in the same two months of 2021.
In the first two months of 2021 36.4% of non-resident tourists arriving in the Dominican Republic were non-resident Dominicans returning home, up from 14.3% in the same two months of 2020.

Belize received 7,938 stopover visitors in February 2021, up 14.9% from the 6,908 received in January 2021.
According to the Belize Tourism Board, Belize received 7,938 stopover visitors in February 2021, up 14.9% from the 6,908 received in January 2021 but just 15.6% of the 50,817 stopovers received in February 2020.
Stopover arrivals from the USA fell by 80.6% from 32,373 in February 2020 to 6,288 in February 2021. Stopover arrivals from Canada fell by 98.4% from 5,886 in February 2020 to 93 in February this year while stopover visitors from Europe fell by 96.4%, from 6,795 in February 2020 to 247 in February 2021.
There were no cruise visitors in February 2021 as Belize remained closed to cruise ships.
In the first two months of 2021 Belize saw the number of stopovers fall by 85.1%, from 99,371 in the first two months of 2020 to 14,846 in the first two months of 2021.
Stopovers from the USA fell by 81.3% in the first two months of 2021, from 61,921 in 2020 to 11,599 in the same two months of 2021. Stopovers from Canada fell by 96.9% in the first two months, to 358 arrivals while stopovers from Europe fell by 96.6% in the same two months, to 450 arrivals.
There were no cruise visitors in the first two months of 2021.

Orlando’s Airports saw a 92.4% drop in international deplanements in February 2021.
Orlando, Florida is served by two primary airports, Orlando International (MCO) and Sanford International Airport (SFB).
In February 2021, the two airports combined saw a drop of 92.4% in international deplanements, falling from 264,515 deplanements from international airports in February 2020 to 20,013 international deplanements in February 2021. Orlando International saw a 92.4% decline, while Sanford International saw a 96.8% drop. Orlando International handled 99.4% of all international deplanements.
International deplanements made up 1.9% of the total deplanements in February 2021, down from 11.4% of all such deplanements in February 2020.
The two airports combined also saw a 48.4% drop in domestic deplanements, that is from airports within the USA, falling from 2,048,857 domestic deplanements in February 2020 to 1,057,265 in February 2021. Orlando International saw a 48.3% drop in domestic deplanements while Sanford saw a 52.2% decline.
The two airports combined saw a 53.4% drop in total deplanements, falling from 2,313,372 deplanements in February 2020 to 1,077,278 in February 2021.
In the first two months of 2021, the two airports combined saw a drop of 88.2% in international deplanements, falling from 559,833 deplanements from international airports in the first two months of 2020 to 65,836 international deplanements in the first two months of 2021.
The two airports combined also saw a 50.3% drop in domestic deplanements, that is from airports within the USA, falling from 4,039,230 domestic deplanements in the first two months of 2020 to 2,005,764 in the same two months of 2021.
The two airports combined saw a 55.0% drop in total deplanements, falling from 4,599,063 deplanements in the first two months of 2020 to 2,071,600 in the first two months of 2021.

The CDC is still banning U.S. cruises. Americans will sail this summer, thanks to a workaround.
By Hannah Sampson Washington Post March 25
Don and Heidi Bucolo were on one of the last cruise ships to sail from the United States before the industry shut down more than a year ago. On Wednesday morning, they booked a voyage on one of the first to resume for Americans.
“We knew we would do it as soon as the first cruises came out,” said Don Bucolo, 40, who lives in the Boston area and runs the cruise review site EatSleepCruise.com with his wife.
The June 12 Bahamas sailing on Royal Caribbean International’s Adventure of the Seas this summer will not touch a U.S. port, however, since that is still banned by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Instead, lines including Royal Caribbean, Celebrity Cruises and Crystal Cruises are going around the public health agency to countries that are more hospitable to cruising — and outside CDC’s jurisdiction. Instead of departing from the United States and heading to the Bahamas, Bermuda and Caribbean islands, ships are starting their trips in those destinations beginning in June and July and working with health authorities there.
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The CDC Rejects Cruise Industry Push to Resume Sailing, Sending Stocks Tumbling
Nicholas Reimann Forbes March 25 2021.
The CDC reiterated on Wednesday a conditional sail order restricting cruising in the U.S. will remain in place until November, in an apparent response to a call from cruise industry lobbyists to resume sailing this summer, causing cruise stocks to plunge.
KEY FACTS
Cruise Lines International Association—which represents most of the world's large cruising companies—called on the CDC on Wednesday March 24 to allow for cruises to start leaving U.S. ports on July 1.
The group argued the industry "has adopted a high bar for resumption," while noting vaccine efforts should get the U.S. "closer to normal" by the start of July.
But the CDC said in a statement Wednesday afternoon its Conditional Sailing Order will remain in place until Nov. 1 as "details for the next phase of the CSO are currently under interagency review."
Cruise Lines International Association expressed frustrations the CDC has not put out any additional guidance on sailing since its Conditional Sailing Order was issued in October.
Following the CDC's statement at 2 p.m., investors dumped shares of the three big cruise companies—Carnival, Royal Caribbean and Norwegian Cruise Line—with the stocks closing the session off 1.9% to 4.9%.
"The lack of any action by the CDC has effectively banned all sailings in the largest cruise market in the world," Cruise Lines International Association said. "Cruising is the only sector of the U.S. economy that remains prohibited, even as most others have opened or continued to operate throughout the pandemic."
WHAT WE DON'T KNOW
It remains unclear if cruises will be able to restart before the Conditional Sailing Order expires in November.
KEY BACKGROUND
Cruising hasn't taken place from U.S. ports since March 14, 2020. Industry hopes of getting back on the seas perked up in October when the CDC issued the Conditional Sailing Order, which appeared to open the door to a phased approach that would allow for cruising to resume, but additional guidance has not been issued since that time. The cruise industry was one of the earliest—and hardest-hit—sectors of the U.S. economy after the coronavirus pandemic arrived in the United States. Cruise ships were also among the earliest superspreader sites in the world, with the ease of Covid-19 transmission aboard ships still being a major hurdle the industry will have to overcome. Cruise line stock prices with Carnival dropping from over $50 in mid-January to less than $9 in early April. Stock prices have recovered a great deal, but they are still nowhere near what they were. The cruise lines have booked billions in losses over the past year.

Las Vegas saw an 18.9% increase in visitors in February compared with January 2021.
According to the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority Las Vegas saw the volume of visitors increase by 18.9% in February 2021, growing from 1,294,800 arrivals in January 2021 to 1,540,100 in February of 2021. The 1,540,100 arrivals in February 2021 were 52.4% lower than the 3,233,200 visitors received in February 2020.
Las Vegas had a weighted average of 145,308 open hotel rooms in February 2021 (down 3.1% compared with February 2020) and achieved an average city-wide room occupancy of 42.0% (down 44.8 percentage points compared with February 2020), an ADR of $98.03 (down 25.8% compared with February 2020) and a RevPar of $41.17 (down 64.1%) also compared with February 2020.
Through the first two months of 2021 Las Vegas saw a 58.8% decrease in the volume of visitors, falling from 6,878,300 arrivals in the first two months of 2020 to 2,834,900 visitors in the same two months of 2021.
Las Vegas achieved an average city-wide room occupancy of 36.5% in the first two months of 2021 (down 49.8 percentage points compared with the first two months of 2020), an ADR of $94.70 (down 33.8% compared with the same two months of 2020) and a RevPar of $34.57, down 72.0%, also compared with the same two months of 2020.
Gaming revenue fell by 30.7% from $1.801 billion in the first two months of 2020 to $1.248 billion in the same two months of 2021.

Hawaii reports the state received 235,283 out-of-state tourists in February, up 36.8% compared with January 2021.
According to the Hawaii Tourism Authority, Hawaii saw the volume of air arrivals increase by 36.8% in February 2021, growing from 171,976 air arrivals received in January 2021 to 235,283 arrivals in February 2021.
The 235,283 arrivals received in February were 71.1% less than the 812,967 arrivals received in February 2020.
Air arrivals from the USA fell by 58.4% in February, from the 549,625 received in February 2020 to 228,760 in February 2021, and fell by 99.4% from Japan (from 120,210 arrivals in February 2020 to 695 air arrivals in February 2021). Air arrivals fell by 99.2% from Canada (from 64,185 arrivals in February 2020 to 493 air arrivals this February).
Through the first two months of 2021 Hawaii saw a 75.7% decrease in the volume of air arrivals, falling from 1,665,003 arrivals in the first two months of 2020 to 407,259 air arrivals in the same two months of 2021. Air arrivals from the USA decreased by 64.5% in the first two months of 2021, falling from 1,102,204 air arrivals in 2020 to 391,568 air arrivals in the same two months of 2021, fell by 99.3% from Japan (from 248,896 arrivals in 2020 to 1,859 air arrivals in 2021) and fell by 97.4% from Canada (from 129,309 in 2020 to 3,390 air arrivals in 2021).
The Hawaii Tourist Authority estimates total tourist expenditures fell by 75.7% in the first two months of 2021, falling from $3.16 billion in 2020 to $768.7 million in the first two months of 2021.

The United States Virgin Islands saw a 40.3% decrease in air arrivals in January 2021.
According to the USVI Bureau of Economic Research, the USVI saw the volume of air arrivals decrease by 40.3% in January 2021, falling from 72,614 air arrivals in January 2020 to 43,361 air arrivals in January of this year.
There were no cruise visitor arrivals in January 2021 as the USVI remained closed to cruise ships. The USVI received 181,098 cruise visitors in January 2020.

Hawaii’s hotels report a 54.0 percentage point drop in average room occupancy in February to 30.5%.
According to the Hawai‘i Hotel Performance Report published by the Hawai‘i Tourism Authority (HTA), statewide hotel room occupancy fell by 54.0 percentage points from 84.5% in February 2020 to 30.5% in February this year. ADR fell by 16.5% from $310.01 to $258.77 while revpar fell by 69.9%, from $262.04 in February 2020 to $78.97 in February this year.
The 30.5% occupancy achieved in February was 7.2 percentage points higher than the 23.3% achieved in January 2021.
The report’s findings utilized data compiled by STR, Inc., which conducts the largest and most comprehensive survey of hotel properties in the Hawaiian Islands. For February, the survey included 148 properties representing 43,266 rooms, or 81.4 percent of all lodging properties and 86.0 percent of operating lodging properties with 20 rooms or more in the Hawaiian Islands, including full service, limited service, and condominium hotels. Vacation rental and timeshare properties were not included in this survey.
Hawai‘i hotel room revenues statewide fell by 72.1% to $111.2 million in February. Room demand fell by 66.5% to 429,700 room nights while room supply fell just 7.3% to 1.4 million room nights. Many properties closed or reduced operations starting in April 2020.
During February, most passengers arriving from out-of-state and traveling inter-county could bypass the State’s mandatory 10-day self-quarantine with a valid negative COVID-19 NAAT test result from a Trusted Testing Partner through the state’s Safe Travels program.
For the first two months of 2021 statewide hotel room occupancy fell by 57.5 percentage points from 84.2% in 2020 to 26.7% in the first two months of 2021. ADR fell by 18.2% from $312.34 in 2020 to $255.39 while revpar fell by 74.0%, from $263.02 in the first two months of 2020 to $68.28 in the first two months of this year.
In the first two months of 2021, Hawai‘i hotel room revenues statewide fell by 76.0% from $841.1 million in 2020 to $201.6 million this year. Room demand fell to 789,500 room nights, down 70.7% compared to a year ago. Room supply fell by 7.7% to 2,953,100 available room nights.

Dubai saw a 67.1% decline in international visitors in 2020.
According to the Government of Dubai’s Statistics Center, Dubai saw a 67.1% drop in the number of international visitors in 2020, falling from 16,730,000 visitors in 2019 to 5,510,000 in the same twelve months of 2020.
The number one market, India, saw a 56.1% decline in visitors, falling from 1,970,000 visitors in 2019 to 865,000 in the same twelve months of 2020, while the number of visitors from South Africa, the number two market, fell by 74.4%, from 1,565,000 visitors in 2019 to 400,000 visitors in 2020.
In 2020 the average room occupancy of Dubai’s 711 hotels and apartments fell by 21.3 percentage points from 75.0% in 2019 to 53.7% in 2020. The total number of rooms in the hotels and apartment complexes remained almost unchanged at 126,947 rooms/units.
Dubai had 520 hotels in 2020 offering 100,704 rooms. Of these 134 hotels were five star, 161 four star, and 225 one to three stars. The 520 hotels achieved an average room occupancy of 50.8% in 2020, down 24.2 percentage points from the 75.0% achieved in 2019.
Dubai had 191 hotel apartments in 2020 which offered 26,243 units and achieved an average occupancy of 64.6%.
Guests stayed, on average 4.2 nights in 2020, up from 3.4 nights in 2019, and the hotels and apartments achieved an ADR of US$93.40, down 17.3% from the US$113.00 achieved in the same twelve months of 2019.

Grenada reports it received 533 stopover arrivals in February 2021, 3.4% of the total received in February 2020.
According to the Grenada Tourism Authority, Grenada saw the volume of stopover arrivals decrease by 96.6% in February 2021, falling from 15,705 stopover arrivals in February 2020 to 533 arrivals in February 2021. The number of visitors arriving by yacht decreased by 96.8% falling from 2,852 visitors in February 2020 to 91 in February of this year.
The 533 stopovers received in February 2021 were 29.8% lower than the 759 stopovers received in January 2021, and 72.9% lower than the 1,965 stopovers received in December 2020.
In the first two months of 2021 Grenada saw a 95.7% decrease in the volume of stopover arrivals, falling from 30,264 arrivals in 2020 to 1,292 arrivals in the first two months of 2021. Arrivals from the USA decreased by 94.1% in 2021, falling from 13,774 arrivals in the first two months of 2020 to 810 arrivals in the same two months of 2021 while arrivals from the U.K. declined by 98.7% in 2021, falling from 5,499 stopovers in 2020 to 74 stopovers in the first two months of 2021.
The number of cruise visitors declined by 100% in the first two months of 2021, falling from 136,328 cruise visitors in 2020 to zero in 2021 as Grenada remained closed to cruise visitors.
The number of visitors arriving by yacht decreased by 96.4% in the first two months of 2021, falling from 6,480 yacht visitor arrivals in 2020 to 231 in the first two months of 2021.

Mauritius announces it received 1,229 stopover visitors in February, 1.1% of the total received in February 2020.
The Mauritius Government’s Ministry of Finance and Economic Development recently announced that total stopover arrivals fell by 98.9% in February 2021, from 111,560 arrivals in February 2020 to 1,229 arrivals in February of this year. This number includes both air and sea stopover visitors.
The 1,229 stopovers received in February were almost exactly the same as the 1,232 stopovers received in January 2021.
In the first two months of 2021 Mauritius saw a 99.0% decrease in total stopover arrivals, falling from 248,979 arrivals in 2020 to 2,461 arrivals in the first two months of this year. Total stopover arrivals from France, the number one market, fell by 99.2% from 65,195 arrivals in the first two months of 2020 to 498 arrivals in the same two months of 2021.

Orlando saw a 53.9 percentage point decline in average room occupancy in January 2021 to 35.4%.
According to STR Orlando had 128,000 hotel rooms in January 2021 and achieved an average city-wide room occupancy of 35.4%, down 53.9 percentage points compared with January 2020 (89.3%), and an ADR of $86.46, down 35.2% compared with January 2020 ($133.43).
According to Visit Orlando, Orlando saw the volume of air passenger deplanements decrease by 56.5% in January 2021, falling from 2,285,691 deplanements in January 2020 to 994,322 deplanements in January 2021. This includes deplanements at both Orlando International and Sanford airports.

Costa Rica received 55,252 stopover arrivals in February, down 11.2% compared with January 2021.
According to the Costa Rica Institute of Tourism (ICT), Costa Rica received 55,252 stopovers in February 2021, 16.2% of the 341,008 stopovers received in February 2020 but down 11.2% compared with the 62,200 stopovers received in January 2021.
The number of stopovers from the USA fell by 73.3% in February 2021, falling from 146,639 stopovers in February 2020 to 39,139 in February 2021 while the number from Central America declined by 96.2%, from 56,938 in February 2020 to 2,140 in February 2021. Costa Rica’s land borders remained closed in February 2021.
The volume of stopovers decreased by 83.2% in the first two months of 2021, falling from 699,673 stopovers in the first two months of 2020 to 117,452 stopovers in first two months of 2021.
The number of stopovers from the USA dropped by 74.2% in the first two months of 2021, from 283,446 stopovers in 2020 to 73,120 in 2021 while the number from Central America declined by 96.1%, falling from 143,999 in the first two months of 2020 to 5,619 in the same two months of 2021.
The share of visitors from the USA grew from 40.2% in the first two months of 2020 to 62.2% in the first two months of 2021.

Jamaica received 43,831 stopover arrivals in January 2021, 51.4% less than the 90,164 stopovers received in December 2020.
According to the Jamaica Tourist Board, Jamaica received 43,831 stopover arrivals in January 2021, 19.3% of the total received in January 2020, when the island received 227,200 stopover arrivals.
The January 2021 total was 51.4% lower than the 90,164 stopovers Jamaica received in December 2020.
Jamaica re-opened its borders to international visitors as of June 15th 2021.
Stopover arrivals from the USA fell by 73.2%, from the 143,460 visitors received in January 2020 to 38,500 visitors received in January 2021.
Cruise arrivals fell by 100%, from 209,163 cruise visitors in January 2020 to zero cruise visitors in January 2021 as Jamaica remained closed to cruise ship arrivals.

The Dominican Republic’s hotels averaged 34.1% during February 2021.
According to ASONAHORES, the hotel and tourism association of the Dominican Republic, the hotels of the Dominican Republic posted an overall average hotel room occupancy of 34.1% in February 2021. The overall average hotel room occupancy for January was 35.8%.
The hotel sector posted a combined overall average occupancy of 32.3% for the first two months of 2021.
At a regional level during the first two months of the year, the destination Santiago de los Caballeros recorded the highest occupancy rate at 43.0%, being also the only destination to exceed 40 percentage points. Samana’s hotels posted an overall average room occupancy of 39.7% with the Roman–Bayahibe area posting an average occupancy of 38.9%. Punta Cana’s hotels posted an average hotel room occupancy of 33.8% in the first two months of 2021 while the hotels in Puerto Plata posted an overall average of 31.5%.

JetBlue and CommonPass Begin Launch of Digital Health Pass with Boston Customers Bound for Aruba
March 17, 2021 09:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time
NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--JetBlue and The Commons Project Foundation, in partnership with the government of Aruba and COVID testing companies Vault and XpresCheck, today announced they have launched the use of the CommonPass platform, https://commonpass.org/ allowing JetBlue customers traveling from Boston’s Logan International Airport to Aruba’s Queen Beatrix International Airport to enter the nation using the CommonPass digital health pass.
The CommonPass platform enables safer travel and easy entry as travelers can simply scan their passports to verify that they meet entry requirements into Aruba.
read more/...

In February 2021 Cancun saw its hotels achieve an average hotel room occupancy of 33.8% down from 35.6% in January.
Sedetur, the Department of Tourism of the state of Quintana Roo, recently released the hotel occupancy numbers for the hotels in Cancun/Puerto Morelos and Riviera Maya for February 2021.
In February Cancun/Puerto Morelos saw a 52.3 percentage point drop in average hotel room occupancy from 86.1% in February 2020 to 33.8% in February of this year. Cancun’s hotels saw an average occupancy of 35.6% in January 2021.
The hotels in Riviera Maya saw their average room occupancy fall by 60.9 percentage points from 83.4% in February 2020 to 22.5% in February this year. The hotels in Riviera Maya saw an average occupancy of 25.1% in January 2021.
Through the first two months of 2021 the hotels in Cancun/Puerto Morelos have achieved a 34.7% average room occupancy, down 48.8 percentage points from the 83.5% achieved in the same first two months of 2020.
For the first two months of 2021 the hotels in Riviera Maya achieved an average room occupancy of 23.8%, down 57.7 percentage points from the 81.5% achieved in the same first two months of 2020.
Riviera Maya/Tulum has 48,200 hotel rooms while the Cancun/Puerto Morelos area has 42,910 hotel rooms.

Aruba forecast to receive 555,000 stopovers in 2021, 51% more than in 2020.
Aruba received 368,322 stopover visitors in 2020, down 67.1% compared with the 1,118,944 stopovers received in 2019. This is similar to the overall drop in stopover visitors to the Caribbean region as a whole, which showed a 65.9% decline in stopover visitors in 2020 compared with 2019.
However, because of Aruba’s almost total dependence upon tourism expenditures to drive the economy (tourism expenditures are estimated by the WTTC to account for 74% of Aruba’s GDP and 84% of its employment) the consequence of these declines had a huge impact on the country’s economy with GDP shrinking by 25.5% (IMF), unemployment growing to 14%, government revenues falling by 29% and government debt increasing by 19%.
While it is difficult to predict the future a likely scenario for Aruba suggests the destination will receive about 555,000 stopover visitors in 2021, 51% more than the total received in 2020 but still 50% below the total received in 2019 and about 120,000 cruise visitors as cruising slowly recommences in the fourth quarter of 2021.

For the full 112-page report prepared by Dr. James Hepple, Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Hospitality and Tourism Management Studies at the University of Aruba click here.

Carnival CEO: At Least Two More Years Of Choppy Waters For Cruise Sector.
The head of Carnival, the world’s largest operator of passenger cruises, told the Financial Times (FT) it is likely to be at least 2023 before the cruise industry returns to pre-pandemic business levels.
Carnival may have all its ships sailing by the end of 2022, company CEO Arnold Donald reportedly told FT, but even if that happens, it will be with fewer ships because Carnival only has 88 ships now, having retired 19 during the pandemic.
One obstacle he cited, according to FT, is the variety of regulations the company will face among the destinations it serves. It’s one thing to cruise into the open ocean; it’s another altogether to visit a port city. As Carnival tests the waters for returning to business in parts of the world, it has been sending ships for the most part on out-and-back cruises that don’t include ports of call.
According to FT, the United Kingdom has set May 17 for the return of cruise ships to its waters, but the United States has yet to set a date for lifting restrictions.
Carnival has enough capital to run through 2022 even without new revenue from cruises, Donald reportedly told FT. The company has about 90,000 crew members.
One factor the cruise ship industry will have to grapple with is whether customers, given the number of COVID-19 transmissions that occurred aboard ships in the earliest days of the pandemic, might pursue alternative leisure options such as flying to destinations, PYMNTS reported. But cruise ships are spared a major challenge confronting airlines — whether business travelers, who deliver a significant portion of air carrier profits, will resume traveling after finding out how much business can be performed via apps such as Zoom.

The Caribbean Tourism Organisation forecasts a 20% growth in stopover arrivals for the region in 2021.
March 14 2021.
Overview
Data received from Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) member countries reveal that tourist arrivals to the region in 2020 fell to just over 11 million, a decline of 65.5 per cent when compared to the record 32.0 million tourist visits in 2019. Still, this was better than the world average of 73.9 per cent decline during the same period.
This lower rate of decline in the region can be attributed to two key factors: a significant portion of the Caribbean’s winter season (January to mid-March 2020) saw average levels of tourist arrivals when compared to 2019, and the fact that the main (summer) season in other regions coincided with the period where there was normally very limited international travel.
A period of virtually no tourism began in mid-March – the second quarter was the worst-performing with arrivals down by 97.3 per cent. But tourists began visiting again in June as the sector began to reopen. Still, the fall-off in stayover arrivals continued through to September – when a gradual reversal began – and continued right up to December. Destination initiatives such as the long-stay work programmes, other promotional activities and efforts of regional organizations such as the CTO, the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association and the Caribbean Public Health agency, contributed to the gradual rise in arrivals.
Cruise
Like stayover arrivals, cruise was buoyed by the performance in the first three months of 2020, particularly the month of February, when there was a 4.2 per cent rise in visits. However, a 20.1 per cent fall in the first quarter was followed by no activity for the remainder of the year as ships remained non-operational. The overall result was a 72 per cent slide to 8.5 million cruise visits, when compared to the 30 million visits in 2019.
Visitor Expenditure
The limited travel beyond the first two-and-a-half months of the year, resulted in difficulties in compiling visitor expenditure numbers in 2020. However, based on information derived from international partners such as the UNWTO, and the limited reporting by Caribbean countries, we estimate that across the region visitor expenditure declined by 60 to 80 per cent, in line with the decline in stayover and cruise arrivals.
Preliminary data indicates that the average length of stay for 2020 remained at roughly seven nights, the same as in in 2019.
Forecast
The Caribbean’s performance in 2021 will depend largely on the success of the authorities in the marketplace and the region in combatting, containing and controlling the virus. Already, there are some encouraging signs like the vaccine roll-out taking place in North America, Europe and the Caribbean.
However, this must be tempered by some other factors such as: lockdowns in our key source markets which are expected to continue into the second quarter, international travel confidence not expected to pick up until the summer 2021, a steep fall in the number of people planning to travel abroad and the possible requirement by the authorities in our key markets for their citizens to vaccinate before travelling abroad.
With these factors taken into consideration, our initial forecast is for a 20 per cent rise in stopover arrivals in 2021, with a similar increase in visitor expenditure, when compared to 2020.

