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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 March 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  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.”
read more/...

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.

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 two months of 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.
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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%. 
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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 Cruises 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. 
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
According to the Government of Mexico’s SECTUR (Department of Tourism) Mexico received 564,461 international air arrivals in October 2020 up 50.7% compared with the 374,503  arrivals received in September 2020.
The 564,461 international air arrivals received in October 2020 were 42.8% of the 1,318,687 received in October 2019.
The volume of air arrivals from the USA fell by 33.2% in October, from 700,003 in October 2019 to 467,854 in October of this year, with the volume from Canada falling by 87.5%, from 103,904 in October 2019 to 13,030 this year.
The 467,854 visitors received from the USA in October was 46.3% higher than the 319,899 visitors received from the USA in September 2020.
Cancun Airport saw a 57.6% decrease in international air arrivals in October 2020, falling from 496,931 arrivals in October 2019 to 210,691 arrivals in October 2020, while Los Cabos saw a 23.5% decrease falling from 124,680 international arrivals in October 2019 to 95,338 international air arrivals in October 2020. Puerto Vallarta saw a 40.4% decrease, falling from 81,034 international arrivals in October 2019 to 48,291 in October 2020.
In the first ten months of 2020 the volume of international air arrivals to Mexico fell by 59.5%, from 15,517,482 in 2019 to 6,283,527 in the first ten months of this year. The volume of air arrivals from the USA fell by 55.4% in the same ten months, from 8,615,853 in 2019 to 3,846,467 in 2020 while the volume from Canada fell by 48.3%, from 1,767,383 in 2019 to 913,042 in 2020.
Cancun Airport saw a 60.8% decrease in international air arrivals in the first ten months of 2020, falling from 6,478,943 in 2019 to 2,542,465 in 2020 while Los Cabos saw a 52.3% decrease falling from 1,443,910 international air arrivals to 688,663 air arrivals in 2020. Puerto Vallarta saw a 49.7% decrease, falling from 1,189,604 international arrivals in 2019 to 598,446 in the first ten months of 2020.

Airlines set sights on digital passports for COVID-19 vaccine
The travel industry is moving ahead with plans to ensure a coronavirus vaccine means tourism and travel, both domestically and internationally, can quickly be revived.
Industry leaders are coordinating their efforts to create a digital passport that would say whether a passenger has been vaccinated for COVID-19.
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced this week it is in the final phase of development for what it hopes will be universally accepted documentation that in turn could boost confidence among wary travelers.
The digital health pass would include a passenger’s testing and vaccine information and would manage and verify information among governments, airlines, laboratories and travelers.
“Testing is the first key to enable international travel without quarantine measures. The second key is the global information infrastructure needed to securely manage, share and verify test data matched with traveler identities in compliance with border control requirements,” Alexandre de Juniac, IATA CEO, said in a statement on Monday.
The pass would enable travelers to find verified testing centers and labs at their point of departure that meet the standards and requirements of their destination to avoid quarantine rules and travel restrictions.
Drugmaker AstraZeneca announced Monday that its vaccine candidate, developed by Oxford University, is 70 percent effective on average but could be as high as 90 percent. Two other vaccines — one from Moderna and the other from Pfizer and BioNTech — both recently reported 95 percent efficacy rates.
When asked about how airlines are going to handle the rollout of vaccines, including how they would know if someone has been vaccinated, Airlines for America, which represents major commercial carriers, did not give a direct answer, saying only that U.S. airlines are “committed to restoring service in a manner that prioritizes the safety and wellbeing of our passengers and employees.” 
Australian airline Qantas is reportedly making plans to require passengers get vaccinated before any international flights. CEO Alan Joyce said recently he thinks other carriers should follow suit.
U.S. airlines, which have lobbied for months for another COVID-19 relief package, say they can help the federal government with vaccine distribution.
“As the nation looks forward and takes on the logistical challenges of distributing a vaccine, it will be important to ensure there are sufficient certified employees and planes in service necessary for adequate capacity to complete the task,” several major airline CEOs wrote to congressional leaders this month. 
With passenger volumes 65 percent below 2019 levels, any sort of relief — government assistance, testing protocols or a vaccine — would be most welcome by airlines.
The Thanksgiving holiday, which is typically a large revenue driver for the travel industry, became more challenging after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a warning against traveling as coronavirus cases surge in almost all parts of the country.
The busiest air travel day during the coronavirus pandemic was the Sunday before Thanksgiving, when nearly 1.05 million passengers were screened at U.S. airports.
But that was nowhere near the levels seen in previous years.
“We’re in this situation because of the lack of leadership from the United States government. Eight months into this and there’s no cohesive program,” said Peter Vlitas, senior vice president of airline relations at the Internova Travel Group.
The group argues that international travel would be able to resume if strict protocols were in place.
“We do not have a contact tracing national policy. If I fly to the U.K., I have to fill out a form. If I fly to Greece, I have to fill out a form. Many countries, you fill out a form. Besides the standard do you have a fever ... we don’t have the simplest of things,” Vlitas said.
Last month, travel industry groups called on the Trump administration to pursue an approach to COVID-19 testing that would remove the need for quarantines and travel bans.
The letter included the U.S. Travel Association, the American Hotel & Lodging Association and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, who all said the patchwork approach is “confusing and discourages travel.”
 
Update on American Travel in the Period of Coronavirus—Week of November 30th
Destination Analysts
Nearly 14% of Americans report they took a trip for Thanksgiving 2020. Although government-imposed restrictions and virus anxieties are acting as a depressant on travel sentiment right now, 44% of American travelers agree they are taking a major vacation after a COVID-19 vaccine becomes available, and Americans’ Destination Hot List is looking nearly identical to pre-pandemic times.
IMPORTANT: These findings are brought to you from our independent research, which is not sponsored, conducted or influenced by any advertising or marketing agency. Every week since March 15th, Destination Analysts has surveyed 1,200+ American travelers about their thoughts, feelings, perceptions and behaviors surrounding travel in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, and explored a variety of topics. The findings presented below represent data collected November 27th-29th.
Key Findings to Know:

• Nearly 14% of American travelers report that they took a Thanksgiving trip. Nearly one-in-five Americans say they plan to take a Christmas holiday trip.
• In terms of how Americans are feeling about the virus, many emotions remain largely unchanged, with anxieties about personally or loved ones’ contracting the virus and the pandemic’s impact on personal and national economics in an elevated but stable period that have not reached the peak levels seen during the two prior surges in March and July.
• Such concerns are still impacting Americans’ current travel marketability. Americans’ openness to travel inspiration has been on a steady decline since October 18th and fully half of American travelers say they have lost their interest in traveling for the time being.
• The focus of some recent news stories on pandemic behaviors in specific travel destinations is also acting as a sentiment depressant. In the past month, 35.8% of Americans report they have seen one or more COVID-19 related reports in the media about travel destinations where people were behaving in a manner that would make them feel uncomfortable visiting.
• While a majority agree with new/reinstituted travel and other COVID related restrictions and agree it’s important people follow them, these restrictions are achieving their intention to deter travel right now.
• Still, the worst of this latest surge’s impact on travel behavior may be passing or at least be in a temporary reprieve. The percent of American travelers who report they have cancelled or postponed any upcoming leisure trips because of the recent increases in COVID-19 cases in the U.S. has dropped to 38.1% from 47.4% two weeks ago, and now 56.3% say recent increases in COVID-19 cases around the country have made them less likely to travel in the next three months–down from 62.8% in the same period.
• Reports of vaccine developments also continue to provide Americans hope about their travel future. Over 44.2% agree that their “first trip after a COVID-19 vaccine becomes available will be a vacation, likely to a place far from my home.”
• This week 80% of American travelers have at least tentative trip plans for the future. The pandemic clearly still weighs heavy, with confidence travel can be done safely, easy cancellation policies and relaxation the top motivational attributes for taking a trip.
• However, when asked where they most want to travel to in the next 12 months, the Hot List looks nearly identical to pre-pandemic, with Florida, New York, California, Hawaii and Las Vegas coming out on top.

The Bahamas reports the islands received 3,405 stopovers in October, 4.4% of the total received in October 2019.
According to the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism, The Islands of The Bahamas received 3,405 stopover visitors in October 2020, a 95.6% decline in stopover visitor arrivals compared with October 2019 when The Bahamas received 77,573 stopover visitors. In September 2020, The Bahamas received 4,141 stopover visitors.
In response to the Covid 19 pandemic on March 24th, the Bahamian border was closed indefinitely to incoming visitors and returning residents with the border officially reopening to international travel as of July 1st. However, due to a spike in cases, on July 19th flights from the USA were suspended. On July 24th, all visitors were required to quarantine for 14 days in a government facility. On August 3rd this was changed to the 14-day quarantine taking place in the guests’ hotel. The Bahamas reopened its borders as of November 1st 2020 although a number of major hotels will not re-open until mid-December.
During the first ten months of 2020 The Bahamas saw a 74.2% decline in the number of stopover visitors, falling from 1,548,342 stopover visitors in 2019 to 400,152 stopovers in the first ten months of 2020. Nassau/Paradise Island saw a 73.3% decrease in stopover traffic, falling from 1,162,719 stopovers in 2019 to 310,574 stopovers in the first ten months of 2020, while Grand Bahama Island saw an 82.5% decline in stopover traffic, falling from 85,470 stopovers in 2019 to 14,966 in 2020. Stopover traffic to the Out Islands decreased by 75.1%, from 300,153 visitors in 2019 to 74,612 in the same ten months of 2020.
The number of visitors from the USA fell by 74.7% in the first ten months of 2020, from 1,269,939 visitors in 2019 to 320,902 in 2020. The number of visitors from Canada fell by 61.6%, from 108,942 in 2019 to 41,865 in 2020, while the number of visitors from Europe fell by 76.9%, falling from 100,568 in 2019 to 23,280 in 2020.
There were no cruise visitors in October as The Bahamas remained closed to cruise ships. During the first ten months of 2020 the number of cruise visitors to The Bahamas fell by 66.1%, from 4,364,020 visitors in 2019 to 1,327,084 cruise visitors in the first ten months of 2020.

Las Vegas saw a 9.0% increase in visitors in October compared with September 2020.
According to the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority Las Vegas saw the volume of visitors increase by 9.0% in October 2020, growing from 1,704,300 arrivals in September 2020 to 1,856,900 in October of this year. The 1,856,900 arrivals in October 2020 was 49.4% lower than the 3,668,100 visitors received in October 2019.
Las Vegas had a weighted average of 140,658 open hotel rooms in October 2020 (down 5.8% compared with October 2019) and achieved an average city-wide room occupancy of 46.9% (down 43.1 percentage points compared with October 2019), an ADR of $104.54 (down 22.8% compared with October 2019) and a RevPar of $49.03 (down 59.7%) also compared with October 2019.
Through the first ten months of 2020 Las Vegas saw a 54.2% decrease in the volume of visitors, falling from 35,548,300 arrivals in the first ten months of 2019 to 16,269,400 visitors in the same ten months of 2020.
Las Vegas achieved an average city-wide room occupancy of 43.6% in the first ten months of 2020 (down 45.7 percentage points compared with the first ten months of 2019), an ADR of $124.26 (down 6.7% compared with the same ten months of 2019) and a RevPar of $54.38 down 54.4%, also compared with the same ten months of 2019.
Gaming revenue fell by 38.1% from $8.632 billion in the first ten months of 2019 to $5.344 billion in the same ten months of 2020.

Hawaii reports the state received 76,613 out-of-state tourists in October, 9.9% of the total received in October 2019.
According to the Hawaii Tourism Authority, Hawaii saw the volume of air arrivals decrease by 90.1% in October 2020, falling from 775,675 arrivals in October 2019 to 76,613 arrivals in October 2020. 
The 76,613 arrivals received in October were 306% more than the total received in September 2020 (18,868).
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 85.5%, from 502,082 in October 2019 to 72,978 in October 2020, fell by 99.9% from Japan (from 134,557 arrivals in October 2019 to 183 air arrivals in October 2020). Air arrivals fell by 95.0% from Canada (from 32,250 to 389 air arrivals). 
Through the first ten months of 2020 Hawaii saw a 73.4% decrease in the volume of air arrivals, falling from 8,509,490 arrivals in the first ten months of 2019 to 2,266,831 air arrivals in the same ten months of 2020. Air arrivals from the USA decreased by 72.3% in the first ten months of 2020, falling from 5,712,332 air arrivals in 2019 to 1,581,267 air arrivals in the same ten months of 2020, fell by 77.5% from Japan (from 1,308,034 arrivals in 2019 to 294,830 air arrivals in 2020) and fell by 63.2% from Canada (from 425,324 in 2019 to 156,565 air arrivals in 2020).
The Hawaii Tourist Authority was unable to collect any visitor expenditure data during October 2020.

The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index® Decreased in November to 96.1, down from 101.4 in October.
The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index® declined in November, after remaining relatively flat in October. The Index now stands at 96.1 (1985=100), down from 101.4 (an upward revision) in October.
The Present Situation Index – based on consumers' assessment of current business and labor market conditions – decreased slightly from 106.2 to 105.9. The Expectations Index – based on consumers' short-term outlook for income, business, and labor market conditions – declined from 98.2 in October to 89.5 this month.
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 November 13.
"Consumer confidence declined in November, after remaining virtually flat in October," said Lynn Franco, Senior Director of Economic Indicators at The Conference Board. "Consumers' assessment of present-day conditions held steady, though consumers noted a moderation in business conditions, suggesting growth has slowed in Q4. Heading into 2021, consumers do not foresee the economy, nor the labor market, gaining strength. In addition, the resurgence of COVID-19 is further increasing uncertainty and exacerbating concerns about the outlook."
Consumers' appraisal of current conditions was relatively unchanged in November. The percentage of consumers claiming business conditions are "good" declined from 18.6 percent to 17.6 percent, but those claiming business conditions are "bad" also decreased, from 34.4 percent to 33.5 percent. Consumers' assessment of the labor market was unchanged. The percentage of consumers saying jobs are "plentiful" held steady at 26.7 percent, while those claiming jobs are "hard to get" was virtually unchanged at 19.5 percent.
Consumers, however, have grown less optimistic about the short-term outlook. The percentage of consumers expecting business conditions will improve over the next six months decreased from 36.0 percent to 27.4 percent, while those expecting business conditions will worsen increased from 15.9 percent to 19.8 percent. Consumers' optimism regarding the job market also weakened. The proportion expecting more jobs in the months ahead declined from 32.0 percent to 25.9 percent, while those anticipating fewer jobs increased moderately from 19.8 percent to 20.5 percent. Regarding their short-term income prospects, the percentage of consumers expecting an increase was virtually unchanged at 17.6 percent, while the proportion expecting a decrease declined from 14.2 percent to 13.3 percent.
 
Hawaii’s hotels report a 59.8 percentage point drop in average room occupancy in October to 19.7%
According to the Hawai‘i Hotel Performance Report published by the Hawai‘i Tourism Authority (HTA), statewide hotel room occupancy fell by 59.8 percentage points from 79.4% in October 2019 to 19.7% in October this year. ADR fell by 31.8% from $255.49 to $174.12 while revpar fell by 83.1%, from $202.96 in October 2019 to $34.26 in October this year.
If occupancy for October 2020 was calculated based on the room supply from October 2019, occupancy would be 13.5 percent for the month.
The 19.7% occupancy achieved in October was just 0.1 percentage point higher than the 19.6% achieved in September 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 October, the survey included 106 properties representing 27,196 rooms, or 50.7 percent of all lodging properties and 74.0 percent of operating lodging properties with 20 rooms or more in the Hawaiian Islands, including full service, limited service, and condominium hotels.
In October, Hawai‘i hotel room revenues statewide fell by 88.4% to $39.0 million. Room demand was 83.0% lower than the same period last year. Room supply fell by 31.5% year-over-year. Many properties closed or reduced operations starting in April.
Beginning October 15th, 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. All other trans-Pacific travelers continued to be subject to the 14-day self-quarantine during October. The counties of Kaua‘i, Hawai‘i, Maui, and Kalawao (Moloka‘i) also had a partial quarantine in October. In addition, Lāna‘i residents and visitors were under a stay-at-home order that began on October 27.
For the first ten months of 2020 statewide hotel room occupancy fell by 40.4 percentage points from 81.1% in 2019 to 40.7% in the first ten months of 2020. ADR fell by 3.7% from $278.03 in 2019 to $267.70 while revpar fell by 51.7%, from $225.43 in the first ten months of 2019 to $108.90 in the first ten months of this year.
In the first ten months of 2020, Hawai‘i hotel room revenues statewide fell by 67.1% from $3.698 billion in 2019 to $1.218 billion this year. Room demand fell to 4,549,000 room nights, down 65.8% compared to a year ago. Room supply fell by 31.8% to 11,182,600 available room nights.
 
Florida received 22,112,000 tourist arrivals in the third quarter of 2020, 68.2% of the total received in the third quarter of 2019.
Visit Florida’s Research Department recently announced that the state of Florida saw a 31.8% decline in the number of tourist arrivals in the third quarter of 2020, with total arrivals falling from 32,412,000 in the third quarter of 2019 to 22,112,000 arrivals in the third quarter of 2020.
Domestic arrivals were down by 25.2%, from 29,262,000 arrivals in 2019 to 21,877,000 in the third quarter of 2020, while arrivals from Canada fell by 98.8% from 502,000 in the third quarter of 2019 to just 6,000 in the same quarter of 2020. Arrivals from overseas fell by 91.4% from 2,648,000 arrivals in the third quarter of 2019 to 229,000 in the same three months of 2020.
The 22,112,000 arrivals in the third quarter were up by 72.0% compared with the 12,859,000 arrivals received in the second quarter of 2020, with all of the growth coming from domestic arrivals.
Through the first nine months of 2020 Florida saw a 34.0% decrease in the number of tourist arrivals with total arrivals falling from 100,610,000 in 2019 to 66,358,000 arrivals in the first three quarters of 2020.
Domestic arrivals were down by 30.4%, falling from 89,704,000 arrivals in the first nine months of 2019 to 62,471,000 in 2020, while arrivals from Canada fell by 56.7%, from 2,864,000 in 2019 to 1,240,000 in 2020. Arrivals from overseas fell by 67.1%, from 8,042,000 in 2019 to 2,647,000 in the same nine months of 2020.

Mauritius announces it received 1,149 stopover visitor in October.
The Mauritius Government’s Ministry of Finance and Economic Development recently announced that total stopover arrivals fell by 99.1% in October 2020, from 129,018 arrivals in October 2019 to 1,149 arrivals in October of this year. This number includes both air and sea stopover visitors.
The 1,149 stopovers were 211% higher than the 369 stopovers received in September 2020.
Mauritius closed its border to all international visitors indefinitely as of March 19th 2020 and plans to re-open its borders to visitors from a limited number of countries as of October 1st 2020.
In the first ten months of 2020 Mauritius saw a 72.2% decrease in total stopover arrivals, falling from 1,102,660 arrivals in 2019 to 306,761 arrivals this year. Total stopover arrivals from France, the number one market, fell by 66.1% from 233,282 arrivals in the first ten months of 2019 to 79,095 arrivals in the same ten months of 2020.

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Costa Rica received 10,147 stopover arrivals in October, up 166% compared with September 2020.
According to the Costa Rica Institute of Tourism ICT, Costa Rica received 10,147 stopovers in October 2020, 5.5% of the 185,599 stopovers received in October 2019 but up 166% compared with the 3,817 stopovers received in September 2020.
The number of stopovers from the USA fell by 90.4% in October 2020, falling from 63,734 stopovers in October 2019 to 6,120 in October 2020 while the number from Central America declined by 98.9%, from 54,421 in October 2019 to 605 in October 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 and then only from six states.
The volume of stopovers decreased by 65.0% in the first ten months of 2020, falling from 2,566,443 stopovers in 2019 to 899,365 stopovers in first ten months of 2020. The number of stopovers from the USA dropped by 66.8% in the first ten months of 2020, from 1,098,935 stopovers in 2019 to 364,499 in 2020 while the number from Central America declined by 66.6%, falling from 577,207 in the first ten months of 2019 to 192,650  in the same ten months of 2020.

Overall hotel room occupancy in the Dominican Republic rises by 2.8 percentage points in October to 32.5%.
Hotel occupancy in the Dominican Republic averaged 32.5% in October 2020, up 2.8 percentage points from the 29.7% achieved in September 2020, according to data from the Association of Hotels and Tourism of the Dominican Republic (Asonahores), and published on the Central Bank website. Average room occupancy for the Dominican Republic’s hotels in October 2019 was 55.1%.
Punta Cana’s hotels achieved an average room occupancy of 31.3% in October 2020, down 27.1 percentage points compared with 58.4% achieved in October 2019. Puerto Plata’s hotels achieved an average room occupancy of 31.0% in October 2020, down just 4.3 percentage points compared with 35.3% achieved in October 2019
In the first ten months of 2020 overall average room occupancy of the Dominican Republic’s hotels reached 30.5%, compared with 72.1% for the first ten months of 2019.
Punta Cana’s hotels achieved an average room occupancy of 30.3% in the first ten months of 2020, down 47.0 percentage points compared with 77.3% achieved in the first ten months of 2019. Puerto Plata’s hotels achieved an average room occupancy of 33.3% in the first ten months of 2020, down 23.1 percentage points compared with 56.4% achieved in the first ten months of 2019

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The Seychelles received 3,271 visitor arrivals in October, 9.1% of the total received in October 2019.
The Seychelles Government’s National Bureau of Statistics recently announced that total stopover arrivals decreased by 90.9% in October 2020, from 35,960 arrivals in October 2019 to 3,271 arrivals in October of this year. This number includes both air and sea stopover visitors.
The 3,271 stopover arrivals received in October were 107.7% higher than the 1,575 received in September 2020.
The Seychelles closed its borders to cruise ships as of March 9th 2020 and to international air visitors as of March 30th. The main airport reopened to limited traffic as of June 1st and to scheduled international flights as of August 1st 2020.
In the first ten months of 2020 The Seychelles saw a 68.9% decrease in total stopover arrivals, falling from 310,783 arrivals in 2019 to 96,540 arrivals this year. Total stopover arrivals from Germany, the number one source market, fell by 61.1% from 55,886 in the first ten months of 2019 to 21,712 arrivals in the same ten months of 2020.
The number of cruise visitors decreased by 16.2%, from 23,397 in the first ten months of 2019 to 19,609 cruise visitors in the same period of 2020.

The Maldives reports it received 9,538 visitor arrivals in September after re-opening its borders to international visitors on the 15th July 2020.
The Maldives Government’s Ministry of Tourism recently announced that The Maldives received 9,538 stopover visitors in September after having reopened its borders on July 15th  2020. This was just 8.1% of the 117,619 stopover visitors the country received in September 2019.
The 9,538 stopovers received in September was 25.0% higher than the 7,628 stopovers received in August 2020.
In the first nine months of 2020 The Maldives saw a 67.9% decrease in total arrivals, falling from 1,251,690 stopovers in the first nine months of 2019 to 401,714 so far this year.
The Maldives has seen the overall number of accommodation establishments in operation fall by 74.7% from 892 in September 2019 to 226 establishments this September. The number of beds fell by 49.8% from 49,213 last September to 24,702 this year. Through the end of September overall average room occupancy had fallen by 38.1 percentage points from 62.2% in 2019 to 24.1% for the first nine months of this year.
Of the 226 establishments in operation 83 were resorts which offered 20,458 beds (82.8% of the overall number of beds). These resorts achieved a 27.3% average room occupancy through the first nine months of 2020 down from 74.1% for the first nine months of 2019. In September 2019 there were 151 resorts in operation offering 35,427 beds.  

International travel plunges 70% in the first eight months of 2020
• International tourist arrivals (overnight visitors) declined 70% in the first eight months of 2020 over the same period of last year, amid global travel restrictions including many borders fully closed, to contain the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
• International arrivals plunged 81% in July and 79% in August, traditionally the two busiest months of the year and the peak of the Northern Hemisphere summer season.
• Despite such large declines, this represents a relative improvement over the 90% or greater decreases of the previous months, as some destinations started to reopen to international tourism, mostly in the European Union.
• The decline in January-August 2020 represents 700 million fewer international tourist arrivals compared to the same period in 2019, and translates into a loss of US$ 730 billion in export revenues from international tourism, more than 8 times the loss in 2009 under the impact of the global economic crisis.
• Asia and the Pacific, the first region to suffer the impact of the pandemic, saw a 79% decrease in arrivals in January-August 2020. Africa and the Middle East both recorded a 69% drop this eight-month period, while Europe saw a 68% decline and the Americas 65%.
• Data on international tourism expenditure continues to reflect very weak demand for outbound travel, though in several large markets such as the United States, Germany, and Italy there is a small uptick in spending in the months of July and August.
• Based on latest trends, a 75% decrease in international arrivals is estimated for the month of September and a drop of close to 70% for the whole of 2020.
• While demand for international travel remains subdued, domestic tourism is strengthening recovery in several large markets such as China and Russia.
• The UNWTO Confidence Index continues at record lows. Most UNWTO Panel Experts expect a rebound in international tourism by the third quarter of 2021 and a return to pre-pandemic 2019 levels not before 2023.
• Experts consider travel restrictions as the main barrier weighing on the recovery of international tourism, along with slow virus containment and low consumer confidence.

For complete copy of UNWTO Tourism Barometer: Volume 18 • Issue 6 • October 2020 click here.
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These Are the Vacations Americans Are Planning on Taking in 2021, According to Expedia.
While 2020 was filled with remote getaways and road trips, Americans are dreaming of island escapes and big city trips for next year, according to Expedia’s 2021 Travel Trends Report.
Of the most popular destinations people searched for, more than two-thirds are islands or beach destinations with Cancun and a grouping of Riviera Maya, Playa del Carmen, and Tulum coming in as the top two, according to the report shared with Travel + Leisure, which looked at hotel searches from January through September.
Americans also set their sights on more far-flung destinations as well, including French Polynesia, which came in at No. 10, the Maldives, which came in at No. 11, and even Bali, which took the 20th spot. 
In addition to beachy getaways, Americans have their eyes on big cities, searching for popular spots like Las Vegas (which has been open, but struggling to survive amid the pandemic) and New York. 
That’s a sharp contrast from 2019 when travelers wanted to jet off to Lima, Osaka, and Lisbon. And an even starker contrast still from 2020’s trending destinations in which more remote options like Lake Havasu, Ariz., the Hamptons in New York, and Yellowstone National Park took the top spots. 
“What we learned by looking at traveler behaviors in a year as unusual as 2020 is that travel will always be an integral part of our lives,” Christie Hudson, the senior PR manager for Expedia brand, said in a statement provided to T+L. “Travelers responded to the uncertainty and restrictions by finding ways to safely explore closer to home, and the result is a bigger emphasis on flexibility and a list of trending destinations that are inspiring and attainable for the year ahead.”
When it comes to booking next year’s vacations, Expedia noted that health and safety protocols as well as flexibility will be key. In fact, the site’s customers booked refundable rates 10% more this year compared to 2019.
And while people may be dreaming of burying their toes in the sand and whiling away the days in some gorgeous beach resort, most travelers have scheduled last-minute trips, booking their vacation just 29 days out on average since August. 

Antigua and Barbuda received 6,937 stopovers in October 2020, 34.7% of the total received in October 2019.
According to the Ministry of Tourism and Investment, Antigua and Barbuda saw a 65.3% decrease in stopover visitor arrivals in October 2020, falling from 19,971 stopovers in October 2019 to 6,937 stopovers in 2020. The number of stopover visitors from the USA fell by 58.3%, from 7,520 in October 2019 to 3,139 in October 2020 while the number of stopovers from the U.K. fell by 48.7%, from 6,387 stopovers in October 2019 to 3,242 in October of this year.
The 6,937 stopovers received in October were 88.9% higher than the 3,673 stopovers received in September 2020.
Antigua and Barbuda reopened its borders to receive international visitors as of June 4th 2020.
Through the first ten months of 2020, Antigua and Barbuda saw a 55.4% decrease in the number of stopover visitors, falling from 236,228 stopovers in 2019 to 105,420 stopovers in 2020. The number of stopovers from the USA fell by 50.5%, from 98,854 in 2019 to 48,972 in 2020 while the number of stopover visitors from the U.K. fell by 56.3% from 58,899 in 2019 to 25,731 this year.

Jamaica received 45,106 stopover arrivals in October 2020, 25.5% of the total received in October 2019.
According to the Jamaica Tourist Board, Jamaica received 45,106 stopover arrivals in October 2020, 25.5% of the total received in October 2019, when the island received 176,514 stopover arrivals. 
The October 2020 total was 57.4% higher than the 28,648 stopovers Jamaica received in September 2020.
Jamaica re-opened its borders to international visitors as of June 15th 2020.
Stopover arrivals from the USA fell by 67.9%, from 119,544 visitors in October 2019 to 38,428 visitors in October 2020. 
Cruise arrivals fell by 100%, from 98,884 cruise visitors in October 2019 to zero cruise visitors in October 2020 as Jamaica remained closed to cruise ship arrivals.
Through the first ten months of 2020 Jamaica saw a 66.3% decline in the volume of stopover arrivals, falling from 2,197,022 stopover arrivals in the first ten months of 2019 to 740,827 arrivals in the same ten months of 2020. 
Arrivals from the USA declined by 65.7% in the first ten months of 2020, falling from 1,515,134 arrivals in 2019 to 519,629 arrivals in the same ten months of 2020. 
The number of cruise visitors declined by 63.2% in the first ten months of 2020, falling from 1,220,818 cruise visitors in 2019 to 449,271 cruise visitors in 2020.

The Aruba Hotel and Tourism Association reports Aruba’s hotels achieved an average room occupancy of 17.2% in October, down 59.1 percentage points compared with October 2019.
The Aruba Hotel and Tourism Association (AHATA) recently reported that Aruba’s hotels achieved an average room occupancy of 17.2% during the month of October 2020, down 59.1 percentage points compared with the 76.3% average occupancy achieved in October 2019.
For October, the survey included 19 properties representing 4,957 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 October 2019 (down by just 0.3%) with all major hotels having reopened.
The hotels achieved an average daily rate of $229.18 in October, up 4.5% compared with October 2019, and an average revenue per available room of $39.34, down 76.5% compared with October 2019.
Through the first ten months of 2020 AHATA reports that Aruba’s hotels achieved an average room occupancy of 26.4%, down 58.2 percentage points compared with the 84.6% achieved in the first ten months of 2019. The average daily room rate grew by 22.1% in the first ten months of 2020 from $272.93 in 2019 to $333.35 this year. Revpar fell by 61.9% however, from $231.03 achieved in 2019 to $88.07 in the first ten months of 2020.
AHATA projects that the hotels will see an average room occupancy of 25% in November 2020, 34% in December 2020, and 36% for the first three months of 2021. AHATA is projecting that the hotel sector will see an average room occupancy of 45% for calendar year 2021.
AHATA also reports the timeshare sector saw an average occupancy of 37% during October 2020 and is projected to achieve an average occupancy of 41% in November of this year. AHATA has six timeshare resorts which reported their performance representing 69% of all timeshare units in Aruba.

Aruba’s Airport Authority reports it handled 22,758 passengers in October 2020, 25% of the total handled in October 2019.
According to the Aruba Airport Authority (AAA) the airport handled 22,758 Revenue Generating Passengers (RGPs) in October 2020, 25% of the total handled in October 2019. A revenue generating passenger is an outbound traveler leaving Aruba and includes tourists returning to their homes and Arubans departing for trips overseas.
The 22,758 passengers was 35.3% more than the 16,818 outbound passengers handled in September 2020.
In October 20,812 passengers (91.4%) travelled to the USA, 1,487 passengers (6.5%) departed for Europe and 381 passengers (1.7%) flew to the Netherlands Antilles. The latter market only allowed for essential travel up to October 19, 2020 after which borders with Curacao and a bit later Bonaire were re-opened. 78 pax departed also on repatriation flights to Caribbean and Latin American destinations.
The figures for October 2020 were 14.5% less than what was forecasted for the 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 aircraft flying to the USA during October 2020 was 52% (excluding de-densification of aircraft), while the average load factor for flights to Europe was 38%. 
During October, AUA Airport averaged 10 flights per day, down from about 33 daily flights from October 2019.
For November 2020, AUA Airport has forecasted handling approximately 48,000 departing passengers. This estimate however could change because of travel restrictions that continue to be in effect in various countries combined with the further uncertain effects of the pandemic worldwide.
Based on current insights the AAA projects that the 48,000 projected outbound passengers will be 49% of the total number of passengers handled in November 2019.
“The winter season 2020/2021 started off with a less than forecasted amount of revenue generating departing passengers for October. We hope that November and December will be more within the range of the estimated forecast for those winter months and that flights as indicated by our airline partners will continue as planned for those months and into 2021,” said Aruba Airport Authority N.V. CEO Mr. Joost Meijs.
Based on the latest insights it is expected that by the end of 2020 Aruba’s Airport will end up with 35% - 40% of the total outbound passengers handled in 2019.