Dubai 2040 Urban Plan: 60% of Dubai to be turned into nature reserves.
'We want to make Dubai the world’s best place to live in,' says Sheikh Mohammed.
Dubai: His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, on Saturday launched the Dubai 2040 Urban Master Plan that maps out a comprehensive future map for sustainable urban development in the city. Aligned with the UAE’s vision for the next 50 years, the Plan is focused on enhancing people’s happiness and quality of life.
The plan focuses on reinforcing Dubai’s competitiveness as a global destination by providing a wide diversity of lifestyle and investment opportunities for citizens, residents and visitors over the next 20 years. Designed to realise Sheikh Mohammed’s vision to make Dubai the city with the world’s best quality of life, the plan aims to provide the highest standards of urban infrastructure and facilities.
Under the Plan, green and recreational spaces and areas dedicated to public parks will double in size to serve the growing number of number of residents and visitors. Nature reserves and rural natural areas will constitute 60 per cent of the emirate’s total area. Several green corridors will be established to link the service areas, residential areas and workplaces, facilitate the movement of pedestrians, bicycles, and sustainable mobility means across the city, in coordination with developers and government departments.
And the land area devoted to tourism will increase by 134%.
The land area used for hotels and tourist activities will increase by 134 per cent, while that used for commercial activities will increase to 168 square kilometres. Dubai will continue to be a global hub for innovative start-ups, international corporations, and strategic investments. The Master Plan will also increase the land area allocated to education and health facilities by 25 per cent, while the length of public beaches will increase by as much as 400 per cent in 2040 to increase the quality of life for residents and visitors.
For further details and five minute explanatory video click here.

The United States Virgin Islands saw a 35.1% decline in air arrivals in 2020.
According to the USVI Bureau of Economic Research, the USVI saw the volume of air arrivals decrease by 21.6% in December 2020, falling from 68,723 air arrivals in December 2019 to 53,860 air arrivals in December 2020. The 53,860 air arrivals received in December were 39.5% more than the 38,617 air arrivals received in November.
During calendar year 2020 the USVI saw the volume of air arrivals decrease by 35.1%, falling from 640,887 air arrivals in CY 2019 to 415,749 air arrivals in CY 2020.
The percentage decline in air arrivals for the USVI in 2020 was substantially better than the average rate of decline experienced for the Caribbean as a whole during 2020 (-66%).
There were no cruise visitor arrivals in December 2020.
Cruise arrivals were down 69.3% during calendar year 2020, falling from 1,433,122 in CY 2019 to 440,398 in CY 2020.

Curacao reports it received 8,144 stopover arrivals in February 2021, 18.4% of the total received in February 2020.
According to the Curaçao Tourist Board, Curaçao saw an 81.6% decrease in stopover visitor arrivals in February, falling from 44,198 stopovers in February 2020 to 8,144 in February of this year. The 8,144 stopovers were 40.6% more than the 5,790 stopovers received in January 2021.
Curacao received 5,179 stopover visitors from the Netherlands in February, 29.1% of the 17,801 stopover visitors from the Netherlands received in February 2020. But 63.4% more than the 3,170 stopovers received from the Netherlands in January 2021. The 5,179 visitors comprised 63.6% of all stopover visitors to Curacao in February 2021.
There were no cruise visitors in February as the island remained closed to cruise traffic.

San Juan, Puerto Rico (SJU) handled 481,270 total passenger movements in February 2021, 60.7% of the total handled in February 2020.
According to ASUR, which manages many airports in Mexico, Colombia and which also manages the Luis Munoz Marin International Airport in San Juan, Puerto Rico, SJU saw a 39.3% decrease in passenger movements in February 2021, falling from 792,317 movements in February 2020 to 481,270 movements in February 2021.
February 2021 saw passenger movements drop by 50,359 (-9.5%) compared with January 2021, moving from 531,629 movements in January to 481,270 in February.
Note February 2020 had one more day than February 2021.
In the first two months of 2021 the overall volume of air passenger movements decreased by 39.7%, from 1,680,329 in 2020 to 1,012,899 in the same two months of 2021.

Cancun’s Airport handled 549,582 international air passenger movements in February 2021, 35.2% of such passenger movements handled in February 2020.
According to ASUR, which manages many of Mexico’s airports, Cancun Airport saw a 64.8% drop in international passenger movements in February 2021, falling from 1,563,194 movements in February 2020 to 549,582 such movements in February 2021. Domestic passenger movements fell by 22.2%, from 611,072 passenger movements in February 2020 to 475,677 movements in February of this year.
February saw international passenger movements drop by 162,147 (-22.8%) compared with January 2021, falling from 711,729 international movements in January to 549,582 in February, while domestic passenger movements dropped by 102,136 (-17.7%) moving from 577,813 in January to 475,677 in February.
Note February 2020 had one more day than February 2021.
In the first two months of 2021 the volume of international air passenger movements decreased by 59.8%, falling from 3,135,968 movements in 2020 to 1,261,311 movements in the first two months of 2021 while the volume of domestic air passenger movements fell by 19.9%, from 1,315,412 movements in the first two months of 2020 to 1,053,490 in the same two months of 2021.

Tightened Travel Restrictions Underline Current Challenges for Tourism
UNWTO - March 8th 2021
One in three destinations worldwide are now completely closed to international tourism. According to the latest data from the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), the emergence of new variants of the COVID-19 virus has prompted many governments to reverse efforts to ease restrictions on travel, with total closures to tourists most prevalent in Asia and the Pacific and Europe.
The UNWTO Travel Restrictions Report provides a comprehensive overview of the regulations in place in 217 destinations worldwide. While previous editions had shown a movement towards easing or lifting restrictions on travel, the latest report shows that the persistent seriousness of the epidemiological situation has caused governments to adopt a more cautious approach.
As of the beginning of February, 32% of all destinations worldwide (69 in total) are completely closed for international tourism. Of these, around just over half (38 destinations) have been closed for at least 40 weeks. At the same time, 34% of worldwide destinations are now partially closed to international tourists.
Now, as we work to restart tourism, we must recognise that restrictions are just one part of the solution.
UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Polilikashvili says: “Travel restrictions have been widely used to restrict the spread of the virus. Now, as we work to restart tourism, we must recognise that restrictions are just one part of the solution. Their use must be based on the latest data and analysis and consistently reviewed so as to allow for the safe and responsible restart of a sector upon which many millions of businesses and jobs depend.”
Regional variations clear
The ninth edition of the UNWTO Travel Restrictions Report shows that regional differences with regards to travel restrictions remain. Of the 69 destinations where borders are completely closed to tourists, 30 are in Asia and the Pacific, 15 are in Europe, 11 are in Africa, 10 are in the Americas and three are in the Middle East.
At the same time, the UNWTO research also indicates a trend towards adopting a more nuanced, evidence and risk-based approach to implementing travel restrictions. Growing numbers of destinations worldwide now require international tourists to present a negative PCR or antigen test upon arrival and also provide contact details for tracing purposes. Indeed, 32% of all worldwide destinations now have the presentation of such tests as their main requirement for international arrivals often combined with quarantine, while the same amount have made tests a secondary or tertiary measure.
Top tourism markets remain cautious.
As UNWTO leads the restart of tourism, the Travel Restrictions Report also notes how different governments are issuing advice to their own citizens. Analysis of the top ten tourism source markets currently advising against non-essential travel abroad found they generated 44% of all international arrivals in 2018. UNWTO notes that advice issued by governments will play a crucial role in the restart and recovery of tourism in the weeks and months ahead.
For full report click here.

Kingston Jamaica Airport saw 30,100 total passenger movements in February 2021, 24.6% of the total achieved in February 2020.
According to Aeroportuario del Pacifico, which manages many of Mexico’s airports and which also manages the airports in Montego Bay and Kingston, Jamaica, saw the total number of passenger movements, that is both enplanements and deplanements, at Kingston Jamaica’s Airport decrease by 75.4% in February 2021, falling from 122,600 total movements in February 2020 to 30,100 passenger movements in February 2021.
The total number of passenger movements in February 2021 was 38.2% less than in January 2021.
Through the first two months of 2021 Kingston’s Airport saw total passenger movements fall 72.0%, from 281,900 in 2020 to 78,800 in the first two months of 2021.
In 2021 international passenger movements made up 100.0% of all passenger movements.

Saint Lucia received 4,870 stopovers in February 2021, 12.3% of the total received in February 2020.
According to the Ministry of Tourism and Investment, Saint Lucia saw an 87.7% decrease in stopover visitor arrivals in February 2021, falling from 39,638 stopovers in February 2020 to 4,870 stopovers in February 2021.
The number of stopover visitors from the USA fell by 74.6%, from 17,980 in February 2020 to 4,559 in February 2021 while the number of stopovers from the U.K. fell by 97.7%, from 7,429 stopovers in February 2020 to 170 in February 2021. The number of stopovers from Canada decreased by 99.8%, falling from 6,352 stopovers in February 2020 to 13 in February of 2021 as Canada suspended flights to the Caribbean.
The 4,870 stopovers received in February 2021 were 23.4% less than the 6,357 stopovers received in January 2021 and 66.1% lower than the 14,384 stopovers received in December 2020.
There were no cruise visitors in February 2021.
Through the first two months of 2021, Saint Lucia saw an 84.7% decrease in the number of stopover visitors, falling from 73,313 stopovers in the first two months of 2020 to 11,227 stopovers in the same two months of 2021. The number of stopovers from the USA fell by 69.9%, from 32,822 in the first two months of 2020 to 9,876 in the same two months of 2021 while the number of stopover visitors from the U.K. fell by 94.4% from 14,153 in 2020 to 795 in the same two months of 2021.

Antigua and Barbuda received 5,635 stopovers in February 2021, 16.9% of the total received in February 2020.
According to the Ministry of Tourism and Investment, Antigua and Barbuda saw an 83.1% decrease in stopover visitor arrivals in February 2021, falling from 33,386 stopovers in February 2020 to 5,635 stopovers in February 2021.
The number of stopover visitors from the USA fell by 70.7%, from 14,720 in February 2020 to 4,313 in February 2021 while the number of stopovers from the U.K. fell by 92.9%, from 7,821 stopovers in February 2020 to 558 in February 2021. The number of stopovers from Canada decreased by 99.2%, falling from 5,883 stopovers in February 2020 to 48 in February of 2021 as Canada suspended flights to the Caribbean.
The 5,635 stopovers received in February 2021 were 27.5% less than the 7,769 stopovers received in January 2021 and 58.8% lower than the 13,680 stopovers received in December 2020.
There were no cruise visitors in February 2021.
Through the first two months of 2021, Antigua and Barbuda saw an 80.0% decrease in the number of stopover visitors, falling from 66,895 stopovers in the first two months of 2020 to 13,404 stopovers in the same two months of 2021. The number of stopovers from the USA fell by 68.4%, from 28,119 in the first two months of 2020 to 8,893 in the same two months of 2021 while the number of stopover visitors from the U.K. fell by 85.7% from 16,239 in 2020 to 2,326 in the same two months of 2021.

The Aruba Airport Authority reports 33,874 departing passengers in February 2021, 32.6% of the total achieved in February 2020.
The Aruba Airport Authority (AAA) reports that in February 2021 33,874 Revenue Generating Passengers (RGPs) travelled out of the Queen Beatrix International Airport (AUA Airport) to the various markets. This was 27.2% fewer than the 46,548 RGPs handled in January 2021 and 32.6% of the total handled in February 2020. Please note February 2020 had one more day than did February 2021.
A revenue generating passenger is an outbound traveler leaving Aruba and includes tourists returning to their homes as well as Arubans departing for trips overseas.
The airport also handled 2,856 passengers in transit and 223 transferring passengers.
In February 2021 27,827 passengers (pax) travelled to the US (down 63.8% compared with February 2020), 131 pax to Canada (down 98.0%), 2,290 pax to Europe (down 60.3%), 2,220 pax to Latin America (down 76.2%) and 1,406 pax to the Dutch Caribbean (down 73.8%).
The airlines provided 82,867 outbound seats in February 2021, down 38.8% compared with the 135,388 seats provided in February 2020.
Airlines flying to the USA in February experienced an average load factor of 42.9% down 44.9 percentage points compared with the 87.8% load factor experienced in February 2020. Flights to Canada averaged a 72.7% load factor (down 18.5 percentage points) while flights to Europe averaged a 56.4% load factor, down 37.0 percentage points compared with February 2020.
In the first two months of 2021 the airport handled 80,422 RGPs, down 62.5% compared with the 214,552 handled in the first two months of 2020. Traffic to the USA fell by 59.0%, from 156,432 RGPs in the first two months of 2020 to 64,104 in the same two months of 2021. Traffic to Canada fell by 93.0% to 901 RGPs, while traffic to Europe fell by 44.1%, from 12,239 RGPS in the first two months of 2020 to 6,842 this year.
Seat capacity through the first two months of 2021 fell by 37.4% compared with the same two months of 2020, from 276,404 available seats in 2020 to 172,966 seats in 2021.
The overall average load factor of outbound flights fell from 77.6% in the first two months of 2020 to 46.5% in the same two months of 2021. The average load factor of flights to the USA fell from 87.8% in the first two months of 2020 to 49.0% in the same two months of 2021.
The Aruba Airport Authority also reported that as of early March 2021 seat capacity to Aruba in the first three months of 2021 will total 275,341 seats, down 26.6% compared to the 374,976 seats offered in the first quarter of 2020.
The AAA also indicated that seat capacity will increase by 338,958 seats in the second quarter of 2021 from the 4,511 available seats offered during the second quarter of 2020 to 343,469 available seats currently scheduled for the second quarter of 2021. The AAA pointed out these numbers are subject to change.

Aruba received 31,982 stopover visitors in February 2021, 35.6% of the total received in February 2020 and just 1.9% more than the 31,374 visitors received in January 2021.
According to Aruba Tourism Authority, Aruba received 31,982 stopover arrivals in February 2021, 1.8% more than the 31,374 stopovers it received in January but 25.5% less than the 42,936 stopovers it received in December 2020.
The 31,982 stopovers received in February were 64.4% fewer than the 89,924 stopovers received in February 2020. February 2020 had one more day than did February 2021 (+3.6% days).
Stopover arrivals from the USA fell by 59.8%, from 69,023 arrivals in February 2020 to 27,771 arrivals in February 2021. Arrivals from the USA comprised 86.8% of all arrivals in February 2021 up from 76.2% in February 2020.
New York State saw a 54.0% decrease in arrivals, falling from 16,008 arrivals in February 2020 to 7,371 in February 2021, while arrivals from New Jersey fell by 52.4%, falling from 6,521 in February 2020 to 3,104 in February 2021. Arrivals from Massachusetts fell by 54.9%, from 9,452 in February 2020 to 4,254 in February this year. These three states generated 53.0% of all arrivals from the USA in February 2021 up from 46.3% in February 2020.
Arrivals from Canada fell by 99.0%, from 7,139 in February 2020 to 70 stopovers in February 2021 consequent upon the Government of Canada suspending all non-stop flights to and from Canada to Mexico and the Caribbean. Arrivals from the Netherlands fell by 67.4%, from 3,652 in February 2020 to 1,190 in February this year.
The number of visitors using hotel accommodation in February fell by 73.4% from 45,356 in February 2020 to 12,067 this year. The number of visitors using timeshare resorts fell by 46.9%, from 22,429 in 2020 to 11,921 in February 2021. The number using “other accommodation”, primarily apartments, short term rentals or staying with family or friends, fell by 63.9% from 22,139 in February 2020 to 7,994 this year.
The Aruba Hotel and Tourism Association reports that average hotel room occupancy in February 2021 was 27.9%, down 61.4 percentage points from the 89.3% achieved in February 2020. ADR fell by 23.7% from the US$386.28 achieved in February 2020 to US$294.63 in February 2021. RevPar fell by 76.2% to $82.20. Aruba’s timeshare resorts reported an average occupancy of 58% in February 2021.
In the first two months of 2021 Aruba saw a 64.9% decrease in the number of stopover visitors, falling from 180,547 visitors in 2020 to 63,356 visitors in the first two months of this year. The number of stopovers from the USA declined by 60.5% during the first two months, from 136,840 in 2020 to 53,995 through the end of February 2021.
Through the first two months of 2021 AHATA reports that Aruba’s hotels achieved an average room occupancy of 26.4% compared with 84.2% for the first two months of 2020. ADR fell by 21.3% to $296.04 in the same two months with RevPAR falling by 75.9% to $78.26.
AHATA is projecting that Aruba’s hotels will achieve an average room occupancy of 44% for the first quarter of 2021 and 46% for 2021 as a whole.
There were no cruise visitors in February as the island remained closed to cruise traffic.

Cruise Lines Under Pressure to Significantly Raise Ticket Prices
Source: Cruise Industry News March 6 2021
Cruise companies may be eyeing a significant increase to ticket prices in the near future as demand surges and sailings sell out in record time.
“Wall Street is not happy,” said one source familiar with the situation. “If cruises are flying off the shelves, the message from big investors has been to raise prices if inventory is selling too quickly … the companies are leaving too much money on the table.”
Cruise lines have widely reported strong pent-up demand and record sales volumes in media announcements, leading to a backlash from the investment community.
Carnival said sales were solid due to pent up demand in late February, and a few weeks earlier, Oceania saw its world cruise sell out in a single day.
Victory Cruise Lines and American Queen Steamboat said that January and February 2021 bookings are over 35 percent higher than November and December 2020 bookings, according to a press release.
The story is also good at Royal Caribbean Group, with bookings up 30 percent.
"Despite the lack of marketing spend, we have seen a 30% increase in new bookings since the beginning of the year when compared to November and December," said Jason Liberty, CFO, speaking on the company’s recent business update and fourth quarter earnings call.
Among other examples, Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings has seen a demand uptick recently with new cash bookings.
"And while still early in the booking cycle, we are very encouraged and very pleased by the strong booking activity driven by pent up demand across all three brands for 2022 voyages. Volumes during January and February sequentially improved by over 40 percent from November and December 2020, and as an added bonus over 80 percent of these bookings where new cash bookings," said Frank Del Rio, president and CEO, speaking on the company's fourth quarter and year-ending earnings call.

Caribbean tourism needs shot in the arm
DÁNICA COTO Associated Press
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — The Caribbean is hunting for visitors and vaccines to jump-start the stalled economy in one of the world’s most tourism-dependent regions.
Clear waters and warm sand attracted a record 31.5 million tourists to the Caribbean in 2019, but visits plummeted by an estimated 60% to 80% as the pandemic hit last year. That's devastating for a region whose countries depend heavily on visitors for income.
“Many countries prefer hurricanes compared to what has happened with the pandemic,” said Vincent Vanderpool-Wallace, a former Bahamian tourism minister who also led the Caribbean Tourism Organization.
Tens of thousands of tourism-related jobs were lost, including those held by Nadia Kidd and her mother in Jamaica. Kidd, 31, was a waitress at a resort and her mother worked at a guest house. Kidd, like many other workers, has yet to receive her severance pay and now runs a tiny grocery store out of her home to support her mother and daughter.
“Everything is all on me,” said Kidd, who worked at the Meliá Braco Village resort in Trelawny. “I have loans to pay, light bill and internet (that I) have to pay because my daughter has to go to school online.”
Desperate to create safe conditions for tourism, the Caribbean is turning to India and China for vaccines at a time when global supplies are strained and richer nations are ahead of them in line for shots from other sources. A few have been fortunate to get quick shipments, while others could wait weeks, if not months.
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When Will Cruises Resume in 2021?
Source: CruiseHive. www.cruisehive.com/

We’re now well into 2021 and Spring is fast approaching but almost all cruise operations around the world remain on hold. So, when will cruises resume?
The Situation Right Now
The situation so far is that almost all cruises globally are suspended and will only restart depending on the authorities in each country, new health measures, and travel restrictions. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has already announced a 40-page framework on a Conditional Sailing Order for cruises in the U.S.
Cruise Lines in the U.S. have already announced multiple rounds of suspensions since the voluntary pause first started back in March 2020. We already know that major cruise lines in the U.S. are waiting for additional guidance and technical details on a safe return to service. The situation remains very fluid and return dates are constantly being updated.
In Canada, the transportation authority has already surprisingly extended its ban on cruise ships for an entire year to February 28, 2022. In the UK, cruises are on hold into Summer 2021.
However, the UK’s Global Travel Taskforce first meeting was held on March 2 to discuss plans on reopening international travel including cruises. The plan is to be handed over to the UK Prime Minister on April 12 with the government finally finalizing the plan no earlier than May 17, 2021.
For operations in Australia, the situation does not look so promising. The Australian government has extended its ban on cruise ships until June 17, 2021. In Europe, there’s been a limited restart in Italy and Germany but operations were on hold temporarily due to the impact of the pandemic, some sailings are to resume.
Some cruise lines have recently started requiring guests to be vaccinated before any voyage and the same goes for crew members. The vaccine rollout could have an impact on return dates and possibly more cruise lines following this mandate trend.
When Each Cruise Line Plans on Resuming Operations
For the constantly changing list of when cruise lines will return to service which will likely be phased-in with a limited guest capacity and new health measures click here
The list was last updated: March 5, 2021

Macao's economy contracts 56.3% in 2020.
Source Global Times March 6 2021.
Exchange Rate: US$1.00 = 7.99 Patacas.

The local economy of Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) contracted by 56.3 percent in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, official data showed.
Macao's GDP and per capita GDP in 2020 was 194.4 billion patacas ($24.3 billion) and 285,314 patacas respectively, decreased from 434.7 billion patacas and 645,438 patacas of the previous year, according to the data released by local statistics and census service bureau on Friday.
The COVID-19 pandemic severely affected global economic activities in 2020, and Macao's economy, mainly driven by exports of services, was also hit hard, the bureau said in a report it published on the government website on Friday.
Macao's exports of gaming services and other tourism services, two local major service industries, suffered an 80.4-percent and 73.4-percent year-on-year decline respectively in 2020, according to the report.
The number of visitor arrivals to Macao fell by 85 percent in 2020 under the COVID-19 travel restrictions issued by various countries and regions falling from 39.4 million visitors in 2019 to 5.9 million in 2020.
The region's exports of goods, by contrast, soared by 128.9 percent year-on-year, the report said.
Internal demand also contracted in 2020, with local private consumption expenditure falling by 16.3 percent year-on-year as residents cut spending on shopping and traveling given the uncertainty of the economy amid the pandemic, said the report.
The region is nonetheless beginning to see hints of a gradual economic recovery from the pandemic. Statistics showed that local GDP contracted by 45.9 percent in the fourth quarter of 2020, a narrower decline than the previous quarter (-63.8 percent).
Macao has been slowly easing quarantine rules on visitors from the Chinese mainland, its biggest market. Starting from February 23, all travelers entering Macao from the mainland are exempted from the 14-day medical observation or self-health management.
There had been no local COVID-19 confirmed cases reported in Macao for 341 consecutive days as of Friday, according to data from the Macao SAR government.