Aruba reports it received 21,882 stopover arrivals in October, 27.6% of the total received in October 2019.
According to the Aruba Tourism Authority, Aruba saw the volume of stopover arrivals fall from 79,389 stopovers in October 2019 to 21,882 in October of this year, that is to 27.6% of the total achieved in October 2019. The number of stopovers received in October was up 48.9% compared with September 2020 when Aruba received 14,697 stopovers. Aruba received 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 21,882 total stopovers received in October 92.9% were from the USA. The number of visitors from the USA declined by 65.2% compared with October 2020, falling from 58,432 stopovers in October 2019 to 20,326 this year.
According to the Aruba Hotel and Tourism Association (AHATA) Aruba’s hotels posted an average room occupancy of 17.2% in October 2020, down 59.1 percentage points compared with the 76.3% achieved in October 2019.
In the first ten months of 2020 Aruba saw a 68.1% decrease in the number of stopover visitors, falling from 928,230 visitors in 2019 to 295,672 visitors this year. The number of stopovers from the USA declined by 66.4% during the first ten months, from 696,891 in 2019 to 234,311 through October 2020.
Through the first ten months of 2020 AHATA reports that Aruba’s hotels achieved an average room occupancy of 26.4% compared with 84.6% for the first ten months of 2019.
AHATA is projecting that Aruba’s hotels will achieve an average room occupancy of 25% in November 2020 and 34% in December. It projects average hotel room occupancy for the first quarter of 2021 at 36% and 45% for 2021 as a whole.
There were no cruise visitors in October as the island remained closed to cruise traffic.  Through the first ten months of 2020 the number of cruise visitors to Aruba fell by 58.1%, from 608,783 visitors in 2019 to 255,384 cruise visitors this year.

Curacao reports it received 13,556 stopover arrivals in October 2020, 39.3% of the total received in October 2019.
According to the Curaçao Tourist Board, Curaçao saw a 60.7% decrease in stopover visitor arrivals in October, falling from 34,626 stopovers in October 2019 to 13,556 in October of this year.
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 will be open to tourists from New York State, New Jersey and Connecticut as of November 1 2020.
Curacao received 11,979 stopover visitors from the Netherlands in October, 76.3% of the 15,708 visitors from the Netherlands received in October 2019. The 11,979 visitors comprised 88.4% of all stopover visitors to Curacao in October.
In the first ten months of 2020 Curaçao saw a 60.3% decrease in the number of stopover visitors, falling from 380,990 visitors in 2019 to 151,257 visitors this year. The number of stopovers from the USA declined by 65.0% during the first ten months, from 61,372 in 2019 to 21,484 through October 2020. The number of stopovers from the Netherlands has fallen by 50.2% during the first ten months, from 158,756 in 2019 to 78,983 through October 2020.
There were no cruise visitors in October as the island remained closed to cruise traffic.  Through the first ten months of 2020 the number of cruise visitors to Curaçao fell by 56.5%, from 588,844 visitors in 2019 to 256,033 cruise visitors this year.

Key West votes to ban mass cruise tourism
Voters in Key West, Florida, supported curtailing mass cruise tourism in their ports in a down ballot referendum choice in Tuesday’s elections. While the majority of electors statewide showed that the environment was not their primary concern, as they voted for the re-election of President Donald Trump at the top of the ticket, residents of the island in the Straits of Florida voted to limit cruise capacity and arriving passengers, and to prioritize ships with the best environmental record.
The results of these referendums could lead to a ban on most of the cruise ships operated by major players like Carnival and Royal Caribbean, as the amendment to local laws will prohibit ships with more than 1,300 passengers from docking in Key West.
The votes will also see a cap on daily cruise ship visitors of 1,500 as well as giving priority to cruise lines with the best health and environmental records.
Despite the democratic vote, advocates for the cruise tourism sector are expected to challenge the referendums in court, claiming that not allowing most cruise ships could result in a $90 million loss to the city in lost jobs and income. Opponents’ efforts in court to stop the questions being on the ballot before the election failed.
The charter amendments were backed by the Key West Committee for Safer Cleaner Ships, a grassroots movement of 2,500 petitioners who want to help protect the environment and improve quality of life.
 
Royal Caribbean will restart with short cruises to private island, may seek volunteers for test runs
Royal Caribbean will resume sailings with short cruises to its private island, Perfect Day at CocoCay, once it has fulfilled the new requirements issued last week by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) – and it may need volunteers to participate in the required "simulation voyages" required by the CDC.
The comments were made Wednesday by Vicki Freed, Royal Caribbean's senior vice president of Sales, Trade Support and Service, during her weekly coffee chat with travel advisors.
"We will be bringing back short cruises calling at Perfect Day at CocoCay," Freed told Royal Caribbean's travel agent partners. "We're going to be doing a series of sailings using our employees and other volunteers," she continued. " We haven't decided how we're going to select people at this point. We will be looking possibly for volunteers. We do not have all of the details yet fleshed out."
'Framework for conditional sailing':  Here's what cruise lines will have to do before CDC allows them to return to US waters
Freed also acknowledged the complexity of the CDC's new recommendations, noting that it will take some time for the company to go through the requirements and formulate a return-to-service strategy.
"It is complicated to go through this entire CDC recommendation, but we are going to do it," said Freed.
Though the CDC has required cruise lines to conduct simulated voyages as part of being certified for restricted cruise operations, the organization told Cruise Critic on Wednesday that exact details about these sailings – from dates, durations and even how prospective volunteers can apply – were still being hammered out."CDC has not yet determined requirements for simulated voyages and further information about restricted voyages will be outlined in future technical instructions and orders," a CDC spokesperson told Cruise Critic in an email.

Hawaii’s Reopening May Be Good for Tourism. Is it Good for Locals?
The travel industry and the islands’ authorities say using testing could create a model for reopening international travel. But some locals object to being part of the experiment.
Since Hawaii welcomed tourists back in mid-October, allowing them to skip its 14-day quarantine as long as they had a negative coronavirus test, more than 100,000 people have rushed to the islands from mainland states, exciting state officials, some hoteliers, airlines and local business owners, who for seven months have watched the state’s economy grind to a halt.
Instead of the quarantine, the islands began accepting a preflight coronavirus test for entry under a program it is calling Safe Travels. The state is only accepting what are known as nucleic acid amplification tests processed by specially certified laboratories, and test results from certain trusted testing and travel partners, including some airlines.
Those who test negative within 72 hours of departure are exempt from quarantine upon arrival. Those who didn’t take a test before flying have to quarantine for 14 days, and those who arrive with a pending test must quarantine until they receive negative results. People who test positive are required to immediately take a PCR test, which detects the virus’s genetic material, and quarantine in their hotel room or other vacation lodging.
“Hawaii is at the vanguard of what travel will look like for the next year or so as we reopen,” said Avi Mannis, senior vice president of marketing at Hawaiian Airlines, one of a handful of airlines that began offering pre-travel Covid-19 tests in October.
Hawaiian, through Worksite Labs, is offering state-approved tests to passengers at drive-through labs near Los Angeles International and San Francisco International airports for $90 for results within 36 hours, or $150 for day-of-travel express service. Passengers take PCR tests within 72 hours of traveling, upload their results to the Hawaii Safe Travel app before departing and show their results to state authorities in Hawaii upon landing. But the airline doesn’t check passengers’ test results before they board.
“Your test results are between you, your health care provider and the state of Hawaii,” Mr. Mannis said.
The surge of arrivals — 8,000 of them on the first day pretesting was available — presented an opportunity to test out new protocols for travelers that could help determine how to reopen travel internationally. If Hawaii’s reopening goes well, the belief is that preflight testing could become widespread. And on the islands, if hotels can figure out how to deal with growing occupancy, the same thing could be done worldwide.
But what travel industry actors view as an opportunity to reopen safely and pave a way forward, many locals and residents view as putting them in harm’s way with untested protocols and allowing people who might have the coronavirus onto the islands.
read more/...

Punta Cana received 29,680 tourists in October 2020, 16.8% of the total received in October 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 83.2% in October, falling from 176,890 arrivals in October 2019 to 29,680 arrivals in October 2020. Stopover arrivals from the USA fell by 52.4% in October, from 40,168 arrivals in October 2019 to 19,124 arrivals in October 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 29,680 stopovers received in October was 85.2% more than the 16,029 visitors Punta Cana received in September 2020.
During the first ten months of 2020 Punta Cana saw a 72.5% decrease in the volume of stopover arrivals, falling from 2,990,218 arrivals in 2019 to 823,082 non-resident arrivals in the first ten months of 2020.
Arrivals from the USA fell by 79.3% in the first ten months of 2020, falling from 1,237,709 arrivals in 2019 to 256,474 arrivals in the same ten months of 2020. Traffic was also down 75.3% from Germany, down 72.8% from Brazil, down 77.0% from Argentina, down 80.0% from the U.K., down 66.7% from France and down 53.6% from Canada.
In the first ten months of 2020 stopover arrivals to Punta Cana made up 43.7% of all non-resident arrivals to the Dominican Republic.

The Dominican Republic received 138,276 non-resident visitors in October, 37.2% of the total received in October 2019 but 33.0% more than received in September 2020.
According to the Central Bank of the Dominican Republic, the Dominican Republic received 138,276 non-resident stopover arrivals in October 2020, 33.0% more than the 103,942 stopovers it received in September.
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 138,276 stopovers received in October were 62.8% fewer than the 372,205 stopovers received in October 2019.
Stopover arrivals from the USA fell by 44.6%, from 89,440 arrivals in October 2019 to 49,551 arrivals in October 2020.
48.7% of the non-resident arrivals in October were Dominicans living abroad and returning to the Dominican Republic.
In the first ten months of 2020 the Dominican Republic saw a 64.9% decrease in the volume of stopover arrivals, falling from 5,359,903 arrivals in 2019 to 1,881,751 non-resident arrivals in 2020. Non-resident arrivals from the USA decreased by 72.4% in the first ten months of 2020, falling from 1,919,825 arrivals in 2019 to 529,396 arrivals in 2020.

Cancun handled 419,731 international air passenger movements in October, 41.5% of such passenger movements handled in October 2019.
According to ASUR, which manages many of Mexico’s airports, Cancun Airport saw a 58.5% decrease in international passenger movements in October 2020, falling from 1,011,657 movements in October 2019 to 419,731 movements in October 2020. Domestic passenger movements fell by 22.1%, from 758,707 passenger movements in October 2019 to 591,005 movements in October 2020.
October saw international passenger movements increase by 115,728 (+38.1%) compared with September, moving from 304,003 movements in September to 419,731 in October, while domestic passenger movements increased by 41,171 (+7.5%) moving from 549,834 in September to 591,005 in October.
In the first ten months of 2020 the volume of international air passenger movements  decreased by 60.2%, falling from 13,682,729 movements in 2019 to 5,452,097 movements in 2020 while the volume of domestic air passenger movements fell by 45.2%, from 7,462,241 movements in the first ten months of 2019 to 4,091,857 in the same ten months of 2020.

San Juan, Puerto Rico (SJU) handled 385,608 passenger movements in October, 58.5% of the total handled in October 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 October 2020, falling from 658,632 movements in October 2019 to 385,608 movements in October 2020.
October 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 October.
In the first ten 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.
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Los Cabos handled 184,500 international passenger movements in October, 75% of the total handled in October 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 October 2020, that is enplanements and deplanements, falling from 245,800 international passenger movements in October 2019 to 184,500 international passenger movements in October 2020. Domestic traffic declined by 11.5%, falling from 154,600 passenger movements in October 2019 to 136,800 passenger movements in October 2020.
The 184,500 international passenger movements seen in October 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 ten 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 ten 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 ten months of 2020.
 
Montego Bay Airport saw 75,600 total passenger movements in October, 26.3% of the total achieved in October 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 October 2020, falling from 287,800 total movements in October 2019 to 75,600 movements in October 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 ten 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 ten months of 2020. International passenger movements made up 99.9% of all passenger movements.

IATA reports September Offers No Relief to Passenger Downturn
Geneva - The International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced that passenger demand in September remained highly depressed.
Total demand (measured in revenue passenger kilometers or RPKs) was 72.8% below September 2019 levels (only slightly improved over the 75.2% year-to-year decline recorded in August). Capacity was down 63% compared to a year ago and load factor fell 21.8 percentage points to 60.1%.
International passenger demand in September plunged 88.8% compared to September 2019, basically unchanged from the 88.5% decline recorded in August. Capacity plummeted 78.9%, and load factor withered 38.2 percentage points to 43.5%.
Domestic demand in September was down 43.3% compared to the previous year, improved from a 50.7% decline in August. Compared to 2019, capacity fell 33.3% and the load factor dropped 12.4 percentage points to 69.9%.
“We have hit a wall in the industry’s recovery. A resurgence in COVID-19 outbreaks--particularly in Europe and the US--combined with governments’ reliance on the blunt instrument of quarantine in the absence of globally aligned testing regimes, has halted momentum toward re-opening borders to travel. Although domestic markets are doing better, this is primarily owing to improvements in China and Russia. And domestic traffic represents just a bit more than a third of total traffic, so it is not enough to sustain a general recovery,” said Alexandre de Juniac, IATA’s Director General and CEO.

Singapore Re-Opening Plan Ditches Quarantine for Tests, Ratios
November 5, 2020, 12:20 AM AST
Singapore is using a plan involving ratios and testing to open its borders to as many international visitors as possible based on their home country of risk, Minister for Trade and Industry Chan Chun Sing said.
The government looks at a country’s “observed prevalence rate” of coronavirus infections and is “mathematically, statistically” managing this to make sure that “we have a highest number of visitors, business travelers” possible without breaking the risk budget, Chan said.
Singapore, a small island nation dependent upon international tourism and trade, is working hard to reopen its borders. Details regarding a travel bubble with Hong Kong that wouldn’t require visitors to undergo a 14-day quarantine are expected to be announced shortly. Instead of self-isolating, travelers will need to take a Covid-19 test with a negative result.
Chan said Singapore is working on travel bubbles with other countries, urging them not to “wait for the conditions to be right” before discussions start.
Transport Minister Ong Ye Kung said last month that Singapore can’t afford to wait a year or two for a vaccine to become widely available. The city-state plans to accept visitors as long as they agree to testing and tracing, he said in parliament on Oct. 6.
The Southeast Asian nation has pledged about S$100 billion ($74 billion) in stimulus measures to fight the effects of the pandemic, including wage subsidies and digital-transformation initiatives. Its Changi airport has the capacity to swab as many as 10,000 passengers a day and will add a dedicated testing laboratory in the next few months.
Chan said the plan for Singapore to allow increased numbers of international visitors will hopefully be a model for other countries. He noted that rapid antigen tests have brought down costs and are more convenient. However, because “no test kit is ever foolproof,” Singapore needs to retain the ability to track and trace.
Singapore is examining low-risk countries like Australia, Taiwan and New Zealand, where cases are fewer than 0.5 per 100,000. While Singapore, like several other countries in Asia, has done a good job of getting the outbreak under control, the virus is running rampant in Europe and the U.S.
New cases worldwide surged to a record, breaking through 570,000 in a single day, almost one year after the disease emerged.
 
Mexico, Caribbean 2021 Bookings Gain Momentum
Mexico and Caribbean suppliers are backing up reports from travel advisors that 2021 bookings are gaining momentum.
“Thankfully, consumers are eager to travel again and 2021 looks very promising for leisure travel,” said Kevin Froemming, executive vice president and chief commercial officer for Playa Hotels & Resorts.
“In terms of destinations, we are seeing encouraging pick-up across our collection of resorts in Mexico and the Dominican Republic. More and more air carriers are announcing restored, expanded and new routes into these destinations,” he said. “With business travel expected to lag behind leisure travel, it is clear that major airlines are moving quickly to service key leisure destinations. This is a real positive, as increased air lift brings more overall affordability for travel.”
In particular, Froemming said that Playa’s Hyatt Zilara and Hyatt Ziva resorts and Hilton all-inclusive properties in Mexico are selling briskly, adding that it’s “not surprising, based on guest feedback and commentary that recognizable brands such as Hyatt and Hilton bring an added level of confidence and security that consumers demand especially during uncertain times such as the COVID-19 pandemic,” he said. “Furthermore, the value is very attractive to first time guests and consumers once loyal to cruising.”
In addition to reaping the benefits of increased airlift, Froemming said he believes “the lack of COVID testing restrictions are helping aid recovery in this market.”
On the other hand, “Jamaica has been much slower in terms of demand for 2020 and we are seeing that same trend going into 2021,” he said. “Consensus among our trade partners indicate that more stringent COVID-19 arrival policies are impacting the overall demand for travel to Jamaica. Additionally, we are not seeing expanded airlift like we see in Mexico and the Dominican Republic.”
At Apple Leisure Group Vacations (ALGV), whose brands include Funjet Vacations, Apple Vacations, Travel Impressions and United Vacations, among others, “all-inclusive hotels in Cancun/Riviera Maya are top sellers for first quarter in 2021,” said Scott Wiseman, senior vice president & general manager, travel agent brands.
“We have had several fams to the destination this summer and fall, so travel advisors have seen for themselves how the airport, destination management companies and resorts are taking precautions to mitigate the spread of COVID,” he said. “They have returned with rave reviews and are telling their clients about their positive experiences. All-inclusives overall are popular because they are a closed environment for vacationers. They can stay at the resort for their entire vacation and know that they have limited their contact with other locations and new people.”
There was more good news coming from Palace Resorts. “Our resorts in Mexico have seen an uptick in bookings since we reopened and continue to lead for the first [part of] 2021,” said Frank Corzo, the company’s vice president of U.S. field sales, adding that Palace is “seeing higher occupancies [at] Le Blanc Spa Resorts in Los Cabos, over Cancun for the first quarter thus far.”
Corzo noted that bookings are increasing beyond the first quarter, which he attributed to the company’s strict Purely Palace health and safety protocols.
At AIC Hotel Group, the highest-performing properties in the first quarter were UNICO 20 87, Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya and Hard Rock Hotel Los Cabos, said Ash Tembe, vice president of global field sales. “Mexico is one of the few tropical destinations that has definitely seen higher demand from the U.S. market in the fourth [quarter] of 2020, and we see it carrying into the first quarter [of] 2021. For us, a lot also has to do with our heavy focus on travel agents, and ensuring they stay aware of all of the deals we have to offer.”
AIC Hotel Group is also experiencing an increase in business – including destination weddings – beyond the first quarter. “We are hearing the same from our agency partners, and we have implemented a new flexible groups policy that takes the risk of group reduction penalties away from the client and the agent,” Tembe said.
All things considered, flexible cancellation policies are fueling bookings beyond the first quarter of 2021. “Right away in the spring, ALG Vacations instituted a future travel credit option for people who didn’t want to cancel outright,” Weisman said. “We have seen many of those bookings move to 2021 and we are seeing new bookings build throughout full year 2021 as a result of some amazing offers in the marketplace – and travel has never been more affordable.

Mexico received 374,503 international air arrivals in September, up 10.9% compared with August 2020.
According to the Government of Mexico’s SECTUR (Department of Tourism) Mexico received 374,503 international air arrivals in September 2020 up 10.9% compared with the 337,656 arrivals received in August 2020 while the 337,656 international air arrivals received in August were 14.4% higher than the 295,207 international visitors received in July 2020.
The 374,503 international air arrivals received in September 2020 were 63.3% less than the 1,021,669 received in September 2019.
 The volume of air arrivals from the USA fell by 37.3% in September, from 509,805 in September 2019 to 319,899 in September of this year, with the volume from Canada falling by 89.7%, from 58,710 in September 2019 to 6,024 this year.
The 319,899 visitors received from the USA in September was 10.8% higher than the 288,704 visitors received from the USA in August 2020.
Cancun Airport saw a 63.4% decrease in international air arrivals in September 2020, falling from 400,694 arrivals in September 2019 to 146,574 arrivals in September 2020, while Los Cabos saw a 35.3% decrease falling from 79,000 international arrivals in September 2019 to 51,101 international air arrivals in September 2020. Puerto Vallarta saw a 50.5% decrease, falling from 42,348 international arrivals in September 2019 to 20,954 in September 2020.
In the first nine months of 2020 the volume of international air arrivals to Mexico fell by 59.7%, from 14,198,795 in 2019 to 5,719,066 in the first nine months of this year. The volume of air arrivals from the USA fell by 57.3% in the same nine months, from 7,915,850 in 2019 to 3,378,613 in 2020 while the volume from Canada fell by 45.9%, from 1,663,479 in 2019 to 900,012 in 2020.
Cancun Airport saw a 61.0% decrease in international air arrivals in the first nine months of 2020, falling from 5,982,012 in 2019 to 2,331,774 in 2020 while Los Cabos saw a 55.0% decrease falling from 1,319,230 international air arrivals to 593,325 air arrivals in 2020. Puerto Vallarta saw a 50.4% decrease, falling from 1,108,570 international arrivals in 2019 to 550,155 in the first nine months of 2020.

The United States Virgin Islands saw a 38.9% decline in air arrivals in August 2020.
According to the USVI Bureau of Economic Research, the USVI saw the volume of air arrivals decrease by 38.9% in August 2020, falling from 48,376 air arrivals in August 2019 to 29,535 air arrivals in August of this year.
The USVI officially reopened its borders to tourists as of June 1st but due to a spike in Covid19 cases closed its borders to visitors as of Wednesday August 19th.
Through the first eight months of 2020 the USVI saw the volume of air arrivals decrease by 39.4%, from 464,928 air arrivals in the first eight months of 2019 to 281,699 air arrivals in the first eight months of 2020.
There were no cruise visitor arrivals in August.

Belize reports stopover arrivals fell by 66.9% in the first nine months of 2020.
According to the Belize Tourism Board, Belize saw a 66.9% decrease in stopover visitor arrivals in the first nine months of 2020, falling from 383,182 stopovers in the first nine months of 2019 to 126,875 stopovers in the first nine 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 61.4% in the first nine months of 2020, falling from  888,917 cruise visitors in the first nine months of  2019 to 343,099 cruise visitors this year. Belize remained closed to cruise visitors since March of 2020.

Hawaii reports the state received 18,868 out-of-state tourists in September, 15.6% less than in August.
According to the Hawaii Tourism Authority, Hawaii saw the volume of air arrivals decrease by 97.4% in September 2020, falling from 718,042 arrivals in September 2019 to 18,868 arrivals in September 2020.
The 18,868 arrivals received in September were 15.6% below the total received in August 2020 (22,344).
The state of Hawaii imposed a mandatory 14-day self-quarantine for incoming out of state visitors on March 26th , which was extended on April 1 to include interisland travelers. Neither quarantine is slated to end before September 30.
Air arrivals from the USA fell by 86.1%, from 438,993 in September 2019 to 16,027 in September 2020, fell by 99.9% from Japan (from 143,928 arrivals in September 2019 to 79 air arrivals in September 2020). Air arrivals fell by 99.3% from Canada (from 21,928 to 162 air arrivals).
Through the first nine months of 2020 Hawaii saw a 71.7% decrease in the volume of air arrivals, falling from 7,733,815 arrivals in the first nine months of 2019 to 2,190,217 air arrivals in the same nine months of 2020. Air arrivals from the USA decreased by 71.1% in the first nine months of 2020, falling from 5,210,250 air arrivals in 2019 to 1,508,289 air arrivals in the same nine months of 2020, fell by 74.9% from Japan (from 1,173,477 arrivals in 2019 to 294,647 air arrivals in 2020) and fell by 60.3% from Canada (from 393,074 in 2019 to 156,177 air arrivals in 2020).
The Hawaii Tourist Authority was unable to collect any visitor expenditure data during September 2020.

Airlines Unable to Cut Costs Deep Enough to Save Jobs
Geneva - The International Air Transport Association (IATA) presented new analysis showing that the airline industry cannot slash costs sufficiently to neutralize severe cash burn to avoid bankruptcies and preserve jobs in 2021. IATA reiterated its call for government relief measures to sustain airlines financially and avoid massive employment terminations. IATA also called for pre-flight COVID-19 testing to open borders and enable travel without quarantine.
Total industry revenues in 2021 are expected to be down 46% compared to the 2019 figure of $838 billion. The previous analysis was for 2021 revenues to be down around 29% compared to 2019. This was based on expectations for a demand recovery commencing in the fourth quarter of 2020. Recovery has been delayed however, owing to new COVID-19 outbreaks, and government mandated travel restrictions including border closings and quarantine measures. IATA expects full year 2020 traffic to be down 66% compared to 2019, with December demand down 68%.
“The fourth quarter of 2020 will be extremely difficult and there is little indication the first half of 2021 will be significantly better, so long as borders remain closed and/or arrival quarantines remain in place. Without additional government financial relief, the median airline has just 8.5 months of cash remaining at current burn rates. And we can’t cut costs fast enough to catch up with shrunken revenues,” said Alexandre de Juniac, IATA’s Director General and CEO.
Although airlines have taken drastic steps to reduce costs, around 50% of airlines’ costs are fixed or semi-fixed, at least in the short-term. The result is that costs have not fallen as fast as revenues. For example, the year-on-year decline in operating costs for the second quarter was 48% compared with a 73% decline in operating revenues, based on a sample of 76 airlines.
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Las Vegas saw a 10.9% increase in visitors in September compared with August 2020.
According to the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority Las Vegas saw the volume of visitors increase by 10.9% in September 2020, growing from 1,537,400 arrivals in August 2020 to 1,704,300 in September of this year. The 1,704,300 arrivals in September 2020 was 51.0% lower than the 3,475,900 visitors received in September 2019.
Las Vegas had a weighted average of 133,079 open hotel rooms in September 2020 (down 10.7% compared with September 2019) and achieved an average city-wide room occupancy of 46.8% (down 41.5 percentage points compared with September 2019), an ADR of $108.13 (down 21.1% compared with September 2019) and a RevPar of $50.60 (down 58.2%) also compared with September 2019.
Through the first nine months of 2020 Las Vegas saw a 54.8% decrease in the volume of visitors, falling from 31,880,200 arrivals in the first nine months of 2019 to 14,412,500 visitors in the same nine months of 2020.
Las Vegas achieved an average city-wide room occupancy of 43.2% in the first nine months of 2020 (down 46.0 percentage points compared with the first nine months of 2019), an ADR of $126.75 (down 4.6% compared with the same nine months of 2019) and a RevPar of $54.76 down 53.8%, also compared with the same nine months of 2019.
Gaming revenue fell by 39.7% from $7.754 billion in the first nine months of 2019 to $4.673 billion in the same nine months of 2020.

The Aruba Tourism Authority publishes its 2021 Tourism Recovery Marketing Plan.
The Aruba Tourism Authority (ATA) recently published its Corporate Plan for 2021 entitled Tourism Recovery Marketing Plan.
The plan is divided into five sections: -

• A description of the evolution of Aruba’s tourism sector with reference to past crises.
• A set of Tourism Recovery Scenarios for both 2020 and 2021.
• The proposed strategic direction for 2021.
• A marketing and promotional plan for 2021
• A destination development plan focusing on servicing a high value, low impact tourism growth model.

The ATA offers three scenarios for the volume of stopover arrivals for calendar year 2020. Aruba received 1,118,944 stopovers in 2019.

• Optimistic – 434,000 stopovers, down 61% compared to 2019
• Conservative – 374,000 stopovers, down 67% compared to 2019
• Worst-case – 224,000 stopovers, down 80% compared with 2019.

Through the end of September Aruba has seen the volume of stopovers fall by 68% compared with the first nine months of 2019.
The ATA then offers three scenarios for stopover traffic for calendar year 2021.

• Optimistic – 658,184 stopovers, down 41% compared to 2019
• Cautiously Optimistic – 611,555 stopovers, down 45% compared to 2019
• Conservative – 515,190 stopovers, down 54% compared to 2019.

The core of the plan is to target the North American market which is projected to comprise 87% of all stopover arrivals in 2021.
The ATA indicates that its recovery goals for 2021 are:

• Recover stopover visitor arrivals to between 45% - 60% when compared to 2019.
• Recover tourism credits (expenditures) to between 45% and 60% when compared to 2019.
• Recover the average daily room rates of the commercial accommodation sector to 75% of the rates achieved in 2019.
• Recover cruise visitor arrivals to between 45% - 67% when compared to 2019. In 2019 Aruba received 832,001 cruise visitors.

The ATA’s funding is derived from the hotel room tax and from a levy on arriving air passengers. With the dramatic decline in both air arrivals and hotel stays the ATA’s income is, and will continue to be, substantially less than it received in 2019.
Consequently, the ATA states that the successful implementation of its 2021 marketing plan is contingent upon additional funds being provided to the ATA for marketing purposes and further states that with the additional funding, the North American market is projected to recover by 60% when compared to 2019 visitor arrivals. However, without the funding, the recovery would only reach a recovery of 51% of the total achieved by North America in 2019.
Equally, in the event additional funding is not made available for 2021, the budgets for the Latin American and the European markets will be further reduced to a bare minimum, so as to safeguard funding for North America, and for airlift endeavors.
For full plan click here

Airline industry will continue to burn through cash until 2022.
IATA October 9 2020
One of the main challenges of the COVID-19 crisis for airlines has been controlling their cash burn in order to survive until air travel demand recovers.
Q2 2020 had been the worst quarter for the airlines as the industry faced unprecedented loss of revenues (circa 80% compared to the same period of the previous year), with almost full grounding of the passenger fleet despite strong cargo revenues. Airlines turned their focus on cutting expenses during this period. However, operating costs were brought down by only about 50% year-on-year due to unavoidable semi-fixed costs such as labor and maintenance costs. As a result, we estimate that the industry burned $51 billion of its cash reserves in Q2 2020.
Airlines generally reported improving daily cash burn towards the end of Q2 2020 as operations restarted. Nevertheless, cash burn continues as the recovery in demand is much slower than expected in 3Q20 and second wave fears have been weighing on travel demand.
Last week, we revised our yearend 2020 passenger forecasts to reflect new travel restrictions and the weakness in forward bookings. The winter season is typically a weak period and revenues will be suppressed even more, as airlines will try to revive demand by price stimulation. The pressure on the cost side will be persistent as well since airlines have unavoidable fixed costs. In addition to that, airlines are bringing back their fleet capacity at a faster rate than the revenue recovery to meet the short-haul traffic demand.
Hence, we expect the industry to burn through $77 billion in cash during the second half of 2020. This corresponds to $13 billion/month, lower than the rate of $17 billion/month in 2Q20. Nevertheless, the slow recovery in air travel will extend into 2021, resulting in the airline industry burning through cash, but at a lower rate, around $5 to $6 billion/month in 2021.

Costa Rica received 3,817 stopover arrivals in September.
According to the Costa Rica Institute of Tourism ICT, Costa Rica saw the volume of stopovers drop by 97.6% in September 2020, falling from 160,206 stopovers in September 2019 to just 3,817 stopovers in September 2020.
The number of stopovers from the USA fell by 97.2% in September 2020, falling from 53,237 stopovers in September 2019 to 1,473 in September 2020 while the number from Central America declined by 99.1%, from 50,204 in September 2019 to 444 in September 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 and then only from six states.
The volume of stopovers decreased by 62.7% in the first nine months of 2020, falling from 2,380,844 stopovers in 2019 to 889,218 stopovers in first nine months of 2020. The number of stopovers from the USA dropped by 65.4% in the first nine months of 2020, from 1,035,201 stopovers in 2019 to 358,379 in 2020 while the number from Central America declined by 63.3%, falling from 522,786 in the first nine months of 2019 to 192,045  in the same nine months of 2020. 

Hawaii’s hotels report a 59.4 percentage point drop in average room occupancy in September to 19.6%
According to the Hawai‘i Hotel Performance Report published by the Hawai‘i Tourism Authority (HTA), statewide hotel room occupancy fell by 59.4 percentage points from 78.9% in September 2019 to 19.6% in September this year. ADR fell by 39.5% from $246.00 to $148.80while revpar fell by 85.0%, from $194.20 in September 2019 to $29.15 in September this year.
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 September, the survey included 85 properties representing 20,600 rooms, or 38.4 percent of all lodging properties and 67.7 percent of operating lodging properties with 20 rooms or more in the Hawaiian Islands, including full service, limited service, and condominium hotels
In September, Hawai‘i hotel room revenues statewide fell by 91.4 percent to $26.6 million. Room demand was 85.8 percent lower than the same period last year. Room supply fell by 43.0 percent year-over-year. Many properties closed or reduced operations starting in April.
During September, all passengers arriving from out-of-state were required to abide by a mandatory 14-day self-quarantine. On August 11th, a partial interisland quarantine was reinstated for anyone traveling to the counties of Kaua’i, Hawai’i Maui, and Kalawao.
For the first nine months of 2020 statewide hotel room occupancy fell by 38.8 percentage points from 81.3% in 2019 to 42.5% in the first nine months of 2020. ADR fell by 2.8% from $280.51 in 2019 to $272.54 while revpar fell by 49.2%, from $227.96 in the first nine months of 2019 to $115.85 in the first nine months of this year.
In the first nine months of 2020, Hawai‘i hotel room revenues statewide fell by 64.9% from $3.360 billion in 2019 to $1.179 billion this year. Room demand fell to 4,325,200 room nights, down 63.9% compared to a year ago. Room supply fell by 31.0% and fell to 10,175,100 available room nights.

Spared by Covid-19, Seychelles suffers dearth of tourists
VICTORIA, Seychelles: The Seychelles, with its idyllic white beaches and luxury resorts, has had only 149 cases of Covid-19, but the global crisis caused by the pandemic has ravaged its vital tourism industry.
The Indian Ocean island nation, famed as a honeymoon destination, took swift action against the virus in March, banning cruise ships and international flights and implementing a lockdown.
But even though the archipelago re-opened to tourists on Aug 1, the global downswing in travel and devastation wrought by the virus in major tourist-providing countries in Europe and elsewhere, has led to little improvement.
"Since the re-opening of the airport we have tried to re-open our establishment, but it is a catastrophe, we are running at a loss because there is no one," said Sybil Cardon, who had to let go of 10 percent of her staff at her hotel on Praslin, the second-largest island.
In Beau Vallon, the most touristy part of the main island Mahe, the Equinox scuba diving centre once did three or four excursions a day, taking tourists to see bountiful fish and marine life around the granite cliffs and coral reefs.
Now, in what is usually peak season to see the world's largest fish, the whale shark, there are "only a few tourists a day," said Manuela Alcaniz, who runs the centre.
She has kept her six staff on board using state assistance, and some of her own money.
Tourism contributes around 25 % to the Seychelles GDP, according to official statistics, and along with the tuna fishing industry is the main earner of foreign currency.
In 2019, the archipelago welcomed more than 330,000 tourists, two-thirds of them from Europe. This represents more than three times the population of the islands.
In the first three quarters of the year, the country recorded the arrival of only 75,000 tourists.
According to the national statistics agency, the second and third quarter saw an 83 percent drop in numbers from 2019.
And government figures show more than 700 people lost their jobs in the hotel and tourism industry, increasing unemployment from 4.8%t to 6.3%.
Since July 1 the government has put in place the Seychelles Employee Transition Scheme (Sets) to assist workers, paying their salaries in exchange for them following a training course.
"Currently, if I didn't have this help, I don't know what situation I would find myself in to pay back my loans and take care of my children," said Sheila Marie, who used to work as an accountant in a hotel and is now following a course in payroll management.
"It should give me enough credentials to find another job" if tourism doesn't pick up by December 31, when the programme ends.
The government has not said whether the programme will be extended.
Authorities hope tourists will be back in December at high season, but those in the sector are pessimistic.
"The airlines who are coming only have 50 people onboard, I am afraid they will stop coming," said Cardon who is also the president of the Seychelles Hospitality and Tourism Association.
Most tourists to the Seychelles, a high-end destination, come from Europe which is facing a second wave of the virus, prompting new curfews, lockdowns and movement restrictions.
Only travellers from a select list of countries are allowed to enter, with a Covid-19 certificate of less than 72 hours.
However, since Oct 1, travellers from hard-hit countries like France, the United Kingdom and the United Arab Emirates, must now have a test less than 46 hours old, and must spend five days with restricted movement in a government-approved hotel.

The Maldives estimates tourist arrivals to drop from 2019 record of 1.7 million to 725,000 in 2021
October 23 2020
Minister of Tourism Dr. Abdulla Mausoom revealed Thursday that tourist arrivals are projected to nosedive by 55.4% to only 725,000 tourists in 2021, compared to Maldives' record high of 1,702,887 in 2019.
Speaking on a television programme broadcast on local channel SanguTV, the minister stated that the estimate was drawn up from research conducted by industry experts regarding the state budget for the next year.
Although he noted that both local and international veterans anticipate a sluggish pick up for the travel and hospitality field amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, he expressed personal hopes that Maldives could attract at least a million visitors in 2021.
Furthermore, he stated that Maldives' tourism would improve comparatively this year, highlighting that over 50 percent of tourist beds in the country are currently in operation.
However, several travel experts remain skeptical that numbers would increase significantly in light of the few airlines presently operating to the island nation.
Maldives reopened its borders to international passengers on July 15, after nearly four months since the state halted issuing on-arrival visas on March 27. Guesthouses were permitted to resume operations and kick start local tourism on October 15.
Despite the lifting of restrictions, Maldives has noted a significant reduction in tourist arrivals compared to pre-COVID figures. While a total of 382,760 tourists were recorded before Maldives closed borders in July, the daily average stood at 4,206 arrivals from January to March.
However, statistics indicate a gradual increase in visitors on a monthly basis. The latest figures by Maldives Immigration show that a total of 27,217 tourists arrived in Maldives between July 15 and October 15.
According to Immigration statistics, 8,350 holidaymakers visited Maldives within the first 15 days of October, representing a 56 percent increase compared to the same period in the previous month.
The Ministry of Tourism previously revealed that the daily average number of visitors increased from 117 in July to 246 in August, 318 in September and 628 in October.
Minister Mausoom had earlier also expressed hopes for the industry's recovery, estimating that 100,000 tourists would visit Maldives before the end of 2020.
The tourism ministry estimates a total of 500,000 arrivals for the year, down 70.6% compared with 2019.
 
In September Cancun saw its hotels achieve an average hotel room occupancy of 32.4%.
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 nine months of 2020.
In September Cancun/Puerto Morelos saw a 28.4 percentage point drop in average hotel room occupancy from 60.8% in September 2019 to 32.4% in September of this year. Cancun’s hotels saw an average occupancy of 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 33.9 percentage points from 60.9% in September 2019 to 27.0% in September this year. The hotels in Riviera Maya saw an average occupancy of 21.8% in August, 19.9% in July and 11.0% in June.
Through the first nine months of 2020 the hotels in Cancun/Puerto Morelos have achieved a 36.3% average room occupancy, down 40.9 percentage points from the 77.2% achieved in 2019.
For the same nine months the hotels in Riviera Maya have achieved an average room occupancy of 33.4%, down 45.7 percentage points from the 79.1% achieved in 2019, also for the first nine months of 2020.
Riviera Maya has 46,958 hotel rooms while the Cancun/Puerto Morelos area has 40,835 hotel rooms. During September approximately 75% of the region’s hotel rooms had re-opened.

Interest in 2021 Travel is on the Rise
Travel Pulse – October 18 2020
Finally. Travelers are preparing to pack their bags and take to the air, road and sea again, according to anecdotal reports from travel advisors, who said bookings are gaining momentum for 2021 and beyond.
“Interest for 2021 travel began to rise in the past few weeks for myself and for my colleagues,” said Becky Lukovic of Bella Travel Planning, a Travel Experts affiliate. “The requests are still pretty all over the place: Hawaii, Caribbean, Colorado, Italy and Greece. A number [of clients] have started actually booking their plans with refundable arrangements or cancel for any reason insurance.”
What comes as less of a surprise is that agents are seeing strong sales to destinations in Mexico and the Caribbean. “Most of the vacations that I have booked for 2021 have been tropical beach vacations,” said Jemica Archer of TruBlue Travels. “People want to rest and relax after such an intense year. Mexico, Antigua and the Dominican Republic have been popular for us.”
Although James Berglie of Be All Inclusive said he continues to receive a few cancellations from guests within groups that were already booked before the pandemic struck, there is nonetheless some good news. “At the same time, we are now seeing an equal number of guests requesting to upgrade their stays to higher-end room categories, and/or requesting to lengthen their stays,” he said. “Additionally we’ve seen a big increase in last-minute reservations, [for those] traveling within the next one-to-two months,” he said.
Berglie, too, noted that clients are expressing interest in Mexico and Caribbean destinations.
“Mexico and the Dominican Republic remain at the top of our guests’ lists as they are honestly narrowing down destinations by the number of hoops they have to jump through with regard to COVID restrictions,” he said. “Our guests are ready to vacation, and don’t want to have to worry about travel authorizations and test requirements.”
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Bookings to Mexico & the Caribbean look promising
Forward Keys: October 15, 2020
The global pandemic has wreaked destruction on the travel industry, with total international arrivals in the third quarter of the year down by 94% compared to the same period in 2019.
But now, research undertaken by ForwardKeys, a leading travel analytics company, reveals that there may be a glimmer of hope immediately south of the US border. Bookings for travel to holiday hot spots in Mexico and various Caribbean islands in the last quarter of the year are looking better than other regions in the world during Covid-19.
As of 19th September, flight bookings globally for Q4 of 2020 were 83% behind where they were at the equivalent moment last year. However, bookings (in order of market size) from all international markets to Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, and Aruba were behind by 52%, 59%, 56%, 47%, and 50% respectively.
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Jamaica received 28,648 stopover arrivals in September 2020, 19.8% of the total received in September 2019.
According to the Jamaica Tourist Board, Jamaica received 28,648 stopover arrivals in September 2020, 20.4% of the total received in September 2019, when the island received 144,583 stopover arrivals.
The September 2020 total was 34.6% lower than the 43,813 stopovers Jamaica received in August 2020.
Jamaica re-opened its borders to international visitors as of June 15th 2020.
Stopover arrivals from the USA fell by 75.3%, from 95,650 visitors in September 2019 to 23,600 visitors in September 2020.
Cruise arrivals fell by 100%, from 60,416 cruise visitors in September 2019 to zero cruise visitors in September 2020 as Jamaica remained closed to cruise ship arrivals.
Through the first nine months of 2020 Jamaica saw a 65.6% decline in the volume of stopover arrivals, falling from 2,020,508 stopover arrivals in the first nine months of 2019 to 695,721 arrivals in the same nine months of 2020.
Arrivals from the USA declined by 65.5% in the first nine months of 2020, falling from 1,395,590 arrivals in 2019 to 481,201 arrivals in the same nine months of 2020.
The number of cruise visitors declined by 60.0% in the first nine months of 2020, falling from 1,121,934 cruise visitors in 2019 to 449,271 cruise visitors in 2020.

Mauritius announces it received 369 stopover visitor in September.
The Mauritius Government’s Ministry of Finance and Economic Development recently announced that total stopover arrivals fell by 99.6% in September 2020, from 100,837 arrivals in September 2019 to 369 arrivals in September of this year. This number includes both air and sea stopover visitors.
Mauritius closed its border to all international visitors indefinitely as of March 19th 2020 and plans to re-open its borders to visitors from a limited number of countries as of October 1st 2020.
In the first nine months of 2020 Mauritius saw a 68.6% decrease in total stopover arrivals, falling from 973,642 arrivals in 2019 to 305,612 arrivals this year. Total stopover arrivals from France, the number one market, fell by 60.9% from 201,717 arrivals in the first nine months of 2019 to 78,775 arrivals in the same nine months of 2020.

Aruba reports it received 14,697 stopover arrivals in September.
According to the Aruba Tourism Authority, Aruba saw the volume of stopover arrivals fall from 73,628 stopovers in September 2019 to 14,697 in September of this year, that is to 20.0% of the total achieved in September 2019.
The number of stopovers received in September was down 15.6% compared with August 2020. Aruba received 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 14,697 total stopovers received in September 92.1% were from the USA, with 5.3% (784) coming from Europe. The number of visitors from the USA declined by 74.2% compared with September 2020, falling from 52,401 in September 2019 to 13,535 this year.
In the first nine months of 2020 Aruba saw a 67.7% decrease in the number of stopover visitors, falling from 848,841 visitors in 2019 to 273,790 visitors this year. The number of stopovers from the USA declined by 66.5% during the first nine months, from 638,459 in 2019 to 213,985 through September 2020.
There were no cruise visitors in September as the island remained closed to cruise traffic.  Through the first nine months of 2020 the number of cruise visitors to Aruba fell by 52.9%, from 555,525 visitors in 2019 to 255,384 cruise visitors this year.

Turks and Caicos Hoteliers hoping for 40% - 50% plus occupancy for the coming winter season.
President of Turks and Caicos Hotel and Tourism Association, Todd Foss said the group is projecting 40 to 50 percent occupancy rate for the upcoming high tourist season.
"The Turks and Caicos Hotel and Tourism Association are hopeful that Christmas time we can reach occupancy levels of between 60 and 80 percent, but we feel that many of those bookings will be made not too far in advance.”
Foss said hotel occupancy has naturally been down this year, given the Covid-19 pandemic and closure of borders.
But now that borders have reopened and the spread of Covid-19 is being arrested, he said the big resorts have expressed satisfaction with a 65 to 75 percent occupancy during the peak season. 
"If we could average about 60 percent from January to April I think people would be happy with that. That’s the expectation for this season after what we’ve been through.”
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Punta Cana received 16,029 tourists in September, down 89.6% compared with September 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 89.6% in September, falling from 153,841 arrivals in September 2019 to 16,029 arrivals in September 2020. Stopover arrivals from the USA fell by 64.4% in September, from 33,715 arrivals in September 2019 to 12,016 arrivals in September 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 16,029 stopovers received in September was 7.9% fewer than the 17,405 visitors Punta Cana received in August 2020.
During the first nine months of 2020 Punta Cana saw a 71.8% decrease in the volume of stopover arrivals, falling from 2,813,328 arrivals in 2019 to 793,402 non-resident arrivals in the first nine months of 2020.
Arrivals from the USA fell by 80.2% in the first nine months of 2020, falling from 1,197,541 arrivals in 2019 to 237,550 arrivals in the same nine months of 2020. Arrivals from Russia fell by 46.3% in the same period, from 41,931 in 2019 to 22,508 in 2020. Traffic was also down 73.6% from Germany, down 70.6% from Brazil, down 74.9% from Argentina, down 77.8% from the U.K., down 66.6% from France and down 51.8% from Canada.
In the first nine months of 2020 stopover arrivals to Punta Cana made up 45.5% of all non-resident arrivals to the Dominican Republic.

The Dominican Republic received 103,942 non-resident visitors in September, down 5.8% compared with August 2020.
According to the Central Bank of the Dominican Republic, the Dominican Republic received 103,942 non-resident stopover arrivals in September 2020, down 5.8% compared with the 110,284 stopovers it received in August.
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 103,942 stopovers received in September were 67.9% fewer than the 323,662 stopovers received in September 2019.
Stopover arrivals from the USA fell by 49.2%, from 72,689 arrivals in September 2019 to 36,961 arrivals in September 2020. 54.9% of the non-resident arrivals in September were Dominicans living abroad and returning to the Dominican Republic.
In the first nine months of 2020 the Dominican Republic saw a 65.0% decrease in the volume of stopover arrivals, falling from 4,987,698 arrivals in 2019 to 1,743,475 non-resident arrivals in 2020. Non-resident arrivals from the USA decreased by 73.8% in the first nine months of 2020, falling from 1,830,385 arrivals in 2019 to 479,845 arrivals in 2020.

Preflight Covid-19 testing is on the rise — the question is whether it works
CNBC PUBLISHED WED, OCT 14 20201:33 AM
Can preflight testing get people flying again?
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) thinks so. Last month, the trade association, which represents some 290 airlines around the world, called for the "development and deployment of rapid, accurate, affordable, easy-to-operate, scalable and systematic" Covid-19 testing for all passengers as a way to restore passenger confidence, bypass quarantines and reopen borders.
Within weeks, United Airlines, American Airlines and JetBlue announced plans to launch preflight testing programs to places such as Hawaii, Costa Rica and the Caribbean, depending on the airline.
By that time, Italy's largest airline, Alitalia, was already operating two flights between Rome and Milan for passengers who tested negative before boarding.
The problem with a single test
Panama reopened its borders this week to travelers who arrive with a negative Covid-19 test in hand, or who test negative after taking a rapid test upon landing.
But testing isn't quite that simple. Just ask Iceland. 
When Iceland reopened on June 15, the country exempted travelers from a two-week quarantine if they tested negative for Covid-19 upon arrival. Cases started rising less than a month later.
In August, Iceland revised its policy. It now requires two Covid-19 tests — one upon arrival and another five days later — with mandatory quarantining in between.  
In one of the most high-profile testing fails of the pandemic, a Covid-19 outbreak erupted at the White House this month due in part to its practice of relying on rapid tests to screen visitors. The tests are known to miss up to a third of asymptomatic infections.
Speed vs. accuracy
In calling for preflight testing last month, the IATA said that "deployable solutions are expected in the coming weeks." Medical experts say that may be premature.
Polymerase chain reaction tests, also called PCR, can more accurately diagnose positive cases, said Dr. Peter Gulick, an infectious disease expert at Michigan State University. But those tests, which rely on a nasal swap, throat swab or saliva, "are run in a lab so it may take days to come back, and a patient may get infected during that time," he said.
That is the rub with PCR tests. Test too early, and a person's chances of being infected after the test increase. Test too late, and the results may not be ready by departure time.
Starting Oct. 15, American Airlines' passengers traveling from Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport to Hawaii and Costa Rica can take Covid-19 tests at one of three places: the airport, local urgent care facilities or at home via a virtual meeting with a medical professional.
Rapid antigen tests can solve the timing problem, but "they can result in 20% to 40% false negatives," said Gulick. That makes those tests better suited to confirm infections, rather than to give an "all clear" indication of no infection.
Rapid PCR tests exist, but their production hasn't yet matched demand, said Dr. Shira Doron, infectious disease physician and hospital epidemiologist at Tufts Medical Center.
"At this time, there are a few companies making rapid PCR tests," she said. "These are sensitive and have few false positives."
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Cancun saw a 65.8% decrease in international air passenger movements in September.
According to ASUR, which manages many of Mexico’s airports, Cancun Airport saw a 65.8% decrease in international passenger movements in September 2020, falling from 889,419 movements in September 2019 to 304,003 movements in September 2020. Domestic passenger movements fell by 21.7%, from 701,857 passenger movements in September 2019 to 549,834 movements in September 2020.
September saw international passenger movements increase by just 6,614 (2.2%) compared with August, moving from 297,389 movements in August to 304,003 in September, while domestic passenger movements increased by 27,858 (+5.3%) moving from 521,976 in August to 549,834 in September.
In the first nine months of 2020 the volume of international air passenger movements  decreased by 60.3%, falling from 12,671,072 movements in 2019 to 5,032,366 movements in 2020 while the volume of domestic air passenger movements fell by 47.8%, from 6,703,534 movements in the first nine months of 2019 to 3,500,852 in the same nine months of 2020.

San Juan, Puerto Rico (SJU) saw a 47.9% decrease in air passenger movements in September.
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 47.9% decrease in passenger movements in September 2020, falling from 571,010 movements in September 2019 to 297,505 movements in September 2020.
September 2020 saw passenger movements decrease by 4,732 (-1.6%) compared with August  2020 moving from 302,237 movements in August to 297,505 in September.
In the first nine months of 2020 the overall volume of air passenger movements decreased by 50.4%, from 7,072,180 in 2019 to 3,505,793 in 2020.

Los Cabos saw a 39.5% decline in international air traffic movements in September.
According to Aeroportuario del Pacifico , which manages many of Mexico’s airports, Los Cabos Airport saw a 39.5% decline in international passenger traffic in September 2020, that is enplanements and deplanements, falling from 168,700 international passenger movements in September 2019 to 102,000 international passenger movements in September 2020. Domestic traffic declined by 19.8%, falling from 143,600 passenger movements in September 2019 to 115,100 passenger movements 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 nine months of 2020 the volume of international air traffic decreased by 55.4%, falling from 2,764,600 international passenger movements in 2019 to 1,259,500 in the first nine months of 2020 while the volume of domestic air traffic fell by 45.8%, from 1,447,600 movements in 2019 to 784,500 in the first nine months of 2020.
 
Montego Bay Airport saw 48,000 total passenger movements in September, down 81.3% compared with September 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 81.3% in September 2020, falling from 256,900 movements in September 2019 to 48,000 movements in September 2020. Montego Bay Airport handled 58,800 passenger movements in July and 67,700 in August.
Jamaica reopened its borders to international visitors as of June 15th 2020
In the first nine months of 2020 the overall volume of passenger movements decreased by 63.4%, from 3,622,200 passenger movements in 2019 to 1,325,000 passenger movements in the first nine months of 2020.

The Seychelles received 1,575 visitor arrivals in September.
The Seychelles Government’s National Bureau of Statistics recently announced that total stopover arrivals decreased by 93.7% in September 2020, from 24,860 arrivals in September 2019 to 1,575 arrivals in September of this year. This number includes both air and sea stopover visitors.
The Seychelles closed its borders to cruise ships as of March 9th 2020 and to international air visitors as of March 30th. The main airport reopened to limited traffic as of June 1st and to scheduled international flights as of August 1st 2020.
In the first nine months of 2020 The Seychelles saw a 66.1% decrease in total stopover arrivals, falling from 274,823 arrivals in 2019 to 93,269 arrivals this year. Total stopover arrivals from Germany, the number one source market, fell by 58.1% from 49,516 in the first nine months of 2019 to 20,740 arrivals in the same nine months of 2020.
The number of cruise visitors decreased by 16.2%, from 23,397 in the first nine months of 2019 to 19,609 cruise visitors in the same period of 2020.

Central Bank of Aruba revises its economic forecast for 2020.
Central Bank of Aruba: Press release: October 7, 2020
Based on available data and considering the significant level of uncertainty regarding the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on economic recovery, the CBA updated its estimates for the economic output based on different scenarios for the year 2020. This update follows new information on public consumption and the expectations regarding the recovery of the tourism sector. More specifically, public consumption was adjusted downwards to more accurately reflect actual government consumption in the respective scenarios. In addition, a slower recovery of tourism activity is assumed in comparison to the previous forecast (of July 2020).
Due to measures to protect human lives from the COVID-19 pandemic, the Aruban economy continues to be severely affected despite the reopening of our borders to tourism and travel. The depth and extent of the economic crisis depend largely upon the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent tourism recovery trajectory in addition to future government financing arrangements.
Consequently, for 2020 the real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for Aruba is currently projected to contract between 25.4 percent (Scenario A: no significant tourism activity for 3 months) and 32.3 percent (Scenario C: no significant tourism activity for 9 months), compared to an estimated growth of 2.8 percent in a scenario where, among other things, the pandemic would not have occurred. The revised forecasted economic contraction is the result of a deep drop in tourist arrivals, private consumption (and related imports), and, in scenarios B and C, investment. 
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Aruba’s Airport handled 16,818 Revenue Generating Passengers in September 2020, 19% of the amount handled in September 2019.
ORANJESTAD - In September 2020, the third month of operations after the removal of the lockdown, the Queen Beatrix International Airport (AUA Airport) handled 16,818 Revenue Generating Passengers (RGPs) departing to various markets. This was 19% of the total RGPS handled in September 2019 and 23.1% less than the 21,868 RGPs handled by the airport in August 2020. The figures for September 2020 were 27% less than what was forecasted for this month.
In September 14,713 passengers (pax) travelled to the US, 1,663 pax departed to Europe and 74 pax departed to the Netherlands Antilles. The latter market only allows for essential travel with borders currently being closed with Curacao and Bonaire. 368 pax also departed on repatriation flights to Caribbean and Latin American destinations.
The average outbound load factor (number of seats of the total seats on board an aircraft that were occupied when departing from AUA Airport) for September 2020 for the USA Market was 59%, while the load factor for flights to Europe was 41%. 
During September, AUA Airport averaged 7 flights per day, down from about 32 daily flights from the same month of 2019.
For October 2020 AUA Airport has forecasted handling approximately 26,500 departing passengers. This estimate however could yet be affected as a result of travel restrictions that continue to apply in for example European countries, the Netherlands Antilles and Canada. The fact that borders have not yet been opened with Latin and Central America will also have a negative impact. Nonetheless, it is estimated that the volume of RGPs in October will be 30% of the total RGPs handled in October 2019.
“The ever evolving and changing restrictions on travel ranging from border restrictions to required quarantine restrictions upon a visitor’s return to their home country could affect the figures for the last quarter of 2020. There are a lot of other factors that have yet to be decided on which will have a further effect on airlift, such as for example the CARES Act in the US, further quarantine restrictions in US states, and the fact that worldwide second waves or even third waves of the virus spread are expected. Nonetheless, we remain cautiously optimistic for the last three months of operation of 2020 when we enter our busiest time of the year, our winter season,” said Aruba Airport Authority N.V. CEO Mr. Joost Meijs.

Aruba Airport Authority foresees its traffic to recover to 90% of 2019 total by 2025.
ORANJESTAD - Based on the most recent insights it is expected that by the end of 2020 the Aruba Airport (AUA) will see its total number of Revenue Generating Passengers (RGPs) to be 37% of the total number of RGPs handled in 2019, that is a projected 473,215 RGPs for 2020 compared with 1,265,965 RGPs for 2019.
The Airport indicated it then used these same insights obtained from its various stakeholders, especially the airlines operating into AUA Airport, to look further ahead which allowed it to estimate its recovery path for the coming five years.
The Airport concluded that recovery will be slow but steady during the coming years and estimated that, as of October 2020, it will achieve 37% of the 2019 RGP traffic in 2020 (473,315 RGPs), 52% in 2021 (659,117), 68% in 2022 (856,852), 78% in 2023 (985,380), 84% in 2024 (1,059,283) and 90% in 2025. (1,138,729).
Various aviation industry associations such as ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization), IATA (International Air Transport Association) and ACI (Airports Council International) have also provided their projections and estimate that it will take the international aviation industry at least 3 to 4 years to recover and hopefully reach pre-COVID traffic numbers worldwide by 2025.
“Every day we are in contact with our partners in the aviation and tourism industry. This forecast is based on the insights and information we have today. We know that the impact of this crisis will be felt for years. A multiyear outlook under the current uncertain circumstances, however, remains fluid. Therefore, from now on, we will prepare an update of our multiyear forecast every quarter. We will continue to do our utmost to help Aruba in its much-needed recovery,” said Joost Meijs, CEO of Aruba Airport Authority N.V.

Aruba reports it received 17,420 stopover arrivals in August.
According to the Central Bank of Aruba, in August 2020 Aruba saw the volume of stopover arrivals fall from 96,100 stopovers in August 2019 to 17,420 in August of this year, that is to 18.1% of the total achieved in August 2019.
In July 2020 Aruba received 12,921 stopovers, 12.5% of the total received in July 2019.
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 17,420 total stopovers received in August 88.1% (15,342) were from the USA, with 7.9% (1,383) coming from Europe. The number of visitors from the USA declined by 78.4% compared with August 2019, falling from 70,990 in August 2019 to 15,342 this year.
In the first eight months of 2020 Aruba saw a 66.6% decrease in the number of stopover visitors, falling from 775,213 visitors in 2019 to 259,093 visitors this year. The number of stopovers from the USA has declined by 65.8% during the first eight months, from 586,058 in 2019 to 200,450 through August 2020.
There were no cruise visitors in August as the island remained closed to cruise traffic.  Through the first eight months of 2020 the number of cruise visitors to Aruba fell by 52.9%, from 555,525 visitors in 2019 to 255,384 cruise visitors this year.

Curacao reports it received 10,418 stopover arrivals in September.
According to the Curaçao Tourist Board, Curaçao saw a 68.0% decrease in stopover visitor arrivals in September, falling from 32,510 stopovers in September 2019 to 10,418 in September of this year.
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. The Government limited the number of visitors to no more than 10,000 for the month of September.
Stopover visitors from the Netherlands fell by 38.0%, from 14,003 visitors in September 2019 to 8,646 visitors in September 2020. The 8,646 visitors comprised 83.0% of all stopover visitors to Curacao in September.
In the first nine months of 2020 Curaçao saw a 60.3% decrease in the number of stopover visitors, falling from 346,464 visitors in 2019 to 137,699 visitors this year. The number of stopovers from the USA declined by 62.7% during the first nine months, from 57,332 in 2019 to 21,361 through September 2020. The number of stopovers from the Netherlands has fallen by 53.2% during the first nine months, from 143,048 in 2019 to 67,001 through September 2020.
There were no cruise visitors in September as the island remained closed to cruise traffic.  Through the first nine months of 2020 the number of cruise visitors to Curaçao fell by 52.7%, from 541,621 visitors in 2019 to 256,033 cruise visitors this year.

Antigua and Barbuda received 3,673 stopovers in September 2020, 26.0% of the total received in September 2019.
According to the Ministry of Tourism and Investment, Antigua and Barbuda saw a 74.0% decrease in stopover visitor arrivals in September 2020, falling from 14,124 stopovers in September 2019 to 3,673 stopovers in 2020. The number of stopover visitors from the USA fell by 60.5%, from 5,767 in September 2019 to 2,278 in September 2020 while the number of stopovers from the U.K. fell by 80.5%, from 3,920 stopovers in September 2019 to 764 in September of this year.
Antigua and Barbuda reopened its borders to receive international visitors as of June 4th 2020.
Through the first nine months of 2020, Antigua and Barbuda saw a 54.5% decrease in the number of stopover visitors, falling from 216,257 stopovers in 2019 to 98,483 stopovers in 2020. The number of stopovers from the USA fell by 49.8%, from 91,334 in 2019 to 45,833 in 2020 while the number of stopover visitors from the U.K. fell by 57.3% from 52,714 in 2019 to 22,489 this year.

IATA - now expects full-year 2020 traffic to be down 66% compared to 2019.
(Geneva, September 29 2020) - The International Air Transport Association (IATA) downgraded its traffic forecast for 2020 to reflect a weaker-than-expected recovery, as evidenced by a dismal end to the summer travel season in the Northern Hemisphere.
IATA now expects full-year 2020 traffic to be down 66% compared to 2019. The previous estimate was for a 63% decline.  
August passenger demand continued to be hugely depressed against normal levels, with revenue passenger kilometers (RPKs) down 75.3% compared to August 2019. This was only slightly improved compared to the 79.5% annual contraction in July.
Domestic markets continued to outperform international markets in terms of recovery, although most remained substantially down on a year ago. August capacity (available seat kilometers or ASKs) was down 63.8% compared to a year ago, and load factor plunged 27.2 points to an all-time low for August of 58.5%.
Based on flight data, the recovery in air passenger services was brought to a halt in mid-August by a return of government restrictions in the face of new COVID-19 outbreaks in a number of key markets.
Forward bookings for air travel in the fourth quarter show that the recovery since the April low point will continue to falter.
Whereas the decline in year-on-year growth of global RPKs was expected to have moderated to -55% by December, a much slower improvement is now expected with the month of December forecast to be down 68% on a year ago.
“August’s disastrous traffic performance puts a cap on the industry’s worst-ever summer season. International demand recovery is virtually non-existent and domestic markets in Australia and Japan actually regressed in the face of new outbreaks and travel restrictions. A few months ago, we thought that a full-year fall in demand of -63% compared to 2019 was as bad as it could get. With the dismal peak summer travel period behind us, we have revised our expectations downward to -66%,” said Alexandre de Juniac, IATA’s Director General and CEO.
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Las Vegas saw a 6.9% increase in visitors in August compared with July 2020.
According to the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority Las Vegas saw the volume of visitors increase by 6.9% in August 2020, growing from 1,438,000 arrivals in July 2020 to 1,537,400 in August of this year. The 1,537,400 arrivals in August 2020 was 57.0% lower than the 3,579,00 visitors received in August 2019.
Las Vegas had a weighted average of 127,657 open hotel rooms in August 2020 (down 14.3% compared with August 2019) and achieved an average city-wide room occupancy of 42.7% (down 45.0 percentage points compared with August 2019), an ADR of $99.24 (down 18.0% compared with August 2019) and a RevPar of $42.38 (down 60.1%) also compared with August 2019.
Through the first eight months of 2020 Las Vegas saw a 55.3% decrease in the volume of visitors, falling from 28,404,400 arrivals in the first eight months of 2019 to 12,708,200 visitors in the same eight months of 2020.
Las Vegas achieved an average city-wide room occupancy of 42.8% in the first eight months of 2020 (down 46.6 percentage points compared with the first eight months of 2019), an ADR of $129.19 (down 2.4% compared with the same eight months of 2019) and a RevPar of $55.29 down 53.3%, also compared with the same eight months of 2019.
Gaming revenue fell by 41.4% from $6.842 billion in the first eight months of 2019 to $4.006 billion in the same eight months of 2020.