Florida received 20,625,000 tourist arrivals in the fourth quarter of 2020, 66.9% of the total received in the fourth quarter of 2019.
Visit Florida’s Research Department recently announced that the state of Florida saw a 33.1% decline in the number of tourist arrivals in the fourth quarter of 2020, with total arrivals falling from 30,813,000 in the fourth quarter of 2019 to 20,625,000 arrivals in the fourth quarter of 2020. These numbers are preliminary and subject to change.
Domestic arrivals were down by 26.3%, from 27,172,000 arrivals in 2019 to 20,016,000 in the fourth quarter of 2020, while arrivals from Canada fell by 94.9% from 758,000 in the fourth quarter of 2019 to just 39,000 in the same quarter of 2020. Arrivals from overseas fell by 80.2% from 2,883,000 arrivals in the fourth quarter of 2019 to 570,000 in the same three months of 2020. Interestingly, In the fourth quarter of 2020, 71% of the state’s domestic visitors arrived by automobile, up from 55% the year before.
The 20,625,000 arrivals in the fourth quarter were 5.5% lower than the 21,828,000 arrivals received in the third quarter of 2020.
During calendar year 2020 Florida saw a 34.0% decrease in the number of tourist arrivals with total arrivals falling from 131,422,000 in 2019 to 86,715,000 arrivals in calendar year 2020.
Domestic arrivals were down by 29.7%, falling from 116,876,000 arrivals in CY 2019 to 82,192,000 in CY 2020, while arrivals from Canada fell by 64.5%, from 3,621,000 in CY 2019 to 1,286,000 in CY 2020. Arrivals from overseas fell by 70.4%, from 10,925,000 in CY 2019 to 3,237,000 in CY 2020.

Is It Ethical to Travel Internationally Before the World Is Vaccinated?
Caroline Bologna – HuffPost.
Here's what you should consider before dusting off your passport and visiting another country.
Many Americans are longing for the days when they could take a dream vacation to Paris, Bali, or even just over the border to Toronto. As vaccine availability increases in the U.S., people are feeling a glimmer of hope that international travel will be back on the table soon.
But even as more people get vaccinated and countries open up to American tourists, traveling abroad may remain inadvisable for a time, especially to places with less widespread vaccine access. As we move forward and start planning trips again, there are important factors to consider before grabbing our passports and jetting off.
HuffPost asked bioethicists, as well as public health and travel experts, to weigh in on the ethics of traveling abroad before vaccines have been widely administered worldwide. Read on for their thoughts.
We haven’t ruled out transmission risk.
“Individuals who are vaccinated have protection ― although not 100% protection ― against developing severe disease if infected with SARS-CoV-2,” said Amy McGuire, professor of biomedical ethics and director of the Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy at Baylor College of Medicine. “However, we are still generating evidence of how well different vaccines protect against transmission of the virus.”
It’s possible that vaccinated travelers could still transmit the virus to others, so until we have more data on how much vaccines reduce transmission risk, we can’t draw particularly meaningful conclusions about the ethics of travel in the coming weeks and months.
read more/...

IATA: From Bad to Worse: January Passenger Demand Falls Further.
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced that passenger traffic fell in January 2021, both compared to pre-COVID levels (January 2019) and compared to the immediate month prior (December 2020).
Because comparisons between 2021 and 2020 monthly results are distorted by the extraordinary impact of COVID-19, unless otherwise noted all comparisons are to January 2019 which followed a normal demand pattern.
Total demand in January 2021 (measured in revenue passenger kilometers or RPKs) was down 72.0% compared to January 2019. That was worse than the 69.7% year-over-year decline recorded in December 2020.
Total domestic demand was down 47.4% versus pre-crisis (January 2019) levels. In December it was down 42.9% on the previous year. This weakening is largely driven by stricter domestic travel controls in China over the Lunar New Year holiday period.
International passenger demand in January was 85.6% below January 2019, a further drop compared to the 85.3% year-to-year decline recorded in December.
“2021 is starting off worse than 2020 ended and that is saying a lot. Even as vaccination programs gather pace, new COVID variants are leading governments to increase travel restrictions. The uncertainty around how long these restrictions will last also has an impact on future travel. Forward bookings in February this year for the Northern Hemisphere summer travel season were 78% below levels in February 2019,” said Alexandre de Juniac, IATA’s Director General and CEO.
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Orlando saw a 47.7 percentage point decline in average room occupancy in December 2020 to 39.7%.
According to STR Orlando had 128,000 hotel rooms in December 2020 and achieved an average city-wide room occupancy of 39.7%, down 47.7 percentage points compared with December 2019 (87.1%), and an ADR of $96.78, down 28.7% compared with December 2019 ($135.74).
In calendar year 2020 Orlando achieved an average city-wide room occupancy of 41.5%, down 45.5 percentage points compared with 2019 (87.0%) and an ADR of $109.74, down 13.4% compared with 2019 ($126.72).

Mexico received 656,684 international air arrivals in January, down 32.6% compared with December 2020.
According to the Government of Mexico’s SECTUR (Department of Tourism) Mexico received 656,684 international air arrivals in January 2021 down 32.6% compared with the 974,975 arrivals received in December 2020.
The 656,684 international air arrivals received in January 2021 were 36.8% of the 1,784,198 received in January 2020.
The volume of air arrivals from the USA fell by 47.9% in January, from 879,610 in January 2020 to 458,651 in January 2021, with the volume from Canada falling by 93.6%, from 369,363 in January 2020 to 23,585 in January 2021.
The 458,651 visitors received from the USA in January was 39.4% less than the 756,755 visitors received from the USA in December 2020.
Cancun Airport saw a 58.7% decrease in international air arrivals in January 2021, falling from 738,933 arrivals in January 2020 to 305,516 arrivals in January 2021, while Los Cabos saw a 56.6% decrease falling from 166,549 international arrivals in January 2020 to 72,204 international air arrivals in January 2021. Puerto Vallarta saw a 75.6% decrease, falling from 196,302 international arrivals in January 2020 to 47,976 in January 2021.

Orlando’s Airports saw an 84.5% drop in international deplanements in January 2021.
Orlando, Florida is served by two primary airports, Orlando International (MCO) and Sanford International Airport (SFB).
In January 2021, the two airports combined saw a drop of 84.5% in international deplanements, falling from 295,318 deplanements from international airports in January 2020 to 45,823 international deplanements in January 2021. Orlando International saw an 84.4% decline, while Sanford International saw a 96.9% drop. Orlando International handled 99.2% of all international deplanements.
International deplanements made up 4.6% of the total deplanements in January 2021, down from 12.9% of all such deplanements in January 2020.
The two airports combined also saw a 52.3% drop in domestic deplanements, that is from airports within the USA, falling from 1,990,373 domestic deplanements in January 2020 to 948,499 in January 2021. Orlando International saw a 52.2% drop in domestic deplanements while Sanford saw a 54.3% decline.
The two airports combined saw a 56.5% drop in total deplanements, falling from 2,285,691 deplanements in January 2020 to 994,322 in January 2021.

Montego Bay Airport saw 75,600 total passenger movements in February 2021, 17.7% of the total achieved in February 2020.
According to Aeroportuario del Pacifico, which manages many of Mexico’s airports and which also manages the airports in Montego Bay and Kingston, Jamaica, saw the total number of passenger movements, that is both enplanements and deplanements, at Montego Bay Airport decrease by 82.3% in February 2021, falling from 426,700 total movements in February 2020 to 75,600 movements in February 2021.
The total number of passenger movements in February 2021 was 24.1% less than in January 2021.
Through the first two months of 2021 Montego Bay Airport saw total passenger movements fall 79.9%, from 872,400 in 2020 to 175,300 in the first two months of 2021.
In 2021 international passenger movements made up 100.0% of all passenger movements.

Los Cabos handled 130,400 international passenger movements in February 2021, down 24.2% from the 172,000 international passengers handled in January 2021.
According to Aeroportuario del Pacifico , which manages many of Mexico’s airports, Los Cabos Airport saw a 63.7% decline in international passenger traffic in February 2021, that is enplanements and deplanements, falling from 359,500 international passenger movements in February 2020 to 130,400 international passenger movements in February 2021. Domestic traffic declined by 23.3%, falling from 134,100 passenger movements in February 2020 to 102,900 passenger movements in February 2021.
The 130,400 international passenger movements seen in February 2021 were 13.3% lower than the 172,000 international movements handled in January 2021 and 34.3% lower than the 198,400 international movements handled in December 2020.
Through the first two months of 2021 Los Cabos Airport saw international passenger movements fall 57.7%, from 714,300 in 2020 to 302,500 in the first two months of 2021. Domestic passenger movements fell by 21.6% in the first two months of 2021, from 286,300 in 2020 to 224,500 in the first two months of 2021.
Regarding the operations of the Los Cabos airport in Mexico, the Government of Mexico has not issued any flight restrictions, however, it has strongly recommended that only essential activities are performed and for persons to avoid as much as possible to leave home, which has caused the cancellation of a large volume of national and international flights. As well, in January 2021 the Government of Canada suspended all non-stop flights from Canada to Mexico and the Government of the USA implemented a requirement that all visitors to the USA and returning residents needed to show evidence of a negative RT-PCR test,

The Maldives reports it received 92,103 visitor arrivals in January, down 4.5% compared with December 2020.
The Maldives Government’s Ministry of Tourism recently announced that The Maldives received 92,103 stopover visitors in January after having reopened its borders on July 15th 2021. This was 53.1% of the 173,347 stopover visitors the country received in January 2020.
The 92,103 stopovers received in January was 4,309 (4.5%) lower than the 96,412 stopovers received in December 2020.
In January Russia generated 20,973 of the 92,103 overall stopovers (22.8%) while India generated 19,135 (20.8%) followed by the Ukraine (7,210) and Kazakhstan (4,434). Traffic from Russia was up by 67.4% compared with January 2020 while traffic from India grew by 38.2%.
Traffic from China plunged from 31,744 visitors in January 2020 to just 122 visitors in January 2021.
The Maldives saw the overall number of accommodation establishments in operation fall by 34.6% from 941 in January 2020 to 615 establishments in January 2021. The number of beds fell by 13.2% from 50,679 in January 2020 to 43,994 in January 2021. Through the end of January overall average room occupancy had fallen by 15.3 percentage points, from 72.7% in January 2020 to 57.4% in January 2021.
Of the 615 establishments in operation 144 were resorts which offered 33,846 beds (76.9% of the overall number of beds). These resorts achieved a 67.6% average room occupancy during January 2021 down from 83.2% during January 2020. In January 2020 there were 155 resorts in operation offering 36,094 beds.

Mauritius announces it received 1,232 stopover visitors in January 2021.
The Mauritius Government’s Ministry of Finance and Economic Development recently announced that total stopover arrivals fell by 99.1% in January 2021, from 137,419 arrivals in January 2020 to 1,232 arrivals in January 2021. This number includes both air and sea stopover visitors.
The 1,232 stopovers were 18.2% higher than the 1,042 stopovers received in December 2020.
France continued to be the number one source market in January generating 313 stopovers, followed by India (124 stopovers) and the Philippines (103 stopovers). These three markets comprised 43.8% of all stopover arrivals.
Of the 1,232 stopovers, 1,185 arrived by air and 47 by sea.

Saint Lucia received 6,357 stopover visitors in January 2021, 18.9% of the total received in January 2020.
According to the Saint Lucia Tourism Authority, Saint Lucia saw the volume of stopover arrivals decrease by 81.1% in January 2021, falling from 33,675 arrivals in January 2020 to 6,357 arrivals in January 2021.
Stopover arrivals from the USA fell by 64.2%, from 14,842 visitors in January 2020 to 5,317 visitors in January 2021 and by 90.7% from the U.K., falling from 6,467 arrivals in January 2020 to 602 arrivals in January 2021.
The 6,357 stopovers 14,384 stopovers received in January 2021 were 55.8% lower than the 14,384 stopovers received in December 2020.
There were no cruise calls to Saint Lucia in January 2021, with the number of cruise passengers falling from 149,068 in January 2020 to zero in January 2021.

Grenada reports it received 759 stopover arrivals in January 2021, 5.2% of the total received in January 2020.
According to the Grenada Tourism Authority, Grenada saw the volume of stopover arrivals decrease by 94.8% in January 2021, falling from 14,559 stopover arrivals in January 2020 to 759 stopover arrivals in January 2021.
The number of visitors arriving by yacht decreased by 96.1% falling from 3,628 visitors in January 2020 to 140 in January of this year.
The 759 stopovers received in January 2021 were 61.4% fewer than the 1,965 stopovers received in December 2020.
Arrivals from the USA decreased by 92.7% in January 2021, falling from 6,440 arrivals in January 2020 to 467 arrivals in January 2021 while arrivals from the U.K. declined by 98.7% in January 2021, falling from 2,755 stopovers in January 2020 to 36 stopovers in January 2021. Traffic from the United Kingdom was banned as of December 22 2020.
There were no cruise calls to Grenada in January 2021, with the number of cruise passengers falling from 75,058 in January 2020 to zero in January 2021.

Costa Rica Is Encouraging Visitors to Offset Their Trip’s Carbon Footprint
Costa Rica is encouraging tourists to offset their trip’s carbon emissions. Everything from flights to activities while on holidays can be logged into a carbon calculator that reveals their net carbon footprint and its costs. The visitors can then invest the sum into reforestation efforts or other regional sustainability initiatives.
The project, known as Fonafifo, is a collaboration between the National Forest Financing Fund and the Costa Rican Tourism Institute. It aims to support local environmental projects that promote sustainability while nurturing local culture and economic prospects.
All the funds will go towards natural regeneration, tree planting, agroforestry, and protecting hydrographic basins. The money will be managed by a national program directed by Fonafifo called the Payment of Environmental Services Program (PSA) – which works directly with conservation groups, organizations, farms, and landowners who have joined the program.
The Central American nation is well-known for being a country that prizes sustainability. It has more than doubled its tree cover since the eighties – from 21% to 54%. It has pledged to become net-zero carbon by 2050. It already generates nearly 100% of its nationwide electricity demand using renewable energy year-round.
It also banned Styrofoam containers and set a target to become the world’s first plastic-free country.
The country may be small, but it’s home to over 6% of Earth’s recorded biodiversity. That’s why conservation schemes and national parks protect 26% of its forests.
read more/...

Hawaii reports the state received 171,976 out-of-state tourists in January 2021, 19.9% of the total received in January 2020.
According to the Hawaii Tourism Authority, Hawaii saw the volume of air arrivals decrease by 80.1% in January 2021, falling from 852,037 air arrivals in January 2020 to 171,976 air arrivals in January 2021.
The 171,976 air arrivals received in January were 27.1% less than the 235,793 received in December 2020.
Air arrivals from the USA fell by 70.5%, from 552,578 in January 2020 to 162,808 in January 2021, fell by 99.1% from Japan (from 128,686 arrivals in January 2020 to 1,165 air arrivals in January 2021). Air arrivals fell by 95.6% from Canada (from 65,123 to 2,898 air arrivals). There were no cruise ship calls in January 2021.
During January, most passengers arriving from out-of-state and traveling inter-county could bypass the State’s mandatory 10-day self-quarantine with a valid negative COVID-19 NAAT test result from a Trusted Testing Partner through the state’s Safe Travels program. All trans-Pacific travelers participating in the pre-travel testing program were required to have a negative test result before their departure to Hawai‘i. On December 2, 2020 Kaua‘i County temporarily suspended its participation in the state’s Safe Travels program, making it mandatory for all travelers to Kaua‘i to quarantine upon arrival. However, starting January 5, 2021 Kaua‘i County rejoined the Safe Travels program for inter-island arrivals, allowing inter-island travelers who have been in Hawai‘i for more than three days to bypass the quarantine with a valid test result. Also starting January 5 on Kaua‘i, trans-Pacific travelers were given the option of participating in a pre- and post-travel testing program at a “resort bubble” property as a way to shorten their time in quarantine. The counties of Hawai‘i, Maui and Kalawao (Moloka‘i) also had a partial quarantine in place in January.
Total visitor spending in January 2021 was $383.3 million, down 77.6% compared to January 2020. U.S. West visitors spent $225.7 million (-63.7%) in January, and their average daily spending was $153 per person (-17.7%). U.S. East visitors spent $137.9 million (-72.8%) and $167 per person, per day (-25.9%). Visitors from Japan spent $4.8 million (-97.4%), and their daily spending was $204 per person, per day (-15.2%). Visitors from Canada spent $14.9 million (-90.7%) and $172 per person (-2.1%) on a daily basis. Spending data for visitors from other markets were not available.

Las Vegas saw a 3.8% increase in visitors in January 2021 compared with December 2020.
According to the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority Las Vegas saw the volume of visitors increase by 3.8% in January 2021, growing from 1,247,200 arrivals in December 2020 to 1,294,800 in January of 2021.
The 1,294,800 arrivals in January 2021 was 63.5% lower than the 3,545,100 visitors received in January 2020.
Las Vegas had a weighted average of 145,308 open hotel rooms in January 2021 (down 3.1% compared with January 2020) and achieved an average city-wide room occupancy of 31.6% (down 54.3 percentage points compared with January 2020), an ADR of $90.71 (down 40.9 % compared with January 2020) and a RevPAR of $28.66 (down 78.2% also compared with January 2020).
Gaming revenue fell by 31.7% in January 2021 falling from $904.0 million in January 2020 to $617.29 million in January 2021.

In January 2021 Cancun saw its hotels achieve an average hotel room occupancy of 35.6%, down 11.5 percentage points from December 2020’s average room occupancy of 47.1%.
Sedetur, the Department of Tourism of the state of Quintana Roo, recently released the hotel occupancy numbers for the hotels in Cancun/Puerto Morelos and Riviera Maya for January 2021.
In January Cancun/Puerto Morelos saw a 45.2 percentage point drop in average hotel room occupancy from 80.8% in January 2020 to 35.6% in January 2021.
Cancun’s hotels saw an average occupancy of 47.1% in December and 43.7% in November 2020.
The hotels in Riviera Maya saw their average room occupancy fall by 54.4 percentage points from 79.5% in January 2020 to 25.1% in January 2021. The hotels in Riviera Maya saw an average occupancy of 30.2% in December and 27.7% in November 2020.
Riviera Maya/Tulum has 48,200 hotel rooms while the Cancun/Puerto Morelos area has 42,910 hotel rooms.

Belize received 6,908 stopover visitors in January 2021, down 25.0% from the 9,213 received in December 2020.
According to the Belize Tourism Board, Belize received 6,908 stopover visitors in January 2021, down 25.0% from the 9,213 received in December 2020 and just 14.2% of the 48,554 stopovers received in January 2020.
Stopover arrivals from the USA fell by 82.0% from 29,548 in January 2020 to 5,311 in January 2021. Stopover arrivals from Canada fell by 95.3% from 5,648 in January 2020 to 265 in January this year while stopover visitors from Europe fell by 96.8%, from 6,296 in January 2020 to 203 in January 2021.
There were no cruise visitors in January 2021 as Belize remained closed to cruise ships.

Over 60 percent fewer air passengers in the Caribbean Netherlands.
In 2020, nearly 183 thousand air passengers travelled to and from the airports of the Caribbean Netherlands. This is 60 percent less than in 2019, when there were more than 457 thousand. The total number of flights (12.6 thousand) was down by over 50 percent year-on-year. Almost 88 percent of the air passengers to and from the Caribbean Netherlands travelled via the airport of Bonaire. This is evident from new figures released by Statistics Netherlands (CBS).
Passenger traffic to and from Bonaire was 58.3 percent down on 2019. On St Eustatius and Saba, the number of air passengers declined by 68.7 and 70.5 percent respectively.
Sharp drop in air traffic following COVID-19 measures
During the first two months of 2020, the airports of Bonaire, St Eustatius and Saba saw a total of 4.3 thousand aircraft movements, i.e. a year-on-year increase of 3.9 percent. This was mainly due to a higher number of flights to and from Bonaire, from 2.5 to 2.7 thousand. The measures implemented in March 2020 to combat the coronavirus crisis were clearly visible in the subsequent months. Total air traffic in 2020 stood at 49.2 percent of the number in 2019.
Of the three overseas Dutch airports, Flamingo Airport on Bonaire has the highest number of aircraft movements and passengers. Last year, the number of flights at this airport fell by 50.5 percent: from 15.7 to 7.8 thousand. F.D. Roosevelt Airport on St Eustatius and Juancho E. Yrausquin on Saba recorded a year-on-year decline of 53.5 and 47.4 percent respectively.
Most passengers flying to and from Bonaire
On 14 March 2020, Bonaire, St Eustatius and Saba closed their airspace for inbound passenger traffic from Europe and from other high-risk countries. In April and May, when there were only a limited number of repatriation flights, barely one thousand passengers travelled to and from these three islands. In the same period one year previously, this was 76.3 thousand, representing a 98.7-percent decrease. As of 1 July, a limited number of tourists were admitted to Bonaire, which led to a higher number of air passengers in July and August. Nevertheless, passenger numbers on this island were 58.0 and 51.3 percent lower respectively relative to the months of July and August 2019.
In 2020, a total of 160.5 thousand air passengers passed through the terminals of Flamingo Airport on Bonaire, accounting for 87.8 percent of all air passenger traffic to and from the Caribbean Netherlands that year. The airports of St Eustatius and Saba handled 13.2 and 9.0 thousand passengers respectively.