In August Cancun saw its hotels achieve an average hotel room occupancy of 25.9%.
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 eight months of 2020.
In August Cancun/Puerto Morelos saw a 46.9 percentage point drop in average hotel room occupancy from 72.8% in August 2019 to 25.9% in August of this year. Cancun’s hotels saw an average occupancy of 23.7% in July and 15.2% in June.
The hotels in Riviera Maya saw their average room occupancy fall by 53.3 percentage points from 75.1% in August 2019 to 21.8% in August this year. The hotels in Riviera Maya saw an average occupancy of 19.% in July and 11.0% in June.
Through the first eight months of 2020 the hotels in Cancun/Puerto Morelos have achieved a 36.8% average room occupancy, down 42.5 percentage points from the 79.3% achieved in 2019.
The hotels in Riviera Maya have achieved an average room occupancy of 34.2%, down 47.2 percentage points from the 81.4% achieved in 2019, also for the first eight months of 2020.
Riviera Maya has 46,958 hotel rooms while the Cancun/Puerto Morelos area has 40,835 hotel rooms. During August approximately 75% of the region’s hotels had re-opened.

Mexico received 337,656 international air arrivals in August, up 14.4% compared with July 2020.
According to the Government of Mexico’s SECTUR (Department of Tourism) Mexico received 337,656 international air arrivals in August 2020 up 14.4% compared with the 295,207 arrivals received in July 2020 while the 295,207 international air arrivals received in July were 151.8% higher than the 117,257 international visitors received in June 2020.
The 337,656 international air arrivals received in August 2020 were 75.7% less than the 1,390,432 received in August 2019.
 The volume of air arrivals from the USA fell by 62.0% in August, from 759,207 in August 2019 to 288,704 in August of this year, with the volume from Canada falling by 94.6%, from 83,374 in August 2019 to 4,491 this year. The 288,704 visitors received from the USA in August was 9.3% higher than the 264,184 visitors received from the USA in July 2020.
Cancun Airport saw a 76.0% decrease in international air arrivals in August 2020, falling from 593,846 arrivals in August 2019 to 142,416 arrivals in August 2020, while Los Cabos saw a 61.3% decrease falling from 118,914 international arrivals in August 2019 to 46,009 international air arrivals in August 2020. Puerto Vallarta saw a 75.8% decrease, falling from 65,357 international arrivals in August 2019 to 15,869 in August 2020.
In the first eight months of 2020 the volume of international air arrivals to Mexico fell by 59.4%, from 13,177,126 in 2019 to 5,344,563 in the first eight months of this year. The volume of air arrivals from the USA fell by 58.7% in the same eight months, from 7,408,045 in 2019 to 3,058,714 in 2020 while the volume from Canada fell by 44.3%, from 1,604,769 in 2019 to 893,988 in 2020.
Cancun Airport saw a 60.8% decrease in international air arrivals in the first eight months of 2020, falling from 5,581,318 in 2019 to 2,185,200 in 2020 while Los Cabos saw a 56.3% decrease falling from 1,240,230 international air arrivals to 542,224 air arrivals in 2020. Puerto Vallarta saw a 50.4% decrease, falling from 1,066,222 international arrivals in 2019 to 529,201 in the first eight months of 2020.

Orlando saw a 58.3 percentage point decline in average room occupancy in August to 28.7%.
According to STR Orlando had 128,000 hotel rooms in August 2020 and achieved an average city-wide room occupancy of 28.7% (down 58.7 percentage points compared with August 2019), and an ADR of $83.25 (down 22.2% compared with August 2019).
According to Visit Orlando, Orlando saw the volume of air passenger enplanements decrease by 73.1% in August 2020, falling from 2,290,962 enplanements in August 2019 to 616,637 enplanements in August 2020. This includes enplanements at both Orlando International and Sanford airports.
In the first eight months of 2020 Orlando achieved an average city-wide room occupancy of 45.0% (down 42.6 percentage points compared with 2019), and an ADR of $118.26 (down 7.4% compared with 2019). 
In the first eight months of 2020 Orlando saw a 55.9% decrease in the volume of air passenger enplanements, falling from 18,440,059 enplanements in 2019 to 8,130.754 enplanements in the first eight months of 2020.

Mauritius announces it received 317 stopover visitor in August.
The Mauritius Government’s Ministry of Finance and Economic Development recently announced that total stopover arrivals fell by 99.7% in August 2020, from 107,275 arrivals in August 2019 to 317 arrivals in August of this year. This number includes both air and sea stopover visitors.
Mauritius closed its border to all international visitors indefinitely as of March 19th 2020 and plans to re-open its borders to visitors from a limited number of countries as of October 1st 2020.
In the first eight months of 2020 Mauritius saw a 65.0% decrease in total stopover arrivals, falling from 872,805 arrivals in 2019 to 305,243 arrivals this year. Total stopover arrivals from France, the number one market, fell by 57.8% from 186,602 arrivals in the first eight months of 2019 to 78,708 arrivals in the same eight months of 2020.

Costa Rica received 2,357 stopover arrivals in August.
According to the Costa Rica Institute of Tourism ICT, Costa Rica saw the volume of stopovers drop by 99.0% in August 2020, falling from 225,299 stopovers in August 2019 to just 2,357 stopovers in August 2020.
The number of stopovers from the USA fell by 99.7% in August 2020, falling from 94,568 stopovers in August 2019 to 261 in August 2020 while the number from Central America declined by 98.6%, from 51,547 in August 2019 to 742 in August 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 August 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 and then only from six states.
The volume of stopovers decreased by 60.1% in the first eight months of 2020, falling from 2,220,638 stopovers in 2019 to 885,401 stopovers in first eight months of 2020. The number of stopovers from the USA dropped by 63.7% in the first eight months of 2020, from 981,964 stopovers in 2019 to 356,906 in 2020 while the number from Central America declined by 59.5%, falling from 472,582 in the first eight months of 2019 to 191,601  in the same eight months of 2020. 

Apple Leisure Group on Booking Trends, Hotel Development and the 2020 Election
The leadership team at Apple Leisure Group (ALG) sees a light at the end of the tunnel.
The company has spent the past five months in a state of adjustment due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but has recently reported a rise in group bookings, an increased interest in all-inclusive hotels and international travel, and new products designed to help travel advisors emerge from the crisis.
“We’ve seen some great ramp up and — knock on wood — we haven’t seen any issues at all,” said Ray Snisky, president of ALG Vacations, during a Sept. 29 press conference. “I think you’re seeing people who want to travel, and there is certainly pent-up demand.”
Clients are increasingly looking at shorter booking windows, he said, with 40% of company bookings going toward trips to Cancun due to the destination’s flexible flight options, new hotel inventory and appealing price point.
“The fact that things are going well, and customers have a desire to travel, is very optimistic for us moving forward,” he said.
Groups Bookings Are Driving Travel’s Return
New group reservations contracted in the past four weeks have surged, with a 75% increase in bookings year-over-year. Cancun, Jamaica and the Dominican Republic are currently leading the sector, according to Mike Ehlers, vice president of groups for ALG.
ALG is “very bullish on groups moving forward,” said Snisky, adding that he is “pleased with the number of groups [ALG] has been able to recapture.”
“Many of the groups were kept on the books and rescheduled for later time periods, he said. “That part of our business has become so powerful over the last few years. [Group trips have] an emotional connection with clients, and [are] a big driver of their return.”
That part of our business has become so powerful over the last few years. Group trips have an emotional connection with clients and is a big driver of their return.
Five-Star Hotels ‘At a Four-Star Price’
Five-star hotels are top of mind for international travelers, with some being sold at “four-star prices,” Snisky said.
“Guests want to stay at a place they trust, and they want brands they know are going to follow the protocols and not cut costs in any way, and where the safety of the customer is paramount,” he said. “The top of the quality chain is winning the market share battle.”
All-inclusive options are also a popular choice right now, while “independent and non-branded hotels are going to need more help than ever before,” said Alex Zozaya, executive chairman for ALG.
And when it comes to hotel developments within Mexico and the Caribbean, those that were in the early stages of planning and construction have been put on hold, because “nobody wants to add supply to already contracted demand,” Zozaya added.
However, he predicts there will be immense change in existing hotel portfolios, including more renovations, consolidations and ownership changes.
Rhetoric Surrounding the 2020 Election
Adding to the uncertainty of travel’s future is the upcoming U.S. election.
“This particular election is  very important,” Zozaya said. “The way it’s going to influence [travelers] depends on what the discourse will be right after the election. If the rhetoric becomes more unified — less in the sense of increasing or tightening borders and restrictions and more about a united global effort — that’s going to help the mindset of the consumer.”
Zozaya added that he doesn’t anticipate travel policies changing in the short term, regardless of who wins the presidency, because policies are likely to remain until a COVID-19 vaccine is made widely available.

The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index Increased in September
NEW YORK, Sept. 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index® increased in September, after declining in August. The Index now stands at 101.8 (1985=100), up from 86.3 in August. The Present Situation Index – based on consumers' assessment of current business and labor market conditions – increased from 85.8 to 98.5. The Expectations Index – based on consumers' short-term outlook for income, business, and labor market conditions – increased from 86.6 in August to 104.0 this month.
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 September 18.
"Consumer Confidence increased sharply in September, after back-to-back monthly declines, but remains below pre-pandemic levels," said Lynn Franco, Senior Director of Economic Indicators at The Conference Board. "A more favorable view of current business and labor market conditions, coupled with renewed optimism about the short-term outlook, helped spur this month's rebound in confidence. Consumers also expressed greater optimism about their short-term financial prospects, which may help keep spending from slowing further in the months ahead."
Consumers' appraisal of current conditions rebounded in September. The percentage of consumers claiming business conditions are "good" increased from 16.0 percent to 18.3 percent, while those claiming business conditions are "bad" decreased from 43.3 percent to 37.4 percent. Consumers' assessment of the labor market also improved. The percentage of consumers saying jobs are "plentiful" increased from 21.4 percent to 22.9 percent, while those claiming jobs are "hard to get" decreased from 23.6 percent to 20.0 percent.
Consumers were also more optimistic about the short-term outlook. The percentage of consumers expecting business conditions will improve over the next six months increased from 29.8 percent to 37.1 percent, while those expecting business conditions will worsen decreased from 20.7 percent to 15.8 percent. Consumers were more positive about the outlook for the labor market. The proportion expecting more jobs in the months ahead increased from 29.9 percent to 33.1 percent, while those anticipating fewer jobs decreased from 21.2 percent to 15.6 percent. Regarding their short-term income prospects, the percentage of consumers expecting an increase improved from 13.0 percent to 17.5 percent, while the proportion expecting a decrease declined from 16.0 percent to 12.6 percent.
 
Antigua and Barbuda projects average hotel occupancy to be about 47% in the first four months of 2021.
The Antigua Barbuda Hotels and Tourism Association (ABHTA) recently surveyed its hotels to determine their projections for average hotel occupancy for the first four months of 2021. Based on eight responses from key hotels the ABHTA is projecting an average hotel room occupancy of 48% for the first four months of 2021 compared with 78% for the same four months of 2019.
ABHTA rightly notes forecasting is unpredictable even into the winter of 2020/21 and that the market remains too volatile to project with any measure of certainty. It further notes some resorts are highly dependent on the UK market and occupancy levels will be aligned with the increase in service from this source market, that some resorts may cap guest numbers to accommodate social distancing, and that some resorts will adjust room inventory available for sale, in line with demand.

Destination Analysts Report for week of September 28th 2020.
Every week since March 15th, Destination Analysts has surveyed 1,200+ American travelers about their thoughts, feelings, perceptions, and behaviors surrounding travel in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic and explored a variety of topics. The findings presented below represent data collected September 25th-27th.
It’s officially Fall, and Americans are increasingly hearing predictions and plans for the coming months while we remain in a global pandemic. After a month-long period of the lowest levels of concerns since May, the number of Americans with high degrees of concerns about contracting the coronavirus rose this week. Similarly, after a stable period in expectations for the virus’ course, the percent of Americans who feel things will get worse in the U.S. in the next month increased to 43.0% from 38.3% the week prior, and the percent who feel things will get better decreased to 21.3%.
Key Findings:

• After a month-long period of relatively lower levels of anxiety, the number of Americans with high degrees of concerns about contracting the coronavirus rose this week. Similarly, after a stable period in expectations for the virus’ course, the percent of Americans who feel things will get worse in the U.S. in the next month increased.
• These rising concerns appear to be affecting confidence that travel can be done safely and perceptions of travel. The percent in a “ready to travel” mindset fell to 52.2% after being above 54% for the last month.
• Nevertheless, three-quarters of American travelers continue to report having at least tentative trip plans—primarily over the next 6 months—as well as exhibit a perception of travel as a means to meet their emotional needs. The percent that agree price cuts and discounts can motivate them to consider a new trip is as high as it has been during the pandemic.
• Looking at American travelers’ specific expectations for Fall, nearly two-thirds expect to travel this season, and these travelers anticipate taking 1.7 overnight trips on average. The top motivations for these Fall trips are relaxation, spending time with family and escapism, although younger travelers are also likely to be seeking connecting with nature and having new experiences.
• 26% say they plan to travel by airplane this fall, little changed from previous weeks.
• Nearly 40% of likely Fall travelers say they will visit a small town or rural area on their Fall trips, with beach visitation less likely than in the summer months and urban travel increasing.
• American travelers’ comfort with enjoying their own communities for leisure activities and having tourists visit their regions are at pandemic period highs.

  
Hawai‘i received 22,344 visitors in August 2020.
HONOLULU – The COVID-19 pandemic considerably impacted visitor arrivals to the Hawaiian Islands in August 2020. Visitor arrivals dropped 97.6 percent compared to a year ago, according to preliminary statistics released by the Hawai‘i Tourism Authority’s (HTA) Tourism Research Division.
All passengers arriving from out-of-state during August were required to abide by a mandatory 14-day self-quarantine. Exemptions include travel for essential reasons like work or healthcare. On August 11, a partial interisland quarantine was reinstated for anyone traveling to the counties of Kaua‘i, Hawai‘i, Maui, and Kalawao (Moloka‘i). The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) continued to impose the “No Sail Order” on all cruise ships.
In August 2020, a total of 22,344 visitors traveled to Hawai‘i by air service compared to 926,417 visitors during the same month a year ago. Most of the visitors were from U.S. West (12,778, -97.0%) and U.S. East (7,407, -96.3%). Only 220 visitors came from Japan (-99.9%) and 100 came from Canada (-99.7%). There were 1,839 visitors from All Other International Markets (-98.4%). Many of these visitors were from Guam, and a small number of visitors were from the Philippines, Other Asia, Europe, Latin America, Oceania, Puerto Rico and the Pacific Islands.
Total visitor days1 decreased 91.3 percent year-over-year.
A total of 179,570 trans-Pacific air seats serviced the Hawaiian Islands in August, down 85.2 percent from a year ago. There were no direct flights or scheduled seats from Canada, Oceania, and Other Asia, and very few scheduled seats from Japan (-99.7%), U.S. East (-89.6%), U.S. West (-80.3%), and Other countries (-56.5%).
In the first eight months of 2020, total visitor arrivals decreased 69.0 percent to 2,201,141 visitors, with significantly fewer arrivals by air service (-69.1% to 2,171,349) and by cruise ships (-61.3% to 29,792) compared to the same period a year ago. Total visitor days fell 65.1 percent.
Year-to-date, visitor arrivals by air service declined from U.S. West (-69.6% to 953,559), U.S. East (-66.9% to 538,703), Japan (-71.4% to 294,568), Canada (-58.0% to 156,015) and All Other International Markets (-72.9% to 228,504)

Covid-19 And Tourism: Assessing the Economic Consequences: United Nations Conference on Trade and Development
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused significant disruptions in the global economy. By the end of the first quarter of 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic had brought international travel to an abrupt halt and significantly impacted the tourism industry. For many developed and developing countries, the tourism sector is a major source of employment, government revenue and foreign exchange earnings. Without this vital lifeline, many countries may experience a dramatic contraction in GDP and a rise in unemployment.
Using a computable general equilibrium model (GTAP), the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)  assess the implications of the COVID-19 crisis on the tourism sector. Depending on the duration of the global lockdown, the paper estimates the direct and indirect costs of the shutdown for 65 individual countries and regions and 65 sectors, covering the global economy. In some countries, unemployment could rise by more than 20 percentage points and some sectors could nearly be wiped out if the duration of the tourism standstill is up to one year. Further the paper puts forward policy recommendations for governments to avert the worst effects and facilitate recovery.
For full report click here
 
Why local communities are important to the future of Japan's ailing tourism industry
The COVID-19 pandemic has devastated local economies in Japan, pushing a number of businesses in rural areas to the brink of insolvency, if not outright bankruptcy.
Hot-spring towns and ski resorts such as Nozawa Onsen in Nagano Prefecture, which are reliant on inbound tourism, have been hit hardest, and there simply aren’t enough local customers to sustain operating facilities deep in the mountains.
The immediate problem these local economies face is the polar opposite of overtourism, and, for as long as the pandemic lingers, there’s never been a better time for rural destinations to consider developing more sustainable forms of tourism.
For consumers, sustainable travel tends to evoke notions of lowering their environmental impact, whether that be by minimizing one’s carbon footprint, avoiding single-use plastics or staying at eco-friendly lodgings.
Sustainability itself is a complex issue, and yet, as far as tourism is concerned, a unifying factor appears to lie at the heart of any initiative’s success: the local community.
One might argue that such communities lie at the cornerstone of tourism: For why do people visit places if not to experience local flavor, and who suffers the adverse consequences of tourism but those who live there?
Indeed, people close to the tourism industry often speak of the need to balance commercial interests with the needs of the local residents in those communities.
read more/...
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The travel industry turned upside down: Insights, analysis, and actions for travel executives: Report from McKinsey/Skift.
September 22, 2020 | Report
For many players in the travel industry, navigating the COVID-19 pandemic has been like sailing into a hurricane. Six months in, many are trying to right themselves—realizing that their navigational charts are no longer adequate.
Although the travel industry is no stranger to hardship and has been seriously damaged by the pandemic, we have already seen strong leadership actions that are keeping companies and their people above water while remaining focused on long-term growth. Many players have acted quickly to retain customer goodwill, tap into new sources of liquidity, and work effectively with unions to agree on voluntary redundancy programs. We have also seen innovation and a focus on customer experience. These examples illustrate the travel industry's strength that will help it chart a way forward through these challenging times.
Key insights of the report
To see how the industry has been affected by COVID-19 and how it might thrive in the future, we have synthesized ongoing Skift and McKinsey analyses and interviewed travel executives and major corporate-travel buyers. In so doing, we observed five, perhaps counterintuitive, themes:
We see signs of latent demand for travel. Customers are interested in traveling again when restrictions lift, even willing to do so before a vaccine is available at scale. China—which, as of the time of writing, has effectively controlled the spread of the virus—is seeing both the leisure and business travel segments recover domestically. And led by Germany, Europe shows encouraging first signs of recovering travel demand. Other geographies, including the United States, have not yet effectively controlled the spread of the virus; even so, we see a considerable increase in searches and advance bookings.
Travelers are keen to travel but feel restrained. Indeed, due to necessary public-health measures and safety precautions—such as quarantines, closures, and other restrictions—the leisure space may be curbed by the inability to do anything meaningful at a destination. Similarly, many business travelers who are ready to fly again may be limited by corporate travel policies and companies’ understandable focus on duty-of-care obligations to employees.
The working-from-anywhere trend could permanently blur the lines between leisure and business travel. Digital nomads and “bleisure” travel predate COVID-19. However, the pandemic and the rise of remote work seem to accelerate growth of these travel segments. Players across the travel value chain—including destinations, corporate travel managers and hotels —need to think through key implications.
Nonprice factors have become more important to customers. The industry needs to cover other terrain before “demand stimulating” its way out of the crisis and instead restore traveler confidence. The travel industry is only as strong as its weakest link, so customers need to be comfortable with all touchpoints in their journeys.
Self-reported sentiments may not accurately reflect preferences or behavior, despite being easy to gather, and especially in the depth of a crisis. For this reason, travel companies cannot rely only on stated preferences; they need to improve the way they keep a pulse on travelers’ actions through leading indicators.
Grow your way out of the crisis: Four actions for travel companies
This report culminates with a set of four critical actions for travel companies to take, regardless of sector. With these four actions, we believe, travel companies can emerge from this period not just intact, but better than before.

1. First, travel companies should seek to understand their customers as microsegments, not monoliths. Travel is, after all, deeply personal.
2. Second, travel companies should widen their view of what constitutes the customer journey and design the next set of thoughtful customer-experience interventions.
3. Third, companies should design new—perhaps unconventional partnerships—that restore travelers’ confidence and set this global, fragmented, capital-intensive industry on track to financial sustainability.
4. Lastly, travel companies should seize this reset moment to embrace and preserve their crisis-induced agility and nimbleness for the long trip ahead.

While the coming months bring with it a lot of uncertainty, opportunities remain for those who can make sense of the noise and seize the reset moment accordingly. Whatever your interest in the industry—from investor to concerned travel enthusiast—our collective findings tell all you need to know about the state of travel: the roadblock it hit and how players can find their way to recovery.
Download the full report, click here mckinseyskift-report.html

The Bahamas reports the islands received 3,643 stopovers in August.
According to the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism, The Islands of The Bahamas received 3,643 stopover visitors in August 2020, a 97.5% decline in stopover visitor arrivals compared with August 2019 when The Bahamas received 144,820 stopover visitors.
In July 2020, The Bahamas received 21,284 stopover visitors.
In response to the Covid 19 pandemic on March 24th, the Bahamian border was closed indefinitely to incoming visitors and returning residents with the border officially reopening to international travel as of July 1st. However, due to a spike in cases, on July 19th flights from the USA were suspended. On July 24th, all visitors were required to quarantine for 14 days in a government facility. On August 3rd this was changed to the 14-day quarantine taking place in the guests’ hotel. The Bahamas has announced it plans to reopen its borders as of October 15th 2020 although a number of major hotels have not yet indicated when they will reopen.
During the first eight months of 2020 The Bahamas saw a 72.7% decline in the number of stopover visitors, falling from 1,412,633 stopover visitors in 2019 to 385,345 stopovers in the first eight months of 2020. Nassau/Paradise Island saw a 70.9% decrease in stopover traffic, falling from 1,051,679 stopovers in 2019 to 306,068 stopovers in the first eight months of 2020, while Grand Bahama Island saw an 81.6% decline in stopover traffic, falling from 79,542 stopovers in 2019 to 14,630 in 2020. Stopover traffic to the Out Islands decreased by 77.0%, from 281,412 visitors in 2019 to 64,647 in the same eight months of 2020.
The number of visitors from the USA fell by 73.6% in the first eight months of 2020, from 1,163,621 visitors in 2019 to 307,158 in 2020. The number of visitors from Canada fell by 56.7%, from 98,707 in 2019 to 42,718 in 2020, while the number of visitors from Europe fell by 74.7%, falling from 90,523 in 2019 to 22,894 in 2020.
There were no cruise visitors in August as The Bahamas remained closed to cruise ships. During the first eight months of 2020 the number of cruise visitors to The Bahamas fell by 66.1%, from 3,666,112 visitors in 2019 to 1,327,084 cruise visitors in the first eight months of 2020.

After A Long Chill, Survey Of Travel Advisors Shows Clients Are Warming Up To Deals And Interest In International Travel Is Stable.
KANSAS CITY, MO - MMGY Myriad, a leader in international destination marketing, and Travel Market Report, a news publication that serves as the voice of travel advisors in North America, have released the latest findings of the Travel Advisors COVID-19 Sentiment Barometer (Wave III). This online survey, designed and analyzed by MMGY Travel Intelligence, monitors the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on travel agencies.
Since the survey began in June, advisors have consistently reported interest in international travel is accounting for about 25% of customer inquiries, showing that the ever-changing restrictions on travel and headlines about the spread of COVID-19 internationally are not causing up or down swings in consumer interest for international travel. For comparison, international travel accounted for 40% of advisor inquiries prior to the pandemic.
Travelers are also looking far ahead for international travel, as there was an increase in the percentage of international travel, cruises and group tour vacations being booked within the next 12 months. Domestic travel continues to be the most attractive type of trip for customers at the moment, accounting for 40% of all inquiries. Additionally, advisors reported in August that 20% of incoming North American travel bookings are for the next 30 days, up from 16% in July. It's important to note that at the same time there was also a sizeable increase in the number of advisors who believe promotional offers would impact booking decisions, which rose from 39% in July to 44% in August.
A look at advisors' most popular destination inquiries shows travelers are seeking out sunshine and the great outdoors for domestic trips. The most inquired about U.S. destinations are Alaska, Florida, California, Hawaii, Las Vegas and Colorado, while the top Canadian destinations are Vancouver, British Columbia and the Canadian Rockies.
Inquiries for Mexico, the Caribbean and Europe are predictably for familiar and historically popular destinations, while certain long-haul, bucket list trips continue to be of interest as well. The Riviera Maya/Cancun, Los Cabos and Jamaica are at the top of the list for travelers looking to visit Mexico and the Caribbean, while Greece, Italy, London, Croatia, Ireland and France were the most inquired about European destinations. Australia, Tahiti, Hawaii, Japan and Thailand are most popular with travelers looking to explore long-haul destinations.
The following are additional key findings from Wave III of the Travel Advisors COVID-19 Sentiment Barometer, which surveyed 440 travel advisors in the U.S. and Canada from August 24-September 8, 2020.
North American beach and mountain destinations continue to be of most interest to clients, with clients' interest in North American mountain destinations higher than in June and July.
Clients continue to feel more comfortable staying in smaller, more private accommodations in lieu of larger hotels or short-term rentals, though all accommodation types show rising interest.
Advisors report the majority of clients are interested in couples vacations, followed by family vacations - both with their immediate family and multigenerational trips.
Health concerns related to COVID-19, government advisories/restrictions and concerns about the visitor experience continue to be the primary barriers to travel, though they are all down compared to July.

Panama Embraces Transformation with Approval of Five-Year Sustainable Tourism Master Plan
The Panama Tourism Authority (ATP) announced the unanimous approval of its Master Plan for Sustainable Tourism 2020-2025 (PMTS for its acronym in Spanish) by the National Tourism Council, the main public-private body for the management of the tourism sector in Panama.
The five-year plan outlines ATP’s strategy for the relaunch of the country as a tourism destination, following its post-pandemic reopening on October 12.
“The Sustainable Tourism Master Plan is a differentiation strategy, through innovation and sustainability, highlighting the natural and cultural heritage of Panama,” said Panama’s Minister of Tourism Ivan Eskildsen.
“Our heritage offerings lead as an invaluable asset in the midst of an uncertain global environment, proving to be a competitive edge with strong authenticity that our country can confidently stand by.”
The plan reactivates Panama’s Tourism, Conservation and Research (TCR) strategy applied in Panama over 20 years ago by the prestigious ecologist Dr. Hana Ayala. The TCR Strategy positions the country's conservation and sustainability efforts at the forefront, along with its unique nature, culture and historic offerings, capitalizing in the overall safety that Panama offers.
The updated TCR Heritage Routes strategy now features three focus areas: Cultural Heritage, Green Heritage and Blue Heritage. Comprised of 19 circuits that tell the stories of Panama, the plan was developed through thorough analysis and research conducted in multiple workshops with the help of local and international consultants, the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI), the academic team of the Biomuseo (Biodiversity Museum), the Ministry of Environment, and the Ministry of Culture, the Panamanian travel industry, and other key organizations.
Read more/...

International Tourist Numbers Down 65% In First Half Of 2020, UNWTO Reports
International tourist arrivals plunged 93% in June when compared to 2019, with the latest data from the World Tourism Organization showing the severe impact COVID-19 has had on the sector.
According to the new issue of the World Tourism Barometer from the United Nations specialized agency, published on September 15 2020, international tourist arrivals dropped by 65% during the first half of the year. This represents an unprecedented decrease, as countries around the world closed their borders and introduced travel restrictions in response to the pandemic.
The Caribbean saw a 57.7% decline in international tourist arrivals in the first six months of 2020 compared with the same six months of 2019. Arrivals were down 21.6% in the first quarter and down 98.5% in the second quarter compared with 2019 while global arrivals were down 27.8% in the first quarter and 95.2% for the second respectively.
According to UNWTO, the massive drop in international travel demand over the period January-June 2020 translates into a loss of 440 million international arrivals and about US$ 460 billion in export revenues from international tourism. This is around five times the loss in international tourism receipts recorded in 2009 amid the global economic and financial crisis.
Looking ahead, it seems likely that reduced travel demand and consumer confidence will continue to impact results for the rest of the year. In May, UNWTO outlined three possible scenarios, pointing to declines of 58% to 78% in international tourist arrivals in 2020. Current trends through August point to a drop in demand closer to 70% (Scenario 2), especially now as some destinations re-introduce restrictions on travel.
The extension of the scenarios to 2021 point to a change in trend next year, based on the assumptions of a gradual and linear lifting of travel restrictions, the availability of a vaccine or treatment and a return of traveler confidence. Nonetheless, despite this, the return to 2019 levels in terms of tourist arrivals would take between 2½ to 4 years.

Click here for full UNWTO Tourism Barometer Report Volume 18 Issue 5 August/September 2020.
international-tourist-numbers-down-65-in-first-half-of-2020-unwto-reports.html

Hawaii’s hotels report a 62.4 percentage point drop in average room occupancy in August to 21.7%
According to the Hawai‘i Hotel Performance Report published by the Hawai‘i Tourism Authority (HTA), statewide hotel room occupancy fell by 62.4 percentage points from 84.1% in August 2019 to 21.7% in August this year. ADR fell by 45.5% from $289.94 to $157.94 while revpar fell by 85.9%, from $243.93 in August 2019 to $34.30 in August this year.
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 August, the survey included 89 properties representing 21,887 rooms, or 40.8 percent of all lodging properties and 72.1 percent of operating lodging properties with 20 rooms or more in the Hawaiian Islands, including full service, limited service, and condominium hotels
In August, Hawai‘i hotel room revenues statewide fell by 92.1 percent to $32.3 million. Room demand was 85.5 percent lower than the same period last year. Room supply decreased by 43.8 percent year-over-year. Many properties closed or reduced operations starting in April.
During August, all passengers arriving from out-of-state were required to abide by a mandatory 14-day self-quarantine. On August 11th, a partial interisland quarantine was reinstated for anyone traveling to the counties of Kaua’i, Hawai’i, Maui, and Kalawao.
For the first eight months of 2020 statewide hotel room occupancy fell by 36.8 percentage points from 81.5% in 2019 to 44.7% in the first eight months of 2020. ADR fell by 2.3% from $284.56 in 2019 to $277.91 while revpar fell by 46.4%, from $232.01 in the first eight months of 2019 to $124.33 in the first eight months of this year.
In the first eight months of 2020, Hawai‘i hotel room revenues statewide fell by 62.2% from $3.048 billion in 2019 to $1.152 billion this year. Room demand fell to 4,146,500  room nights, down 61.3% compared to a year ago. Room supply fell by 29.5% and fell to 9,268,600 available room nights.

The Maldives reports it received 7,628 visitor arrivals in August after re-opening its borders to international visitors on the 15th July 2020.
The Maldives Government’s Ministry of Tourism recently announced that The Maldives received 7,652 stopover visitors in August after having reopened its borders on July 15th  2020. This was just 5.5% of the 139,338 stopover visitors the country received in August 2019.
In the first eight months of 2020 The Maldives saw a 65.4% decrease in total arrivals, falling from 1,134,071 stopovers in the first eight months of 2019 to 392,176 so far this year.
The Maldives has seen the overall number of accommodation establishments in operation fall by 81.3% from 878 in August 2019 to 164 establishments this August. The number of beds fell by 59.2% from 47,102 last August to 19,223 this year. Through the end of August overall average room occupancy had fallen by 38 percentage points from 64.0% in 2019 to 26.0% for the first eight months of this year.
Of the 164 establishments in operation 65 were resorts which offered 16,214 beds (84.3% of the overall number of beds). These resorts achieved a 29.6% average room occupancy through the first eight months of 2020 down from 75.7% for the first eight months of 2019. In August 2019 there were 149 resorts in operation offering 33,422 beds. 

Grenada reports it received 86 stopover arrivals in July, just 0.6% of the total received in July 2019.
According to the Grenada Tourism Authority, Grenada saw the volume of stopover arrivals decrease by 99.4% in July 2020, falling from 15,230 stopover arrivals in July 2019 to just 86 arrivals in July 2020. The number of visitors arriving by yacht decreased by 82.6% falling from 1,653 visitors in July 2019 to 288 in July of this year.
Grenada initially planned to reopen its borders to visitors as of July 15th but postponed the re-opening until August 1st 2020.
In the first seven months of 2020 Grenada saw a 61.7% decrease in the volume of stopover arrivals, falling from 97,629 arrivals in 2019 to 37,359 arrivals in 2020. Arrivals from the USA decreased by 61.9 % in 2020, falling from 44,936 arrivals in 2019 to 17,122 arrivals in 2020 while arrivals from the U.K. declined by 56.9% in 2020, falling from 15,933 stopovers in 2019 to 6,860 stopovers in 2020.
The number of cruise visitors declined by 27.2% in 2020, falling from 223,251 cruise visitors in 2019 to 162,517 in 2020.
The number of visitors arriving by yacht decreased by 44.5% in the first seven months of 2020, falling from 16,971 arrivals in 2019 to 9,425 this year.

Antigua and Barbuda received 4,761 stopovers in August, 26.9% of the total received in August 2019.
According to the Ministry of Tourism and Investment, Antigua and Barbuda saw a 73.1% decrease in stopover visitor arrivals in August 2020, falling from 17,668 stopovers in August 2019 to 4,761 stopovers in 2020. The number of stopover visitors from the USA fell by 55.8%, from 7,251 in August 2019 to 3,203 in August 2020 while the number of stopovers from the U.K. fell by 76.0%, from 3,699 stopovers in August 2019 to 889 in August of this year.
Antigua and Barbuda reopened its borders to receive international visitors as of June 4th 2020.
Through the first eight months of 2020, Antigua and Barbuda saw a 53.1% decrease in the number of stopover visitors, falling from 202,133 stopovers in 2019 to 94,810 stopovers in 2020. The number of stopovers from the USA fell by 49.1, from 85,567 in 2019 to 43,55 in 2020 while the number of stopover visitors from the U.K. fell by 55.5% from 48,794 in 2019 to 21,725 this year.

Jamaica received 43,813 stopover arrivals in August 2020, 20.4% of the total received in August 2019.
According to the Jamaica Tourist Board, Jamaica received 43,813 stopover arrivals in August 2020, 20.4% of the total received in August 2019, when the island received 214,780 stopover arrivals. The August 2020 total was just 4.5% higher than the 41,941 stopovers Jamaica received in July 2020.
Jamaica re-opened its borders to international visitors as of June 15th 2020.
Stopover arrivals from the USA fell by 75.9%, from 152,458 visitors in August 2019 to 36,719 visitors in August 2020.
Cruise arrivals fell by 100%, from 80,986 cruise visitors in August 2019 to zero cruise visitors in August 2020 as Jamaica remained closed to cruise ship arrivals.
Through the first eight months of 2020 Jamaica saw a 64.4% decline in the volume of stopover arrivals, falling from 1,875,925 stopover arrivals in the first eight months of 2019 to 667,073 arrivals in the same eight months of 2020.
Arrivals from the USA declined by 64.8% in the first eight months of 2020, falling from 1,299,940 arrivals in 2019 to 457,601 arrivals in the same eight months of 2020.
The number of cruise visitors declined by 57.7% in the first eight months of 2020, falling from 1,061,518 cruise visitors in 2019 to 449,271 cruise visitors in 2020.

Hotel performance recovery remains a challenge for Curacao.
Since reopening the border to a list of specific countries, the Curacao Hospitality and Tourism Association (CHATA) has been monitoring hotel occupancy on a weekly basis among its members and the month of August was of no exception.
Based on an average of 9 hotels, preliminary figures indicate a 25.2% hotel occupancy for the month of August 2020. Compared to hotel occupancy figures of August 2019 (75.7%), this is a decrease of 50.5 percentage points.
Previously published tourist arrival figures for August indicate that Curaçao welcomed a total of 9,227 visitors of which 7,518 (89%) were from Europe. Of these 7,518 European visitors, 19% stayed in a large hotel, while 45% stayed in some form of alternative accommodation.
Tourism recovery remains a challenge. With hotel occupancy figures in August ranging from 17% to 33% and some even at 0% occupancy, hotels are still experiencing booking cancellations and postponements.
According to CHATA’s weekly hotel performance monitoring an average of 248.5 booking cancellations were registered in the month of August. This is an average of 56 more booking cancellations than booking postponements in the same month. The top three reasons for cancellations are: closed border for USA travelers, overall travel scare and a combination of the mandatory PCR test and ticket prices.
Even though the above-mentioned hotel performance figures are preliminary, as not all properties have reported yet, it already gives a clear indication on the situation and CHATA does not expect to see much change. This is an indication that hotel performance remains a challenge and does not even reach break-even. Consequently, some properties are still not able to open for business and are postponing their opening date.
September and October tend to be challenging months, as they are considered to be months of low season. Hotels now must lower projections even more for the remainder of 2020, as there is no clarity yet on how the market will develop.
It can be concluded that as long as the visitor capacity to our island remains limited to 10,000 visitors per month and we remain open for limited countries, two key factors, the road to recovery may be longer than anticipated. CHATA will continue to monitor the situation closely and will keep the community informed on all developments in this regard.

Saint Lucia received 3,261 stopover visitors in August, down 91.0% compared with August 2019.
According to the Saint Lucia Tourism Authority, Saint Lucia saw the volume of stopover arrivals decrease by 91.0% in August 2019, falling from 36,342 arrivals in August 2019 to 3,261 arrivals in August 2020.
Stopover arrivals from the USA fell by 84.1%, from 14,964 visitors in August 2019 to 2,380 visitors in August 2020 and by 89.7% from the U.K., falling from 5,398 arrivals in August 2019 to 557 arrivals in August 2020.
Saint Lucia reopened its borders to international visitors as of June 4 2020.
In the first eight months of 2020 Saint Lucia saw a 67.7% decline in the volume of stopover arrivals, falling from 298,723 arrivals in 2019 to 96,619 arrivals in 2020. Arrivals from the USA decreased by 67.5% in the first eight months 2020, falling from 139,406 arrivals in 2019 to 45,287 arrivals in 2020 while arrivals from the U.K. fell by 66.6%, falling from 55,048 stopovers in 2019 to 18,392 stopovers in 2020. 

Antigua and Barbuda reports stopover arrivals fell by 82.6% in July.
According to the Ministry of Tourism and Investment, Antigua and Barbuda saw an 82.6% decrease in stopover visitor arrivals in July 2020, falling from 23,031 stopovers in July 2019 to 4,002 stopovers in 2020. The number of stopover visitors from the USA fell by 67.2%, from 10,221 in July 2019 to 3,355 in July 2020 while the number of stopovers from the U.K. fell by 95.0%, from 5,378 stopovers in July 2019 to 267 in July of this year.
Antigua and Barbuda reopened its borders to receive international visitors as of June 4th 2020.
Through the first seven months of 2020, Antigua and Barbuda saw a 51.2% decrease in the number of stopover visitors, falling from 184,465 stopovers in 2019 to 90,049 stopovers in 2020. The number of stopovers from the USA fell by 48.5%, from 78,316 in 2019 to 40,352 in 2020 while the number of stopover visitors from the U.K. fell by 53.8% from 45,095 in 2019 to 20,836 this year.
 
Barbados Government Looking at Tourism Recovery Plan.
The Government of Barbados has announced a tourism recovery plan as the island seeks to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.
This was disclosed by Minister of Tourism and International Transport Lisa Cummins as she addressed the third quarterly general meeting of the Barbados Hotel and Tourism Association (BHTA), on Wednesday.
Under the theme Adapting to the Changing Tourism Landscape – Cummins said part of the forward planning is for the establishment of private hanger services and an overall new business strategy at the Grantley Adams International Airport (GAIA) to attract new business, increase air traffic and “benefit from the high-end luxury segment”.
She explained that in order to position Bridgetown as the southern hub for air travel, there would be deepening and expansion of partnerships and relationships in existing markets, as well as the formation of new partnerships in new markets.
The tourism minister also said the island was on its way to becoming a cruise hub and the local authorities are currently in negotiation with cruise line partners to make Barbados a homeport for traffic in the southern Caribbean.
She added, that new itineraries have been developed that would see cruises beginning and ending in Barbados when they resume.
“More importantly for the hotel sector, we have integrated a pre-and post-stay into the marketing efforts around that new product that we are negotiating.”
A major part of the overall tourism recovery plan will be the forecasting of international air traffic and trends in order to come up with models for worst- and best-case scenarios so that proactive steps could be taken.
Meanwhile, the authorities are looking at the possibility of implementing a test before departure initiative with the Heathrow Airport that would see travellers coming from London receiving a test for COVID-19 just prior to boarding their flight to Barbados.
Cummins said her ministry has been having regular meetings with airline partners, airport representatives and other stakeholders to find ways of limiting transmission of the COVID-19 illness during travel.
“Aside from the PCR testing and efforts being made here in the ministry, we will be having a meeting either Tuesday or Wednesday with Heathrow International’s leadership. I have reached out to Heathrow International and we have had a good preliminary meeting with their leadership and with their COVID-19 response task force and they are working with us to pilot a model which has already been implemented with the UAE, where they have a facility on-site at Heathrow international,” said Cummins.
“You now know that there are airlift coming out of Heathrow on British Airways and we are looking to see if we can collaborate with them to have that rapid testing – if it is so approved by our Ministry of Health and is consistent with the respective World Health Organisation standards, – at the point of origin,” she explained.
Cummins said this would address issues relating to confidence among potential travellers to Barbados.
“If we are able to successfully get this partnership with Heathrow and then roll it out with Gatwick and then simultaneously we are also able to open up opportunities to partner with the other gateways from which visitors are arriving, then we would have hopefully what we expect to be something significant that gives confidence in travel to persons who are flying into Barbados,” she said.

Florida tourism could take up to three years to recover.
Florida's tourism industry will remain sluggish for up to three years, says the state's chief economist.
Tourism in the Sunshine State will not return to pre-pandemic levels at least a year following the launch of a vaccine.
And that could be at least two years from now, said Florida Chief Economist Amy Baker.
"Our belief is that tourism is going to take two to three years to recover, and it will be the longest-recovering sector that we have," Baker told lawmakers in Tallahassee.
Baker was presenting the state's Long Term Financial Outlook, which is used to set its state budget.
Baker's presentation showed unemployment reached a 50-year high during the height of tourism industry lay-offs in April and tax revenue is down by at least $3.4 billion this year.
Florida tourism sank 68% during the second quarter of 2020 compared to a year earlier.
It has exposed Florida's heavy reliance on tourism.
"We've always talked about tourism and the sensitivity of our economy to tourism as being an important concern and a potential downside risk if anything were to happen," Baker said.
"With the outbreak of coronavirus, we actually did see probably the worst that we will ever see in terms of that downside risk materializing."
Gov. Ron DeSantis has spent days traveling across the state promoting a new tourism campaign aimed at local in-state travel.
 
The Maldives reports 1,752 visitor arrivals in July after re-opening its borders to international visitors on the 15th July 2020.
The Maldives Government’s Ministry of Tourism recently announced that The Maldives received 1,752 stopover visitors in July after having reopened its borders on July 15th  2020. This was 98.7% less than the 132,144 stopover visitors the country received in July 2019.
In the first seven months of 2020 The Maldives saw a 61.3% decrease in total arrivals, falling from 994,733 in the first seven months of 2019 to 384,548 this year.
The Maldives has seen the overall number of accommodation establishments in operation fall by 92.9% from 872 in July 2019 to 62 establishments this July. The number of beds fell by 78.5% from 47,174 last July to 10,125 this year. Through the end of July overall average room occupancy had fallen by 36.4 percentage points from 64.2% in 2019 to 27.8% for the first seven months of this year.
Of the 62 establishments in operation 42 were resorts which offered 9,484 beds (93.7% of the overall number of beds). These resorts achieved a 31.6% average room occupancy through the first seven months of 2020 down from 76.4% for the first seven months of 2019. In July 2019 there were 148 resorts in operation offering 33,400 beds. 

Cancun saw a 77.1% decrease in international air passenger movements in August.
According to ASUR, which manages many of Mexico’s airports, Cancun Airport saw a 77.1% decrease in international passenger movements in August 2020, falling from 1,301,415 movements in August 2019 to 297,389 movements in August 2020. Domestic passenger movements fell by 39.8%, from 867,640 passenger movements in August 2019 to 521,976 movements in August 2020.
August saw international passenger movements increase by 76,315 (+34.5%) compared with July, moving from 221,074 movements in July to 297,389 in August, while domestic passenger movements increased by 126,018 (+31.8%) moving from 395,958 in July to 521,976 in August.
In the first eight months of 2020 the volume of international air passenger movements  decreased by 59.9%, falling from 11,781,653 movements in 2019 to 4,728,363 movements in 2020 while the volume of domestic air passenger movements fell by 50.8%, from 6,001,677 movements in the first eight months of 2019 to 2,951,018 in the same eight months of 2020.

San Juan, Puerto Rico (SJU) saw a 62.9% decrease in air passenger movements in August.
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 62.9% decrease in passenger movements in August 2020, falling from 815,043 movements in August 2019 to 302,237 movements in August 2020.
August saw passenger movements decrease by 61,698 (-16.9%) compared with July  moving from 363,395 movements in July to 302,237 in August.
In the first eight months of 2020 the overall volume of air passenger movements decreased by 50.7%, from 6,501,170 in 2019 to 3,208,288 in 2020.

Orlando saw a 62.0 percentage point decline in average room occupancy in July to 29.7%.
According to STR Orlando had 128,000 hotel rooms in July 2020 and achieved an average city-wide room occupancy of 29.7% (down 62.0 percentage points compared with July 2019), and an ADR of $89.78 (down 21.8% compared with July 2019).
According to Visit Orlando, Orlando saw the volume of air passenger enplanements decrease by 72.2% in July 2020, falling from 2,396,541 enplanements in July 2019 to 667,228 enplanements in July 2020. This includes enplanements at both Orlando International and Sanford airports.
In the first seven months of 2020 Orlando achieved an average city-wide room occupancy of 47.4% (down 40.5 percentage points compared with 2019), and an ADR of $121.29 (down 6.9% compared with 2019). 
In the first seven months of 2020 Orlando saw a 53.6% decrease in the volume of air passenger enplanements, falling from 16,182,790 enplanements in 2019 to 7,511,993 enplanements in the first seven months of 2020.

Punta Cana received 17,405 tourists in August, down 93.3% compared with August 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 93.3% in August, falling from 258,457 arrivals in August 2019 to 17,405 arrivals in August 2020. Stopover arrivals from the USA fell by 84.8% in August, from 90,044 arrivals in August 2019 to 13,647 arrivals in August 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.
During the first eight months of 2020 Punta Cana saw a 70.8% decrease in the volume of stopover arrivals, falling from 2,659,487 arrivals in 2019 to 777,373 non-resident arrivals in the first eight months of 2020.
Arrivals from the USA fell by 80.6% in the first eight months of 2020, falling from 1,163,826 arrivals in 2019 to 225,334 arrivals in the same eight months of 2020. Arrivals from Russia fell by 40.0% in the same period, from 37,471 in 2019 to 22,464 in 2020. Traffic was also down 71.5% from Germany, down 68.2% from Brazil, down 72.7% from Argentina, down 74.9% from the U.K., down 65.3% from France and down 50.2% from Canada.
In the first eight months of 2020 stopover arrivals to Punta Cana made up 47.4% of all non-resident arrivals to the Dominican Republic.

The Dominican Republic received 110,284 non-resident visitors in August, down 18.4% compared with July 2020.
According to the Central Bank of the Dominican Republic, the Dominican Republic received 110,284 non-resident stopover arrivals in August 2020, down 18.4% compared with the 135,163 stopovers it received in July 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.
The 110,284 stopovers received in August were 77.8% fewer than the 497,390 stopovers received in August 2019.
Stopover arrivals from the USA fell by 73.6%, from 155,913 arrivals in August 2019 to 41,237 arrivals in August 2020.  55% of the non-resident arrivals in August were Dominicans living abroad and returning to the Dominican Republic.
In the first eight months of 2020 the Dominican Republic saw a 64.8% decrease in the volume of stopover arrivals, falling from 4,664,036 arrivals in 2019 to 1,639,533 non-resident arrivals in 2020. Non-resident arrivals from the USA decreased by 74.8% in the first eight months of 2020, falling from 1,757,696 arrivals in 2019 to 442,884 arrivals in 2020.

Curacao reports it received 9,227 stopover arrivals in August.
According to the Curaçao Tourist Board, Curaçao saw a 76.3% decrease in stopover visitor arrivals in August, falling from 38,933 stopovers in August 2019 to 9,227 in August of this year.
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. The Government limited the number of visitors to no more than 10,000 for the month of August.
Stopover visitors from the Netherlands fell by 53.0%, from 15,860 visitors in August 2019 to 7,518 visitors in August 2020. The 7,518 visitors comprised 81.5% of all stopover visitors in August.
In the first eight months of 2020 Curaçao saw a 59.5% decrease in the number of stopover visitors, falling from 313,954 visitors in 2019 to 127,281 visitors this year. The number of stopovers from the USA has declined by 60.6% during the first eight months, from 53,832 in 2019 to 21,228 through August 2020. The number of stopovers from the Netherlands has fallen by 54.8% during the first eight months, from 129,045 in 2019 to 58,355 through August 2020.
There were no cruise visitors in August as the island remained closed to cruise traffic.  Through the first eight months of 2020 the number of cruise visitors to Curaçao fell by 49.1%, from 503,419 visitors in 2019 to 256,033 cruise visitors this year.

The Seychelles received 2,072 visitor arrivals in August.
The Seychelles Government’s National Bureau of Statistics recently announced that total stopover arrivals decreased by 93.8% in August 2020, from 33,536 arrivals in August 2019 to 2,072 arrivals in August of this year. This number includes both air and sea stopover visitors.
The Seychelles closed its borders to cruise ships as of March 9th and to international air visitors as of March 30th. The main airport reopened to limited traffic as of June 1st and to scheduled international flights as of August 1st.
In the first eight months of 2020 The Seychelles saw a 63.3% decrease in total stopover arrivals, falling from 249,963 arrivals in 2019 to 91,694 arrivals this year. Total stopover arrivals from Germany, the number one source market, fell by 53.5% from 44,265 in the first eight months of 2019 to 20,566 arrivals in the same eight months of 2020.
The number of cruise visitors decreased by 16.2%, from 23,397 in the first eight months of 2019 to 19,609 cruise visitors in the same period of 2020.

Hotel occupancy in Cancun will reach 60% by the end of the year, predicts the CPTQ
CANCUN, MX – The Tourism Promotion Council of Quintana Roo (CPTQ) predicted that in the last months of the year there will be an average hotel room occupancy of 60 percent and in 2021 most of the jobs lost in the tourism sector will be recovered, thanks to the hard work carried out with campaigns and programs, among other strategies with national and international impact.
Director Dario Flota Ocampo announced the activities they have been carrying out since before the state’s reactivation began, one of which was from Caribe Mexicano Travel’s own site. He predicted a good future for the destination.
Currently, he said that Cozumel, Riviera Maya, and Cancun report an occupation close to 30 percent and, once the epidemiological traffic light goes to yellow, a faster improvement will come. “September and October are the low occupancy months, but some hotels report more reservations than last year because travelers who couldn’t come in April, May, and June rescheduled for those dates. From the usual 30 percent, we are going to reach 60 and we will stay that way until the end of the year,” he said.
Supported by statistical data, he showed in a comparative study that from January to June 2019, 1,226,224 passengers arrived at the state’s airports, of which 758,470 were foreigners. In this same period, this year 322,035 arrived, that is, there was a variation of 73.44 percent.
The countries that contributed the most tourists in the first semester of 2019 are the United States, with 417,980; United Kingdom, 52,674; Canada, 46,215; Argentina, 15,830 and Colombia, 18,816.
In the last four weeks there has been a constant reactivation of flights, with more than 100 daily operations, with a little more than 50 percent national, and the rest from the United States and a few from Canada.

In August 2020 AUA Airport handled 21,868 outbound passengers, 19% of the departure figures of August 2019.
According to the Aruba Airport Authority, the airport handled a total of 21,868 outbound Revenue Generating Passengers (RGPs) in August 2020.  This was 10,692 (95.7%) more than the 11,176 outbound passengers handled in July 2020, and 1.8% less than what was forecasted for August, but just 19% of the total outbound passengers for the same month last year. Outbound passengers include both tourist returning to their homes and Arubans departing for trips overseas.
In August 17,546 passengers (pax) traveled to the USA, 3,700 pax to Europe and 202 pax to Canada and 386 pax to the Netherlands Antilles (34 pax departed also on a repatriation flight to Latin America).
The 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 month of August for the US Market was 49%, and for the European, Canadian and Netherlands Antilles markets were 73%, 36% and 68% respectively. The average load factors for August 2019 in these markets were 94% (US), 93% (Europe), 95% (Canada), and 67% (Netherlands Antilles).
During the month of August, AUA Airport averaged 9 flights per day, down from about 35 daily flights compared with the same month last year.
For September 2020 AUA Airport has forecasted handling approximately 23,000 departing passengers. This estimate however could well be negatively affected due to the current travel restrictions that apply in European countries, the Netherlands Antilles and Canada.
TUI has cancelled all operation for September and Canadian carriers have moved up their operations to restart in October of this year. The fact that borders have not yet been opened with Latin and Central America countries as was originally hoped will also have a negative effect on the forecasted numbers. Consequently, the airport is forecasting a total of 20% of AUA Airport’s outbound traffic handled in September of 2019.

Los Cabos saw a 62.4% decline in international air traffic movements in August.
According to Aeroportuario del Pacifico , which manages many of Mexico’s airports, Los Cabos Airport saw a 62.4% decline in international passenger traffic in August 2020, that is enplanements and deplanements, falling from 260,500 international passenger movements in August 2019 to 98,000 international passenger movements in August 2020. Domestic traffic declined by 46.8%, falling from 201,300 passenger movements in August 2019 to 107,100 passenger movements in August 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 eight months of 2020 the volume of international air traffic decreased by 55.4%, falling from 2,595,900 international passenger movements in 2019 to 1,157,500 in the first eight months of 2020 while the volume of domestic air traffic fell by 48.7%, from 1,304,000 movements in 2019 to 669,400 in the first eight months of 2020.
 
Bermuda received just 31 air stopover visitors in June.
According to the Bermuda Tourism Authority, Bermuda saw the volume of total air arrivals decline by 99.9% in June 2020, falling from 34,833 air arrivals in June 2019 to 31 arrivals in June 2020. There were no cruise arrivals in June 2020.
Through the first six months of 2020 Bermuda saw an 81.3% decline in the volume of total air arrivals, falling from 127,969 arrivals in the first six months of 2019 to 23,939 arrivals in the same six months of 2020. Arrivals from the USA decreased by 83.4% in the first six months of 2020, falling from 95,344 arrivals in 2019 to 15,824 arrivals in the same six months of 2020.
The number of cruise visitors declined by 96.0% in the first six months of 2020, falling from 231,495 cruise visitors in 2019 to 9,366 cruise visitors in 2020.

Costa Rica received 1,022 stopover arrivals in July.
According to the Costa Rica Institute of Tourism ICT, Costa Rica saw the volume of stopovers drop by 99.6% in July 2020, falling from 269,376 stopovers in July 2019 to just 1,022 stopovers in July 2020. The number of stopovers from the USA fell by 99.8% in July 2020, falling from 126,041 stopovers in July 2019 to 200 in July 2020 while the number from Central America declined by 99.0%, from 56,051 in July 2019 to 567 in July 2020.
After declaring a state of emergency, Costa Rica closed all borders to foreigners on April 18th 2020.
The volume of stopovers decreased by 55.7% in the first seven months of 2020, falling from 1,995,339 stopovers in 2019 to 883,044 stopovers in first seven months of 2020. The number of stopovers from the USA dropped by 59.8% in the first seven months of 2020, from 887,396 stopovers in 2019 to 356,645 in 2020 while the number from Central America declined by 54.7%, falling from 421,035 in the first seven months of 2019 to 190,859 in the same seven months of 2020. 

Mexico received 295,207 international air arrivals in July, down 82.3% compared with July 2019.
According to the Government of Mexico’s SECTUR (Department of Tourism) the volume of international air arrivals to Mexico fell by 82.3% in July 2020 from 1,669,954 in July 2019 to 295,207 in July 2020. The volume of air arrivals from the USA fell by 75.0% in July, from 1,054,807 in July 2019 to 264,184 in July of this year, with the volume from Canada falling by 95.5%, from 76,226 in July 2019 to 3,398 this year.
The 295,207 international air arrivals received in July 2020 were 151.8% higher than the 117,257 international visitors received in June 2020.
Cancun Airport saw an 84.0% decrease in international air arrivals in July 2020, falling from 703,613 arrivals in July 2019 to 112,431 arrivals in July 2020, while Los Cabos saw a 71.6% decrease falling from 149,804 international arrivals in July 2019 to 42,603 international air arrivals in July 2020. Puerto Vallarta saw an 81.3% decrease, falling from 87,835 international arrivals in July 2019 to 16,395 in July 2020.
In the first seven months of 2020 the volume of international air arrivals to Mexico fell by 57.5%, from 11,786,694 in 2019 to 5,006,907 in the first seven months of this year. The volume of air arrivals from the USA fell by 58.3% in the same seven months, from 6,646,838 in 2019 to 2,770,010 in 2020 while the volume from Canada fell by 41.5%, from 1,521,395 in 2019 to 889,497 in 2020.
Cancun Airport saw a 59.0% decrease in international air arrivals in the first seven months of 2020, falling from 4,987,472 in 2019 to 2,042,784 in 2020 while Los Cabos saw a 55.7% decrease falling from 1,121,316 international air arrivals to 496,215 air arrivals in 2020. Puerto Vallarta saw a 48.7% decrease, falling from 1,000,685 international arrivals in 2019 to 513,332 in the first seven months of 2020.

The Maldives reports zero visitor arrivals in June 2020 as a result of the continued closure of its borders.
The Maldives Government’s Ministry of Tourism recently announced that total tourist arrivals fell by 100% in June 2020, from 113,475 arrivals received in June 2019 to zero arrivals in June of this year as a result of the closure of the country’s borders as of March 27th.
The Government of the Maldives prohibited visitors from China effective February 4, from Iran as of February 26, from South Korea as of March 3, from Italy as of March 8, from Germany, Spain and France as of March 15, from Malaysia as of March 17, from the United Kingdom as of March 19, from Sri Lanka as of March 21 and from Bangladesh as of March 24. As of March 27, all foreign nationals were prohibited entry to The Maldives.
In the first six months of 2020 The Maldives saw a 55.6% decrease in total arrivals, falling from 862,589 in 2019 to 382,760 this year.
The Maldives has seen the overall number of accommodation establishments in operation fall by 96.9% from 866 in June 2019 to 27 establishments this June. The number of beds fell by 88.2% from 47,477 last June to 5,580 this year. Through the end of June overall average room occupancy had fallen by 35.5 percentage points from 66.1% in 2019 to 30.6% for the first six months of this year.
Of the 32 establishments in operation 26 were resorts which offered 5,506 beds (98.7% of the overall number of beds). These resorts achieved a 35.0% average room occupancy through the first six months of 2020 down from 77.8% for the first six months of 2019. In June 2019 there were 146 resorts in operation offering 33,581 beds. 

Hawaii reports the state received 22,562 out-of-state tourists in July.
According to the Hawaii Tourism Authority, Hawaii saw the volume of air arrivals decrease by 97.7% in July 2020, falling from 995,210 arrivals in July 2019 to 22,562 arrivals in July 2020.
The state of Hawaii imposed a mandatory 14-day self-quarantine for incoming out of state visitors on March 26th , which was extended on April 1 to include interisland travelers. Neither quarantine is slated to end before July 30.
Air arrivals from the USA fell by 97.1%, from 706,174 in July 2019 to 20,406 in July 2020, fell by 100.0% from Japan (from 134,587 arrivals in July 2019 to 54 air arrivals in July 2020). Air arrivals fell by 99.6% from Canada (from 26,939 to 94 air arrivals).
Through the first seven months of 2020 Hawaii saw a 64.7% decrease in the volume of air arrivals, falling from 6,089,357 arrivals in the first seven months of 2019 to 2,149,005 air arrivals in the same seven months of 2020. Air arrivals from the USA decreased by 64.5% in the first seven months of 2020, falling from 4,150,848 air arrivals in 2019 to 1,472,076 air arrivals in the same seven months of 2020, fell by 66.1% from Japan (from 868,821 arrivals in 2019 to 294,348 air arrivals in 2020) and fell by 54.5% from Canada (from 342,474 in 2019 to 155,915 air arrivals in 2020).
The Hawaii Tourist Authority was unable to collect any visitor expenditure data during July 2020.

In July Cancun saw its hotels achieve an average hotel room occupancy of 23.7%.
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 seven months of 2020.
Cancun/Puerto Morelos saw a 58.6 percentage point drop in average hotel room occupancy from 82.3% in July 2019 to 23.7% in July 2020.
The hotels in Riviera Maya saw their average room occupancy fall by 64.5 percentage points from 84.4% in July 2019 to 19.9% in July this year.
Through the first seven months of 2020 the hotels in Cancun/Puerto Morelos have achieved a 38.4% average room occupancy, down 41.8 percentage points from the 80.2% achieved in 2019.
The hotels in Riviera Maya have achieved an average room occupancy of 35.9%, down 46.4 percentage points from the 82.3% achieved in 2019, also for the first seven months of 2020.
Riviera Maya has 46,958 hotel rooms while the Cancun/Puerto Morelos area has 40,835 hotel rooms. During July approximately 75% of the region’s hotels had re-opened.

Las Vegas saw a 61.0% decrease in visitors in July.
According to the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority Las Vegas saw the volume of visitors decrease by 61.0% in July 2020, falling from 3,685,900 visitors in July 2019 to 1,438,000 arrivals in July 2020. The number of visitors in July 2020 was up by 35.0% compared with June 2020.
Las Vegas had a weighted average of 123,684 open hotel rooms in July 2020 (down 16.9% compared with July 2019) and achieved an average city-wide room occupancy of 42.5% (down 48.6 percentage points compared with July 2019), an ADR of $104.39 (down 17.8% compared with July 2019) and a RevPar of $44.37 (down 61.6%) also compared with July 2019.
Through the first seven months of 2020 Las Vegas saw a 55.0% decrease in the volume of visitors, falling from 24,825,400 arrivals in the first seven months of 2019 to 11,170,800 visitors in the same seven months of 2020.
Las Vegas achieved an average city-wide room occupancy of 42.8% in the first seven months of 2020 (down 46.8 percentage points compared with the first seven months of 2019), an ADR of $133.32 (down 0.6% compared with the same seven months of 2019) and a RevPar of $57.02, down 52.5%, also compared with the same seven months of 2019.
Gaming revenue fell by 43.6% from $6.409 billion in the first seven months of 2019 to $3.412 billion in the same seven months of 2020.