Original article with data tables and graphs.
https://www.cbs.nl/en-gb/news/2021/08/over-60-percent-fewer-air-passengers-in-the-caribbean-netherlands

Cayman Islands could limit cruise ships in shift to ‘more balanced’ tourism.
The Cayman Islands appears to have hit a breaking point when it comes to cruise tourism.
Speaking at a briefing on Tuesday, the premier of the self-governing British Overseas Territory, Alden McLaughlin, said his government was likely to place limits on the number of cruise ships and cruisers that can visit the island destination when cruising resumes — a major policy shift that will have ramifications for more than half a dozen major cruise lines.
McLaughlin suggested that residents of the Cayman Islands, including business leaders, had made it clear they want a more balanced approach to tourism.
“I think we have a very clear signal from just about every source that … we can survive without those large numbers [of cruisers] and … we need more balance. We need to not overwhelm the systems that we have by [the] sheer volume of people.”
Home to just 64,948 people, the Cayman Islands draws more than 1.8 million cruisers a year who arrive on hundreds of cruise vessels. At times, four or even five large cruise ships will visit the destination in a single day, depositing more than 10,000 cruise tourists in the destination’s capital, George Town.
In addition to cruisers, the Cayman Islands draws resort vacationers who come for such resort properties as the Kimpton Seafire Resort. (Photo by Scott Mayerowitz/The Points Guy)
Only two other Caribbean destinations — the U.S. Virgin Islands and Cozumel, Mexico — receive more cruisers in a year.
McLaughlin suggested that the limits on cruisers that his government may impose wouldn’t just be a short-term measure related to ongoing efforts to keep the island safe from COVID-19. It would be a permanent shift in the destination’s tourism focus.
“We are trying to diversify the whole tourism industry,” McLaughlin said. “What I foresee … is less focus on growing cruise tourism.”
McLaughlin also announced that his government had decided not to proceed with the development of a cruise ship dock for Grand Cayman Island, something that has been controversial in the Caymans. The announcement marks a sharp about-face for McLaughlin and his government, which had supported the dock development until now.
The experience of living without cruise ships for the past year, McLaughlin suggested, has shown Cayman Islands residents and its leaders that they could survive without mass cruise tourism.
All cruise ship sailings to the Cayman Islands stopped in February 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic and have yet to resume.
“I think there is a silver lining always somewhere if you look hard enough for it,” McLaughlin said, referencing the coronavirus pandemic. “Having had to do without cruise tourism for a year, I think, has told us what the consequences of that [are].”
The islands will need to find new work for residents involved in cruise tourism whose jobs might be affected by a decline in ship visits, he added.
“Obviously, we still have significant numbers of our people who are unemployed or underemployed [due to the lack of cruise ship arrivals], because that was what their focus was, and we have to continue to find ways to give them the opportunities that they had or better for making a living,” he said. “But I think it is the clear signal that we have from the business community [and] from local people that we don’t want to go back to the large number of [cruise] visits.”
McLaughlin’s government faces an election in April. If it loses the election, decisions on future cruise tourism would fall to a different administration. But even if that happens, McLaughlin said a tourism strategy focused on fewer cruisers was likely to happen anyway.
“It is probably the only logical position that any government can come to,” he said.
He did add that cruise tourism wouldn’t be going away. It would just be capped.
“I’m not suggesting for a moment that we do away with cruise tourism, but that we cap the numbers so that our current system can accommodate [cruisers] in a better way, and the experience for those who do visit can be better.”
Major cruise lines that regularly send ships to the Cayman Islands include Carnival Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean, Princess Cruises, Celebrity Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line, MSC Cr uises and Holland America.
A spokesperson for the main trade group for the cruise industry, the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Hawaii’s hotels report a 60.2 percentage point drop in average room occupancy in January from 83.5% to 23.3%
According to the Hawai‘i Hotel Performance Report published by the Hawai‘i Tourism Authority (HTA), statewide hotel room occupancy fell by 60.2 percentage points from 83.5% in January 2020 to 23.3% in January 2021. ADR fell by 20.2% from $314.77 to $251.30 while RevPAR fell by 77.8%, from $262.81 in January 2020 to $58.47 in January 2021.
The 23.3% occupancy achieved in January was 0.5 percentage points lower than the 23.8% achieved in December 2020 and 1.2 points higher than the 22.1% achieved in November 2020.
HTA’s Tourism Research Division issued the report’s findings utilizing data compiled by STR, Inc., which conducts the largest and most comprehensive survey of hotel properties in the Hawaiian Islands. For January, the survey included 145 properties representing 42,614 rooms, or 80.2 percent of all lodging properties and 85.5 percent of operating lodging properties with 20 rooms or more in the Hawaiian Islands, including full service, limited service, and condominium hotels.
In January, Hawai‘i hotel room revenues statewide fell by 79.5% to $90.4 million, down from $441.7 million in January 2020. Room demand was 74.4% lower than the same period of 2020. Room supply was only 8.0% lower year-over-year as properties continued to bring rooms back in service. If occupancy for January 2021 was calculated based on the room supply from January 2020, occupancy would be 21.5 percent for the month.
During January, most passengers arriving from out-of-state and traveling inter-county could bypass the State’s mandatory 10-day self-quarantine with a valid negative COVID-19 NAAT test result from a Trusted Testing Partner through the state’s Safe Travels program. However, all trans-Pacific travelers participating in the pre-travel testing program were required to have a negative test result before their departure to Hawai‘i.
On December 2, Kaua‘i County temporarily suspended its participation in the state’s Safe Travels program, making it mandatory for all travelers to Kaua‘i to quarantine upon arrival. However, starting January 5, Kaua‘i County rejoined the Safe Travels program for inter-island arrivals, allowing inter-island travelers who have been in Hawai‘i for more than three days to bypass the quarantine with a valid test result.
Also starting January 5 on Kaua‘i, trans-Pacific travelers were given the option of participating in a pre- and post-travel testing program at a “resort bubble” property as a way to shorten their time in quarantine. The counties of Hawai‘i, Maui and Kalawao (Moloka‘i) also had a partial quarantine in place in January.

Montego Bay Airport saw 99,600 total passenger movements in January 2021, 22.3% of the total achieved in January 2020.
According to Aeroportuario del Pacifico, which manages many of Mexico’s airports and which also manages the airports in Montego Bay and Kingston, Jamaica, saw the total number of passenger movements, that is both enplanements and deplanements, at Montego Bay Airport decrease by 77.7% in January 2021, falling from 445,700 total movements in January 2020 to 99,600 movements in January 2021.
Montego Bay Airport handled 48,000 total passenger movements in September, 75,600 in October, 87,800 in November and 122,000 in December 2020. The total number of passenger movements in January 2021 was 18.4% less than in December 2020.
In 2021 international passenger movements made up 100.0% of all passenger movements.

Los Cabos handled 172,000 international passenger movements in January 2021, down 13.3% from the 198,400 international passengers handled in December 2020.
According to Aeroportuario del Pacifico , which manages many of Mexico’s airports, Los Cabos Airport saw a 51.5% decline in international passenger traffic in January 2021, that is enplanements and deplanements, falling from 354,800 international passenger movements in January 2020 to 172,000 international passenger movements in January 2021. Domestic traffic declined by 20.1%, falling from 152,100 passenger movements in January 2020 to 121,600 passenger movements in January 2021.
The 172,000 international passenger movements seen in January 2021 were 13.3% lower than the 198,400 international movements handled in December 2020.
Regarding the operations of the Los Cabos airport in Mexico, the Government of Mexico has not issued any flight restrictions, however, it has strongly recommended that only essential activities are performed and for persons to avoid as much as possible to leave home, which has caused the cancellation of a large volume of national and international flights. As well, in January 2021 the Government of Canada suspended all non-stop flights from Canada to Mexico and the Government of the USA implemented a requirement that all visitors to the USA and returning residents needed to show evidence of a negative RT-PCR test,

IMF publishes 115 page report on Tourism in the Post-Pandemic World Economic Challenges and Opportunities for Asia-Pacific and the Western Hemisphere
On February 19th the IMF published a 115 page departmental paper which analyzes the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on tourism in the Asia Pacific region, Latin America, and Caribbean countries. Many tourism dependent economies in these regions, including small states in the Pacific and the Caribbean, entered the pandemic with limited fiscal space, inadequate external buffers, and foreign exchange revenues extremely concentrated in tourism. The empirical analysis leverages on an augmented gravity model to draw lessons from past epidemics and finds that the impact of infectious diseases on tourism flows is much greater in developing countries than in advanced economies.
Read more and for full report click here.

Seychelles eyes partly reopening to all tourists from March.
Mahe - Seychelles is partly on target to achieve its objective of vaccinating 70 percent of its local population in order to reopen its doors to visitors from anywhere in the world mid March, said a top health official.
As of February 17, close to 41 840 people have received their first dose of vaccine which represents 60 percent of the 70 000 population target. As for the second dose, 19 513 people have taken them which is 28 percent of the target.
"When we talk about herd immunity this is what we are looking at and to be able to reach 65 to 70 percent, we need to vaccinate most adults and, when the vaccine is available for children, we will be able to vaccinate a portion of this population," said the Public Health Commissioner, Jude Gedeon, in a press conference on Thursday.
Achieving herd immunity will allow Seychelles, an archipelago in the western Indian Ocean, to re-launch its tourism industry, scheduled to take place mid-March.
Gedeon said that while in some parts Seychelles is on target, however, this also depends on how people come forward to get vaccinated and how they respond in the industry in terms of preparation.
He said that the island nation is not performing too badly when it comes to the number of people being vaccinated "but we could have done better with some adjustments and more cooperation coming from the public."
"It also depends on the speed at which people are vaccinated globally. We think that with the local situation and that of other countries we will be able to relaunch the industry faster," he added.
This week, Seychelles recorded its 10th death related to Covid-19, and the number of infected persons is rising, even as the island nation continues to roll out its vaccination programme.
The chief executive of the Health Care Agency, Danny Louange, said that "when we look at the fatality rate for the cases that we have registered and considering that Seychelles has a small population, the mortality is quite high."
"This gives an indication that the number of cases is still increasing and this is why we are asking people to stay safe and continue observing measures put in place. If we can reduce the number of people being infected, it will reduce the number of deaths," said Louange.
Gedeon said that "if we look at it in terms of the lifetime of the outbreak, 10 deaths out of 2 211 infected represent less than one percent. The mortality rate globally is between two and three percent in most countries."
Seychelles has presently 594 active cases, most of them on the main island, Mahe, with 62 on Praslin and 53 on La Digue, the second and third most populated islands respectively.
The Public Health Commissioner said that Seychelles need to be cautious of the different variants that are being detected in different countries and this is a threat.
"With each new variant, we are unsure of whether the vaccine administered will be effective against it. We do not know if it will be more aggressive. These are the unknowns that we need to live with and this is why we need to keep the precautionary
Seychelles rolled out its vaccination programme on January 10 and two vaccines are being administered, the Chinese Sinopharm and the Covishield AstraZeneca.

American Airlines shifts focus from Canada to the Caribbean through 2021
Airlines have been busy adjusting schedules to fly places where people are actually going.
The latest move comes from American Airlines, which is pulling out of three Canadian cities while boosting flights to the Caribbean.
With Canada largely closed for the foreseeable future, American is suspending service to Halifax (YHZ), Ottawa (YOW) and Quebec (YQB) for the entirety of 2021, per Cirium schedules and later confirmed by the carrier.
Ottawa is typically a year-round market for American, with multiple daily services from its Philadelphia (PHL) hub. AA hasn’t flown to Canada’s capital since June 2020, and the previous plans were to resume flights one year later, in June 2021. Now, the carrier is throwing in the towel on the route through 2021, at the earliest.
As for Halifax and Quebec, both are seasonal summer markets for American, with a mix of flights from Chicago (ORD), Philadelphia (PHL) and New York/LaGuardia (LGA). AA was scheduled to resume those flights come June, but that’s been scrapped for 2021.
All the idled planes mean that American (and its competitors) can quickly boost service to destinations where pandemic-weary flyers are actually traveling, like the Caribbean, Florida and national parks.
To that end, AA will double down on the Caribbean by adding a daily flight to three island destinations from its Miami (MIA) hub, with details as follows:

Miami (MIA) to Port-au-Prince, Haiti (PAP) going from 3x/day to 4/x day from Aug. 17 to Nov. 6
Miami (MIA) to St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands (STT) going from 3x/day to 4x/day from May 6 – June 2

American’s Airbus A319 service from New York-JFK to St. Thomas will also get a big boost. Instead of seasonal service ending on Aug. 17, AA will continue flying the route through Nov. 6, at the earliest, indicating strong demand to the U.S. Virgin Islands.
This push to outdoor, warm-weather destinations comes as travelers are looking for safer alternatives to indoor-focused trips. American has been quick to beef up service to such places, as well as those with strong VFR (visiting friends and relatives) traffic.
In early February, the airline unveiled a major Miami-focused expansion, adding two new pins to its route map — Paramaribo, Suriname (PBM) and Samana, Dominican Republic (AZS) — in a move described as “opportunistic” by American’s vice president of network planning, Brian Znotins.
In addition to a new long-haul flight to Tel Aviv, AA will significantly grow its short-haul international flying from Miami. To capitalize on the strong VFR traffic to Latin America and the Caribbean, American is adding frequency and upgauging aircraft to many existing destinations, with a plan to offer 16% more capacity to the region from Miami compared to 2019.
As part of American’s new Northeast alliance with JetBlue, the carrier is also adding once-weekly Saturday flights to St. Lucia (UVF) and Turks and Caicos (PLS), both from New York-JFK, designed to capture “sun-seeking customers.”
All in, Cirium schedules show that American plans roughly 15% fewer flights to Canada and 10% more flights to the Caribbean from May through July compared to the pre-pandemic highs of 2019.

Aruba Airport Authority reports 46,548 departing passengers in January, 42.1% of the total achieved in January 2020.
The Aruba Airport Authority (AAA) reports that in January 46,548 Revenue Generating Passengers (RGPs) travelled out of the Queen Beatrix International Airport (AUA Airport) to the various markets. This was 21.7% more than the 38,242 RGPs handled in December 2020 and 42.1% of the total handled in January 2020.
A revenue generating passenger is an outbound traveler leaving Aruba and includes tourists returning to their homes as well as Arubans departing for trips overseas.
The airport also handled 3,830 passengers in transit and 22 transferring passengers.
In January 2021 36,277 passengers (pax) travelled to the US (down 54.4% compared with January 2020), 770 pax to Canada (down 87.5%), 4,552 pax to Europe (down 29.6%), 3,292 pax to Latin America (down 73.1%) and 1,657 pax to the Dutch Caribbean (down 72.3%).
The airlines provided 90,099 outbound seats in January 2021, down 36.1% compared with the 141,016 seats provided in January 2020.
Airlines flying to the USA in January experienced an average load factor of 55.8% down 34.1 percentage points compared with the 89.9% load factor experienced in January 2020. Flights to Canada averaged a 53.5% load factor (down 33.1 percentage points) while flights to Europe averaged a 60.1% load factor, down 35.5 percentage points compared with January 2020.
The Aruba Airport Authority also reported that as of mid-February 2021 seat capacity to Aruba in the first three months of 2021 will total 269,779 seats, down 31.2% compared to the 392,240 seats offered in the first quarter of 2020.The AAA indicated that seat capacity will increase by 27.4% in the second quarter of 2021 to 343,950 seats, compared with the 269,779 seats offered in the first quarter. They pointed out these numbers are subject to change.
Seat capacity from the USA is projected to be 218,175 seats in the first quarter of 2021, down 14.7% compared with the 255,721 seats offered in the first quarter of 2020. Seat capacity from the USA is projected to increase by 30.9% in the second quarter of 2021 compared with the first quarter, to 285,589 seats.

Costa Rica received 62,200 stopover arrivals in January 2021, down 17.0% compared with December 2020.
According to the Costa Rica Institute of Tourism ICT, Costa Rica received 62,200 stopovers in January 2021, 17.3% of the 358,665 stopovers received in January 2020 and down 17.0% compared with the 74,974 stopovers received in December 2020.
Visitors entering Costa Rica are required to complete a Health Pass and to show evidence of or purchase adequate health insurance on arrival. As of October 26th 2020, Costa Rica eliminated the need for visitors to show evidence of a negative RT-PCR test.
The number of stopovers from the USA fell by 73.3% in January 2021, falling from 136,807 stopovers in January 2020 to 36,567 stopovers in January 2021 while the number from Central America declined by 96.0%, from 87,061 stopovers in January 2020 to 3,479 in January 2021.
Visitors from the USA comprised 58.8% of all tourist arrivals in January 2021, up from 38.1% in January 2020, while visitors from Central America comprised just 5.6%, down from 24.3% in January 2020.

Coronavirus: Tourism thrives in Mexico against the odds
2020 was a disastrous year for tourism. But with some exceptions: in the midst of the pandemic, Mexico ranks third among the world's most visited countries, after Italy and France.
Even as the coronavirus pandemic continues, Mexico is open for tourism.
Since December, planes have been taking off and landing at Cancun International Airport every five minutes. It is high season in the Mexican seaside resort on the Caribbean coast. Lufthansa expanded its schedule and added the Mexican tourist hotspot in October — despite COVID-19.
Tourists from Europe and North America are flocking to the beaches and standing in line to admire the Mayan pyramids. Hotel and restaurant owners are relieved. It seems the pull of a sandy beach is enough to eclipse alarming press reports about crowded intensive care units and rising infections in Mexico, where 174,000 people have died from COVID-19 so far. According to the latest preliminary statistics from the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), Mexico was Latin America's most visited destination in 2020, moving up to third place worldwide, after Italy and France.
Open borders and visits home
The reasons for this are manifold. Mexico never closed its borders and is still one of the few countries in the world that does not require a negative PCR test upon entry. President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has ruled out lockdowns, instead putting the economy first. Another reason is the fact that Mexican migrants came home to visit their families at Christmas time.
read more/...

Leisure Travel’s Recovery Is Being Held Back by The Lack Of Standardized Testing And Foreign Entry Rules
Dan Reed Senior Contributor Forbes Magazine.
The slow pace of development of a single global system for tracking and certifying the Covid-19 vaccination status of the world’s 7.8 billion people is delaying the beginning of a meaningful recovery of air travel demand.
No one is expecting the deeply depressed demand for business travel to begin recovering until late this year, and probably not even then. But the overall travel industry - including not just airlines but also hotels and other accommodations, attractions, convention and trade show facilities, resorts and restaurants – desperately is hoping to see the beginnings of a significant pickup in leisure-oriented travel this spring or summer. True, leisure travelers spend far less money on average than business travelers, but their typically huge numbers could help cash-starved travel service companies staunch the flow of red ink, bring back many of their laid-off workers and keep some of them out of bankruptcy.
Yet, even people who are tired of being cooped up by the pandemic, and who are eager to travel for fun again, likely won’t do so in large numbers until the industry and various governments settle on a clear set of virus testing protocols and rules for crossing international, or even state borders. That’s according to a new study from travel consultancy IdeaWorks called 2021: How Airlines and Travelers Will Adapt as the Pandemic Recedes. The study is the second in a series from IdeaWorks. It is on a deep analysis of historical trends in human responses to major pandemics as far back as the 12th Century, and on an analysis of current efforts to rekindle travel demand and the challenges that must be overcome to achieve that goal.
In the consulting firm’s first report in the series, issued Dec. 1, it suggested that somewhere between 19% and 36% percent of the business travel traffic aboard the world’s airlines prior to the pandemic may never come back at all, or at least will take many years to do so. That’s because of adaptations businesses have made and continue to make in the absence of their ability to travel. The use of video conferencing tools like Zoom, Microsoft Teams and others, new ways of providing support, sales and training services online rather than in person, and other behavioral changes will continue to erode demand for certain types of business travel, according to that first report.
Now, the latest report says, “There is a need to distribute vaccines as quickly as possible.” But “much of the world is unprepared for electronic health passports from technical and cultural perspectives,” the report says. “Creating a mobile application (to serve as an electronic health passport) is doable and deliverable. However, feeding that system with verified data from field locations throughout an entire country is a significant hurdle. This is an admirable and beneficial objective, but one that won’t be meaningfully achieved during 2021.”
For the full Ideaworks Report and to read more click here

Expedia Group Releases Trends and Predictions for 2021
On February 16 2021, the Expedia Group released its 2021 Travel Trends Report, highlighting the critical role travel will play in bringing people together following nearly a year of relative isolation.
The report* contains findings from a study of 2,200 Americans in partnership with data intelligence firm Morning Consult, which explored how COVID-19 has influenced trip plans and the way consumers feel about travel in the year ahead. In combination with proprietary data from Brand Expedia®, Expedia Group™ Media Solutions, Travelocity®, and Vrbo®, the report provides a broad outlook on travel and industry recovery in 2021.
“Our latest research demonstrates that people miss traveling and long to reconnect with their friends, family, and colleagues,” said Anni Murphy, Corporate Communications Manager at Expedia Group. “Once circumstances related to the pandemic have stabilized, people plan to take more extended trips, and they’re budgeting a significant amount of money for travel. Pent-up demand indicates even the travel sectors hit hardest by COVID-19 may start to recover sooner than expected. This is a positive signal not only for travel, but also for broader economic recovery, and the communities across the globe that rely on tourism.”
Key findings from Expedia Group’s 2021 Travel Trends Report include:

Initiatives to reduce the spread of COVID-19 will fuel travel industry recovery
Almost half of the respondents are more likely to travel when a COVID-19 vaccine is widely available.
42% said recent news regarding the vaccine made them more hopeful about travel, or drove them to book an upcoming trip.
Travelers will take more trips and extend their vacations
44% will take more trips in 2021 than 2020, with younger generations traveling the most overall.
More than one in three respondents said their next trip will be a week, or longer.
Consumer spending will be high in 2021
People are saving $3,444 on average for their next trip, but Millennials plan to spend significantly more.
Cities will make a comeback
Flight demand data on Brand Expedia show Americans plan to visit destinations like New York City and Los Angeles.
Travel will serve as a force for good
63% said travel creates greater cultural understanding, while 56% reported that travel is healing.

For the full 2021 Travel Trends Report click here

Seychelles tourism revenues down 61% in 2020 due to COVID, finance minister says
NAIROBI, Feb 16 (Reuters) - Seychelles’ revenues from tourism fell 61% last year because of the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, which cut tourist arrivals by 70%, its finance minister said on Tuesday.
Seychelles’ economy relies heavily on tourism, which was hard hit in 2020 as COVID-19 led to travel restrictions worldwide to contain its spread.
Finance Minister Naadir Hassan was quoted on state-run Seychelles News Agency as saying the sector’s 2020 revenues were down by about $322 million, with visitor numbers falling by 70.1% to 114,858 from 384,204 in 2019.
Hassan said this in turn had led to tax revenue shortfalls in funding the 2021 budget of $519 million that he presented to parliament on Tuesday. That is smaller than a previous budget proposed in January of $566 million.
The Indian Ocean archipelago has had 1,910 infections and eight coronavirus-related deaths reported in the country since the pandemic began, according to a Reuters tally. It began COVID-19 vaccinations in January.

U.S. airline passenger traffic fell last year to lowest total since 1984 - DOT
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. passenger airline traffic fell 60.1% in 2020 to the lowest number since 1984 as the COVID-19 pandemic devastated demand for air travel, the U.S. Transportation Department said on Tuesday.
In total, there were 368 million passengers in 2020, down from 922.6 million in 2019. The previous yearly low was 351.6 million in 1984, the department said.
December 2020 air travel fell 62%, slightly more than the decline in November, the department said.
For all of 2020, U.S. domestic air travel fell by 58.7%, while international travel fell 70.4% as many countries imposed significant travel restrictions. U.S. airlines say air travel demand remains down more than 60% through early February.
Airlines for America, an industry trade group representing American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, Southwest Airlines and others, said the nine largest U.S. airlines lost $46 billion before taxes in 2020 and said that passenger volumes are unlikely to return to pre-COVID-19 levels before 2023 or 2024.
U.S. citizens are still barred from travel to much of Europe and other countries, and business travel remains severely depressed. The number of flights operated by U.S. carriers remains down about 45%.
A $1.9 trillion COVID-10 relief bill making its way through Congress would allocate another $14 billion to extend payroll assistance to U.S. airlines to keep thousands of workers on the job through Sept. 30.
Congress has previously approved $40 billion in payroll assistance for U.S. airlines and $25 billion in low-interest loans.

Curacao reports it received 5,790 stopover arrivals in January 2021, 12.7% of the total received in January 2020.
According to the Curaçao Tourist Board, Curaçao saw an 87.3% decrease in stopover visitor arrivals in January, falling from 45,691 stopovers in January 2020 to 5,790 in January of this year. The 5,790 stopovers was 41.6% less than the 9,909 stopovers received in December and 57.8% less than the 13,705 stopovers received in November 2020.
Curacao received 3,170 stopover visitors from the Netherlands in January, 16.8% of the 18,862 visitors from the Netherlands received in January 2020 and 55.3% less than the 7,092 stopovers received from the Netherlands in December 2020. The 3,170 visitors comprised 54.7% of all stopover visitors to Curacao in January 2021.
There were no cruise visitors in January as the island remained closed to cruise traffic.

USVI Hotel & Tourism Association President Upbeat as Resort Investments Kick In.
February 14, 2021
Since the hurricanes of 2017, the number of hotel rooms in the U.S. Virgin Islands has fallen from 4,500 to 2,450, according to the USVI Hotel and Tourism Association, and travel to the territory has fallen by almost 50 percent from the high of 797,000 air arrivals achieved in 2016.
However, air arrivals to the USVI in 2020 were estimated to be 65% of the total for the same twelve months of 2019, a much higher number than the 35% of the 2019 totals seen elsewhere in the Caribbean.
According to STR the USVI’s hotels achieved an average room occupancy of 47% in 2020 again a significantly higher average than the 30% achieved in the Caribbean as a whole.
Lisa Hamilton, president of the association, says it is time to be optimistic.
Lemonade is being made from lemons, she said.
Hamilton was echoed by Mandy Cartwright, head of marketing at St. Croix’s Carambola Beach Resort. Cartwright told the Source on Friday that Carambola’s occupancy rate this season was better than expected, ranging between 70 and 80 percent.
“The USVI is in demand because it is open. Many of the other Caribbean destinations have issues,” she said.
Cartwright said the Carambola resort still has work to do on its 150 rooms to bring them up to Marriott standards, but she hopes that work will start this year and be completed by 2022. Work has already started on its main restaurant, which is expected to be open next month. Three of its four conference rooms are also now available for events.
The Government Employees’ Retirement Systems sold Carambola to Davis Bay LLC, a subsidiary of Rubicon Holdings, last July. The facility is managed by Aimbridge Hospitality.
Sarah Sterose, assistant manager of Hotel on the Cay, the 54-room resort on the five-acre cay in Christiansted harbor, said that the resort’s occupancy rate has been hovering at about 75 percent. She said she has hopes for the upcoming year.
She declined to address a comment Hamilton made that “proposals for the redevelopment of Protestant Cay are being evaluated.” The Cay is owned by the Virgin Islands government, and Sen. Kurt Vialet has questioned whether it is getting the best use.
Hamilton told the Source one of the reasons she is optimistic about the territory’s future is that some resorts that had reached a “mature status” were now being almost completely rebuilt.
“We are encouraged that Caneel Bay Resort is moving toward a solution that will allow it to reopen, being both the largest employer and economic driver on St. John,” Hamilton said.
Caneel Bay Resort has operated under an agreement with the National Park Service, known as a retained use estate, or RUE. Laurance Rockefeller, who donated much of the land to create the Virgin Islands National Park, deeded the 170-acre property to the National Park Service in 1983. The RUE allowed the resort operator to manage the property but pay no rent, with the understanding that when the agreement expires in 2023, the entire property reverts to the federal government.
The National Park Service on Thursday initiated the next phase of environmental site assessments there. The assessment is a step in determining the future of the resort.
Hamilton also pointed to another Marriott property as being important to tourism’s recovery.
“The territory needs the marketing power and economic contribution of the Marriott at Frenchman’s Reef,” she said.
Frenchman’s Reef on St. Thomas plans a $200 million resort rebuild and reopening in the summer of 2022.
“The entire tourism industry, not just the hotels themselves, depends on rooms filled with guests,” Hamilton said.
She also was encouraged to hear that Divi Carina Bay Beach Resort & Casino, on St. Croix, was reopening. Divi’s website says it will have a soft reopening in April. From April to September, Divi will offer a room-only experience for adults and children.
However, when renovations are completed in October, Divi plans to open an all-inclusive, adult-only experience. It says on its webpage the resort will have “a fresh Caribbean chic vibe. Guests will experience luxurious comfort in our redesigned rooms and suites and our amenities offer plenty of active choices. … Guests will love the resort’s new food and beverage offerings, including authentic Italian, American classics, brick-oven pizza, pan-Asian fusion, gourmet coffee and pastries and fresh selections cooked on a sizzling hot lava rock. Plus, the drinks keep flowing at our lively bars.”
Hamilton quoted Gov. Albert Bryan Jr. in her news release. In his State of the Territory Address, the governor said the Virgin Islands “is poised to rebound from this pandemic stronger than any of our neighbors in this region.”
The Hotel Association has about 300 members throughout the territory, broken down into two districts. Hamilton said the association used to send out a monthly newsletter, then it moved to a weekly newsletter after the storms and finally started issuing daily updates as COVID restrictions set in. The association was established 40 years ago.

Orlando’s Airports saw a 78.6% drop in international deplanements in 2020.
Orlando, Florida is served by two primary airports, Orlando International (MCO) and Sanford International Airport (SFB).
In 2020 the two airports combined saw a drop of 78.6% in international deplanements, falling from 3,733,751 deplanements from international airports in 2019 to 797,764 international deplanements in 2020. Orlando International saw a 78.1% decline, while Sanford International saw a 95.5% drop. In 2020 Orlando International handled 99.3% of all international deplanements.
International deplanements made up 6.9% of the total deplanements in 2020, down from 13.9% of all such deplanements in 2019.
The two airports combined also saw a 54.0% drop in domestic deplanements, that is from airports within the USA, falling from 23,339,645 domestic deplanements in 2019 to 10,736,108 in 2020. Orlando International saw a 54.3% drop in domestic deplanements while Sanford saw a 50.1% decline.
The two airports combined saw a 56.7% drop in total deplanements, falling from 27,073,396 deplanements in 2019 to 11,533,872 in 2020.

Dubai airport sees passenger traffic drop 70% amid pandemic.
February 15 2021 - DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP)
Dubai International Airport saw the coronavirus pandemic push passenger traffic down by an unprecedented 70% in 2020 compared to the previous year, its CEO announced Monday, even as the airport held onto its prized title as the world’s busiest for international travel.
While the key east-west transit point started to see an uptick in traffic after long-haul carrier Emirates resumed its routes last summer, the airport’s 2020 passenger load of 25.9 million is still a trickle compared to 2019. Airlines slashed their schedules and flights declined by more than 50%.
For months as the travel industry collapsed worldwide, Dubai’s massive airport, which saw 86.4 million passengers in 2019, became a ghost-town of shuttered shops. One of its two main terminals shut down.
“It was very, very dramatic," Paul Griffiths, CEO of Dubai Airports, told The Associated Press. “And of course, we had to respond in a very dramatic way to keep our liquidity.”
The airport slashed its workforce from 8,000 to 3,000, Griffiths said, with front-line service and maintenance staff taking the biggest hit.
But recovery gained momentum in December as the city promoted itself as a pandemic-friendly vacation spot for tourists fleeing tough restrictions back home. In December alone, passenger volumes surpassed industry expectations at 2.19 million, the airport said. Israelis flocked to the United Arab Emirates after a breakthrough normalization deal and lockdown-weary travelers poured in to celebrate the holidays and New Year’s Eve at crowded bars and luxury hotels.
Underpinning Dubai’s reopening since last July has been an aggressive coronavirus testing campaign, with visitors welcome from anywhere as long as they get tested on arrival and in many cases before departure.
Now, Griffiths said, the airport is betting that a swift rollout of coronavirus vaccines will be the “overriding key to getting the world traveling again.” The UAE has launched the world’s second-fastest coronavirus vaccination drive, with over 50 doses administered per 100 residents as of Monday.
To spur international tourism in the coming months, Griffiths envisions travel corridors or “bubbles” between states with the fastest inoculation campaigns, such as the UAE, Israel, and Britain, allowing travelers from those countries to freely visit.
“Once we get to a point where every country feels like it's got a significant number of people vaccinated, then confidence in travel will re-emerge,” he said.
Despite signs of life, and vaccines offering a glimmer of hope, the industry's outlook remains uncertain. Although overall demand is expected to rise this year, airlines are showing caution on international routes. Wide-body jets used for long-haul flights, like Emirates’ iconic fleet of double-decker Airbus A380s, stand idle. Satellite images show dozens of A380s parked at Dubai World Central, the Gulf city’s second airport that went out of use for commercial flights during the pandemic.
Vaccination campaigns have sputtered worldwide, and concerns have risen over more transmissible virus variants. Changing quarantine requirements across the world have thrown itineraries into disarray, at times stranding travelers overseas.
Meanwhile, the UAE is struggling with a major surge in coronavirus cases, prompting countries to halt flights to Dubai and the city's government to impose new restrictions on entertainment activities. The United Kingdom banned all direct flights to Dubai last month, freezing the world’s busiest international air route and costing the airport hundreds of thousands of passengers monthly, according to Griffiths. London was ranked as the top destination city for Dubai’s airport last year, with 1.15 million customers.
Although Dubai came under criticism for keeping its doors open even as virus variants coursed across the globe, Griffiths rejected “any correlation between airport closures and infection rate,” insisting that “people with a potential for infection have been stopped from entering the country."
Dubai International Airport first surpassed London Heathrow as the world’s busiest airport for international traffic in 2014. It has retained the crown ever since, with some 90 airlines flying into the commercial entrepot. Heathrow, hit hard by the pandemic, logged just 22.1 million passengers last year and said it was overtaken as Europe’s busiest hub by Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris.
For Dubai, a sheikhdom of skyscrapers in the UAE, the resumption of long-haul air travel is built deeply into its business interest. Emirates remains the linchpin of the wider empire known as “Dubai Inc.,” an interlocking series of businesses owned by the city-state.
Griffiths was reluctant to give a timeline for the airport's recovery, acknowledging it may be halting.
“Things are going to be tough for a while," he said. “But I think in the long term there is cause for optimism, but exactly when the recovery will really gain pace and manifest itself in significant volumes of people wanting to fly again really depends.”

Expedia suffers a steep drop in revenue in the 4th quarter.
Expedia Group reported another steep drop in revenue in the fourth quarter, missing analysts’ estimates amid a surge in Covid-19 cases and new pandemic-related restrictions that weighed on travel in the last few months of 2020.
Revenue fell 67% to $920 million, marking the fourth consecutive year-over-year decline. Analysts had projected sales of $1.1 billion, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Gross bookings were $7.6 billion, also down 67% compared with a year earlier, the Seattle-based online travel giant said in a statement Thursday, barely an improvement from the previous quarter’s 68% decline.
“The fourth quarter brought signs of hope in the form of vaccine approvals but rising cases across the globe and rolling shutdowns of various travel markets made an impact,” Chief Executive Officer Peter Kern said in the statement. As a result, the fourth quarter didn’t “show any real sequential progress other than some signs of modest improvement around the holidays that carried into the early part of 2021.”
On a call to discuss earnings with analysts Thursday, Kern said there are some signals of stronger demand in 2021, such as an increase in January gross bookings. He said their decline was in the high 40% range, compared with the 67% drop in the fourth quarter.
Kern was ultimately conservative in his outlook, telling investors to “expect things to be bumpy for a while.”
There are early indications that the market could improve later this year. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease doctor, said Thursday that an increasing supply of vaccines will allow for a “much more of a mass vaccination approach” in the U.S. by April.
Analysts at Deutsche Bank wrote in a note to investors before the results were published that the first half of the year “is going to be tougher than we previously expected given the scale of rising case counts globally,” but vaccines should help with demand in the second half.

Bermuda announces total air visitor arrivals fell by 84.4% in 2020.
The Bermuda Tourism Authority recently released its December 2020 tourist arrival numbers and announced that total air arrivals fell by 84.4% in 2020, falling from 269,478 air arrivals in 2019 to 42,071 in 2020. The number of visitors arriving by yacht fell by 59.4% from 3,203 in 2019 to 1,299 in 2020 while the number of cruise visitors fell by 98.3% from 535,561 in 2019 9,366 as Bermuda closed its borders to cruise ships in March 2020.
The number of air visitors from the number one market the USA, fell by 86.1%, from 202,460 arrivals in 2019 to 28,183 in 2020, while the number of air visitors from Canada fell by 82.2%, and the number from the United Kingdom fell by 72.5%.
60.4% of all air visitors stayed in hotel accommodation in 2020, down from 67.7% in 2019. Bermuda’s hotels posted an average room occupancy of 24.1% in 2020, down from 67.7% in 2019.
The average spend per air visitor increased by 10.5% in 2020, from US$1,483.48 in 2019 to US$1,638.78 in 2020.

Aruba received 31,368 stopover visitors in January 2021, 34.6% of the total received in January 2020 and 26.9% fewer than the 42,936 visitors received in December 2020.
According to Aruba Tourism Authority, Aruba received 31,368 stopover arrivals in January 2021, 26.9% fewer than the 42,936 stopovers it received in December 2020 but 5.6% higher than the 29,714 stopovers received in November 2020.
The 31,368 stopovers received in January were 65.4% fewer than the 90,623 stopovers received in January 2020.
Stopover arrivals from the USA fell by 61.3%, from 67,817 arrivals in January 2020 to 26,219 arrivals in January 2021. Arrivals from the USA comprised 83.6% of all arrivals in January 2021 up from 74.8% in January 2020.
New York State saw a 54.8% decrease in arrivals, falling from 15,470 in January 2020 to 6,993 in January 2021, while arrivals from New Jersey fell by 52.2%, falling from 6,912 in January 2020 to 3,301 in January 2021. Arrivals from Massachusetts fell by 68.3%, from 8,461 in January 2021 to 2,680 in January this year. These three states generated 49.5% of all arrivals from the USA in January 2021 up from 45.5% in January 2020.
Arrivals from Canada fell by 90.8%, from 6,949 in January 2020 to 641 stopovers in January 2021. Arrivals from the Netherlands fell by 70.0%, from 3,499 in January 2020 to 1.051 in January this year.
The Aruba Hotel and Tourism Association reports that average hotel room occupancy in January 2021 was 25.1%, down 52 percentage points from the 77.1% achieved in January 2020. ADR fell by 20.0% from the US$371.78 achieved in January 2020 to US$297.45 in January 2021. Aruba’s timeshare resorts reported an average occupancy of 57% in January 2021.

Mexico received 974,975 international air arrivals in December, up 43.3% compared with November 2020.
According to the Government of Mexico’s SECTUR (Department of Tourism) Mexico received 974,975 international air arrivals in December 2020 up 43.3% compared with the 680,400 arrivals received in November 2020.
The 974,975 international air arrivals received in December 2020 were 49.9% of the 1,954,526 received in December 2019.
The volume of air arrivals from the USA fell by 30.0% in December, from 1,081,566 in December 2019 to 756,755 in December 2020, with the volume from Canada falling by 86.5%, from 304,291 in December 2019 to 40,984 in December 2020.
The 756,755 visitors received from the USA in December was 38.1% higher than the 547,960 visitors received from the USA in November 2020.
Cancun Airport saw a 47.4% decrease in international air arrivals in December 2020, falling from 772,796 arrivals in December 2019 to 406,582 arrivals in December 2020, while Los Cabos saw a 41.8% decrease falling from 187,132 international arrivals in December 2019 to 108,864 international air arrivals in December 2020. Puerto Vallarta saw a 59.4% decrease, falling from 183,320 international arrivals in December 2019 to 74,432 in December 2020.
In calendar year 2020 the volume of international air arrivals to Mexico fell by 58.3%, from 19,039,437 in 2019 to 7,938,902 in CY 2020. The volume of air arrivals from the USA fell by 51.0% in the same twelve months, from 10,511,433 in 2019 to 5,151,182 in CY 2020 while the volume from Canada fell by 57.8%, from 2,309,528 in CY 2019 to 975,697 in CY 2020.
Cancun Airport saw a 59.0% decrease in international air arrivals in CY 2020, falling from 7,889,646 arrivals in 2019 to 3,238,106 in CY 2020 while Los Cabos saw a 49.7% decrease falling from 1,791,769 international air arrivals in 2019 to 900,621 air arrivals in 2020. Puerto Vallarta saw a 51.5% decrease, falling from 1,515,681 international arrivals in 2019 to 734,738 in the CY 2020.

Punta Cana received 77,476 tourists in January 2021, 26.1% of the total received in January 2020 and 28.1% fewer than the number received in December.
According to the Central Bank of the Dominican Republic, Punta Cana, in the Dominican Republic, saw the volume of non-resident stopover arrivals decrease by 73.9% in January, falling from 296,404 arrivals in January 2020 to 77,476 arrivals in January 2021. Stopover arrivals from the number one market Canada fell by 95.6%, from 90,750 in January 2020 to 4,031 in January 2021. Stopovers from the USA fell by 50.9% in January, from 70,163 US arrivals in January 2020 to 34,423 US arrivals in January 2021.
The 77,476 stopovers received in January was 28.1% fewer than the 107,683 visitors Punta Cana received in December 2020 but 69.5% more than the 45,712 visitors received in November 2020.
In January 2021, stopover arrivals to Punta Cana made up 37.7% of all non-resident arrivals to the Dominican Republic compared with 53.2% during January 2020.

The Dominican Republic received 205,311 non-resident visitors in January 2021, 36.8% of the total received in January 2020 and 41.2% fewer than the 348,464 visitors received in December 2020.
According to the Central Bank of the Dominican Republic, the Dominican Republic received 205,311 non-resident stopover arrivals in January 2021, 41.2% fewer than the 348,464 stopovers it received in December 2020.
The 205,311 stopovers received in January were 63.2% fewer than the 557,231 stopovers received in January 2020.
Stopover arrivals from the USA fell by 46.1%, from 126,871 arrivals in January 2020 to 68,433 arrivals in January 2021. Arrivals from Canada fell by 96.0% from 137,330 in January 2020 to 5,492 stopovers in January 2021.
36.6% of the non-resident arrivals in January were Dominicans living abroad and returning to the Dominican Republic compared with 14.9% in January 2020.

Jamaica received 90,164 stopover arrivals in December 2020, 32.1% of the total received in December 2019.
According to the Jamaica Tourist Board, Jamaica received 90,164 stopover arrivals in December 2020, 32.1% of the total received in December 2019, when the island received 281,115 stopover arrivals.
The December 2020 total was 82.5% higher than the 49,413 stopovers Jamaica received in November 2020.
Jamaica re-opened its borders to international visitors as of June 15th 2020.
Stopover arrivals from the USA fell by 60.4%, from 189,156 visitors in December 2019 to 74,896 visitors in December 2020.
Cruise arrivals fell by 100%, from 206,276 cruise visitors in December 2019 to zero cruise visitors in December 2020 as Jamaica remained closed to cruise ship arrivals.
For calendar year 2020 Jamaica saw a 67.2% decline in the volume of stopover arrivals, falling from 2,680,920 stopover arrivals in CY 2019 to 880,404 arrivals in CY 2020.
Arrivals from the USA declined by 65.3% in CY 2020, falling from 1,838,904 arrivals in 2019 to 637,505 arrivals in the same twelve months of 2020.
The number of cruise visitors declined by 71.1% in CY 2020, falling from 1,553,230 cruise visitors in 2019 to 449,271 cruise visitors in 2020. Jamaica was closed to cruise visitors in March 2020.

Cuba announces total visitor arrivals fell by 74.5% in 2020.
The Cuban Government’s Office of National Statistics and Information (ONEI) recently released the December 2020 tourist arrival numbers and announced that total tourist arrivals fell by 74.6% in 2020, falling from 4,275,558 arrivals in 2019 to 1,085,920 in 2020. This number includes both stopover visitors and cruise visitors.
Cuba essentially closed its borders in mid-March 2020 and only began to slowly re-open the borders in late October. November 2020 tourist arrivals were 8.4% of the November 2019 total while December’s arrivals were 17.1% of December 2019’s total.
The number of visitors from the number one market Canada, fell by 63.1%, from 1,120,077 arrivals in 2019 to 413,409 in 2020 with the vast majority of those visitors coming in the first quarter of 2020. Arrivals from Europe also decreased with traffic from Germany down in 2020 by 74.2%, from France down by 72.5%, from the U.K. down by 83.0%, from Italy down by 77.3% and from Spain down by 83.1%. Traffic fell by 58.4% from Russia, however, with Russia becoming the third largest source market in 2020 after Canada and non-resident Cubans.

This Is the Travel Trend Of 2021, According To Expedia Users
Do you miss vacation? You’re not alone. Are you going to take full advantage of your time off this year? Then, you’re also not alone. For the first time in more than two decades, Expedia’s Annual Vacation Deprivation study shows, people are more motivated than ever to pack their bags and hit the road.
Over the years, the Vacation Deprivation study examined the work-life balance trends of working adults across the globe to bring awareness to the many, many vacation days that go unused. While Vacation Deprivation levels have continued to rise, this year’s study found that globally 81% of people not only value vacation days more than ever, but plan to use more of them. Yes, people are finally ready to take their hard-earned vacation days and use them on life experiences. And we are here for it.
With this new-found appreciation for our favorite employer benefit – could this be the end of Vacation Deprivation as we know it?
It’s possible. Just take a look at the U.S. where respondents say they plan to take an extra working week (five whole days!) of vacation some time in 2021.
Let’s talk about some of the surprising (but also, not so surprising) study findings:

Fewest Days Received, Most Days Left on the Table: Not only did U.S. employees take the fewest number of vacation days (8) in 2020, they also received one of the fewest number of vacation days (13) when compared to other countries surveyed.
Too Busy for Vacation: Although 92 percent of people believe regular vacations are important for general health and well-being, over half (53%) report that they have been so busy at work it is difficult to use all their vacation days.
Time Between Vacations Has Grown: One in four (26%) U.S. respondents noted they haven’t taken a vacation in over a year, compared to 16 percent in 2019.
Using Vacation Time, but Not for Vacation: 47 percent used at least one vacation day in 2020 to care for a sick family member or in lieu of childcare.
More Cancelled Trips: 42 percent cancelled one or more trips last year due to COVID-19.

Bucket lists are calling. As the hope to be able to travel in 2021 grows, Expedia is already seeing an uptick in people searching for where their next vacation will take them. For spring getaways, Expedia data shows that Americans are searching for warm weather and beaches. These are the destinations garnering the most interest for March and April escapes* with some of our favorite VIP access properties:

Riviera Maya/Playa del Carmen/Tulum
Cancun
Isla Mujeres
Las Vegas
Orlando
Puerto Vallarta/Nuevo Vallarta/Riviera Nayarit
Los Cabos
Miami
Oahu
Maui

*Top destinations based on Expedia.com lodging searches as of January 8, 2021 for stays taking place in March and April 2021.
read more/...

Costa Rican Authorities expect gradual tourism recovery in 2021.
The Costa Rica Tourism Board (ICT) says it’s using several models to try to predict how many visitors the country will receive in 2021.
The current forecast ranges between 400,000 and 1.6 million tourists, though the ICT clarified the data is subject to factors outside the country’s control, including travel restrictions and the behavior of the pandemic.
Costa Rica welcomed 3.1 million visitors in 2019, and just over 1 million people in 2020.
Of the 1,011,912 visitors to Costa Rica in 2020, more than 860,000 of them arrived between January and March, before the pandemic shut down most global travel.
Costa Rica received nearly 75,000 people in December 2020, the majority from the United States. But in late January of this year, the U.S. government imposed a negative test requirement from air travelers entering the North American country.
Citing a study from the UN World Tourism Organization, the ICT said that the uncertainty regarding ever-changing travel restrictions has been the biggest factor preventing international travel.
Costa Rica has kept its tourist entry requirements unchanged since November. During the coronavirus pandemic, visitors must meet Costa Rica’s usual immigration requirements and:

Complete an epidemiological digital form or “Health Pass.”
Purchase travel insurance that covers accommodation in case of quarantine and COVID-19 medical expenses.

Airlines Are Ditching Business Hubs and Rerouting Flights to Florida
Maps are being overhauled to reflect new demand.
Bloomberg: February 8, 2021, 6:52 AM AST
There were 13,600 passenger flights around the globe on April 25, 2020—the lowest recorded number during the pandemic. It was an 86% drop in traffic compared to a few months earlier, according to travel analytics company Cirium. There was nowhere to go but up, up, and away.
And yet, nine months later, Cirium estimates that 30% of the global commercial airplanes remain in storage. OAG, another aviation data and analytics company, reported that seat capacity remained at 50% in January 2021, compared with a year earlier. And new estimates from the International Air Transport Association show that recovery will be slower than expected; rather than seeing a 50% rebound by the end of 2021, as previously anticipated, the trade body is now looking at a worst-case scenario of 13% improvement in passenger traffic, compared to 2020 figures.
As a result, airlines are getting scrappy, shifting operations to wherever there may be demand. The CliffsNotes version: Leisure is in, business travel is out. But much like a rewritten route map, the ramifications for consumers span far and wide.
Fewer connections, more sun
Leisure travel has showed early signs of a comeback, with summer and holiday travel spikes. Business travel, on the other hand, may be permanently curtailed by Zoom; such prominent thinkers as Bill Gates forecast that business travel will permanently drop by 50%. In response, says Henry Harteveldt, president of aviation consulting firm Atmosphere Research Group, airlines are shifting away from business routes that connect big cities and toward leisure routes that bring on sunshine.
United, Delta, and American airlines all cut service to London, for instance—be it from New York, San Francisco, or Washington. Also slashed: once-common direct flights from U.S. hubs to Frankfurt, Tokyo, Sydney, and Sao Paulo. “Given the lack of business demand, we’re focusing on leisure travel and providing more service for customers traveling to visit family and friends,” says American Airlines’ vice president of network planning, Brian Znotins.
read more/...

TUI optimism rises as average holiday spend rockets.
Average booking prices for summer 2021 are up 20% over summer 2019 despite major uncertainties around travel, says TUI.
The operator is still planning to operate 80% of its summer 2019 capacity, it said in a first quarter trading update given on February 9th.
So far, it has sold 2.8 million summer holidays, which is only around 56% of its sales in the same period two years ago.
It took just €468.1m in bookings for the three months to the end of December compared to €3.85 bn the previous year.
But CEO Fritz Joussen said it was expected that customers will book summer holidays much later this year than in normal years.
"However, demand remains strong, people want to travel - this is shown by the already good number of bookings for the summer," he added.
read more/...