The Bahamas reports they received 13,736 stopovers in July.
According to the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism, The Islands of The Bahamas received 13,736 stopover visitors in July 2020, a 93.1% decline in stopover visitor arrivals compared with July 2019 when The Bahamas received 198,394 stopover visitors.
In response to the Covid 19 pandemic on March 24th, the Bahamian border was closed indefinitely to incoming visitors and returning residents with the border officially reopening to international travel as of July 1st.
During the first seven months of 2020 The Bahamas saw a 70.6% decline in the number of stopover visitors, falling from 1,267,813 stopover visitors in 2019 to 373,311 stopovers in the first seven months of 2020. Nassau/Paradise Island saw a 67.7% decrease in stopover traffic, falling from 937,316 stopovers in 2019 to 302,908 stopovers in the first seven months of 2020, while Grand Bahama Island saw an 82.3% decline in stopover traffic, falling from 72,650 stopovers in 2019 to 12,893 in 2020. Stopover traffic to the Out Islands decreased by 77.7%, from 257,847 visitors in 2019 to 57,510 in the same seven months of 2020.
The number of visitors from the USA fell by 71.7% in the first seven months of 2020, from 1,046,331 visitors in 2019 to 295,692 in 2020. The number of visitors from Canada fell by 53.0%, from 90,931 in 2019 to 42,697 in 2020, while the number of visitors from Europe fell by 70.3%, falling from 76,854 in 2019 to 22,793 in 2020.
There were no cruise visitors in July as The Bahamas remained closed to cruise ships. During the first seven months of 2020 the number of cruise visitors to The Bahamas fell by 59.2%, from 3,255,026 visitors in 2019 to 1,327,084 cruise visitors in the first seven months of 2020.

Covid-19 Worse for Puerto Rico Tourism Than Maria, Official Says

• Hotel occupancy on the island is at 20%-30% of normal levels
• Puerto Rico instituted one of strictest lock-downs in the U.S.

How bad has the Covid-19 crisis been for Puerto Rico’s tourism industry? Worse than Hurricane Maria, the 2017 monster storm that was seen as a once-in-a-generation disaster, according to one top official.
“Covid will likely have three times the impact on the local tourism industry than Hurricane Maria had,” said Brad Dean, the chief executive officer of Discover Puerto Rico, the island’s tourism promotion agency. “That was unimaginable six months ago, but those are the circumstances we face today.”
Before the coronavirus decimated global travel, tourism was a small but growing piece of Puerto Rico’s economy. (According to WTTC tourism generates 7% of Puerto Rico’s GDP). It was also seen as one of the key motors to pulling the U.S. commonwealth out of a deep recession and a historic bankruptcy.
For the first few months of 2020, the island of 3.2 million people was on track to have its best tourism season in a decade, Dean said in a telephone interview.
But since the virus was first detected on the island in mid-March –- triggering a series of broad lock-downs on bars, beaches, businesses and other attractions –- the industry has been hammered.
Hotel occupancy is running 20% to 30% of normal and July air traffic was down 62% versus a year ago. Thirteen air-routes onto and off the island have either been scaled back or cut entirely.
The streets of Old San Juan -- usually crawling with cruise ship passengers -- are feeling sleepy.
“During the first week of August we welcomed 32,000 passengers, which is just a fraction of what we would be seeing this time of year,” Dean said.
And yet, Puerto Rico has some clear advantages.
Almost every country and territory in the Caribbean has barred international visitors, particularly Americans. That has made Puerto Rico -- a U.S. commonwealth and therefore a domestic destination -- one of the few tropical paradises that vacation-starved main-landers can still visit.
For those who had to cancel trips to Europe and South America due to Covid-19, Puerto Rico provides most Americans “the international flair and allure of visiting other cultures” without using a passport, Dean said.
With more than 30,600 confirmed and probable cases of the coronavirus, and 390 deaths due to Covid-19, the island has taken some of the most forceful steps of any U.S. jurisdiction to stop the outbreak.
Residents are required to wear masks in public. There’s a curfew in place, a ban on public gatherings and a mandatory 24-hour lock-down on Sundays. Arriving passengers are required to prove they’re Covid-free or quarantine for 14 days.
Those measures make visiting a drag but might eventually bring dividends, Dean said.
Serious Covid-19 controls “are the price of admission for meetings and conventions now, as meeting planners have to look out for the health safety of their attendees,” Dean said.
For the moment, however, Dean says his job is to make sure that visitors know the local rules and can be part of the solution.
“The priority right now is to win the battle against Covid,” he said, “and then the next battle is the economic recovery that lies ahead.”

The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index fell 7.5% in August to 84.8.
 The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index® decreased in August, after declining in July. The Index now stands at 84.8 (1985=100), down from 91.7 in July. The Present Situation Index – based on consumers’ assessment of current business and labor market conditions – decreased sharply from 95.9 to 84.2. The Expectations Index – based on consumers’ short-term outlook for income, business, and labor market conditions – declined from 88.9 in July to 85.2 this month.
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 August 14.
“Consumer Confidence declined in August for the second consecutive month,” said Lynn Franco, Senior Director of Economic Indicators at The Conference Board. “The Present Situation Index decreased sharply, with consumers stating that both business and employment conditions had deteriorated over the past month. Consumers’ optimism about the short-term outlook, and their financial prospects, also declined and continues on a downward path. Consumer spending has rebounded in recent months but increasing concerns amongst consumers about the economic outlook and their financial well-being will likely cause spending to cool in the months ahead.”
Consumers’ assessment of present-day conditions receded in August. The percentage of consumers claiming business conditions are “good” declined from 17.5 percent to 16.4 percent, while those claiming business conditions are “bad” increased from 38.9 percent to 43.6 percent. Consumers’ appraisal of the job market was also less favorable. The percentage of consumers saying jobs are “plentiful” declined from 22.3 percent to 21.5 percent, while those claiming jobs are “hard to get” increased from 20.1 percent to 25.2 percent.
Consumers were also more pessimistic about the short-term outlook. The percentage of consumers expecting business conditions will improve over the next six months declined from 31.6 percent to 29.9 percent, while those expecting business conditions will worsen increased slightly from 20.2 percent to 20.5 percent. Consumers’ outlook for the labor market was also less positive. The proportion expecting more jobs in the months ahead declined from 29.6 percent to 29.1 percent, while those anticipating fewer jobs increased from 21.3 percent to 21.9 percent. Regarding their short-term income prospects, the percentage of consumers expecting an increase declined from 14.8 percent to 12.7 percent, while the proportion expecting a decrease rose from 15.8 percent to 16.6 percent.
Source: August 2020 Consumer Confidence Survey®
 
Aruba’s airport saw 11,176 passengers depart in July, 9.2% of the total for July 2019.
ORANJESTAD - In July 2020, a total of 11,176 Revenue Generating Passengers (RGPs) traveled out of the Queen Beatrix International Airport (AUA Airport) to various markets. Revenue Generating Passengers include both tourists returning home and Arubans departing to travel abroad. In July 2019 Aruba’s airport handled 121,926 departing RGPs.
Aruba reopened 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 11,176 departing passengers 7,042 passengers flew to the US, 2,566 passengers flew to Europe and 1,548 passengers flew to the Dutch Caribbean (20 passengers departed also on a repatriation flight to Latin America).
An average outbound load factor (number of seats of the total seats on board an aircraft that were occupied when departing from Aruba Airport) for the US Market was 40% for the period of July 10 to July 31, 2020. The average load factors for the entire month of July for the European and Dutch Caribbean markets were 56% and 55% respectively. The average load factor for these three markets in July 2019 were USA 95%, Europe 95%, and the Dutch Caribbean 68%.
During the first week of August, AUA Airport averaged nine flights per day, down from about 37 daily flights from the same week in August 2019.
For August 2020 AUA Airport forecasts that it will be handling approximately 16,000 to 19,000 departing passengers. This would be approximately 17% of the traffic handled in August of 2019.
AUA Airport is still cautious about forecasting the volume of revenue generating passengers for the remainder of 2020 and expects the final total of RGPs for 2020 to be  between 35% - 40% of the amount of RGPs handled during full year 2019.
“We are glad that we are back in business since July, but the path towards air traffic recovery will be long and challenging. Airlines face a prolonged uphill climb before air travel demand recovers to pre-pandemic levels, but air travel numbers have been steadily increasing as was recorded during the past few weeks.” – Joost Meijs, CEO AUA Airport.
 
Jamaica received 41,941 stopover arrivals in July.
According to the Jamaica Tourist Board, Jamaica received 41,941 stopover arrivals in July 2020, 15.5% of the total received in July 2019, when the island received 270,642 stopover arrivals. 
Jamaica re-opened its borders to international visitors as of June 15th 2020.
Stopover arrivals from the USA fell by 81.5%, from 201,721 visitors in July 2019 to 37,348 visitors in July 2020.
Cruise arrivals fell by 100%, from 77,560 cruise visitors in July 2019 to zero cruise visitors in July 2020 as Jamaica remained closed to cruise ship arrivals.
Through the first seven months of 2020 Jamaica saw a 62.5% decline in the volume of stopover arrivals, falling from 1,661,145 stopover arrivals in the first seven months of 2019 to 623,260 arrivals in the same seven months of 2020.
Arrivals from the USA declined by 63.3% in the first seven months of 2020, falling from 1,147,482 arrivals in 2019 to 420,882 arrivals in the same seven months of 2020.
The number of cruise visitors declined by 54.2% in the first seven months of 2020, falling from 980,532 cruise visitors in 2019 to 449,271 cruise visitors in 2020.

​Hawaii’s hotels report a 64.4 percentage point drop in average room occupancy in July to 20.9%
According to the Hawai‘i Hotel Performance Report published by the Hawai‘i Tourism Authority (HTA), statewide hotel room occupancy fell by 64.4 percentage points from 85.3% in July 2019 to 20.9% in July this year. ADR fell by 42.7% from $303.93 to $174.03 while revpar fell by 86.0%, from $259.16 in July 2019 to $36.39 in July this year.
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 July, the survey included 88 properties representing 20,241 rooms, or 37.7 percent of all lodging properties and 68.6 percent of operating lodging properties with 20 rooms or more in the Hawaiian Islands, including full service, limited service, and condominium hotels
In July, Hawai‘i hotel room revenues statewide fell by 92.3 percent to $33.3 million. Room demand was 86.6 percent lower than the same period last year. Room supply decreased by 45.4 percent year-over-year. Many properties closed or reduced operations starting in April.
During July, all passengers arriving from out-of-state were required to abide by a mandatory 14-day self-quarantine. The quarantine order was expanded on April 1 to include interisland travelers; the interisland quarantine ended on June 15.
For the first seven months of 2020 statewide hotel room occupancy fell by 34.2 percentage points from 81.2% in 2019 to 47.0% in the first seven months of 2020. ADR grew by 0.3% from $283.66 in 2019 to $284.56 while revpar fell by 42.0%, from $230.22 in the first seven months of 2019 to $133.64 in the first seven months of this year.
In the first seven months of 2020, Hawai‘i hotel room revenues statewide fell by 57.4% from $2.641 billion in 2019 to $1.124 billion this year. Room demand fell to 3,951,200  room nights, down 57.6% compared to a year ago. Room supply fell by 26.6% and fell to 8,413,300 available room nights.
 
United States tourism falls 73% in Quintana Roo due to pandemic
​Due to the pandemic, the United States market had a decrease of 73.78 compared to last year, but it was also the first to present “a slow but stable recovery,” said Darío Flota Ocampo, director of the Tourism Promotion Council of Quintana Roo (CPTQ), at a press conference held on Monday, August 17th, organized by the General Coordination of Communication of the state government.
The statistics for July 2020 report that 109,615 US citizens visited Quintana Roo, against the 417,980 who did so in that month of 2019; however, receiving more than 100,000 people in the midst of a health contingency such as the current one is remarkable, “especially if we consider that we are starting from scratch,” said Flota Ocampo.
From January to July of this year, Quintana Roo has received 1,074,815 visitors from the United States, which corresponds to 40 percent of the amount received in the same period last year, when 2,660,544 tourists arrived at the state.
The official explained that the Latin American and European markets suffered a drastic fall compared to 2019. That year, 12 percent of the tourists who came to Quintana Roo came from Latin America and 7.8 percent from Europe; after the pandemic, both segments reached barely one percent.
National tourism fell 57.43 percent, from 467,754 Mexican tourists in July 2019 to 199,118 in July 2020.
After the tourist reopening, in July and August, the number of domestic and international flights has grown, currently, there is a sustained growth”, mentioned Flota Ocampo and highlighted that on Sunday, August 16th, the Cancun International Airport reported 104 arrivals, 40 of them international.
 
​Bahamas Looking To An October Upturn
THE Bahamas Ministry of Tourism is eyeing late October as the return of its global marketing strategies, hoping by then the country is ready to reopen, Tourism Parliamentary Secretary Travis Robinson said yesterday.
“We are looking at around late October for phase one (of the reopening) and the early part of November, if everything pans out, for the final phase as we go back out and infiltrate the market with the tourism brand of The Bahamas,” he said.
He said about $13 million in ads were put on hold when Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis implemented restrictions last month to again slow the spread of COVID-19. “Since the country readjusted by going back to a lockdown, the Ministry of Tourism and Aviation halted all our marketing overseas to understand what’s happening globally and locally,” he said. “There was a need to ensure the message we were selling about The Bahamas being open for business is unified across all our marketing areas. We have some nine different offices all around the world so there is a need to ensure we are sending unified messages in terms of what people can expect with respect to the restrictions and protocols put in place by the competent authority.
“The situation has been fluid in the country. At one particular time there was the COVID-19 negative test that was required, then there was the 14-day quarantine requirement and then adjustments were made again so hotel properties have been deemed quarantine sites. To ensure we are not back and forth to the global community about our message that The Bahamas is open for business, we are holding our ads. We have been meeting on a regular basis discussing the new marketing campaign that will involve every island of The Bahamas in our new market going forward.”
Mr. Robinson said when the country is ready for business again, tourism officials want visitors to get their travel visas quicker than they did when the country last reopened.
“We’ve been meeting with a local company to adjust the process for accepting COVID-19 negative tests from guests,” he said. “One challenge we experienced when guests submitted their tests was the turn around time to issue them their travel visas. “You can have anywhere up to 2,000 to 3,000 visitors coming to The Bahamas each day, even more. The demand to have those negative tests processed manually by individuals at the command centre became strenuous so we are at the table negotiating with a local company about participating in that work. We are looking at the possibility of an automated system and artificial intelligence so when we do reopen, tourists who submit their test can receive their travel visa within ten to 15 minutes. We will ensure we prevent false tests from being approved.”
Mr Robinson also said those who want to give input or suggestions can email him at trobinson@bahamas.com.
 
US travelers are still not very interested in international travel.
Destination Analysts recently released the results of their Wave 23 Coronavirus Travel Sentiment Index Report for surveys conducted between August 14th and August 16th. The survey was of a sample of 1,203 adult American travelers. The results are accurate within plus/minus 2.8%.
More than three quarters are unlikely to take an international trip anytime soon.
Question: I will be unlikely to travel outside the United States until the coronavirus situation is resolved.

• Strongly Agree/Agree 78%
• Strongly Disagree/Disagree 6%
• No opinion either way 15%

The number who agree/strongly agree that they are unlikely to take an international trip is little changed since March when the number stood at 82.1%
However, of those who are interested in international travel:-

• For the upcoming traveling months, this group is much more likely to have at least tentative travel plans for January and February of 2021
• They are much more likely to have traveled outside the U.S. (70.4% vs. 41.7%) and much more likely to have stayed in a 5-star hotel (46.5% vs. 24.1%) in the past two years
• They skew Millennial or younger (60.9%) with an average HHI of $108,606 and who live in urban areas (47.8%)
• They are slightly more likely to say they will avoid travel until the Coronavirus situation blows over (67.8% vs. 59.2% for all travelers)
• Travel discounts and price cuts are much more attractive to this group (72.8% vs. 39.0%)

For the full report click here 

​Hawaii pushes back tourism reopening again
(August 20 2020)
Hawaii is still not ready to welcome tourists and its already delayed September reopening plan has been pushed back even further.
Hawaii Governor David Ige said the general tourism ban will last until at least 1 October, which is a delay of another month. "We will continue to monitor the conditions here in Hawaii as well as key markets on the mainland to determine the appropriate start date for the pre-travel testing program," he said.
Ige said there is no confirmed new date for reopening yet, but there will be sufficient notice given so hotels, restaurants and tourism operators have time to prepare and rehire workers. "We cannot deny that Hawaii is seeing a surge in positive Covid-19 cases. There are numerous clusters and wide community spread.''
The plan was to reopen to tourists to allow access without a mandatory quarantine period with proof of a negative Covid-19 test on arrival.
Up until early July, Hawaii had seemingly contained the virus pretty well, with less than 1,000 cases. Since then cases have surged with more than 5,300 people now tested positive.

Florida saw an historic 60% drop in tourist arrivals in the second quarter of 2020.
Visit Florida’s Research Department recently announced that the state of Florida saw a 60.5% decline in the number of tourist arrivals in the second quarter of 2020, with total arrivals falling from 32,407,000 in the second quarter of 2019 to 12,801,000 arrivals in the second quarter of 2020. Domestic arrivals were down by 56.4%, while arrivals from Canada fell by 99.0% from 931,000 in the second quarter of 2019 to just 9,000 in the same quarter of 2020. Arrivals from overseas fell by 91.1% from 2,646,000 arrivals in the second quarter of 2019 to 235,000 in the same three months of 2020.
Through the first six months of 2020 Florida saw a 35.2% decrease in the number of tourist arrivals with total arrivals falling from 68,198,000 in 2019 to 44,188,000 arrivals in the first two quarters of 2020. Domestic arrivals were down by 32.9%, falling from 60,442,000 arrivals in 2019 to 40,536,000 in 2020, while arrivals from Canada fell by 47.8%, from 2,362,000 in 2019 to 1,234,000 in 2020. Arrivals from overseas fell by 55.2%, from 5,394,000 in 2019 to 2,418,00 in the same six months of 2020.

​The United States Virgin Islands saw a 63.0% decline in air arrivals in June 2020.
According to the USVI Bureau of Economic Research, the USVI saw the volume of air arrivals decrease by 63.0% in June 2020, falling from 61,982 air arrivals in June 2019 to 22,929 air arrivals in June of this year.
The USVI officially reopened its borders to tourists as of June 1 but due to a spike in Covid19 cases has closed its borders to visitors as of Wednesday August 19th.
Through the first six months of 2020 the USVI saw the volume of air arrivals decrease by 41.4%, from 354,973 air arrivals in the first six months of 2019 to 208,167 air arrivals in the first six months of 2020.
There were no cruise visitor arrivals in June.

Mauritius announces stopover visitor arrivals fell by 100% in July as its borders remained closed.
The Mauritius Government’s Ministry of Finance and Economic Development recently announced that total stopover arrivals fell by 100% in July 2020, from 115,448 arrivals in July 2019 to 45 arrivals in July of this year. This number includes both air and sea stopover visitors.
Mauritius closed its border to all international visitors indefinitely as of March 19th 2020.
In the first seven months of 2020 Mauritius saw a 60.2% decrease in total stopover arrivals, falling from 765,530 arrivals in 2019 to 304,926 arrivals this year. Total stopover arrivals from France, the number one market, fell by 52.3% from 164,770 arrivals in the first seven months of 2019 to 78,645 arrivals in the same seven months of 2020.

The Seychelles announces stopover visitor arrivals fell by 98.4% in July.
The Seychelles Government’s National Bureau of Statistics recently announced that total stopover arrivals decreased by 98.4% in July 2020, from 29,319 arrivals in July 2019 to 475 arrivals in July of this year. This number includes both air and sea stopover visitors.
The Seychelles closed its borders to cruise ships as of March 9th and to international air visitors as of March 30th. The main airport reopened to limited traffic as of June 1st and to scheduled international flights as of August 1st.
In the first seven months of 2020 The Seychelles saw a 58.6% decrease in total stopover arrivals, falling from 216,427 arrivals in 2019 to 89,622 arrivals this year. Total stopover arrivals from Germany, the number one source market, fell by 48.8% from 39,966 in the first seven months of 2019 to 20,469 arrivals in the same seven months of 2020.
The number of cruise visitors decreased by 16.2%, from 23,397 in the first seven months of 2019 to 19,609 cruise visitors in the same period of 2020.

​U.S. Virgin Islands Closes to Leisure Travelers Due to Spike In COVID-19
The U.S. Virgin Islands is closing to leisure visitors in an effort to contain the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19). The decision is effective Wednesday, August 19, and will last for a period of at least one month.
Effective immediately, hotels, villas, Airbnb accommodations, guest houses, temporary vacation housing and charter vessels and similar businesses have been ordered not to accept or book any new reservations for 30 days.
As of Wednesday, August 19, 2020, accommodations providers are barred from admitting or checking-in any guests for 30 days unless the order is lifted sooner. Reservations may only be accepted for business travelers, flight crews, emergency personnel, and government workers with written authorization from the relevant government agency they are visiting.
Virgin Islanders in the territory and abroad are encouraged to travel only for urgent matters to help limit the contagion into and out of the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Governor Albert Bryan Jr. additionally announced Thursday that the territory will revert to the “Stay-at-Home” (Orange alert) phase of its COVID-19 response, for the next two weeks, at which time it will be reevaluated. According to the territory’s chief executive, on Monday, August 17, all non-essential businesses and churches are ordered to cease operations and the public, including non-essential public sector workers, are ordered to stay at home.
Beginning Monday, August 17 and lasting until August 31 unless lifted earlier, all restaurants in the territory can offer only takeout, delivery or drive-thru service. All bars, nightclubs and cabarets are to remain closed as long as the Territory remains in a State of Emergency.
The U.S. Virgin Islands reopened for leisure tourism on June 1. From May 10 to June 20, there had only been six new confirmed cases of coronavirus, according to Our World in Data. By August 12, that spiked to 92 new cases.
 
Cruise ships banned until 2021
Cruise tourism will not be returning to the Cayman Islands until next year.
Acting Port Authority Director Joseph Woods confirmed that the Cayman Islands government was extending its ban on cruise ships until 31 Dec.
Woods issued a notice of the government’s decision to the islands’ cruise industry partners, informing them of the new date “so that they could plan according”.
“I sent it to the major cruise lines, the Florida Caribbean Cruise Association, local shipping agents and tender operators,” he told the Cayman Compass in a telephone interview Thursday evening.
In his brief notice, Woods said, “After careful consideration, the Cayman Islands Government has taken the decision that in the current global environment with respect to the coronavirus pandemic, it cannot allow the resumption of cruise tourism in the Cayman Islands for the immediate future.”
He added that Cayman would remain closed for cruise tourism until the end of the year.
The Cayman Islands government stopped allowing cruise ships to dock here on 16 March.
Cayman has not had a new positive COVID-19 case since 13 July, and on Wednesday the Pan-American Health Organization moved its transmission level rating for the country from ‘sporadic’ to ‘no cases’.
Premier Alden McLaughlin welcomed the PAHO status change, saying, “I am gratified that Cayman has now been declared COVID-19-free by PAHO, one of a very few countries in the world to have achieved that status. This is testament to the careful thought, expert advice and effective execution of the Government’s strategy, coupled with the cooperation of the general public.”
The cruise industry has been struggling in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, after several ships reported an outbreak of the virus on board.
In Cayman, the first recorded case of coronavirus involved an Italian passenger from the Costa Luminosa cruise ship who came ashore for medical treatment after he suffered a heart attack. He was later diagnosed with COVID-19 and died at Health City Cayman Islands.
The decision to shut out cruise ships until year’s end follows a Cabinet decision last Friday to extend Cayman’s border closures until 1 Oct.
Government said that decision was taken after “having continually monitored the rate of infection in other countries, particularly in the United States where the pandemic is still widespread”.
Last month, a phased reopening of borders was announced and it included requiring travellers who have tested negative for COVID-19 three days prior to arriving on island to wear a BioButton monitoring device and self-isolate for five days, or, if they choose not to wear the device, quarantine at a government-managed facility for 14 days, officials said in a press release.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently imposed a ban at American ports, blocking cruise ships from docking.
Recently, Royal Caribbean Group posted second-quarter losses of US$1.6 billion and Carnival Corporation reported an adjusted net loss of US$2.4 billion for the same period.
However, despite that outlook, industry leaders, in a recent interview with the Compass, appeared optimistic about the future of cruise tourism.
  
Cayman Islands’ economy is expected to contract by 7.2% in 2020
"The Cayman Islands’ economy is expected to contract by 7.2 per cent in 2020 before recovering partially by 6.4 per cent in 2021," projects Finance Minister, Roy McTaggart.
McTaggart, in his presentation at the Chamber of Commerce Virtual Economic Forum, suggested that these projections would have been worse, had government not gone to great lengths to contain the virus as it had.
"Without these measures, the projections presented today would be bleaker, and we need not look far across the sea to appreciate what could have been," he said.
The main driver of the 2020 contraction is of course the hospitality and restaurant sector, which is expected to suffer a decline of 74.6 per cent in 2020. Tourist Accommodation Charges alone were $14.8 million lower than budget.
The transport, storage and communication sector is projected to contract by 14.7 percent-- the second-largest decline for the year, despite a moderate growth in communication. 
The most resilient sectors to the pandemic have been the financing and insurance sector which is projected to decline by a modest 3.8 per cent and the business services sector, comprised mainly of legal and accounting services, which is expected to decline by 1.7 per cent. Given workers' ability to work remotely and the use of online banking by customers, these sectors have been able to maintain some level of success.
On a positive note, the Minister indicated that "additional spending by the Government on health and other essential services is expected to boost economic activity in health and social services and other Government services.  Additionally, with more individuals working remotely and resumed office activities, consumption of electricity and water is expected to remain robust for the year."
Other economic highlights:
Unemployment: The unemployment rate in 2020 is forecasted at 6.9% of the labour force, due to a fall-off in demand from the labour-intensive tourism sector among others. The unemployment rate in 2021 is projected at 5.1%.
Output: The contraction in output for 2020 is precipitated by reductions in economic output associated with recent restrictions and low demand for some of our services in the coming months. International demand for our services will be impacted by the continuing closure of our borders and expected contractions in the US and other advanced economies.
Inflation: the consumer price index (CPI) inflation rate is forecasted at 0.4% in 2020, lower than the high of 5.7% observed in 2019.   Falling international commodity prices are expected to support stability in the consumer basket and relieve most inflationary concerns from policy decisions in the near term. Inflation in 2021 is projected at 1.6%.
In a May 27 press briefing the Minister of Finance indicated that "measures implemented to date by our government are expected to boost GDP value-added by approximately $184.9 million in 2020, an improvement on the GDP contraction from -11.4 per cent to -7.3 per cent. This translates to roughly 36.0 per cent of the projected falloff in real GDP. As a result of the measures implemented, more jobs will be saved, an estimated 1,468 jobs, of which 678 are likely to go to Caymanians."
The Finance Minister stressed that growth in the months and years to come would be driven by strong collaboration with the private sector.
 
Punta Cana received 17,871 tourists in July, down 94.3% compared with July 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 94.3% in July, falling from 311,038 arrivals in July 2019 to 17,871 arrivals in July 2020. Stopover arrivals from the USA fell by 90.6% in July, from 128,941 arrivals in July 2019 to 12,136 arrivals in July 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.
During the first seven months of 2020 Punta Cana saw a 68.3% decrease in the volume of stopover arrivals, falling from 2,401,030 arrivals in 2019 to 759,968 non-resident arrivals in the first seven months of 2020.
Arrivals from the USA fell by 80.3% in the first seven months of 2020, falling from 1,073,782 arrivals in 2019 to 211,687 arrivals in the same seven months of 2020. Arrivals from Russia fell by 35.9% in the same period, from 35,036 in 2019 to 22,448 in 2020. Traffic was also down 68.6% from Germany, down 65.0% from Brazil, down 69.4% from Argentina, down 70.0% from the U.K., down 60.4% from France and down 46.7% from Canada.
In the first seven months of 2020 stopover arrivals to Punta Cana made up 49.7% of all non-resident arrivals to the Dominican Republic.

The Dominican Republic received 135,163 non-resident visitors in July, down 77.1% compared with July 2019.
According to the Central Bank of the Dominican Republic, the Dominican Republic saw the volume of non-resident stopover arrivals decrease by 77.1% in July, falling from 591,348 non-resident arrivals in July 2019 to 135,163 arrivals in July 2020. Stopover arrivals from the USA fell by 78.8%, from 218,041 arrivals in July 2019 to 46,207 arrivals in July 2020.  60% of the non-resident arrivals in July were Dominicans living abroad and returning to the Dominican Republic.
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.
In the first seven months of 2020 the Dominican Republic saw a 63.3% decrease in the volume of stopover arrivals, falling from 4,166,646 arrivals in 2019 to 1,529,249 non-resident arrivals in 2020. Non-resident arrivals from the USA decreased by 74.9% in the first seven months of 2020, falling from 1,601,783 arrivals in 2019 to 401,647 arrivals in 2020.

Cayman Islands Extends Border Closure to October 1
Citing a rise in the rate of coronavirus infections in other countries, including the U.S., the Cayman Islands government announced it will keep its borders closed another 30 days, until October 1.
The situation will be evaluated again at that time.
In a statement, the government said “that having continually monitored the rate of infection in other countries, particularly in the United States where the pandemic is still widespread, Cabinet has taken the decision to extend the Islands border closure for an additional 30 days, until 1st October 2020, at which time a further decision will be made.”
Just two weeks ago, the Cayman Islands said it would reopen on September 1.
The government said it is aware that some airline websites are offering flights to the Cayman Islands and accepting future bookings. But as long as the borders are closed, the Caymans have not granted approval for the operation of any commercial flights. Travelers who make reservations directly with any airline while the Islands' borders are closed do so at their own risk.
Repatriation flights by Cayman Airways will continue to operate on an ad hoc basis, and the air bridge between the United Kingdom and the Cayman Islands will also remain open as the Caymans look to bring its citizens home.
Cayman Airways is providing a series of repatriation flights to Miami, Kingston, Jamaica and Le Ceiba, Honduras, which are scheduled to depart the Cayman Islands on September 1, 4, 11, 18 and 25 to Miami; September 2, 16 and 30 to Kingston; and August 19 and September 23 to Le Ceiba.
 
Maldives to reopen 94% of resorts by October 2020
Following the reopening of Maldivian borders to international visitors on 15 July 2020, Maldives Marketing and PR Corporation (MMPRC) has announced that 146 of its 156 resorts in operation will reopen to guests by the end of October 2020 following health and safety measures set out by the Ministry of Tourism.
An impressive 43 resorts have already opened in the Maldives, including Kudafushi Resort & Spa, Lily Beach Maldives, LUX North Male Atoll, OBLU by Atmosphere, Soneva Fushi, Angsana Resort & Spa, VARU by Atmosphere, Jumeirah Vittaveli, Velaa Private Island and both properties owned by Four Seasons.
In August, a further 28 resorts will open their doors to the public, including Joali Maldives, all four properties in Coco Collection and Centara’s Maldivian portfolio of resorts, as well as the recently launched Emerald Maldives Resort & Spa all of which reopened on 1 August.
Budget-friendly guesthouses situated on local inhabited islands in the Maldives are also permitted to open to guests as of 1 August 2020. During September, 29 Maldivian resorts will safely welcome back tourists, including Hideaway Beach Resort & Spa, four of Aitken Spence Hotels’ Maldivian properties and The Nautilus.
An additional 46 resorts will open in October, including Outrigger Konotta Maldives Resort, Reethi Faru Resort and Niyama Private Islands Maldives. This will mean 94% of resorts in the Maldives will be open for business ahead of the key ‘winter sun’ travel months when many UK holidaymakers traditionally escape to warmer climates.
In line with the comprehensive COVID-19 safe tourism guidelines and hygiene certification programme issued by the Maldivian Ministry of Tourism in June 2020, all 156 resorts situated in the island nation will be required to take protective measures, ensuring the safety of tourists and also staff working in the industry.
Thoyyib Mohamed, managing director of Maldives Marketing & PR Corporation (MMPRC), said: “Following the issue of detailed COVID-19 safe tourism guidelines and the reopening of our international borders on 15 July, the Maldives is now fully prepared to welcome back tourists to our island nation, with safety being the destinations’ top priority. Over 40 resorts in the Maldives are already open to guests and a further 103 will reopen before the month of November, so we look forward to welcoming back UK holidaymakers to our beautiful islands.”