The Seychelles received 1,108 visitor arrivals in January, 3.4% of the total received in January 2020.
The Seychelles Government’s National Bureau of Statistics recently announced that total stopover arrivals decreased by 96.6% in January 2021, from 32,731 arrivals in January 2020 to 1,108 arrivals in January of this year. This number includes both air and sea stopover visitors.
The 1,108 stopover arrivals received in January were 91.1% lower than the 12,406 stopovers received in December 2020.
In January Germany generated 23.6% of all visitors (262 stopovers) while the United Arab Emirates generated 13.0% (144) and Russia generated 9.7% (108) of the month’s total.
Prior to January 21 2021 a tourist could only visit the Seychelles from a short list of approved ‘low-risk’ countries, with a mandatory test and a five-day quarantine on arrival. From January 21 2021 onwards the Seychelles admitted anyone, from any country, who could prove they have had a vaccine against Covid-19.

Antigua and Barbuda received 7,769 stopovers in January 2021, 23.2% of the total received in January 2020.
According to the Ministry of Tourism and Investment, Antigua and Barbuda saw a 76.8% decrease in stopover visitor arrivals in January 2021, falling from 33,509 stopovers in January 2020 to 7,769 stopovers in 2021.
The number of stopover visitors from the USA fell by 65.8%, from 13,399 in January 2020 to 4,580 in January 2021 while the number of stopovers from the U.K. fell by 79.0%, from 8,428 stopovers in January 2020 to 1,768 in January 2021. The number of stopovers from Canada decreased by 95.7%, falling from 6,006 stopovers in January 2020 to 259 in January of 2021.
The 7,769 stopovers received in January 2021 were 43.2% lower than the 13,680 stopovers received in December 2020.

Cancun handled 711,729 international air passenger movements in January, 45.3% of such passenger movements handled in January 2020.
According to ASUR, which manages many of Mexico’s airports, Cancun Airport saw a 54.7% decrease in international passenger movements in January 2021, falling from 1,572,774 movements in January 2020 to 711,729 movements in January 2021. Domestic passenger movements fell by 18.0%, from 704,340 passenger movements in January 2020 to 577,813 movements in January 2021.
January saw international passenger movements decline by 56,784 (-7.4%) compared with December 2020, moving from 768,513 movements in December to 711,729 in January, while domestic passenger movements fell by 122,231 (-17.5%) moving from 700,044 in December to 577,813 in January.

San Juan, Puerto Rico (SJU) handled 531,629 passenger movements in January, 59.9% of the total handled in January 2020.
According to ASUR, which manages many airports in Mexico, Colombia and which also manages the Luis Munoz Marin International Airport in San Juan, Puerto Rico, SJU saw a 40.1% decrease in passenger movements in January 2021, falling from 888,012 total passenger movements in January 2020 to 531,629 movements in January 2021.
January 2021 saw passenger movements increase by 18,225 (+3.5%) compared with December 2020.

Antigua and Barbuda received 13,680 stopovers in December 2020, 36.2% of the total received in December 2019.
According to the Ministry of Tourism and Investment, Antigua and Barbuda saw a 63.8% decrease in stopover visitor arrivals in December 2020, falling from 37,818 stopovers in December 2019 to 13,680 stopovers in 2020. The number of stopover visitors from the USA fell by 55.4%, from 15,662 in December 2019 to 6,984 in December 2020 while the number of stopovers from the U.K. fell by 45.4%, from 9,278 stopovers in December 2019 to 5,065 in December 2020.
The 13,680 stopovers received in December were 128.4% higher than the 5,989 stopovers received in November 2020.
Antigua and Barbuda reopened its borders to receive international visitors as of June 4th 2020.
In calendar year 2020, Antigua and Barbuda saw a 58.4% decrease in the number of stopover visitors, falling from 301,019 stopovers in 2019 to 125,320 stopovers in 2020. The number of stopovers from the USA fell by 51.1%, from 123,557 in 2019 to 60,389 in 2020 while the number of stopover visitors from the U.K. fell by 58.6%, from 76,840 in 2019 to 31,845 in 2020.

Brace Yourself: Long-Haul Travel May Not Get Going Until 2023
February 5, 2021: Bloomberg

Long-haul flying may not properly resume until 2023 or 2024
Lobbying by airlines for vaccine passports yet to convince WHO

As coronavirus vaccines started rolling out late last year, there was a palpable sense of excitement. People began browsing travel websites and airlines grew optimistic about flying again. Ryanair Holdings Plc even launched a “Jab & Go” campaign alongside images of 20-somethings on holiday, drinks in hand.
It’s not working out that way.
For a start, it isn’t clear the vaccines actually stop travelers spreading the disease, even if they’re less likely to catch it themselves. Neither are the shots proven against the more-infectious mutant strains that have startled governments from Australia to the U.K. into closing, rather than opening, borders. An ambitious push by carriers for digital health passports to replace the mandatory quarantines killing travel demand is also fraught with challenges and has yet to win over the World Health Organization.
This bleak reality has pushed back expectations of any meaningful recovery in global travel to 2022. That may be too late to save the many airlines with only a few months of cash remaining. And the delay threatens to kill the careers of hundreds of thousands of pilots, flight crew and airport workers who’ve already been out of work for close to a year. Rather than a return to worldwide connectivity -- one of the economic miracles of the jet era -- prolonged international isolation appears unavoidable.
Read more/...

Balearics foreign tourism fell 87% in 2020
Spending fell by more or less the same percentage.
The Balearics received 1.72 million foreign tourists in 2020 down 87.4% compared with the 13.6 million tourists received in 2019. The number of tourists received in 2020 was comparable with the number received in the late 1960s.
The four main islands of the Balearics are Ibiza, Majorca, Menorca and Formentera.
Figures from the National Statistics Institute's Egatur survey show that foreign tourist spending was down 87.6% - from 14,843 million euros in 2019 to 1,837 million. Average spending per tourist was down by 1.7% to 1,067 euros.
The 1.72 million foreign tourists received by the Balearics placed the region fifth in Spain. Catalonia had 3.88 million, the Canaries 3.79 million, Andalusia 2.7 million and Valencia 2.55 million.
In normal years, the Balearics rank second behind Catalonia in terms of the numbers of foreign tourists. That the Balearics fell to fifth is an indicator of the fact the pandemic affected the islands more than any of the other main tourist regions of Spain.

Cayman Islands: Ideas to re-open border to tourists at the end of March put on hold.
Premier of the Cayman Islands, Alden McLaughlin announced that original plans to reopen the country’s borders by the end of March 2021, have to be put on hold.
"By March we hope to have successfully vaccinated and protected a sufficiently large number of our population, including all of those at most risk. If we can achieve that target, we should be able to open our borders once again," said the premier in his 2021 New Year's message, raising hopes that the tourism sector would be revitalized once again- but based on his statements at the Cayman Islands Chamber of Commerce’s AGM which took place on January 28, it is not likely that these plans will come to fruition quite as soon as the country had hoped.
With the mass COVID-19 vaccination programmes taking place, the Premier said that the country could now think “positively but cautiously” about re-opening Cayman.
He also stressed that, provided that enough people took the vaccination, Cayman could be confident that its population would have a great deal of protection against COVID-19. However, he warned that the advent of variants of the virus, which had been detected in travellers to Cayman from the UK, would mean that any ideas to open at the end of March would have to be put on hold.
“…changing circumstances mean that of a necessity today’s plans must be flexible,” Premier McLaughlin said. “With the arrival of new COVID-19 strains and concerns over how much protection the current vaccines will offer against these new variants, it has become increasingly challenging to develop a firm timetable to get the Cayman tourism economy up and running again.”
As a result, Cayman businesses would most likely have to wait until the end of the year before getting back to a more normal operation.
"…we remain hopeful to be in a position to enjoy an improved stay over tourism high season. This will not be ‘business as usual’ but there is a real prospect that it could be ‘business as near normal as is possible as we close 2021 and enter 2022,’” the Premier stated.
In the meantime, he stressed that Cayman’s financial services industry, notwithstanding some challenges, was doing well, as was the construction and development industry.

New Hotel Openings in The Mexican Caribbean for 2021
While Cancun continues to be a favorite destination to escape the cold winter months, new additions across the Mexican Caribbean promise innovative new stays, exciting activities and delicious flavors throughout the region for 2021.
Here’s a sampling of some new hotels travelers can expect to open in 2021.
Riviera Maya
Hotel Xcaret Arte, 900 suites. To open July 1, 2021.
The Fiesta Americana Tulkal Riviera Maya 734 rooms to open November 2021.
The Live Aqua Beach Resort Tulkal Riviera Maya 343 rooms to open summer 2021.
Cancun,
The Hilton Cancun, an All-Inclusive Resort, with 714 rooms, to open June 2021.
The Planet Hollywood Beach Resort Cancun with 648 rooms and suites opened January 29 2021 in the exclusive resort enclave of Costa Mujeres, located just north of Cancun’s Hotel Zone.
Residence Inn, Cancun Hotel Zone, with 151 suites to open February 2021.
Tulum
Aloft Tulum with 140 guestrooms and suites to open February 2021.
Recently opened:
The adults-only Secrets Riviera Cancun Resort & Spa with 164 suites opened in December 2020.
The Kimpton Aluna, Tulum with 78 rooms opened in December 2020.
Casa Teka, Tulum, with 11 rooms opened in the third quarter of 2020.

The Central Bank of Barbados reports stopover arrivals to Barbados fell by 71% in 2020.
On Thursday January 28th 2021, the Governor of the Central Bank of Barbados provided a Review of Barbados’ Economic Performance for January through December 2020.
www.centralbank.org.bb/Portals/0/Press%20Release%20December%202020_FINAL_28_1_2021.pdf

During his remarks he reports that there was a modest pick-up in arrivals during the fourth quarter of 2020 as airlift improved and more hotels reopened after their closure in April. However, a 90 percent fall in long-stay visitor arrivals over the last three quarters of the year reduced arrivals by 71 percent for the year.
Traditional hotels had occupancy rates that were almost half those of one year ago, as several hotels served as quarantine locations but, heavy discounting of hotel rates resulted in a much larger decline in revenues. Preliminary data suggest that the sharing economy, with services such as Airbnb, experienced smaller declines in demand and revenue than the hotel sector. The cruise sector was also depressed, and cruise visitor arrivals were also lower by 64 percent in 2020 compared with 2019.
The UNWTO’s Tourism Barometer for December 2020 reported that tourism receipts fell by 50.4% through the first three quarters of 2020 compared with the same three quarters of 2019.

Airbnb expects more “connected and relaxed” travel in 2021
Airbnb has published its latest US-focused report detailing how it expects travel to return in 2021 and highlighting how there will be a shift towards more meaningful travel in a bid to limit mass tourism post-vaccine rollout.
According to the report, US consumers will prioritise spending as much time as possible with their family and friends if they can get vaccinated, and the platform emphasised its commitment to providing safe environments for its guest and host community.
Airbnb co-founder and CEO, Brian Chesky, wrote: “Once people feel safe to travel, they will, but it will look different than before the pandemic. Travel will be viewed as an antidote to isolation and disconnection. People don’t generally miss landmarks, crowded shuttles, and lines and lobbies packed with tourists.
“Mass travel is really just a different form of isolation—you are anonymous, herded around with other travellers, never really experiencing the people and culture of a community. What people want from travel now is what they’ve been deprived of—spending meaningful time with their family and friends,” he added.
for full report click here

Canadians Rebooking Flights to Sunny Destinations Through U.S. Airlines
Trevor Kucheran, January 30, 2021 TravelOffPath.Com
Some Canadians have decided they're still going to travel south to sunny destinations and have re-booked their flights with U.S. airlines.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced yesterday that flights from Canada to sunny vacations destinations would be suspended effective Sunday, January 31st. The announcement was made in cooperation with the four major airlines in Canada that fly internationally.
However there were no suspensions announced on flights to and from the United States. Therefore the ban does not stop Canadians from flying to the U.S. and then on sunny destinations such as Mexico and the Dominican Republic.
United States airlines including American and United both have flights from Canada to all of the sunny destinations that Canadian airlines can no longer fly to. This has lead to Canadians booking their trips directly with U.S. airlines for flights with one stopover in the United States.
read more/...

Costa Rica sees ailing tourist trade stagnant in 2021 after COVID-19 blow.
By Alvaro Murillo - Reuters.
SAN JOSE (Reuters) - Tourism to Costa Rica will likely stagnate this year at the sharply reduced levels of 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, weighing on the economy of the Central American country, a top government official said on Saturday.
Tourism Minister Gustavo Segura said Costa Rica will in 2021 probably receive about one-third of the 3,139,000 international tourists it had in 2019, on a par with last year, when some 1,011,000 foreign visitors arrived, official data shows.
In an interview, Segura said around 75,000 tourists came to Costa Rica in December, down from 327,000 a year earlier, underlining the challenge facing the popular tourist destination and the industry as a whole in Latin America.
“Though the figures are better than those of some competitor nations, many companies can’t get going again,” Segura told Reuters, noting that the extent of recovery would depend on how the pandemic developed and how vaccination efforts progressed.
Battered by the loss of tourists, the Costa Rican hotel and restaurant trade shrank by 40% last year, the central bank said.
In 2019, tourism represented 8.5% of gross domestic product and 9% of formal jobs in the country of 5 million people.
Segura projected that in 2021 it will only be worth around 3.5% of GDP and that the industry will shed about half the employment it generated, or about 100,000 jobs.
The minister was hopeful that Costa Rica’s focus on nature tourism would reduce some of the attendant risk with people being outdoors. He also pointed to the fact the country’s health system had managed to avoid saturating its hospitals.
Costa Rica has to date registered 193,276 infections and 2,604 deaths linked to COVID-19.

UNWTO WORLD TOURISM BAROMETER, UPDATE JANUARY 2021
International tourism expected to decline over 70% in 2020, back to levels of 30 years ago.

Tourism suffered the greatest crisis on record in 2020 following an unprecedented health, social and economic emergency amid the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.
International tourist arrivals (overnight visitors) plunged by 74% in 2020 over the previous year due to widespread travel restrictions and a massive drop in demand.
The collapse in international travel represents an estimated loss of USD 1.3 trillion in export revenues - more than 11 times the loss recorded during the 2009 global economic crisis.
Asia and the Pacific saw an 84% decrease in international arrivals in 2020, about 300 million less than in the previous year. The Middle East and Africa both recorded a 75% drop in arrivals. In Europe arrivals declined by 70%, representing over 500 million fewer international tourists, while the Americas saw a drop of 69%.
The Caribbean saw a decline of 65.1%, the least severe decline of any region.
The latest UNWTO Panel of Experts survey shows a mixed outlook for 2021. Almost half of respondents (45%) envisaged better prospects for 2021 compared to last year, while 25% expect a similar performance and 30% foresee a worsening of results.
The overall prospects for a rebound in 2021 seem to have worsened. 50% of respondents now expect a rebound to occur only in 2022 as compared to 21% in October 2020. The remaining half of respondents still see a potential rebound in 2021, though below the expectations shown in the October 2020 survey (79% expected a recovery in 2021).
Experts foresee growing demand for open-air and nature-based tourism activities, with domestic tourism and ‘slow travel’ experiences gaining increasing interest.
Looking further ahead, most experts do not to see a return to pre-pandemic levels happening before 2023. In fact, 43% of respondents point to 2023, while 41% expect a return to 2019 levels in 2024 or later.
UNWTO’s extended scenarios for 2021-2024 indicate that it could take between two-and-a-half and four years for international tourism to return to 2019 levels.
The gradual rollout of a COVID-19 vaccine is expected to help restore consumer confidence, contribute to ease travel restrictions and slowly normalize travel during the year ahead.
Click here for UNWTO Tourism Barometer December 2020.

2020: WORST YEAR IN TOURISM HISTORY WITH 1 BILLION FEWER INTERNATIONAL ARRIVALS
28 JAN 21
Global tourism suffered its worst year on record in 2020, with international arrivals dropping by 74% according to the latest data from the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO). Destinations worldwide welcomed 1 billion fewer international arrivals in 2020 than in the previous year, due to an unprecedented fall in demand and widespread travel restrictions. This compares with the 4% decline recorded during the 2009 global economic crisis.
According to the latest UNWTO World Tourism Barometer, the collapse in international travel represents an estimated loss of USD 1.3 trillion in export revenues - more than 11 times the loss recorded during the 2009 global economic crisis. The crisis has put between 100 and 120 million direct tourism jobs at risk, many of them in small and medium-sized enterprises.
While much has been made in making safe international travel a possibility, we are aware that the crisis is far from over
Due to the evolving nature of the pandemic, many countries are now reintroducing stricter travel restrictions. These include mandatory testing, quarantines and in some cases a complete closure of borders, all weighing on the resumption of international travel. At the same time, the gradual rollout of a COVID-19 vaccine is expected to help restore consumer confidence, contribute to the easing travel restrictions and slowly normalize travel during the year ahead.
Read more/...

In December 2020 Cancun saw its hotels achieve an average hotel room occupancy of 47.1%, up 3.4 percentage points over November’s average room occupancy.
Sedetur, the Department of Tourism of the state of Quintana Roo, recently released the hotel occupancy numbers for the hotels in Cancun/Puerto Morelos and Riviera Maya for all twelve months of calendar year 2020.
In December Cancun/Puerto Morelos saw a 33.3 percentage point drop in average hotel room occupancy from 80.4% in December 2019 to 47.1% in December 2020.
Cancun’s hotels saw an average occupancy of 43.7% in November, 38.0% in October, 32.4% in September, and 25.9% in August.
The hotels in Riviera Maya saw their average room occupancy fall by 49.9 percentage points from 80.1% in December 2019 to 30.2% in December 2020. The hotels in Riviera Maya saw an average occupancy of 27.7% in November, 32.6% in October, 27.0% in September, and 21.8% in August.
During calendar year 2020 the hotels in Cancun/Puerto Morelos achieved a 38.0% average room occupancy, down 38.7 percentage points from the 76.7% achieved in 2019.
During calendar year 2020 the hotels in Riviera Maya achieved an average room occupancy of 32.6%, down 45.4 percentage points from the 78.0% achieved in CY 2019.
Riviera Maya/Tulum has 48,200 hotel rooms while the Cancun/Puerto Morelos area has 42,910 hotel rooms. During December approximately 75% of the region’s hotel rooms had re-opened.

Las Vegas saw a 17.6% decrease in visitors in December 2020 compared with November 2020.
According to the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority Las Vegas saw the volume of visitors decrease by 17.6% in December 2020, falling from 1,514,500 arrivals in November 2020 to 1,247,200 in December of 2020.
The 1,247,200 arrivals in December 2020 was 64.0% lower than the 3,465,700 visitors received in December 2019.
Las Vegas had a weighted average of 143,117 open hotel rooms in December 2020 (down 4.2% compared with December 2019) and achieved an average city-wide room occupancy of 30.9% (down 54.2 percentage points compared with December 2019), an ADR of $100.09 (down 20.0% compared with December 2019) and a RevPar of $30.93 (down 70.9% also compared with December 2019).
Through calendar year 2020 Las Vegas saw a 55.2% decrease in the volume of visitors, falling from 42,523,700 arrivals in CY 2019 to 19,031,100 visitors in CY 2020.
Las Vegas achieved an average city-wide room occupancy of 42.1% in CY 2020, down 46.8 percentage points compared with CY 2019, an ADR of $120.31, down 9.3% compared with CY 2019, and a RevPar of $50.65, down 57.0%, also compared with CY 2019.
Gaming revenue fell by 36.6% in CY 2020 falling from $10.355 billion in CY 2019 to $6.541 billion in CY 2020.

Hawaii reports the state received 235,793 out-of-state tourists in December, 25.1% of the total received in December 2019.
According to the Hawaii Tourism Authority, Hawaii saw the volume of air arrivals decrease by 74.9% in December 2020, falling from 941,128 air arrivals in December 2019 to 235,793 air arrivals in December 2020.
The 235,793 air arrivals received in December were 28.3% more than the 183,779 received in November 2020.
Beginning October 15, passengers arriving from out-of-state and traveling inter-county could bypass the mandatory 14-day self-quarantine with a valid negative COVID-19 NAAT test result from a Trusted Testing and Travel Partner through the state’s Safe Travels program. Effective November 24, all trans-Pacific travelers participating in the pre-travel testing program were required to have a negative test result before their departure to Hawai‘i, and test results would no longer be accepted once a traveler arrived in Hawai‘i.
On December 2, Kaua‘i County temporarily suspended its participation in the state’s Safe Travels program, making it mandatory for all travelers to Kaua‘i to quarantine upon arrival. On December 10, the mandatory quarantine was reduced from 14 to 10 days in accordance with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) guidelines. The counties of Hawai‘i, Maui, and Kalawao (Moloka‘i) also had a partial quarantine in place in December. In addition, the CDC continued to enforce the “No Sail Order” on all cruise ships.
Air arrivals from the USA fell by 64.7%, from 633,878 in December 2019 to 223,524 in December 2020, fell by 98.6% from Japan (from 136,635 arrivals in December 2019 to 1,889 air arrivals in December 2020). Air arrivals fell by 94.0% from Canada (from 64,182 to 3,833 air arrivals).
Through calendar year 2020 Hawaii saw a 73.8% decrease in the volume of air arrivals, falling from 10,243,165 arrivals in CY 2019 to 2,686,403 air arrivals in CY 2020. Air arrivals from the USA decreased by 71.2% in CY 2020, falling from 6,871,839 air arrivals in 2019 to 1,982,449 air arrivals in CY 2020, fell by 81.1% from Japan (from 1,576,205 arrivals in CY 2019 to 297,243 air arrivals in CY 2020) and fell by 70.2% from Canada (from 540,103 in CY 2019 to 161,201 air arrivals in CY 2020).

Excluded from New CDC Travel Requirement, Puerto Rico is Uniquely Positioned to Welcome U.S. Travelers
January 27 2021 – Travel Market Report.
For those who want to get away to a sun and sand destination, Puerto Rico presents a unique opportunity to experience the Caribbean atmosphere without the hassle of having to meet the CDC’s new international travel requirement.
Starting Tuesday, inbound U.S. travelers will need to have proof of a negative COVID-19 test taken within three days prior to re-entry.
Given that Puerto Rico is a U.S. territory, the destination is excluded from the CDC requirement and Americans do not need to provide a negative COVID-19 test result to return back to the mainland United States. All trips to and from Puerto Rico are considered domestic travel, which may alleviate clients’ concerns who wish to travel in the upcoming months.
for full story click here

As the situation continues to evolve, AHATA further adjusts its forecast for Aruba’s hotels downward for 2021.
In October 2020, the Aruba Hotel and Tourism Association (AHATA) forecast that Aruba’s hotels would see an average annual occupancy for Aruba’s hotels of 45% in calendar year 2021, with the hotels seeing an average occupancy of 34% in the first quarter of 2021.
As the situation evolved AHATA continued to keep in touch with its hotel members and in December adjusted the forecast downward to reflect a new estimate of 42% for calendar year 2021 and 33% for the first quarter of 2021.
With the introduction of new, more stringent, protocols by the Government of the United States of America consequent upon the inauguration of a new President, AHATA has further adjusted its forecasts for 2021.
AHATA now forecasts that Aruba’s hotels will see an average room occupancy of 39% in calendar year 2021 and an average room occupancy of 27% in the first quarter of 2021.

Saint Lucia received 14,384 stopover visitors in December 2020, 33.0% of the total received in December 2019.
According to the Saint Lucia Tourism Authority, Saint Lucia saw the volume of stopover arrivals decrease by 67.0% in December 2019, falling from 43,569 arrivals in December 2019 to 14,384 arrivals in December 2020.
Stopover arrivals from the USA fell by 58.2%, from 19,220 visitors in December 2019 to 8,036 visitors in December 2020 and by 30.4% from the U.K., falling from 8,059 arrivals in December 2019 to 5,610 arrivals in December 2020.
The 14,384 stopovers received in December 2020 were 85.2% higher than the 7,766 stopovers received in November 2020, and 84.2% higher than the 7,808 stopovers received in October 2020.
In calendar year 2020 Saint Lucia saw a 69.2% decline in the volume of stopover arrivals, falling from 423,766 arrivals in CY 2019 to 130,699 arrivals in CY 2020. Arrivals from the USA decreased by 64.6% in CY 2020, falling from 191,719 arrivals in CY 2019 to 67,888 arrivals in 2020 while arrivals from the U.K. fell by 66.8%, falling from 83,677 stopovers in CY 2019 to 27,778 stopovers in CY 2020.
The number of cruise visitors declined by 62.1% in CY 2020, falling from 786,743 cruise visitors in CY 2019 to 297,885 in CY 2020. Saint Lucia ceased receiving cruise visitors as of mid-March 2020.
The number of visitors arriving by yacht decreased by 66.1% in calendar year 2020, falling from 66,272 arrivals in CY 2019 to 22,468 arrivals by yacht in CY 2020.

Grenada reports it received 1,965 stopover arrivals in December 2020, 12.6% of the total received in December 2019.
According to the Grenada Tourism Authority, Grenada saw the volume of stopover arrivals decrease by 87.4% in December 2020, falling from 15,568 stopover arrivals in December 2019 to 1,965 arrivals in December 2020. The number of visitors arriving by yacht decreased by 95.1% falling from 2,147 visitors in December 2019 to 105 in December of this year.
The 15,568 stopovers received in December 2020 were 27.6% higher than the 12,193 stopovers received in November 2020, and 41.8% higher than the 10,975 stopovers received in October 2020.
In calendar year 2020 Grenada saw a 73.1% decrease in the volume of stopover arrivals, falling from 162,904 arrivals in CY 2019 to 43,815 arrivals in CY 2020. Arrivals from the USA decreased by 72.9% in CY 2020, falling from 76,510 arrivals in 2019 to 20,724 arrivals in 2020 while arrivals from the U.K. declined by 69.5% in CY 2020, falling from 25,673 stopovers in 2019 to 7,839 stopovers in 2020.
The number of cruise visitors declined by 51.9% in CY 2020, falling from 338,119 cruise visitors in CY 2019 to 162,517 in CY 2020.
The number of visitors arriving by yacht decreased by 57.5% in calendar year 2020, falling from 24,611 arrivals in CY 2019 to 10,451 in CY 2020.

Hawaii’s hotels report a 56.4 percentage point drop in average room occupancy in December from 80.2% to 23.8%
According to the Hawai‘i Hotel Performance Report published by the Hawai‘i Tourism Authority (HTA), statewide hotel room occupancy fell by 56.4 percentage points from 80.2% in December 2019 to 23.8% in December 2020. ADR fell by 17.6% from $353.00 to $291.01 while revpar fell by 75.6%, from $283.22 in December 2019 to $69.21 in December 2020.
The 23.8% occupancy achieved in December was just 1.7 percentage point higher than the 22.1% achieved in November and 4.1 points higher than the 19.7% achieved in October 2020.
HTA’s Tourism Research Division issued the report’s findings utilizing data compiled by STR, Inc., which conducts the largest and most comprehensive survey of hotel properties in the Hawaiian Islands. For December, the survey included 143 properties representing 43,106 rooms, or 80.4 percent of all lodging properties and 85.7 percent of operating lodging properties with 20 rooms or more in the Hawaiian Islands, including full service, limited service, and condominium hotels.
In December, Hawai‘i hotel room revenues statewide fell by 77.2% to $107.9 million, down from $472.6 million in December 2019. Room demand was 72.3% lower than the same period of 2019. Room supply was only 6.6% lower year-over-year as properties continued to bring rooms back in service.
Many properties that closed or reduced operations starting in April 2020 were reopened or partially reopened in December. If occupancy for December 2020 was calculated based on the room supply from December 2019, occupancy would be 22.2 percent for the month.
Beginning October 15, passengers arriving from out-of-state and traveling inter-county could bypass the mandatory 14-day self-quarantine with a valid negative COVID-19 NAAT test result from a Trusted Testing and Travel Partner through the state’s Safe Travels program. Effective November 24, all trans-Pacific travelers participating in the pre-travel testing program were required to have a negative test result before their departure to Hawai‘i, and test results would no longer be accepted once a traveler arrived in the Hawaiian Islands. On December 2, Kaua‘i County temporarily suspended its participation in the state’s Safe Travels program, making it mandatory for all travelers to Kaua‘i to quarantine upon arrival. On December 10, the mandatory quarantine was reduced from 14 to 10 days in accordance with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s guidelines. The counties of Hawai‘i, Maui and Kalawao (Moloka‘i) also had a partial quarantine in place in December.
For calendar year 2020 statewide hotel room occupancy fell by 43.7 percentage points from 80.8% in 2019 to 37.1% in CY 2020. ADR fell by 5.5% from $283.05 in CY 2019 to $267.39 in CY 2020, while revpar fell by 56.6%, from $228.78 in CY 2019 to $99.24 in CY 2020.
In CY 2020, Hawai‘i hotel room revenues statewide fell by 69.0% from $4.510 billion in 2019 to $1.399 billion in 2020. Room demand fell by 67.2% compared with CY 2019, to 5,230,300 room nights, Room supply fell by 28.5% from 19,714,000 available room nights in CY 2019 to 14,091,800 available room nights in 2020.

Orlando saw a 56.0 percentage point decline in average room occupancy in November 2020 to 33.7%.
According to STR Orlando had 128,000 hotel rooms in November 2020 and achieved an average city-wide room occupancy of 33.7%, down 56.0 percentage points compared with November 2019 (89.7%), and an ADR of $87.07, down 30.7% compared with November 2019 ($125.64)
According to Visit Orlando, Orlando saw the volume of air passenger enplanements decrease by 56.1% in November 2020, falling from 2,338,276 enplanements in November 2019 to 1,026,191 enplanements in November 2020. This includes enplanements at both Orlando International and Sanford airports.
In the first eleven months of 2020 Orlando achieved an average city-wide room occupancy of 41.8%, down 45.3 percentage points compared with 2019 (87.1%) and an ADR of $111.18, down 11.7% compared with 2019 ($125.91).
In the first eleven months of 2020 Orlando saw a 56.6% decrease in the volume of air passenger enplanements, falling from 25,940,962 enplanements in 2019 to 11,260,538 enplanements in the first eleven months of 2020.

Aruba Airport revises its traffic forecasts for 2021 through 2025.
In early January 2021, the CEO of the Aruba Airport Authority (AAA), Joost Meijs stated:
“As indicated back in October 2020 the AAA would prepare a multiyear forecast every quarter.
In this first quarter of 2021 we foresee a somewhat slower recovery than what we estimated back in October 2020 for the years ahead. We continuously engage daily with our partners in the aviation and tourism industry to adapt and change our outlook(s) if necessary. This forecast is based on the insights and information we have today. The multiyear outlook remains fluid and we will continue to do our utmost to help Aruba in its much-needed recovery”.
The AAA reported that by the end of 2020 AUA Airport was now expected to handle a total of approximately 430,660 Revenue Generating Passengers (RGP).This would total 34% of the 1,265,965 RGPs that were handled at AUA Airport in 2019.
Based on the network with AUA Airport’s airline partners and based on the insights of the aviation industry associations (IATA, ACI, ICAO, etc.) AUA Airport has determined its updated outlook for the years ahead for the number of passengers that will depart from AUA Airport (Revenue Generating Passengers).
The AAA now estimates that in 2021 the airport will handle 582,895 RGPs, 46% of the total handled in 2019, in 2022 856,852 RGPs, 68% of those handled in 2019, in 2023 985,380 78% of those handed in 2019, in 2024 1,059,283 RGPs, 84% of the 2019 total and in 2025 1,138,729 RGPs, 90% of the 2019 total.
For 2021 the forecast has been adjusted downwards from 52% of the RGPs handled in 2019 to 46% of those handled in 2019. For the years 2022 through 2025 the AAA is confident that the airport will reach the projected percentages versus the year 2019. It should be noted that these percentages will vary as the years come closer and AUA Airport has much better insights into the recovery of its airlift for those years.
Click here to see relevant chart

Costa Rica received 74,974 stopover arrivals in December, up 99% compared with November 2020.
According to the Costa Rica Institute of Tourism ICT, Costa Rica received 74,974 stopovers in December 2020, 22.9% of the 326,922 stopovers received in December 2019 but up 99% compared with the 37,573 stopovers received in November 2020.
The number of stopovers from the USA fell by 67.5% in December 2020, falling from 140,547 stopovers in December 2019 to 45,660 in December 2020 while the number from Central America declined by 90.1%, from 67,228 in December 2019 to 6,657 in December 2020.
After declaring a state of emergency, Costa Rica closed all borders to foreigners on April 18th 2020. The Central American nation resumed flights and started admitting international travellers as of September 1. However, only travellers arriving from a set list of countries were allowed in. It included Canada, certain countries in the European Union and the UK. Visitors from the USA were not permitted entry until September 1st.
The volume of stopovers decreased by 67.8% in calendar year 2020, falling from 3.139,008 stopovers in 2019 to 1,011,912 stopovers in CY 2020. The number of stopovers from the USA dropped by 67.4% in CY 2020, from 1,334,777 stopovers in 2019 to 434,775 in 2020 while the number from Central America declined by 71.0%, falling from 698,601 in CY 2019 to 202,374 in CY 2020.
Visitors from the USA comprised 43.0% of all tourist arrivals in 2020, while visitors from Central America comprised 20.0%.

Cancun handled 768,613 international air passenger movements in December, 50.4% of such passenger movements handled in December 2019.
According to ASUR, which manages many of Mexico’s airports, Cancun Airport saw a 49.6% decrease in international passenger movements in December 2020, falling from 1,525,590 movements in December 2019 to 768,613 movements in December 2020. Domestic passenger movements fell by 9.1%, from 770,284 passenger movements in December 2019 to 700,044 movements in December 2020.
December saw international passenger movements increase by 185,170 (+31.7%) compared with November, moving from 583,443 movements in November to 768,613 in December, while domestic passenger movements increased by 36,950 (+5.6%) moving from 663,094 in November to 700,044 in December.
In calendar year 2020 the volume of international air passenger movements decreased by 58.8%, falling from 16,501,590 movements in 2019 to 6,804,153 movements in CY 2020 while the volume of domestic air passenger movements fell by 39.3%, from 8,980,397 movements in CY 2019 to 5,454,995 in CY 2020.

San Juan, Puerto Rico (SJU) handled 513,404 passenger movements in December, 54.8% of the total handled in December 2019.
According to ASUR, which manages many airports in Mexico, Colombia and which also manages the Luis Munoz Marin International Airport in San Juan, Puerto Rico, SJU saw a 45.2% decrease in passenger movements in December 2020, falling from 937,716 movements in December 2019 to 513,404 movements in December 2020.
December 2020 saw passenger movements increase by 72,856 (+16.5%) compared with November 2020 moving from 440,548 movements in November to 513,404 in December.
In calendar year 2020 the overall volume of air passenger movements decreased by 48.7%, from 9,448,253 in 2019 to 4,845,353 in 2020.

Punta Cana received 107,683 tourists in December 2020, 36.3% of the total received in December 2019.
According to the Central Bank of the Dominican Republic, Punta Cana, in the Dominican Republic, saw the volume of non-resident stopover arrivals decrease by 63.7% in December, falling from 296,457 arrivals in December 2019 to 107,683 arrivals in December 2020. Stopover arrivals from the USA fell by 32.1% in December, from 76,351 US arrivals in December 2019 to 51,854 US arrivals in December 2020.
The Dominican Republic reopened its borders to visitors as of July 1st 2020 with limited controls on arrivals but changed its policy on July 30th requiring all visitors to show evidence of a negative RT-PCR test taken prior to arrival. As of September 15th 2020, this requirement was eliminated and was replaced by random breath tests being administered to 3% - 10% of all arriving visitors.
The 107,683 stopovers received in December was 135.6% more than the 45,712 visitors Punta Cana received in November 2020.
During calendar year 2020 Punta Cana saw a 72.3% decrease in the volume of stopover arrivals, falling from 3,524,435 arrivals in CY 2019 to 976,482 non-resident arrivals in CY 2020.
Arrivals from the USA fell by 75.3% in calendar year 2020, falling from 1,376,584 arrivals in 2019 to 339,468 arrivals in CY 2020. Traffic was also down 78.6% from Germany, down 74.9% from Brazil, down 79.6% from Argentina, down 81.7% from the U.K., down 67.4% from France and down 61.6% from Canada.
Asonahores, the hotel association of the Dominican Republic, reports that the hotels of Punta Cana reported an average room occupancy of 40.3% for 2020, down 35.9 percentage points from the 76.2% reported for 2019.
In 2020, stopover arrivals to Punta Cana made up 40.6% of all non-resident arrivals to the Dominican Republic compared with 54.7% during 2019.

The Dominican Republic received 348,464 non-resident visitors in December, 55.8% of the total received in December 2019 and 99.0% more than the 175,095 received in November 2020.
According to the Central Bank of the Dominican Republic, the Dominican Republic received 348,464 non-resident stopover arrivals in December 2020, 99.0% more than the 175,095 stopovers it received in November.
The Dominican Republic reopened its borders to visitors as of July 1st 2020 with limited controls on arrivals but changed its policy on July 30th requiring all visitors to show evidence of a negative RT-PCR test taken prior to arrival. As of September 15th 2020, this requirement was eliminated and was replaced by random breath tests being administered to 3% - 10% of all arriving visitors.
The 348,464 stopovers received in December were 44.2% fewer than the 624,268 stopovers received in December 2019.
Stopover arrivals from the USA fell by 22.3%, from 146,269 arrivals in December 2019 to 113,644 arrivals in December 2020.
46.6% of the non-resident arrivals in December were Dominicans living abroad and returning to the Dominican Republic.
In calendar year 2020 the Dominican Republic saw a 62.7% decrease in the volume of stopover arrivals, falling from 6,446,036 arrivals in 2019 to 2,405,315 non-resident arrivals in 2020. Non-resident arrivals from the USA decreased by 67.5% in CY 2020, falling from 2,186,722 arrivals in 2019 to 709,772 arrivals in 2020.
Asonahores, the hotel association of the Dominican Republic, reports that the hotels of the Dominican Republic reported an average room occupancy of 40.5% for 2020, down 31.1 percentage points from the 71.6% reported for 2019.
In 2020 29.4% of non-resident tourists arriving in the Dominican Republic were non-resident Dominicans returning home, up from 16.9% in 2019.

Asonahores reports that overall hotel room occupancy in the Dominican Republic averaged 29.6% in December, down from 30.2% in November.
According to data from the Association of Hotels and Tourism of the Dominican Republic (Asonahores), hotel occupancy in the Dominican Republic averaged 29.6% in December 2020, down 0.6 percentage points from the 30.2% achieved in November 2020. The data are published on the Central Bank of the Dominican Republic’s website.
Average room occupancy for the Dominican Republic’s hotels in December 2019 was 68.3%.
Punta Cana’s hotels achieved an average room occupancy of 29.2% in December 2020, down 42.1 percentage points compared with 71.3% achieved in December 2019. Puerto Plata’s hotels achieved an average room occupancy of 24.4% in December 2020, down 32.0 percentage points compared with 56.4% achieved in December 2019.
In calendar year 2020 overall average room occupancy of the Dominican Republic’s hotels reached 40.5%, compared with 71.6% for CY 2019.
Punta Cana’s hotels achieved an average room occupancy of 40.3% in calendar year 2020, down 35.9 percentage points compared with 76.2% achieved in CY 2019. Puerto Plata’s hotels achieved an average room occupancy of 42.4% in CY 2020, down 13.3 percentage points compared with 55.7% achieved in CY 2019.

Mauritius announces it received 1,042 stopover visitors in December 2020.
The Mauritius Government’s Ministry of Finance and Economic Development recently announced that total stopover arrivals fell by 99.3% in December 2020, from 152,098 arrivals in December 2019 to 1,042 arrivals in December 2020. This number includes both air and sea stopover visitors.
The 1,042 stopovers were 11.5% lower than the 1,177 stopovers received in November 2020.
In calendar year 2020 Mauritius saw a 77.7% decrease in total stopover arrivals, falling from 1,383,488 arrivals in 2019 to 308,980 arrivals in CY 2020. Total stopover arrivals from France, the number one market, fell by 73.7% from 302,038 arrivals in CY 2019 to 79,510 arrivals in CY 2020.

The Bahamas reports the islands received 12,292 stopovers in December 2020, 8.3% of the total received in December 2019.
According to the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism, The Islands of The Bahamas received 12,292 stopover visitors in December 2020, a 91.7% decline in stopover visitor arrivals compared with December 2019 when The Bahamas received 148,125 stopover visitors. The 12,292 stopover visitors were 136.4% higher than the 5,200 stopover visitors received by The Bahamas in November 2020.
Two major hotels, Baha Mar and Atlantis, reopened in mid December 2020.
Of the 12,292 stopover visitors who arrived in December, 9,777 (79.5%) were from the USA with 461 coming from Canada and 300 from Europe.
During calendar year 2020 The Bahamas saw a 76.6% decline in the number of stopover visitors, falling from 1,806,303 stopover visitors in 2019 to 422,640 stopovers in CY 2020. Nassau/Paradise Island saw a 76.1% decrease in CY 2020, while Grand Bahama Island saw an 81.9% decline in stopover traffic, falling from 94,506 stopovers in 2019 to 17,126 in 2020. Stopover traffic to the Out Islands decreased by 77.0%, from 336,912 visitors in 2019 to 77,492 in CY 2020.
The number of visitors from the USA fell by 77.0% in calendar year 2020, from 1,472,958 visitors in 2019 to 338,772 in 2020. The number of visitors from Canada fell by 68.3%, from 134,462 in 2019 to 42,618 in 2020, while the number of visitors from Europe fell by 79.9%, falling from 119,396 in 2019 to 23,944 in 2020.
There were no cruise visitors in December as The Bahamas remained closed to cruise ships. During calendar year 2020 the number of cruise visitors to The Bahamas fell by 75.6%, from 5,429,654 visitors in 2019 to 1,327,084 cruise visitors in CY 2020.

The Maldives reports it received 96,412 visitor arrivals in December, up 169.6% compared with November 2020.
The Maldives Government’s Ministry of Tourism recently announced that The Maldives received 96,412 stopover visitors in December after having reopened its borders on July 15th 2020. This was 56.2% of the 171,348 stopover visitors the country received in December 2019.
The 96,412 stopovers received in December was 60,653 (169.6%) higher than the 35,759 stopovers received in November 2020.
In December India generated 18,637 of the 96,412 overall stopovers (19.3%) while Russia generated 15,323 (15.9%) and the UK 14,431 (15.0%).
In calendar year 2020 The Maldives saw a 67.4% decrease in total arrivals, falling from 1,702,887 stopovers in CY 2019 to 555,494 in CY 2020.
The Maldives has seen the overall number of accommodation establishments in operation fall by 40.7% from 927 in December 2019 to 550 establishments in December 2020. The number of beds fell by 15.5% from 49,924 last December to 42,194 in December 2020. Through the end of December overall average room occupancy had fallen by 36.6 percentage points, from 62.3% in CY 2019 to 25.7% in CY 2020.
Of the 550 establishments in operation 140 were resorts which offered 32,798 beds (77.7% of the overall number of beds). These resorts achieved a 29.0% average room occupancy during CY 2020 down from 74.1% for CY 2019. In December 2019 there were 152 resorts in operation offering 35,527 beds.

Mexico received 680,400 international air arrivals in November, up 20.5% compared with October 2020.
According to the Government of Mexico’s SECTUR (Department of Tourism) Mexico received 680,400 international air arrivals in November 2020 up 20.5% compared with the 564,461 arrivals received in October 2020.
The 680,400 international air arrivals received in November 2020 were 43.4% of the 1,567,429 received in November 2019.
The volume of air arrivals from the USA fell by 32.7 in November, from 814,014 in November 2019 to 547,960 in November 2020, with the volume from Canada falling by 90.9%, from 237,854 in November 2019 to 21,671 in November 2020.
The 547,960 visitors received from the USA in November was 17.1% higher than the 467,854 visitors received from the USA in October 2020.
Cancun Airport saw a 54.7% decrease in international air arrivals in November 2020, falling from 637,907 arrivals in November 2019 to 289,059 arrivals in November 2020, while Los Cabos saw a 35.9% decrease falling from 160,727 international arrivals in November 2019 to 103,094 international air arrivals in November 2020. Puerto Vallarta saw a 56.7% decrease, falling from 142,757 international arrivals in November 2019 to 61,860 in November 2020.
In the first eleven months of 2020 the volume of international air arrivals to Mexico fell by 59.2%, from 17,084,911 in 2019 to 6,963,927 in the first eleven months of 2020. The volume of air arrivals from the USA fell by 53.4% in the same eleven months, from 9,429,867 in 2019 to 4,394,427 in 2020 while the volume from Canada also fell by 53.4%, from 2,005,237 in 2019 to 934,713 in 2020.
Cancun Airport saw a 60.2% decrease in international air arrivals in the first eleven months of 2020, falling from 7,116,850 in 2019 to 2,831,524 in 2020 while Los Cabos saw a 50.7% decrease falling from 1,604,637 international air arrivals to 791,757 air arrivals in 2020. Puerto Vallarta saw a 50.4% decrease, falling from 1,332,361 international arrivals in 2019 to 660,306 in the first eleven months of 2020.

Curacao reports it received 9,909 stopover arrivals in December 2020, 22.3% of the total received in December 2019.
According to the Curaçao Tourist Board, Curaçao saw a 77.7% decrease in stopover visitor arrivals in December, falling from 44,534 stopovers in December 2019 to 9,909 in December of this year. The 9,909 stopovers was 27.7% less than the 13,705 stopovers received in November 2020.
Curacao had closed its borders to international arrivals as of March 17 2020 and re-opened to visitors from the Caribbean as of June 16th and from Canada and Europe but not the United States of America as of July 1st. Curacao re-opened to tourists from New York State, New Jersey, and Connecticut as of November 1 2020.
Curacao received 7,092 stopover visitors from the Netherlands in December, 38.5% of the 18,403 visitors from the Netherlands received in December 2019. The 7,092 visitors comprised 71.6% of all stopover visitors to Curacao in December.
In calendar year 2020 Curaçao saw a 62.3% decrease in the number of stopover visitors, falling from 463,683 visitors in 2019 to 174,871 visitors in CY 2020. The number of stopovers from the USA declined by 69.4% during CY 2020, from 74,050 in 2019 to 22,646 through December 2020. The number of stopovers from the Netherlands declined by 49.5% during CY 2020, from 193,962 in 2019 to 97,993 in CY 2020.
There were no cruise visitors in December as the island remained closed to cruise traffic. During CY 2020 the number of cruise visitors to Curaçao fell by 68.4%, from 809,874 visitors in 2019 to 256,033 cruise visitors in CY 2020.

Jamaica received 49,413 stopover arrivals in November 2020, 24.4% of the total received in November 2019.
According to the Jamaica Tourist Board, Jamaica received 49,413 stopover arrivals in November 2020, 24.4% of the total received in November 2019, when the island received 202,783 stopover arrivals.
The November 2020 total was 9.6% higher than the 45,106 stopovers Jamaica received in October 2020.
Jamaica re-opened its borders to international visitors as of June 15th 2020.
Stopover arrivals from the USA fell by 68.1%, from 134,614 visitors in November 2019 to 42,980 visitors in November 2020.
Cruise arrivals fell by 100%, from 126,136 cruise visitors in November 2019 to zero cruise visitors in November 2020 as Jamaica remained closed to cruise ship arrivals.
Through the first eleven months of 2020 Jamaica saw a 67.1% decline in the volume of stopover arrivals, falling from 2,399,805 stopover arrivals in the first eleven months of 2019 to 790,240 arrivals in the same eleven months of 2020.
Arrivals from the USA declined by 65.9% in the first eleven months of 2020, falling from 1,649,748 arrivals in 2019 to 562,609 arrivals in the same eleven months of 2020.
The number of cruise visitors declined by 66.6% in the first eleven months of 2020, falling from 1,346,954 cruise visitors in 2019 to 449,271 cruise visitors in 2020.