The Bahamas reports stopover arrivals fell by 97.9% in June.
According to the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism, The Islands of The Bahamas saw a 97.9% decline in stopover visitor arrivals in June, falling from 186,992 stopovers in June 2019 to 3,935 in June of this year.
In response to the Covid 19 pandemic on March 24th, the Bahamian border was closed indefinitely to incoming visitors and returning residents. Extremely limited travel was allowed in June with the border officially reopening to international travel as of July 1st.
During the first six months of 2020 The Bahamas saw a 64.7% decline in the number of stopover visitors, falling from 1,069,413 stopover visitors in 2019 to 377,931 stopovers in the first six months of 2020. Nassau/Paradise Island saw a 59.7% decrease in stopover traffic, falling from 742,406 stopovers in 2019 to 299,522 stopovers in the first six months of 2020, while Grand Bahama Island saw a 79.9% decline in stopover traffic, falling from 79,812 stopovers in 2019 to 16,011 n 2020. Stopover traffic to the Out Islands decreased by 74.8%, from 247,195 visitors in 2019 to 62,398 in the same six months of 2020.
There were no cruise visitors in June as The Bahamas remained closed to cruise ships. During the first six months of 2020 the number of cruise visitors to The Bahamas fell by 52.2%, from 2,773,560 visitors in 2019 to 1,327,084 cruise visitors in the first six months of 2020.

Cancun saw an 85.1% decrease in international air passenger movements in July.
According to ASUR, which manages many of Mexico’s airports, Cancun Airport saw an 85.1% decrease in international passenger movements in July 2020, falling from 1,484,897 movements in July 2019 to 221,074 movements in July 2020. Domestic passenger movements fell by 56.7%, from 914,987 passenger movements in July 2019 to 395,958 movements in July 2020.
July saw international passenger movements increase by 176,656 (+398%)  compared with June, moving from 44,418 movements in June to 221,074 in July, while domestic passenger movements increased by 264,957 (+202%) moving from 131,001 in June to 395,958 in July.
In the first seven months of 2020 the volume of international air passenger movements  decreased by 57.7%, falling from 10,480,238 movements in 2019 to 4,430,974 movements in 2020 while the volume of domestic air passenger movements fell by 52.7%, from 5,134,037 movements in the first seven months of 2019 to 2,429,042 in the same seven months of 2020.

San Juan, Puerto Rico (SJU) saw a 62.4% decrease in air passenger movements in July.
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 62.4% decrease in passenger movements in July 2020, falling from 968,319 movements in July 2019 to 363,935 movements in July 2020.
July saw passenger movements increase by 149,927 (+70.0%) compared with June moving from 214,008 movements in June to 363,935 in July.
In the first seven months of 2020 the overall volume of air passenger movements decreased by 48.9%, from 5,686,127 in 2019 to 2,906,051 in 2020.

Curacao reports stopover arrivals fell by 78.0% in July.
According to the Curaçao Tourist Board, Curaçao saw a 78.0% decrease in stopover visitor arrivals in July, falling from 37,249 stopovers in July 2019 to 8,195 in July of this year.
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. The Government limited the number of visitors to no more than 10,000 for the month of July.
Stopover visitors from the Netherlands fell by 61.0%, from 16,456 visitors in July 2019 to 6,370 visitors in July 2020. The 6,370 visitors comprised 77.7% of all arrivals in July.
In the first seven months of 2020 Curaçao saw a 57.1% decrease in the number of stopover visitors, falling from 275,021 visitors in 2019 to 118,054 visitors this year. The number of stopovers from the USA has declined by 55.5% during the first seven months, from 47,522 in 2019 to 21,138 through July 2020. The number of stopovers from the Netherlands has fallen by 55.1% during the first seven months, from 113,185 in 2019 to 50,834 through July 2020.
There were no cruise visitors in July as the island remained closed to cruise traffic.  Through the first seven months of 2020 the number of cruise visitors to Curaçao fell by 45.4%, from 468,888 visitors in 2019 to 256,033 cruise visitors this year.

Las Vegas saw a 70.5% decrease in visitors in June.
According to the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority Las Vegas saw the volume of visitors decrease by 70.5% in June 2020, falling from 3,607,400 visitors in June 2019 to 1,065,100 arrivals in June 2020.
Las Vegas had a weighted average of 95,396 open hotel rooms in June 2020 (down 36.2% compared with June 2019) and achieved an average city-wide room occupancy of 40.9% (down 50.8 percentage points compared with June 2019), an ADR of $104.07 (down 13.6% compared with June 2019) and a RevPar of $42.56 down 61.5% also compared with June 2019.
Through the first six months of 2020 Las Vegas saw a 54.0% decrease in the volume of visitors, falling from 21,139,700 arrivals in the first six months of 2019 to 9,732,700 visitors in the same six months of 2020.
Las Vegas achieved an average city-wide room occupancy of 42.9% in the first six months of 2020 (down 46.4 percentage points compared with the first six months of 2019), an ADR of $137.53 (up 1.7% compared with the same six months of 2019) and a RevPar of $59.00, down 51.1%, also compared with the same six months of 2019.
Gaming revenue fell by 46.0% from $5.187 billion in the first six months of 2019 to $2.799 billion in the same six months of 2020.

Montego Bay saw an 86.7% decrease in air passenger traffic in July.
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 86.7% in July 2020, falling from 443,100 movements in July 2019 to 58,800 movements in July 2020.
Jamaica reopened its borders to international visitors as of June 15th 2020
In the first seven months of 2020 the overall volume of passenger movements decreased by 59.2%, from 2,963,800 passenger movements in 2019 to 1,209,300 passenger movements in the first seven months of 2020.
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Los Cabos saw a 73.4% decline in international air traffic movements in July.
According to Aeroportuario del Pacifico , which manages many of Mexico’s airports, Los Cabos Airport saw a 73.4% decline in international passenger traffic in July 2020, that is enplanements and deplanements, falling from 316,200 international passenger movements in July 2019 to 84,200 international passenger movements in July 2020. Domestic traffic declined by 61.5%, falling from 217,300 passenger movements in July 2019 to 83,600 passenger movements in July 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. These measures were extended until July 30 2020.
In the first seven months of 2020 the volume of international air traffic decreased by 54.6%, falling from 2,335,400 international passenger movements in 2019 to 1,059,500 in the first seven months of 2020 while the volume of domestic air traffic fell by 49.0%, from 1,102,700 movements in 2019 to 562,300 in the first seven months of 2020.

Belize Suspends Border Reopening After COVID-19 Cases Surge
The government of Belize announced a delay in the re-opening of Philip Goldson International (PIGA) due to a “spike in the number of COVID-19 cases in three districts,” said Dean Barrow the country’s prime minister, in a statement. The airport opening “will be announced at a later date,” Barrow said.
Preliminary results in Belize’s popular San Pedro district resulted in 14 new potentially positive cases of COVID-19, but government health officials are “currently undergoing the confirmation process,” said Barrow in a statement.
Although the airport will not reopen, weekly repatriation flights for Belizean nationals will continue, with all returning residents subject to mandatory 14-day quarantine upon arrival.
As of August 8th Belize, has reported a total of 114 positive cases, of which 80 are active, with just two deaths. However, the number of cases has grown by 137% since August 1st when Belize had reported a total of 48 cases.
Barrow had threatened earlier this week to postpone the airport reopening if contract-tracing on Ambergris Caye revealed more positive COVID-19 cases. The prime minister assailed the behavior of residents whom he said "have not exactly been following the ongoing guidelines," according to a breakingnews.com report. The transgressions include a local wedding attended by 500 people, "jammed water taxis" and other violations.
Belize had been scheduled to open its borders to international visitors on August 15, announcing a series of health and safety measures to control the spread of COVID-19. Under the announced protocols, travelers will be required to provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test taken within 72 hours of their departure or undergo testing on arrival, according to Belize Tourist Board officials.
Travelers will also be required to download the Belize Health App before boarding their flight. The app can be utilized for contact tracing should traveler develop symptoms or test positive. Arriving guests must also undergo a temperature check at the airport and wear a mask while traveling.
Airport capacity and additional health measures, including barriers and sneeze guards, have also been mandated, and luggage will be sanitized before being transferred into the terminal. New guidelines for tour groups, tourist sites and hotels will also be instituted.
Hotels will be required to attain the country’s “Tourism Gold Standard Certificate of Recognition” to operate. Under the program, operators will be required to maintain an array of hygienic amenities and services.
Check-in and check-out procedures will be performed online, and masks will be required in public spaces. Both guests and employees will undergo daily health checks, and properties are required to establish “isolation/quarantine rooms” for guests who may have contracted the virus.

Expedia’s second quarter bookings drop 90 per cent on 2019 figures
US: Expedia Group has announced an 82 per cent drop in revenue for the second quarter of 2020, as total gross bookings for the three-month period up to 30 June also saw a 90 per cent decline on the equivalent period in 2019, to $2.71 billion.
The plummeting figures for the Seattle-based online travel agency are one of the clearest illustrations yet of the overall impact of the coronavirus on the global travel sector.
Bloomberg said the latest revenue figures of $566 million were the lowest reported by Expedia in roughly a decade, in the fallout of the global financial crash in 2008, widely considered to be the worst economic disaster since the 1929 Great Depression. On current estimates, the consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic threaten to eclipse that, as initial analyst predictions for revenue and adjusted losses [before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation] fell way short of the actual figures.
In a statement, CEO Peter Kern said: “The second quarter of 2020 represented likely the worst quarter the travel industry has seen in modern history and Expedia was of course not spared.”
One upside for Expedia is the steady recovery of bookings in May and June seen by its vacation rental unit Vrbo, following the group’s decision to phase out its HomeAway brand in the United States and elevate attention for Vrbo instead. Domestic vacation rentals in non-urban locations, such as mountains, lakes and national parks have seen a significant rise in interest among families who reside in cities.

Orlando saw a 67.4 percentage point decline in average room occupancy in June to 25.4%.
According to STR Orlando had 128,000 hotel rooms in June 2020 and achieved an average city-wide room occupancy of 25.4% (down 67.4 percentage points compared with June 2019), and an ADR of $79.43 (down 34.2% compared with June 2019).
According to Visit Orlando, Orlando saw the volume of air passenger enplanements decrease by 78.2% in June 2020, falling from 2,298,777 enplanements in June 2019 to 501,952 enplanements in June 2020. This includes enplanements at both Orlando International and Sanford airports.
In the first six months of 2020 Orlando achieved an average city-wide room occupancy of 50.1% (down 37.3 percentage points compared with 2019), and an ADR of $124.18 (down 6.5% compared with 2019). 
In the first six months of 2020 Orlando saw a 50.4% decrease in the volume of air passenger enplanements, falling from 13,786,249 enplanements in 2019 to 6,844,765 enplanements in the first six months of 2020.

Aruba reports 26% increase in reported cases of Covid19 since reopening its borders on June 15th.
On Wednesday July 29th, the CEO of the Aruba Tourism Authority (ATA) announced that Aruba would receive about 14,000 visitors during the whole month of July, down 86% compared with July 2019 when Aruba received 103,464 visitors.
Aruba re-opened its borders to Curacao and Bonaire on June 15th, to Canada and Europe on July 1st and to the USA on July 10th.
The CEO said that the ATA projected Aruba would receive  between 19,000 – 25,000 visitors during August, down 74% - 80% compared with August 2019 when Aruba received 96,100 visitors.
The CEO went on to say that for 2020 overall the ATA expected to receive between 335,300 stopovers (30% of the 2019 total) and 447,000 stopovers (40% of the 2019 total).
Given that the ATA estimates that Aruba will receive about 267,000 stopovers in the first eight months of 2020, this means the four months of September through December 2020 could see a total of between 68,400 visitors, assuming an overall decline of 30% for the year and down and 180,100 stopovers, assuming an overall decline of 40% in stopovers for the year. These result in an 80% decline compared to the 342,447 stopovers received in the same four months of 2019, and a 47% decline, respectively.
As of August 4th 2020 Aruba, has reported a total of 127 positive cases of COVID 19 with 113 being residents and 14 being visitors and a total of 12 active cases of which eight were residents and four visitors.
Since Aruba re-opened its borders on June 15th the country has seen the total number of cases increase by 26 (25.7%), from 101 to 127, with the number of active cases growing from zero to 12.
The Government reported that between 75% - 80% of all arriving visitors had presented evidence of having been tested prior to departure from their country of origin while between 20% - 25% were tested on arrival at Aruba’s airport. 

Cancun saw a 63.8 percentage point drop in average hotel room occupancy in June to 15.2%.
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 six months of 2020.
Cancun/Puerto Morelos saw a 63.8 percentage point drop in average hotel room occupancy in June 2020 to 15.2% compared to 79.0% for June 2019.
The hotels in Riviera Maya saw their average room occupancy fall by 69.8 percentage points from 80.8% in June 2019 to 11.0% in June this year.
Through the first six months of 2020 the hotels in Cancun/Puerto Morelos have achieved a 40.8% average room occupancy, down 39.1 percentage points from the 79.9% achieved in 2019.
The hotels in Riviera Maya have achieved an average room occupancy of 38.6%, down 43.4 percentage points from the 82.0% achieved in 2019, also for the first six months of 2020.
Riviera Maya has 46,958 hotel rooms while the Cancun/Puerto Morelos area has 40,835 hotel rooms.

Costa Rica saw a 97.1% drop in stopover arrivals in June.
According to the Costa Rica Institute of Tourism ICT, Costa Rica saw the volume of stopovers drop by 97.1% in June 2020, falling from 248,696 stopovers in June 2019 to 7,210 stopovers in June 2020. The number of stopovers from the USA fell by 99.7% in June 2020, falling from 133,102 stopovers in June 2019 to 361 in June 2020 while the number from Central America declined by 87.8%, from 53,943 in June 2019 to 6,596 in June 2020.
After declaring a state of emergency, Costa Rica closed all borders to foreigners on April 18th 2020.
The volume of stopovers decreased by 48.9% in the first six months of 2020, falling from 1,725,963 stopovers in 2019 to 882,002 stopovers in first six months of 2020. The number of stopovers from the USA dropped by 53.2% in the first six months of 2020, from 761,355 stopovers in 2019 to 356,445 in 2020 while the number from Central America declined by 47.9%, falling from 364,984 in the first six months of 2019 to 190,292 in the same six months of 2020.

International air arrivals to Mexico fell by 92.8% in June.
According to the Government of Mexico’s SECTUR (Department of Tourism) the volume of international air arrivals to Mexico fell by 92.8% in June 2020 from 1,638,139 in June 2019 to 117,257 in June 2020. The volume of air arrivals from the USA fell by 90.7% in June, from 1,076,346 in June 2019 to 100,526 in June of this year, with the volume from Canada falling by 98.0%, from 72,747 in June 2019 to 1,485 this year.
Cancun Airport saw a 96.6% decrease in international air arrivals in June 2020, falling from 673,352 arrivals in June 2019 to 23,036 arrivals in June 2020, while Los Cabos saw a 91.5% decrease falling from 153,732 international arrivals in June 2019 to 13,084 international air arrivals in June 2020. Puerto Vallarta saw a 92.5% decrease, falling from 92,749 international arrivals in June 2019 to 6,978 in June 2020.
In the first six months of 2020 the volume of international air arrivals to Mexico fell by 53.4%, from 10,116,740 in 2019 to 4,711,700 in the first six months of this year. The volume of air arrivals from the USA fell by 55.2% in the same six months, from 5,592,031 in 2019 to 2,505,826 in 2020 while the volume from Canada fell by 38.7%, from 1,445,169 in 2019 to 886,099 in 2020.
Cancun Airport saw a 54.9% decrease in international air arrivals in the first six months of 2020, falling from 4,283,859 in 2019 to 1,930,353 in 2020 while Los Cabos saw a 53.3% decrease falling from 971,512 international air arrivals to 453,612 air arrivals in 2020. Puerto Vallarta saw a 45.6% decrease, falling from 912,850 international arrivals in 2019 to 496,937 in the first six months of 2020.

Hawaii saw a 98.2% decline in air arrivals in June.
According to the Hawaii Tourism Authority, Hawaii saw the volume of air arrivals decrease by 98.2% in June 2020, falling from 950,931 arrivals in June 2019 to 17,068 arrivals in June 2020.
The state of Hawaii imposed a mandatory 14-day self-quarantine for incoming out of state visitors on March 26th , which was extended on April 1 to include interisland travelers. Neither quarantine is slated to end before June 30.
Air arrivals from the USA fell by 97.7%, from 692,273 in June 2019 to 15,745 in June 2020, fell by 100.0% from Japan (from 126,592 arrivals in June 2019 to 40 air arrivals in June 2020). Air arrivals fell by 99.7% from Canada (from 19,239 to 57 air arrivals).
Through the first six months of 2020 Hawaii saw a 58.4% decrease in the volume of air arrivals, falling from 5,115,051 arrivals in the first six months of 2019 to 2,126,443 air arrivals in the same six months of 2020. Air arrivals from the USA decreased by 57.7% in the first six months of 2020, falling from 3,433,689 air arrivals in 2019 to 1,451,670 air arrivals in the same six months of 2020, fell by 59.9% from Japan (from 734,247 arrivals in 2019 to 294,295 air arrivals in 2020) and fell by 49.8% from Canada (from 310,248 in 2019 to 155,821 air arrivals in 2020).
The Hawaii Tourist Authority was unable to collect any visitor expenditure data during June 2020.

The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index Decreased in July
The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index® decreased in July, after increasing in June. The Index now stands at 92.6 (1985=100), down from 98.3 in June. The Present Situation Index – based on consumers’ assessment of current business and labor market conditions – improved from 86.7 to 94.2. However, the Expectations Index – based on consumers’ short-term outlook for income, business, and labor market conditions – decreased from 106.1 in June to 91.5 this month.
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 July 17.
“Consumer Confidence declined in July following a large gain in June,” said Lynn Franco, Senior Director of Economic Indicators at The Conference Board. “The Present Situation Index improved, but the Expectations Index retreated. Large declines were experienced in Michigan, Florida, Texas and California, no doubt a result of the resurgence of COVID-19. Looking ahead, consumers have grown less optimistic about the short-term outlook for the economy and labor market and remain subdued about their financial prospects. Such uncertainty about the short-term future does not bode well for the recovery, nor for consumer spending.”
Consumers’ assessment of present-day conditions improved in July. The percentage of consumers claiming business conditions are “good” was relatively unchanged at 17.3 percent, while those claiming business conditions are “bad” decreased from 42.5 percent to 39.1 percent. Consumers’ appraisal of the job market was more favorable. The percentage of consumers saying jobs are “plentiful” increased from 20.5 percent to 21.3 percent, while those claiming jobs are “hard to get” decreased from 23.3 percent to 20.0 percent.
Consumers, however, were less optimistic about the short-term outlook. The percentage of consumers expecting business conditions will improve over the next six months declined from 42.4 percent to 31.6 percent, while those expecting business conditions will worsen increased from 15.2 percent to 19.3 percent. Consumers’ outlook for the labor market was also less favorable. The proportion expecting more jobs in the months ahead declined from 38.4 percent to 30.6 percent, while those anticipating fewer jobs in the months ahead increased from 14.4 percent to 20.3 percent. Regarding their short-term income prospects, the percentage of consumers expecting an increase was relatively unchanged at 15.1 percent, while the proportion expecting a decrease rose from 14.1 percent to 15.0 percent.

Jamaica saw a 97.0% decrease in stopover arrivals in June.
According to the Jamaica Tourist Board, Jamaica saw the volume of stopover arrivals decline by 97.0% in June 2020, falling from 238,888 stopover arrivals in June 2019 to 7,188 arrivals in June 2020.
Jamaica re-opened its borders to international visitors as of June 15th 2020.
Stopover arrivals from the USA fell by 96.3%, from 186,707 visitors in June 2019 to 6,458 visitors in June 2020.
Cruise arrivals fell by 100%, from 66,552 cruise visitors in June 2019 to zero cruise visitors in June 2020 as Jamaica remained closed to cruise ship arrivals.
Through the first six months of 2020 Jamaica saw a 58.2% decline in the volume of stopover arrivals, falling from 1,390,683 stopover arrivals in the first six months of 2019 to 581,319 arrivals in the same six months of 2020.
Arrivals from the USA declined by 59.4% in the first six months of 2020, falling from 945,761 arrivals in 2019 to 383,534 arrivals in the same six months of 2020.
The number of cruise visitors declined by 50.2% in the first six months of 2020, falling from 902,972 cruise visitors in 2019 to 449,271 cruise visitors in 2020.

The USVI saw a 100% fall in the number of cruise visitors in June 2020.
According to the USVI Bureau of Economic Research, the USVI saw the volume of cruise visitor arrivals decrease by 100% in June 2019, falling from 113,557 cruise visitors in June 2019 to zero cruise visitors in June 2020 as the territory remained closed to cruise ship arrivals. The number of cruise ship calls fell from 27 in June 2019 to zero in June 2020.
During the first six months of 2020 the number of cruise visitors decreased by 42.2%, falling from 761,833 in 2019 to 440,398 in the first six months of 2020 with the number of calls falling from 300 in 2019 to 163 in 2020.

The United States Virgin Islands saw an 87.0% decline in air arrivals in May 2020.
According to the USVI Bureau of Economic Research, the USVI saw the volume of air arrivals decrease by 87.0% in May 2020, falling from 56,220 air arrivals in May 2019 to 7,311 air arrivals in May of this year.
Through the first five months of 2020 the USVI saw the volume of air arrivals decrease by 36.8%, from 292,991 air arrivals in the first five months of 2019 to 185,238 air arrivals in the first five months of 2020.

Lessons from the German travel recovery
July 24, 2020 | Report McKinsey Consulting
Eight trends shaping the post-COVID-19 travel market
While there are several individual anecdotes and even more opinions about how the crisis has shaped the travel market, data and empirical evidence have been limited so far. That said, observations from recovering travel markets may demonstrate early patterns, giving travel players a head start. We chose Germany as a reference point due to its position as the largest European and third-largest global international travel market, and the fact that its metrics are commonly seen as leading the recovery curve.
Eight important—and, in part, mutually reinforcing—trends that have emerged during the COVID-19 crisis can be observed.
1. Travelers are showing increasing appetite for and confidence in travel
2. Domestic travel is outperforming international travel for the first time
3. Last-minute bookings are gaining in importance
4. German travelers stick to their favorite pre-COVID-19 destinations abroad
5. Travelers are turning to German seaside alternatives
6. Longer trips gain in popularity
7. Demand for vacation homes nearly doubled during the crisis
8. Despite a drop in prices, travelers’ willingness to pay for nature-oriented destinations remained almost unchanged
For more detail and full report click here

Cuban Tourism minister says winter vacations on sale soon.
Cuba’s Minister of Tourism, Juan Carlos García, has told Cuban television viewers that the sector is ready to begin selling vacations in the northern cays to international visitors for the coming winter season. He noted however that some source countries remained conservative, delaying the resumption of international flights, and noted that most insurance agencies were not assuming pandemic related risks.
The first international visitors in significant numbers are expected to come from Russia on a weekly basis in the second half of August. After that, it is hoped that opening by the EU (see Europe below) would enable Cuba to receive visitors from its principal visitor markets in Spain, France, Italy, Germany, as well as the UK. In the case of Canada, the main sender of tourists to Cuba, flights are expected to resume in September.
Cuba's strategy is to guarantee safe tourism by testing all arriving visitors and having, in each hotel, a team of doctors.

For tourism, recovery expected to be slow in Cancún, Los Cabos
Los Cabos hotel occupancy at about 20% but it's 'better than zero'
Recovering from the economic impact of the coronavirus crisis looks set to be a long and difficult process for the tourism-dependent locales of Cancún, Quintana Roo, and Los Cabos, Baja California Sur.
Hotels and other tourism-related businesses such as restaurants and night clubs were closed for more than two months in both destinations due to nationwide coronavirus restrictions that were put in place between late March and the end of May.
As a result, between US $3 billion and $3.5 billion in tourism revenue was lost in Quintana Roo, according to preliminary estimates by the state Tourism Ministry.
Hotels in the Caribbean coast state began reopening on June 8 but occupancy levels remain low, ruling out any possibility that losses will be quickly recouped.
Cancún’s hotel zone looks like a ghost town, the newspaper El Universal reported, noting that arrivals and departures at the city’s airport are up compared to May and June but still well below pre-pandemic levels.
Today, the beaches are largely empty – they remain closed to locals – and hotels and restaurants are operating well below their capacity due to both coronavirus restrictions and a lack of tourists.
But visitor numbers are expected to gradually increase in coming months, according to the Quintana Roo Tourism Minister Marisol Vanegas, who said hotel occupancy levels are predicted to reach 60% in December.
The tourism recovery is also progressing slowly in Los Cabos and La Paz, Baja Califoria Sur (BCS), where the coronavirus lockdown caused the industry to lose an estimated 21 billion pesos (about US $1 billion).
During the shutdown period, international passenger numbers at the Los Cabos International Airport declined 96% and domestic traffic fell 80%, said manager Francisco Villaseñor.
Around 600 mainly domestic and United States tourists are now arriving at the airport each day, compared to just 20 or 30 in April and May, but hotel occupancy levels are still only about 20%.
Lilzi Orcí Fregoso, president of the Los Cabos Hotel Association, acknowledged that the recovery has been slow and difficult – BCS hotels began reopening in the middle of June – but noted optimistically that 20% occupancy is better than zero.
She said that 72 of 84 member hotels have reopened but added they are currently only accepting guests in 7,000 of 17,500 rooms.
Agustín Olachea Nogueda, president of the La Paz Hotel Association, said that occupancy levels are just 17.5% compared to 80% at the same time last year.
Tourists braving the pandemic in Los Cabos, La Paz other BCS destinations now have a wider array of activities in which they can partake after 1,500 tour companies were given the green light to get back to business last week providing walking, diving, snorkeling, kayak and glass-bottom boat tours, among other activities.
Meanwhile, the federal Tourism Ministry last week launched an 11.4-billion-peso (US $507.6-million) loan program for the hotel, travel agency and ground transportation industries to help them through the coronavirus-induced tourism downturn.

Dominican Republic hotel occupancy could exceed 50% at the end of 2020
Hotel occupancy in the country could exceed 50% at the end of the year, although it will depend on the local evolution of the pandemic and the program to open tourist rooms.
This was estimated by the executive vice president of the Association of Hotels and Tourism of the Dominican Republic (Asonahores), Andrés Marranzini, who stated that the key to the recovery of the sector is effective communication of the health actions and protocols that are being implemented in that activity.
Marranzini announced that this month the country will receive more than 900 flights, equivalent to about 20% of the flights the country had before the pandemic “and we expect a gradual recovery, slower than expected.”
“We have been surprised by the demand in the last week, despite having a declared state of emergency. A level of demand continues from the markets that are open,” he highlighted.
Speaking during the virtual panel “SMEs: successful transition to the new normality,” organized by the American Chamber of Commerce of the Dominican Republic (AMCHAMDR), the executive clarified that it will take 18 to 24 months for national tourism to recover to levels hotel occupancy recorded in 2018.
“For the recovery of the sector, we have proposed economic measures to the outgoing and incoming authorities. We have seen that in other countries fiscal and monetary measures have been applied that guarantee to take the industry to what was its moment of glory, which in our case was 2018,” he declared.

The Seychelles announces stopover visitor arrivals fell by 99.5% in June.
The Seychelles Government’s National Bureau of Statistics recently announced that total stopover arrivals decreased by 99.5% in June 2020, from 25,761 arrivals in June 2019 to 140 arrivals in June of this year. This number includes both air and sea stopover visitors. The number of visitors from Germany, the number one market, fell by 100.0%, from 4,087 arrivals in June 2019 to zero arrivals in the same month of 2020.
In the first six months of 2020 The Seychelles saw a 52.4% decrease in total stopover arrivals, falling from 187,108 arrivals in 2019 to 89,147 arrivals this year. Total stopover arrivals from Germany fell by 42.6% from 35,640 in the first six months of 2019 to 20,468 arrivals in the same six months of 2020. The number of cruise visitors decreased by 16.2%, from 23,397 in the first six months of 2019 to 19,609 cruise visitors in the same period of 2020.

Hawaii’s hotels report a 68.3 percentage point drop in average room occupancy in June to reach 15.6%
According to the Hawai‘i Hotel Performance Report published by the Hawai‘i Tourism Authority (HTA), statewide hotel room occupancy fell by 68.3 percentage points from 783.9% in June 2019 to 15.6% in June this year. ADR fell by 42.4% from $280.51 to $161.51 while revpar fell by 89.3%, from $235.44 in June 2019 to $25.28 in June this year.
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 June, the survey included 79 properties representing 19,200 rooms, or 35.8 percent of all lodging properties and 65.3 percent of operating lodging properties with 20 rooms or more in the Hawaiian Islands, including full service, limited service, and condominium hotels
In June, Hawai‘i hotel room revenues statewide fell by 94.2 percent to $22.3 million. Room demand was 89.9 percent lower than the same period last year. Room supply decreased by 45.6 percent year-over-year. Many properties closed or reduced operations starting in April. 
Since March 26, all passengers arriving from out-of-state were required to abide by a mandatory 14-day self-quarantine. The quarantine order was expanded on April 1 to include interisland travelers; the interisland quarantine ended on June 15.
For the first six months of 2020 statewide hotel room occupancy fell by 30.8 percentage points from 80.5% in 2019 to 49.7% in the first six months of 2020. ADR grew by 3.9% from $279.99 in 2019 to $290.80 while revpar fell by 35.9%, from $225.27 in the first six months of 2019 to $144.49 in the first six months of this year.
In the first six months of 2020, Hawai‘i hotel room revenues statewide fell by 50.6% from $2.206 billion in 2019 to $1.091 billion this year. Room demand fell to 3,750,800  room nights, down 52.4% compared to a year ago. Room supply fell by 22.9% and fell to 7,548,700 available room nights.

Belize reports stopover arrivals fell by 99% in June.
According to the Belize Tourism Board, Belize saw a 99.0% decrease in stopover visitor arrivals in June, falling from 42,938 stopovers in June 2019 to an estimated 50 stopovers in June of this year.
During the first 19 days of March foreigners who had been in a European country, China, Hong Kong, Iran, Japan, or South Korea in the previous 30 days were not allowed to enter Belize. On March 20th Belize closed its borders to all visitors.
In the first six months of 2020 Belize has seen a 56.3% decrease in the number of stopover visitors, falling from 284,566 stopover visitors in 2019 to 124,262 stopovers in the first six months of this year.
The number of cruise visitors fell by 100% in June, from 55,012 cruise visitors in June 2019 to zero cruise visitors in June this year.
Through the first six months of 2020 the number of cruise visitors to Belize has fallen by 50.8%, from 697,772 cruise visitors in 2019 to 343,099 cruise visitors this year.

Cancun, Riviera Maya tourism continues to rebound with the arrival of travelers
According to data from the Ministry of Tourism (SECTUR), Cancun showed a positive trend in hotel occupancy during the week of July 6 to 12, obtaining 5.7 percentage points more than the previous week, reaching a 22.5 percent hotel occupancy.
This gradual recovery of productive activities, such as tourism for Quintana Roo, is the result of the commitment and responsibility of those who make up the tourism industry to qualify for the Certification in Health Protection and Prevention in Tourist Facilities.
Governor Carlos Joaquín has been pending state affairs and explained that this certification provides security both for workers and visitors, to advance the plan to recover the economy and the more than 84,000 lost jobs after the closure of more than 97 percent of the hotels due to the pandemic.
There are already more than 6,620 companies from varying tourist branches that have registered on the certification platform, which contributes to the recovery of the economy without neglecting people’s health.
The positive trend in the gradual recovery of tourism, with the latest data provided by Governor Carlos Joaquín is reflected in the current hotel occupancy rate and the resumption of between 130 and 150 daily flights, all within health protocols.
Carlos Joaquín, announced that Cancun and the Mexican Caribbean were the first destinations chosen by the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) to be granted the Global Safety Stamp, precisely because of the sanitary protocols that have been registered and applied by tourism companies to protect tourists.
The figures were announced by Miguel Torruco Marqués, Secretaría de Turismo (SECTUR), who reported that during week 28, from July 06 to 12, Cancun showed a positive trend, obtaining 5.7 percentage points more than the week previous, reaching 22.5 percent hotel occupancy. In his comment Friday, he said that “the preliminary hotel occupancy percentage for week 28, which includes the period from 06 to 12 July 2020, shows an occupancy percentage of 15.6 percent in 12 selected destinations, that is, 4.0 percentage points additional compared to the previous week.”
The Cancun International Airport has already registered more than 150 operations, the highest number since the health crisis began.