Montego Bay Airport saw 122,000 total passenger movements in December, 27.1% of the total achieved in December 2019.
According to Aeroportuario del Pacifico, which manages many of Mexico’s airports and which also manages the airports in Montego Bay and Kingston, Jamaica, saw the total number of passenger movements, that is both enplanements and deplanements, at Montego Bay Airport decrease by 72.8% in December 2020, falling from 449,400 total movements in December 2019 to 122,000 movements in December 2020. Montego Bay Airport handled 48,000 total passenger movements in September, 75,600 in October and 87,800 in November.
Jamaica reopened its borders to international visitors as of June 15th 2020.
In calendar year 2020 the overall volume of passenger movements decreased by 65.8%, from 4,707,700 passenger movements in 2019 to 1,610,500 passenger movements in CY 2020. In 2020 international passenger movements made up 99.9% of all passenger movements.

Los Cabos handled 198,400 international passenger movements in December, 54.8% of the total handled in December 2019.
According to Aeroportuario del Pacifico , which manages many of Mexico’s airports, Los Cabos Airport saw a 45.2% decline in international passenger traffic in December 2020, that is enplanements and deplanements, falling from 361,700 international passenger movements in December 2019 to 198,400 international passenger movements in December 2020. Domestic traffic declined by 8.6%, falling from 161,500 passenger movements in December 2019 to 147,600 passenger movements in December 2020.
The 198,400 international passenger movements seen in December 2020 were 7.5% higher than the 184,500 international movements seen in November 2020.
In calendar year 2020 the volume of international air traffic decreased by 49.9%, falling from 3,693,400 international passenger movements in 2019 to 1,848,900 in calendar year 2020 while the volume of domestic air traffic fell by 36.6%, from 1,915,700 movements in 2019 to 1,215,300 in CY 2020.
Regarding the operations of the Los Cabos airport in Mexico, the Government of Mexico has not issued any flight restrictions, however, it has strongly recommended that only essential activities are performed and for persons to avoid as much as possible to leave home, which has caused the cancellation of a large volume of national and international flights.

Las Vegas saw an 18.4% decrease in visitors in November compared with October 2020.
According to the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority Las Vegas saw the volume of visitors decrease by 18.4% in November 2020, falling from 1,856,900 arrivals in October 2020 to 1,514,500 in November of 2020. The 1,514,500 arrivals in November 2020 was 56.8% lower than the 3,509,800 visitors received in November 2019.
Las Vegas had a weighted average of 141,533 open hotel rooms in November 2020 (down 5.3% compared with November 2019) and achieved an average city-wide room occupancy of 39.3% (down 48.9 percentage points compared with November 2019), an ADR of $94.01 (down 30.3% compared with November 2019) and a RevPar of $36.95 (down 69.0%) also compared with November 2019.
Through the first eleven months of 2020 Las Vegas saw a 54.5% decrease in the volume of visitors, falling from 39,058,000 arrivals in the first eleven months of 2019 to 17,783,900 visitors in the same eleven months of 2020.
Las Vegas achieved an average city-wide room occupancy of 43.2% in the first eleven months of 2020 (down 46.0 percentage points compared with the first eleven months of 2019), an ADR of $121.71 (down 8.7% compared with the same eleven months of 2019) and a RevPar of $52.58 down 55.8%, also compared with the same eleven months of 2019.
Gaming revenue fell by 36.6% from $9.438 billion in the first eleven months of 2019 to $5.984 billion in the same eleven months of 2020.

Hawaii reports the state received 183,779 out-of-state tourists in November, 22.7% of the total received in November 2019.
According to the Hawaii Tourism Authority, Hawaii saw the volume of air arrivals decrease by 76.8% in November 2020, falling from 792,547 air arrivals in November 2019 to 183,779 arrivals in November 2020.
The 183,779 arrivals received in November were 140% more than the total received in October 2020 (76,613).
On October 15th, the state launched a pre-travel testing program, allowing passengers arriving from out-of-state and traveling inter-county to bypass the 14-day quarantine with a valid negative COVID-19 test result from a Trusted Testing and Travel Partner. As a result, slightly more travelers arrived in Hawai‘i than in previous months, when testing was not an option to bypass the trans-Pacific quarantine requirement that began on March 26. Also, in October, the County of Maui issued a stay-at-home order for all individuals on Lāna‘i that began on October 27. In addition, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) continued to enforce the “No Sail Order” on all cruise ships.
Air arrivals from the USA fell by 66.2%, from 525,630 in November 2019 to 177,658 in November 2020, fell by 99.6% from Japan (from 131,536 arrivals in November 2019 to 524 air arrivals in November 2020). Air arrivals fell by 98.4% from Canada (from 50,598 to 802 air arrivals).
Through the first eleven months of 2020 Hawaii saw a 73.7% decrease in the volume of air arrivals, falling from 9,302,027 arrivals in the first eleven months of 2019 to 2,450,610 air arrivals in the same eleven months of 2020. Air arrivals from the USA decreased by 71.8% in the first eleven months of 2020, falling from 6,237,962 air arrivals in 2019 to 1,758,924 air arrivals in the same eleven months of 2020, fell by 79.5% from Japan (from 1,439,570 arrivals in 2019 to 295,354 air arrivals in 2020) and fell by 66.9% from Canada (from 475,922 in 2019 to 157,367 air arrivals in 2020).
The Hawaii Tourist Authority was unable to collect any visitor expenditure data during November 2020.

Hawaii’s hotels report a 57.0 percentage point drop in average room occupancy in November to 22.1%
According to the Hawai‘i Hotel Performance Report published by the Hawai‘i Tourism Authority (HTA), statewide hotel room occupancy fell by 57.0 percentage points from 79.1% in November 2019 to 22.1% in November this year. ADR fell by 12.0% from $260.98 to $229.61 while revpar fell by 75.4%, from $206.39 in November 2019 to $50.75 in November this year.
The 22.1% occupancy achieved in November was just 2.4 percentage point higher than the 19.7% achieved in October 2020.
HTA’s Tourism Research Division issued the report’s findings utilizing data compiled by STR, Inc., which conducts the largest and most comprehensive survey of hotel properties in the Hawaiian Islands. For November, the survey included 136 properties representing 38,502 rooms, or 71.8 percent of all lodging properties and 83.0 percent of operating lodging properties with 20 rooms or more in the Hawaiian Islands, including full service, limited service, and condominium hotels.
In November, Hawai‘i hotel room revenues statewide fell by 78.8% to $70.6 million. Room demand was 75.9% lower than the same period last year. Room supply fell by 13.8% year-over-year. Many properties closed or reduced operations starting in April.
Beginning October 15, passengers arriving from out-of-state and traveling inter-county could bypass the mandatory 14-day self-quarantine with a valid negative COVID-19 NAAT test result from a Trusted Testing and Travel Partner. However, a new policy went into effect on November 24 requiring all trans-Pacific travelers participating in the pre-travel testing program to have a negative test result before their departure to Hawai‘i, and test results would no longer be accepted once a traveler arrives in Hawai‘i. The counties of Kaua‘i, Hawai‘i, Maui, and Kalawao (Moloka‘i) also had a partial quarantine in place in November. In addition, Lāna‘i residents and visitors were under a stay-at-home order from October 27 to November 11.
For the first eleven months of 2020 statewide hotel room occupancy fell by 42.1 percentage points from 80.9% in 2019 to 38.7% in the first eleven months of 2020. ADR fell by 4.0% from $276.63 in 2019 to $265.60 while revpar fell by 54.0%, from $223.75 in the first eleven months of 2019 to $102.91 in the first eleven months of this year.
In the first eleven months of 2020, Hawai‘i hotel room revenues statewide fell by 68.1% from $4.036 billion in 2019 to $1.289 billion in 2020. Room demand fell to 4,853,200 room nights, down 66.7% compared to 2019. Room supply fell by 30.6% to 12,525,800 available room nights.

The United States Virgin Islands saw a 17.8% decline in air arrivals in November 2020.
According to the USVI Bureau of Economic Research, the USVI saw the volume of air arrivals decrease by 17.8% in November 2020, falling from 48,398 air arrivals in November 2019 to 39,780 air arrivals in November of this year.
Through the first eleven months of 2020 the USVI saw the volume of air arrivals decrease by 36.5%, from 572,164 air arrivals in the first eleven months of 2019 to 363,052 air arrivals in the first eleven months of 2020.
There were no cruise visitor arrivals in November or December 2020.
Cruise arrivals were down 69.3% during calendar year 2020, falling from 1,433,122 in CY 2019 to 440,398 in CY 2020.

Aruba reports it received 42,936 stopover arrivals in December, 42.6% of the total received in December 2019.
According to the Aruba Tourism Authority, Aruba saw the volume of stopover arrivals fall from 100,713 stopovers in December 2019 to 42,936 in December 2020, that is to 42.6% of the total achieved in December 2019.
The number of stopovers received in December was up by 44.5% compared with November 2020 when Aruba received 29,714. stopovers. Aruba received 21,882 stopovers in October, 14,697 stopovers in September 2020, 17,420 stopovers in August 2020 and 12,921 in July 2020.
Aruba reopened its borders to traffic from the Dutch Caribbean as of June 15th, to Canada and Europe as of July 1st and from the USA as of July 10th.
Of the 42,936 total stopovers received in December 78.6% were from the USA. The number of visitors from the USA declined by 54.8% compared with December 2020, falling from 74,630 stopovers in December 2019 to 33,753 in December 2020. The second largest source market was the Netherlands, which generated 2,981 stopovers, 6.9% of the total for the month.
In calendar year 2020 Aruba saw a 67.1% decrease in the number of stopover visitors, falling from 1,118,944 visitors in 2019 to 368,322 stopover visitors in CY 2020. The number of stopovers from the USA declined by 64.8% during 2020, falling from 838,288 in 2019 to 295,307 in CY 2020.
There were no cruise visitors in December as the island remained closed to cruise traffic. During CY 2020 the number of cruise visitors to Aruba fell by 69.8%, from 832,001 visitors in 2019 to 255,384 cruise visitors in CY 2020.

The Aruba Hotel and Tourism Association reports Aruba’s hotels achieved an average room occupancy of 34.9% in December, down 47.8 percentage points compared with December 2019.
The Aruba Hotel and Tourism Association (AHATA) recently reported that Aruba’s hotels achieved an average room occupancy of 34.9% during the month of December 2020, down 47.8 percentage points compared with the 82.7% average occupancy achieved in December 2019.
For December, the survey included 19 properties representing 4,936 rooms, or 92.8 percent of all hotel rooms, including full service, all-inclusive, limited service, and apartment hotels. The total number of available rooms showed little change from December 2019 (down by just 1.2%).
The hotels achieved an average daily rate of $276.05 in December, down 18.6% compared with December 2019, and an average revenue per available room (RevPar) of $96.39, down 65.6% compared with December 2019.
Through calendar year 2020 AHATA reports that Aruba’s hotels achieved an average room occupancy of 26.9%, down 57.5 percentage points compared with the 84.4% achieved in calendar year 2019. The average daily room rate grew by 16.8% in CY 2020 from $275.44 in 2019 to $321.79 in 2020. Revpar fell by 62.8% however, from $232.52 achieved in 2019 to $86.54 in 2020.
AHATA projects that the hotels will see an average room occupancy of 30% in January 2021, 32% in February and 33% for the first three months of 2021. AHATA is projecting that the hotel sector will see an average room occupancy of 42% for calendar year 2021.
AHATA also reports the timeshare sector saw an average occupancy of 56% during December 2020 and is projected to achieve an average occupancy of 63% in January 2021. AHATA has six timeshare resorts which reported their performance representing 69% of all timeshare units in Aruba.

Aruba Airport Authority reports 38,242 departing passengers in December, 36% of the total achieved in December 2019.
The Aruba Airport Authority (AAA) reports that in December 38,242 Revenue Generating Passengers (RGPs) travelled out of the Queen Beatrix International Airport (AUA Airport) to the various markets. This was 22% more than the 31,431 RGPs handled in November 2020 but just 36% of the total handled in December 2019.
A revenue generating passenger is an outbound traveler leaving Aruba and includes tourists returning to their homes and Arubans departing for trips overseas.
In December 29,019 passengers (pax) travelled to the US, 420 pax to Canada, 3,825 pax to Europe and 1,471 pax to the Netherlands Antilles.3,507 pax also departed on flights to Latin American destinations.
The figures for December 2020 were 37% less than the 60,702 previously forecasted for this month.
An average outbound load factor (number of seats of the total seats on board an aircraft that are occupied when departing from AUA Airport) for the US Market of 40% (excluding de-densification of aircraft) was reported for December 2020, while the average load factor for the European market was 45%.
During December, Aruba’s airport averaged 21 flights per day, down from about 37 daily flights from the same month of 2019.
During calendar year 2020 Aruba Airport handled a total of 430,496 RGPs, 34% of the total traffic that departed during calendar year 2019.
For 2021, based on the latest insights that AUA Airport has from its stakeholders such as the airlines, it is expected that an approximate amount of 582,000 departing passengers will be handled which is 46% of the traffic that was handled in 2019.
“We continue to recover traffic slowly but surely in the coming winter season months which is the busiest season for AUA Airport. We hope to continue this recovery of our airlift in this manner in 2021. The load factors have yet to further improve, and we hope that the planned air service by our airline partners will continue accordingly for the remainder of the winter season 2021,” said Aruba Airport Authority N.V. CEO Mr. Joost Meijs.

Google launches hub to aid destinations, hotels and partners in recovery
As the travel sector eyes recovery in some markets while navigating fluctuating regulations in others, Google is launching a new suite of tools designed to help industry stakeholders make better data-informed decisions.
The search giant’s new website - called Travel Insights with Google - is built around three tools geared toward destinations, hotels and Google’s commercial partners.
https://travelinsights.withgoogle.com/
The first tool, Destination Insights, is a public resource for governments and tourism boards that details top sources of demand for a destination, as well as the destinations within countries that travelers are the most interested in visiting.
https://destinationinsights.withgoogle.com/
With the data, destinations can map out possible resumption of travel on specific routes and decide where to communicate with potential future travelers.
The second public tool, Hotel Insights, packages Google hotel search data to help hotels - namely small and independent hotels - understand how to target their marketing as they plan for recovery.
https://hotelinsights.withgoogle.com/
In addition to real-time insights, it also includes a resource guide to help hotels leverage tools like Google My Business and Google Reviews.
The final component, available to Google’s commercial partners, is the Travel Analytics Center, which enables organizations to combine their own Google account data with broader Google demand data and insights. The insights will help travel partners manage their operations and find opportunities to reach potential visitors.
https://support.google.com/travel/answer/10280218?p=trips_tac&visit_id=637430305123889193-2202008068&rd=1
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The Maldives reports it received 21,515 visitor arrivals in October, up 125.6% compared with September 2020.
The Maldives Government’s Ministry of Tourism recently announced that The Maldives received 21,515 stopover visitors in October after having reopened its borders on July 15th 2020. This was 15.2% of the 141,928 stopover visitors the country received in October 2019.
The 21,515 stopovers received in October was 11,977 (125.6%) higher than the 9,538 stopovers received in September 2020.
In October Russia generated 5,995 of the 21,515 overall stopovers (27.9%) and was by far the leading source market. Other markets which generated significant business in October were the UK (1,780 visitors), the USA (1,449 visitors), and India (1,396 visitors).
In the first ten months of 2020 The Maldives saw a 69.6% decrease in total arrivals, falling from 1,393,618 stopovers in the first ten months of 2019 to 423,229 so far this year.
The Maldives has seen the overall number of accommodation establishments in operation fall by 64.2% from 903 in October 2019 to 323 establishments this October. The number of beds fell by 34.1% from 49,450 last October to 32,600 this year. Through the end of October overall average room occupancy had fallen by 38.8 percentage points from 62.0% in 2019 to 23.2% for the first ten months of this year.
Of the 323 establishments in operation 111 were resorts which offered 26,580 beds (81.5% of the overall number of beds). These resorts achieved a 26.1% average room occupancy through the first ten months of 2020 down from 73.3% for the first ten months of 2019. In October 2019 there were 152 resorts in operation offering 35,527 beds.

Cancun handled 583,443 international air passenger movements in November, 45.1% of such passenger movements handled in November 2019.
According to ASUR, which manages many of Mexico’s airports, Cancun Airport saw a 54.9% decrease in international passenger movements in November 2020, falling from 1,293,394 movements in November 2019 to 583,443 movements in November 2020. Domestic passenger movements fell by 11.3%, from 747,812 passenger movements in November 2019 to 663,094 movements in November 2020.
November saw international passenger movements increase by 163,712 (+39.0%) compared with October, moving from 419,731 movements in October to 583,443 in November, while domestic passenger movements increased by 72,089 (+12.2%) moving from 591,005 in October to 663,094 in November.
In the first eleven months of 2020 the volume of international air passenger movements decreased by 59.7%, falling from 14,976,123 movements in 2019 to 6,035,540 movements in 2020 while the volume of domestic air passenger movements fell by 42.1%, from 8,210,113 movements in the first eleven months of 2019 to 4,754,951 in the same eleven months of 2020.

San Juan, Puerto Rico (SJU) handled 385,608 passenger movements in November, 58.5% of the total handled in November 2019.
According to ASUR, which manages many airports in Mexico, Colombia and which also manages the Luis Munoz Marin International Airport in San Juan, Puerto Rico, SJU saw a 41.5% decrease in passenger movements in November 2020, falling from 658,632 movements in November 2019 to 385,608 movements in November 2020.
November 2020 saw passenger movements increase by 88,103 (+29.6%) compared with September 2020 moving from 297,505 movements in September to 385,608 in November.
In the first eleven months of 2020 the overall volume of air passenger movements decreased by 49.7%, from 7,730,812 in 2019 to 3,891,401 in 2020.

Los Cabos handled 184,500 international passenger movements in November, 75% of the total handled in November 2019.
According to Aeroportuario del Pacifico , which manages many of Mexico’s airports, Los Cabos Airport saw a 25.0% decline in international passenger traffic in November 2020, that is enplanements and deplanements, falling from 245,800 international passenger movements in November 2019 to 184,500 international passenger movements in November 2020. Domestic traffic declined by 11.5%, falling from 154,600 passenger movements in November 2019 to 136,800 passenger movements in November 2020.
The 184,500 international passenger movements seen in November 2020 were 80.9% higher than the 102,000 international movements seen in September 2020.
Regarding the operations of the Los Cabos airport in Mexico, the Government of Mexico has not issued any flight restrictions, however, it has strongly recommended that only essential activities are performed and for persons to avoid as much as possible to leave home, which has caused the cancellation of a large volume of national and international flights.
In the first eleven months of 2020 the volume of international air traffic decreased by 52.0%, falling from 3,010,500 international passenger movements in 2019 to 1,443,900 in the first eleven months of 2020 while the volume of domestic air traffic fell by 42.5%, from 1,602,300 movements in 2019 to 921,400 in the first eleven months of 2020.

Montego Bay Airport saw 75,600 total passenger movements in November, 26.3% of the total achieved in November 2019.
According to Aeroportuario del Pacifico, which manages many of Mexico’s airports and which also manages the airports in Montego Bay and Kingston, Jamaica, saw the total number of passenger movements, that is both enplanements and deplanements, at Montego Bay Airport decrease by 73.7% in November 2020, falling from 287,800 total movements in November 2019 to 75,600 movements in November 2020. Montego Bay Airport handled 58,800 passenger movements in July, 67,700 in August, and 48,000 in September.
Jamaica reopened its borders to international visitors as of June 15th 2020
In the first eleven months of 2020 the overall volume of passenger movements decreased by 64.2%, from 3,910,000 passenger movements in 2019 to 1,400,700 passenger movements in the first eleven months of 2020. International passenger movements made up 99.9% of all passenger movements.

In October Cancun saw its hotels achieve an average hotel room occupancy of 38.0%.
Sedetur, the Department of Tourism of the state of Quintana Roo, recently released the hotel occupancy numbers for the hotels in Cancun/Puerto Morelos and Riviera Maya for all ten months of 2020.
In October Cancun/Puerto Morelos saw a 28.9 percentage point drop in average hotel room occupancy from 66.9% in October 2019 to 38.0% in October of this year. Cancun’s hotels saw an average occupancy of 32.4% in September, 25.9% in August, 23.7% in July and 15.2% in June.
The hotels in Riviera Maya saw their average room occupancy fall by 31.1 percentage points from 63.7% in October 2019 to 32.6% in October this year. The hotels in Riviera Maya saw an average occupancy of 27.0% in September, 21.8% in August, 19.9% in July and 11.0% in June.
Through the first ten months of 2020 the hotels in Cancun/Puerto Morelos have achieved a 36.5% average room occupancy, down 39.7 percentage points from the 76.2% achieved in 2019.
For the same ten months the hotels in Riviera Maya have achieved an average room occupancy of 33.3%, down 44.3 percentage points from the 77.6% achieved in 2019, also for the first ten months of 2020.
Riviera Maya/Tulum has 48,200 hotel rooms while the Cancun/Puerto Morelos area has 42,910 hotel rooms. During October approximately 75% of the region’s hotel rooms had re-opened.

Belize reports stopover arrivals fell by 68.2% in the first ten months of 2020.
According to the Belize Tourism Board, Belize saw a 68.2% decrease in stopover visitor arrivals in the first ten months of 2020, falling from 408,523 stopovers in the first ten months of 2019 to 130,054 stopovers in the first ten months of this year.
On March 20th Belize closed its borders to all visitors and re-opened its borders as of October 1st 2020.
The number of cruise visitors fell by 63.6% in the first ten months of 2020, falling from 942,680 cruise visitors in the first ten months of 2019 to 343,099 cruise visitors this year. Belize remained closed to cruise visitors since March of 2020.

Aruba Airport Authority reports 31,431 departing passengers in November, 32% of the total achieved in November 2019.
The Aruba Airport Authority (AAA) reports that in November 31,431 Revenue Generating Passengers (RGPs) travelled out of the Queen Beatrix International Airport (AUA Airport) to the various markets. This was 38% more than the 22,758 RGPs handled in October 2020 but just 32% of the total handled in November 2019.
A revenue generating passenger is an outbound traveler leaving Aruba and includes tourists returning to their homes and Arubans departing for trips overseas.
In November 28,480 passengers (pax) travelled to the US, 130 pax to Canada, 1,288 pax to Europe and 1,345 pax to the Netherlands Antilles.188 pax also departed on repatriation flights to Latin American destinations.
The figures for November 2020 were 35% less than the 48,355 previously forecasted for this month.
AUA 2020. The October numbers were 14.5% below forecast, with September being 27.0% below forecast while August's figures were 1.8% below forecast.
An average outbound load factor (number of seats of the total seats on board an aircraft that are occupied when departing from AUA Airport) for the US Market of 48% (excluding de-densification of aircraft) was reported for November 2020, while the average load factor for the European market was 43%.
During November, Aruba’s airport averaged 16 flights per day, down from about 35 daily flights from the same month of 2019.
The AAA has forecasted handling approximately 60,000 departing passengers in December 2020, about 57% of the number of RGPs handled in December 2019. This estimate could yet change however because of travel restrictions that continue to apply in various countries of the world and with the further uncertain effects of the pandemic worldwide.
“We had a lot of aircraft movements during our second month of this winter season 2020/2021, but the load factors have yet to recover further during versus what was forecasted. The opening of the borders with Latin America and the Caribbean and the return of flights from TUI and increased operations of KLM during December, will ensure not only more flights but also more passengers using our airport.
We hope that our forecasted figures for December 2020 will be realized with this extra push of flights and that flights as indicated by our airline partners will continue as planned for the end of this year months and into 2021,” said Aruba Airport Authority N.V. CEO Mr. Joost Meijs.

Mexico received 564,461 international air arrivals in October, up 50.7% compared with September 2020.

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