Top factors travellers will consider before planning a trip – what hard-hit countries can consider.
New surveys show that tourists are weighing new factors when planning travel, such as how well the virus is being controlled in different localities.
Countries hard-hit by COVID, like those in some parts of Latin America and other regions, will need to take travellers' new concerns into account to build back tourism.
Brand strategies will need to account for travellers’ fears regarding the virus, touting hygiene and safety.
As lockdowns lift and the pandemic slows in many parts of the world, quarantine-weary countries have one question: When can tourists travel again – and where will they chose to go? The answer, like the COVID-19 crisis, will be complex, blending both fact and emotion.
For some countries, such as those in hard-hit parts of Latin America and other areas, it may also depend on an individual country’s ability to control the virus’ spread. Some countries have seen rapid rates of transmission and, in some cases, infections have spread from big cities to small towns. Where countries are planning to reopen to tourists, officials from the World Health Organization have urged countries to reconsider until infections are under control.
Of course, some countries have managed to contain the virus, but these countries will still face barriers to building back their tourism industries given tourists' new reluctance to travel.
As countries navigate their particular challenges, here are some factors to consider:
Understanding travellers’ new needs
A study by Bloom Consulting and D2-Analytics (Data from April 2020) assessed people’s potential behaviours for the coming year by proposing a range of different scenarios for travel. (While this poll was taken in the Spring, the virus continues to bring uncertainty to travellers and will until it is completely eradicated.)
In the first scenario, respondents were told the virus was controlled and has become a part of our lives. Although travel restrictions would not require quarantines when entering chosen destinations, 45% said they still wouldn’t be ready for a leisure trip.
In the second scenario, the virus was nearly eradicated, but a treatment had been developed. Despite access to the medication, 35% polled said they’d stay in.
In the third and last potential scenario, the virus was fully eradicated. In this case, there was no risk of infection from COVID-19 and no restrictions to navigate. Despite these facts, 15% of all tourists polled said they still would not leave their homes for a trip.
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Cruise lines are figuring out passenger capacity and other safety measures
There's disagreement within the cruise industry about whether ships can sail profitably with fewer passengers.
Though it may not have been their intent, airlines have started competing on safety protocols. Delta and JetBlue have blocked out middle seats, while American Airlines announced that it would be walking back its limit on passenger capacity.
In the cruise industry, the conversation about safety is beginning to drift toward what passenger capacity will be when ships are allowed to resume sailing. Unlike airlines, which were never grounded, cruise lines haven’t been able to welcome guests since the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention instituted a No Sail Order in March.
Virgin Voyages—which hasn’t even held its first cruise yet—was among the first brands to lay out its Covid-19 protocols in June, saying it would limit passenger capacity but declining to share exact figures.
Although the company won’t be sailing until at least October, Carnival’s Aida brand, which caters to European audiences and is headquartered in Germany, is expected to set sail the first week of August. Guests will be required to stay 1.5 meters apart (about 5 feet) and will only have to wear a mask when social distancing isn’t possible, and not outdoors or in dining rooms.
Passenger capacity will be “adjusted.”
“We’re going to start slow,” said Arnold Donald, Carnival’s CEO and president, during the brand’s earnings call last week. “Initially, we’ll probably start at less than 50% occupancy as we work out the details.”
The company noted that a ship’s break-even point is somewhere between 30% and 50% capacity. Even with less than half of its normal passenger count, Carnival could still make a “significant” amount of money, according to Donald.
read more/...

CDC extends ban on cruise ships
July 17 2020
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the United States has extended the ‘no sail order’ on cruise ships as a result of the continuing global spread of COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. The original order banning ships from the seas was imposed in March and has been extended for the second time until 30 September. The CDC said that as of 10 July, almost 3,000 cases of COVID-19 or COVID-like illness have been recorded on cruise ships, including 34 deaths.
The CDC said its data revealed 99 different outbreaks on 123 ships, which the experts said meant that 80% of ships within the US jurisdiction have been impacted by the pandemic. Currently, nine have ongoing virus outbreaks on board and much more needs to be done before passengers can return, the CDC said in a press release Thursday.
Read more/...

Nearly 200 people arrested for violating Hawaii’s 14-day mandatory quarantine
Nearly 200 people have been arrested for violating Hawaii's 14-day mandatory quarantine during the Covid-19 pandemic since the state implemented the rule in late March.
According to a release issued Friday by the state's Hawaii Covid-19 Joint Information Center, a total of 182 people have been arrested by state or county law enforcement on Oahu, Kauai, Maui and Hawaii Island. (The figure includes arrests on Oahu made by the attorney general’s office, but the Honolulu Police Department groups statistics on quarantine violations together with violations on all emergency orders.)
“It’s a monumental effort to keep track of everyone who should be in quarantine and it involves a hui of law enforcement agencies, representatives of Hawaii’s visitor industry, state transportation workers, and the community generally,” the release said.
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Cruise Lines Reopening: The Complete List With Dates
As of July 17 2020
Cruise Line Scheduled Reopening Dates:

• AIDA Cruises – August 5th, 2020
• AmaWaterways – September 3rd, 2020
• American Queen Steamboat – August 15th, 2020
• American Cruise Lines – July 22nd, 2020
• Avalon Waterways – July 20th, 2020
• Bahamas Paradise -August 28th, 2020
• Azamara – September 19th, 2020
• Carnival Cruise Line – September 25th, 2020
• Celebrity Cruises – August 1st, 2020
• Celestyal Cruises – Mach 6th, 2021
• Costa Cruises – August 13th, 2020
• Crystal Cruises – October 1st, 2020
• Cunard – November 4th, 2020
• Cruise and Maritime Voyages – August 26th, 2020
• Disney Cruise Line – October 4th, 2020
• Dream Cruises – September 2nd, 2020
• Emerald Waterways – September 5th, 2020
• Fred Olson Cruise Lines – September 1st, 2020
• Holland America Line – September 27th, 2020
• Hurtigruten Cruises – June 16th, 2020
• Jalesh Cruises – September 21st, 2020
• Marella Cruises – August 28th, 2020
• MSC Cruises – August 16th, 2020
• Norwegian Cruise Line – October 1st, 2020
• Oceania Cruises – October 4th, 2020
• Paul Gauguin Cruises – July 29th – 2020
• Ponant – July 18th, 2020
• P&O Cruises – October 16th, 2020
• Princess Cruises – September 19th, 2020
• Regent Seven Seas Cruises – October 4th, 2020
• Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection – April 22nd, 2021
• Royal Caribbean – October 2nd, 2020
• Seabourn – October 14th, 2020
• SeaDream Yacht Club – June 20th, 2020
• Scenic Luxury Cruises – September 15th, 2020
• Silversea Cruises- September 5th, 2020
• Uniworld River Cruises – August 16th, 2020
• Viking Ocean – September 1st,
• Viking River – September 29th, 2020
• Virgin Voyages – October 16th, 2020
• VIVA Cruises July 10th, 2020
• Windstar Cruises –September 9th, 202

Important Reminder: These dates are scheduled reopening dates and can change at anytime. We do NOT recommend traveling against health and government advisories. 
For more information click here

Hotel occupancy in Dominican Republic after reopening is less than 10 percent
July 17th 2020
The reopening of the tourism sector has been partial. Not all hotels opened on July 1, when the closure of borders was canceled to stop the spread of COVID-19, so the occupancy levels of these establishments have been low.
Therefore, the vice president of the National Association of Hotels and Tourism (Asonahores), Andrés Marranzini, said that hotel occupancy was close to 10%.
He explained during an interview in the program “The Morning Sun” that between 50% and 60% of the passengers of the planes that have landed since the reopening are Dominicans who return to the country or who come to visit. The other 40% of passengers are foreign tourists.
It is recalled that in February, a month before the pandemic was declared and the tourism sector had to cease its activities, the occupancy of rooms in hotels was 79.5%, according to data from the Central Bank of the Dominican Republic.


Most Consumers Expect to Book a Leisure Trip Within the Next Six Months
While consumers are still just as likely to take a domestic leisure trip within the next six months as they were at the same time last month, most say they expect to book a leisure trip within the next six months, according to the latest data from MMGY Travel Intelligence.
MMGY released the sixth wave of its Travel Intentions Pulse Survey (TIPS) on Monday July 13th and, while a lot of data from the previous survey remained consistent, there were some important changes in the data.
One finding that is good news for advisors — two-thirds of the 1,200 respondents expect to book a leisure trip within the six months, with 15% of those saying they expect to do so within the next 30 days and 22% saying they expect to do so within the next six months. Only 4% said that they have no leisure travel expectation and 12% said they only expect to book more than 12 months from now.
Travelers who were already hesitant to travel are becoming even more cautious—21% of respondents said they wouldn’t take a leisure trip over the next six months, up from 13% in Wave Five.
Travelers are still much more likely to travel to a destination via car (67%) than any other method of transportation, including by airplane (31% for domestic and 20% for international). Though, overall, more than half of consumers are as likely (29%) or more likely (23%) to travel this fall compared to previous years—48% are less likely, according to the survey.
And, while leisure travel is still struggling, consumers are still more likely to take a leisure trip than they are to travel for business. In the Wave Five survey, 41% expected to take a domestic business trip while 40% expected to take a domestic leisure trip, while Wave Six found business desire drop to 33% and leisure remain the same.
Leisure travel, in fact, has remained essentially unchanged, with 36% to 40% of consumers since March reporting they are likely or extremely likely to take a domestic leisure trip, according to the survey.

Jamaica reports that between June 15th and July 12th it imported 125 new cases of COVID 19 with a Test Positivity Rate of just 0.4%.
The Jamaican Ministry of Health reports that as of Monday July 13th Jamaica has had a total of 759 positive cases of Covid19 of which 241 cases were imported (31.7%). Jamaica re-opened its borders to visitors as of June 15th at which point the country reported a total of 621 cases of which 116 (18.7%) had been imported. Consequently, the country has seen the total number of cases grow by 138 during the 28 days between June 15th and July 12th of which 125 were imported (90.6%).
At the same time the Ministry of Health reported that as of July 12th Jamaica had 101 active cases, down from 181 reported on June 15th.
Between June 15th and July 1 all arriving visitors either had to produce a negative test result or were tested on arrival using RT-PCR equipment. From July 1 onwards Jamaica required a negative test result from a number of high risk US locations and implemented screening of all arriving visitors followed by a RT-PCR test of those visitors deemed high risk.
Many of the imported cases were Jamaican residents returning to Jamaica on flights from the USA with a relatively small number of imported cases being tourists.
Between June 15th and June 29th, it is reported that Jamaica received 14,600 arrivals of which 9,300 were returning residents and 5,300 tourists. During that period Jamaica reported 84 imported positive cases, that is a Test Positivity Rate (TPR) of 0.6%.
A further 20,160 visitors were expected to arrive between June 30 and July 12th. During those 13 days Jamaica reported a further 41 imported cases yielding a TPR of just 0.2%. For the full 28 days between June 15th and July 12th a total of 34,760 visitors arrived, yielding an estimated resultant TPR of 0.4%.

Punta Cana received 126 tourists in June.
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 100% in June, falling from 331,503 arrivals in June 2019 to 126 arrivals in June 2020 consequent upon the closure the Punta Cana airport to all foreign visitors. 89 of these arrivals came from Chile. Stopover arrivals from the USA fell by 100% in June, from 179,322 arrivals in June 2019 to zero arrivals in June 2020.
The Dominican Republic closed its borders to visitors as of March 19th 2020.
During the first six months of 2020 Punta Cana saw a 64.5% decrease in the volume of stopover arrivals, falling from 2,089,992 arrivals in 2019 to 742,097 non-resident arrivals in the first six months of 2020.
Arrivals from the USA fell by 78.9% in the first six months of 2020, falling from 944,841 arrivals in 2019 to 199,551 arrivals in the same six months of 2020. Arrivals from Russia fell by 33.3% in the same period, from 33,665 in 2019 to 22,444 in 2020. Traffic was also down 65.3% from Germany, down 59.8% from Brazil, down 64.6% from Argentina, down 63.0% from the U.K., down 55.2% from France and down 41.9% from Canada.
In the first six months of 2020 stopover arrivals to Punta Cana made up 53.2% of all non-resident arrivals to the Dominican Republic.

The Dominican Republic received 1,021 non-resident visitors in June as its borders remained closed.
According to the Central Bank of the Dominican Republic, the Dominican Republic saw the volume of non-resident stopover arrivals decrease by 99.8% in June, falling from 587,143 non-resident arrivals in June 2019 to 1,021 arrivals in June 2020. Stopover arrivals from the USA fell by 100%, from 270,102 arrivals in June 2019 to 167 arrivals in June 2020. 
The Dominican Republic closed its borders to visitors as of March 19th 2020.
In the first six months of 2020 the Dominican Republic saw a 61.0% decrease in the volume of stopover arrivals, falling from 3,575,298 arrivals in 2019 to 1,394,086 non-resident arrivals in 2020. Non-resident arrivals from the USA decreased by 74.3% in the first six months of 2020, falling from 1,383,742 arrivals in 2019 to 355,440 arrivals in 2020.

Mauritius announces stopover visitor arrivals fell by 100% in June as its borders remained closed.
The Mauritius Government’s Ministry of Finance and Economic Development recently announced that total stopover arrivals fell by 100% in June 2020, from 92,398 arrivals in June 2019 to 9 arrivals in June of this year. This number includes both air and sea stopover visitors. The number of visitors from France, the number one market, decreased by 100%, from 11,721 arrivals in June 2019 to 6 in the same month of 2020.
Mauritius closed its border to all international visitors indefinitely as of March 19th 2020.
In the first six months of 2020 Mauritius saw a 53.1% decrease in total stopover arrivals, falling from 650,082 arrivals in 2019 to 304,881 arrivals this year. Total stopover arrivals from France fell by 45.5% from 144,189 arrivals in the first six months of 2019 to 78,644 arrivals in the same six months of 2020.

Hawaii Governor Delays Plan To Reopen To Tourists
All travelers — visitors as well as residents — will not be able to bypass quarantine with a negative test result until September.
With COVID-19 cases surging in key Hawaii travel markets and supplies of COVID-19 testing material under stress, Gov. David Ige on Monday said he would push back until Sept. 1 a planned date for opening Hawaii to travelers from outside the state.
A previously announced plan to let visitors bypass a 14-day quarantine was supposed to go into effect Aug. 1.
That plan would let travelers skip the quarantine if they tested negative for the virus 72 hours before leaving their point of origin for Hawaii. But on Monday, after meeting with island mayors for several days, Ige said the state was not ready.
“This decision comes after much, much discussion,” Ige said. “This was not an easy decision to make. It really was a choice between two difficult options.”
The announcement comes as Hawaii faces an economic crisis as one of its biggest industries remains virtually shut down. Before the COVID-19 crisis, as recently as January, Hawaii’s hotels and restaurants accounted for slightly more than 114,000 jobs, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
As of May, employment in the industries had dropped by 59% to about 45,200. That did not count thousands of additional jobs in retail firms that cater to tourists.
Overall, approximately 148,000 people statewide were unemployed as of May, according to the bureau. And that has changed little in recent weeks as Hawaii’s local economy has opened up more.
During a Monday meeting of the House Select Committee on COVID-19 Economic and Financial Preparedness, Carl Bonham, executive director of the University of Hawaii Economic Research Organization, said that unemployment claims remained at about 125,000, according to the most recent available data.
Ige made a rare appearance during the meeting, which was held by Zoom, in which he said he planned to extend the quarantine through August. That announcement was hardly unexpected, as the plan to reopen to tourists has relied on the quarantine to be in place, and for the tests to allow an exception to the quarantine.
The real news came later, when Ige said he would delay the plan to create an exception for people — residents returning home as well as visiting tourists — who were tested.
Ige said he and the mayors had made the decision with protecting residents in mind.
“This will make our economic recovery more challenging,” he said. “But as I have always said, your health and safety comes first.”
The Situation For Businesses Is ‘Dire’
Tourism businesses and other small firms have been struggling for months and had hailed the Aug. 1 reopening as something that could at least partially save the summer – and perhaps their businesses. The changed plan was clearly a setback.
“Now, these plans are on hold and local businesses are left holding the bag,” said Sherry Menor-McNamara, president and chief executive of the Hawaii Chamber of Commerce. “We understand the need to put safety first, but the situation for many local businesses grows more dire by the day.”
She called on state and country leaders to provide relief to businesses.
“Businesses are doing their part to enforce safety measures to stop the spread of COVID-19,” she said. “They should be able to count on government to set a clear path forward toward economic stabilization and recovery.”
Chris Tatum, president and chief executive of the Hawaii Tourism Authority, a state agency, was more measured.
“We want to welcome back our visitors once our state is ready to do so in a safe manner that will hopefully avoid the need to backtrack in the future. Once we receive details on the process and requirements from the Department of Transportation and the DOH, we will share that information with the visitor industry.”
Ige attributed the decision to a combination of trends: surges in cases in major markets like California and Nevada, a disruption of supply chains for special chemicals needed for COVID-19 tests and a surge in cases in Hawaii. Over the weekend, Hawaii recorded 63 new cases, including a one-day record of 42 on Saturday, said Bruce Anderson, the state’s health department director.
Anderson said the rise in cases seems to be the result of people not wearing masks and not engaging in physical distancing – or staying at least 6 feet apart – during social and business gatherings.
The original Aug. 1 date for implementing the testing plan was set to roughly coincide with reopening Hawaii’s public schools on Aug. 4. Ige said schools are still on track to reopen on that date.

The Maldives reports zero visitor arrivals in May 2020 as a result of the continued closure of its borders.
The Maldives Government’s Ministry of Tourism recently announced that total tourist arrivals fell by 100% in May 2020, from 103,022 arrivals received in May 2019 to zero arrivals in May of this year as a result of the closure of the country’s borders as of March 27th.
The Government of the Maldives prohibited visitors from China effective February 4, from Iran as of February 26, from South Korea as of March 3, from Italy as of March 8, from Germany, Spain and France as of March 15, from Malaysia as of March 17, from the United Kingdom as of March 19, from Sri Lanka as of March 21 and from Bangladesh as of March 24. As of March 27, all foreign nationals were prohibited entry to The Maldives.
In the first five months of 2020 The Maldives saw a 48.9% decrease in total arrivals, falling from 749,114 in 2019 to 382,760 this year.
The Maldives has seen the overall number of accommodation establishments in operation fall by 96.3% from 861 in May 2019 to 32 establishments this May. The number of beds fell by 86.9% from 47,196 last May to 6,188 this year. Through the end of May overall average room occupancy has fallen by 32.9 percentage points from 69.3% in 2019 to 36.4% for the first five months of this year.
Of the 32 establishments in operation 30 were resorts which offered 6,058 beds (98.0% of the overall number of beds). These resorts achieved a 41.7% average room occupancy through the first five months of 2020 down from 80.6% for the first five months of 2019. In May 2019 there were 145 resorts in operation offering 33,352 beds.  

Dominican Republic hotels reopen at snails’ pace
Just 38 of the more than 300 hotels members of the National Hotels and Tourism Association (Asonahores) have opened their doors to date; that entity said.
Another 26 have announced that they plan to do it during July, seven plan to do it in August, four in September, four in October, 15 in November and one in December.
This indicates that between now and December only 95 hotels, that is, a third of the entity’s total, would be providing services.
The rest would remain closed, thus keeping thousands of workers unemployed and generating less income for the local economy.
 
Abinader wins the Dominican Republic presidency: will he be able to fulfill his ambitious tourism plan?
Luis Abinader, candidate of the Modern Revolutionary Party ( PRM ) in this Sunday’s elections, will be the next president of the Dominican Republic, with nearly 40% of the votes counted. Abinader had reached almost 53% of the votes, which led to his main opponents to recognize his victory.
With his triumph, Abinader will now have the opportunity to launch his ambitious tourism plan that includes, among other things, the installation of a large convention center in Santo Domingo, and two theme parks in the style of Disney or Universal Studios, which in his opinion would change the tourist profile of the country.
Abinader, who is the first Latin American president elected in the time of the Covid-19 pandemic and – symptomatically for these times – the first president in the region to take office after falling ill with coronavirus, has also pledged to work on a comprehensive plan. to diversify the country’s tourism offer, attract investments and new business models, add 25 thousand hotel rooms and create 100,000 jobs in the sector.
At the time of making his proposals for the development of tourism known, the political leader explained that he plans to consolidate the second stage of the program to promote tourism in the Colonial City of Santo Domingo, improve tourist security, advance territorial and urban planning of the tourist poles and draw up special plans to strengthen health tourism and real estate tourism and support the development of the country as a gastronomic destination.
It will also promote special projects to relaunch the tourist destinations of Puerto Plata, Juan Dolio, and Samaná, efforts that would involve the leading participation of the private sector and the communities of those sun and beach poles.
In the specific case of Puerto Plata, it promised to work in construction, in a public-private alliance, on the highway that would connect it to the Santiago airport in just 30 minutes, also impacting all destinations in the north of the country.
Regarding the Eastern Region of the country, the main tourist development area of ​​the Dominican Republic, Abinader said that he will consult with the fundamental leadership of that demarcation to establish the investment priorities and the necessary public policies to strengthen the growth and sustainability of the main Caribbean tourist destination. He argued that the tourism leadership of Punta Cana has been an example of entrepreneurship, self-management, and creativity that must be taken into account to define the development management strategies of this important enclave.

A projection made by the independent organization Climate Central shows how rising sea levels could dramatically change Aruba’s geography.
Global warming has raised global sea level about 8 inches since 1880, and the rate of rise is accelerating. Rising seas dramatically increase the odds of damaging floods from storm surges. A Climate Central analysis finds the odds of “century” or worse floods occurring by 2030 are on track to double or more, over widespread areas of the U.S.
These increases threaten an enormous amount of damage. Across the country, nearly 5 million people live in 2.6 million homes at less than 4 feet above high tide — a level lower than the century flood line for most locations analyzed. And compounding this risk, scientists expect roughly 2 to 7 more feet of sea level rise this century — a lot depending upon how much more heat-trapping pollution humanity puts into the sky.
EXPLORESearch or navigate our interactive tools above to see maps of areas below different amounts of sea level rise and flooding, down to neighborhood scale, matched with area timelines of risk. The tool also provides statistics of population, homes and land affected by city, county and state, plus links to factsheets, data downloads, action plans, embeddable widgets, and more.
sealevel.climatecentral.org/news/new-coastal-risk-screening-tool-supports-sea-level-rise-and-flood-mapping-b/

For Aruba click here.
https://coastal.climatecentral.org/map/12/-69.9673/12.5184/?theme=water_level&map_type=water_level_above_mhhw&contiguous=true&elevation_model=best_available&water_level=9.5&water_unit=m

Climate Central sea-level maps are based on peer-reviewed science in leading journals. The maps should be regarded as screening tools to identify places that may require deeper investigation of risk. Big datasets always include error. Outside of the United States, maps are based on global-scale datasets for elevation, tides, and coastal flood likelihoods. Inside the U.S., more accurate but still imperfect data are used.
Areas lower than the selected water level and with an unobstructed path to the ocean are shaded red. By default, areas below the water level but that appear to be protected by ridges (and in the U.S., levees) are not shaded.
Our approach makes it easy to map any scenario quickly and reflects threats from permanent future sea-level rise well. However, the accuracy of these maps drops when assessing risks from extreme flood events. Our maps are not based on physical storm and flood simulations and do not take into account factors such as erosion, future changes in the frequency or intensity of storms, inland flooding, or contributions from rainfall or rivers.
Each map provides more detailed and map-specific documentation via the small ⓘ information icons scattered throughout the interface, including behind the Settings section.
Definitions
“Tideline” is used to denote the recent historical average of the highest daily local tide level or, technically, the mean higher high water (MHHW) line. Within the United States, NOAA’s VDatum tool is used for MHHW values; elsewhere, modeled tidal increments are added to recent historical average sea surface heights measured by satellite.
Source: https://coastal.climatecentral.org/

Cancun saw a 96.8% decrease in international air passenger movements in June.
According to ASUR, which manages many of Mexico’s airports, Cancun Airport saw a 96.8% decrease in international passenger movements in June 2020, falling from 1,400,407 movements in June 2019 to 44,418 movements in June 2020. Domestic passenger movements fell by 83.2%, from 781,998 passenger movements in June 2019 to 131,001 movements in June 2020.
June saw international passenger movements increase by 37,063 (+504%)  compared with May, moving from 7,355 movements in May to 44,418 in June, while domestic passenger movements increased by 89,746 (+217%) moving from 41,255 in May to 131,001 in June.
In the first six months of 2020 the volume of international air passenger movements  decreased by 53.2%, falling from 8,995,341 movements in 2019 to 4,209,900 movements in 2020 while the volume of domestic air passenger movements fell by 51.8%, from 4,219,050 movements in the first six months of 2019 to 2,033,084 in the same six months of 2020.

San Juan, Puerto Rico (SJU) saw a 75.9% decrease in air passenger movements in June.
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 75.9% decrease in passenger movements in June 2020, falling from 888,007 movements in June 2019 to 214,008 movements in June 2020.
June saw passenger movements increase by 134,102 (+168%) compared with May moving from 79,906 movements in May to 214,008 in June.
In the first six months of 2020 the overall volume of air passenger movements decreased by 46.1%, from 4,717,808 in 2019 to 2,542,116 in 2020.

Los Cabos saw a 92.8% decline in international air traffic movements in June.
According to Aeroportuario del Pacifico , which manages many of Mexico’s airports, Los Cabos Airport saw a 92.8% decline in international passenger traffic in June 2020, that is enplanements and deplanements, falling from 317,300 international passenger movements in June 2019 to 22,700 international passenger movements in June 2020. Domestic traffic declined by 78.4%, falling from 168,000 passenger movements in June 2019 to 36,300 passenger movements in June 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. These measures were extended until June 30 2020.
In the first six months of 2020 the volume of international air traffic decreased by 51.7%, falling from 2,019,300 international passenger movements in 2019 to 975,200 in the first six months of 2020 while the volume of domestic air traffic fell by 45.9%, from 885,500 movements in 2019 to 478,800 in the first six months of 2020.

List of Caribbean countries exempt from quarantine in England.
Arrivals are exempt from quarantine if they arrive in England from:
Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, The Bahamas, Barbados, Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba, Curaçao, Dominica, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Jamaica, St Barthélemy, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, Trinidad and Tobago. All 14 British Overseas Territories, including Anguilla, Bermuda, The British Virgin islands, The Cayman Islands,  Montserrat and The Turks and Caicos Islands, are also exempt. Visitors from Cuba, The Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico and the USVI are not exempt.
 
Dominican Republic resorts reopen by a trickle
After the end of the national emergency which was in effect for more than 100 days to prevent the spread of COVID-19, only 23 of the country’s 101 major resorts  reopened their doors on July 1.
According to the listings managed by tour operators, the region of the country with the largest opening of hotels for July will be Punta Cana-Bávaro, which will end the month with 27 hotels open, and in August reopen nine more.
As part of a gradual return to operations, it will be next November when the Eastern region will have some 50 hotels open. Samaná will be closed until November.
According to the listings, there will not be many options to stay until November, a month prior to the start of Dominican tourism’s high season, when at least five hotel properties resume operations.
In Puerto Plata activities will also be restarted progressively. Figures from tourist agencies indicate a gradual return of activities as more facilities reopen in November.
 
The European Union Releases Guidance for Resumption of Cruising
This week, the European Union's Healthy Gateways working group released interim advice for the resumption of cruise ship operations. The guidance is not binding and is subject to change as the pandemic progresses, but it is based on European Commission guidelines for the travel industry.
The group's recommendations are comprehensive, covering everything from voyage planning and infection prevention through public health response measures. They include:
- A gradual overall approach to restarting operations, with shorter voyages of 3-7 days and a limited number of port calls;
- A written outbreak management and contingency plan;
- Prior arrangements with ports of call for medical treatment, ambulance transport, quarantine, air evacuation and other services that might be required in the event of an onboard outbreak; 
- Ensuring availability of access to repatriation flights in the event of a partial or complete ship evacuation. This would include at least one port on the itinerary with international flight service allowing passengers and crew to go home - a significant challenge in recent months;
- Pre-approved onshore quarantine arrangements for known close contacts of COVID-positive individuals; 
- Shoreside isolation arrangements and facilities for people who test positive but do not have symptoms; 
- Adequate testing capacity, either on board or by arrangement with a shoreside lab;
- Pre-departure lab testing for all crewmembers, followed by routine health monitoring and periodic surveillance testing;
- Regular tabletop exercises with cruise ship crews for contingency drills;
- Formal assurances and procedures for informing the next port of call about an onboard outbreak;
- Reducing capacity to allow for social distancing, including an allowance in berthing capacity to isolate individuals in single cabins;
- Reduced face-to-face contact between passengers and staff, including altered arrangements for booking and reception;
- Universal use of face masks in indoor areas by both passengers and crew;
- Continuous ventilation of all occupied spaces;
- Physical distancing of 1.5 meters in most indoor spaces and entertainment venues;
- and limits on the usage of pools and hot tubs, including the closure of indoor pools.
The guidelines recommend preboarding screening measures, but they note that "screening measures may not identify mild symptoms, asymptomatic, incubating travellers or those concealing symptoms," indicating that screening is one tool among many required for a successful reopening. 
read more/...

International air arrivals to Mexico fell by 98.0% in May.
According to the Government of Mexico’s SECTUR (Department of Tourism) the volume of international air arrivals to Mexico fell by 98.0% in May 2020 from 1,493,108 in May 2019 to 30,412 in May 2020. The volume of air arrivals from the USA fell by 97.3% in May, from 870,481 in May 2019 to 23,269 in May of this year, with the volume from Canada falling by 99.5%, from 112,305 in May 2019 to 612 this year.
Cancun Airport saw a 99.7% decrease in international air arrivals in May 2020, falling from 631,620 arrivals in May 2019 to 1,676 arrivals in May 2020, while Los Cabos saw a 99.1% decrease falling from 145,836 international arrivals in May 2019 to 1,300 international air arrivals in May 2020. Puerto Vallarta saw a 98.0% decrease, falling from 92,235 international arrivals in May 2019 to 1,827 in May 2020.
In the first five months of 2020 the volume of international air arrivals to Mexico fell by 45.8%, from 8,481,115 in 2019 to 4,594,443 in the first five months of this year. The volume of air arrivals from the USA fell by 46.7% in the same five months, from 4,515,675 in 2019 to 2,405,300 in 2020 while the volume from Canada fell by 35.5%, from 1,372,421 in 2019 to 884,614 in 2020.
Cancun Airport saw a 47.2% decrease in international air arrivals in the first five months of 2020, falling from 3,610,507 in 2019 to 1,907,317 in 2020 while Los Cabos saw a 46.1% decrease falling from 817,780 international air arrivals to 440,528 air arrivals in 2020. Puerto Vallarta saw a 40.3% decrease, falling from 820,101 international arrivals in 2019 to 489,959 n the first five months of 2020.

Las Vegas saw a 95.9% decrease in visitors in May.
According to the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority Las Vegas saw the volume of visitors decrease by 95.9% in May 2020, falling from 3,691,100 visitors in May 2019 to 151,300 arrivals in May 2020.
Las Vegas had 148,755 hotel rooms in May 2020 (up 0.2% compared with May 2019) and achieved an average city-wide room occupancy of 2.8% (down 88.0 percentage points compared with May 2019), an ADR of $60.70 (down 56.8% compared with May 2019) and a RevPar of $1.70 down 98.7% also compared with May 2019.
Through the first five months of 2020 Las Vegas saw a 50.6% decrease in the volume of visitors, falling from 17,532,100 arrivals in the first five months of 2019 to 8,667,700 visitors in the same five months of 2020.
Las Vegas achieved an average city-wide room occupancy of 43.1% in the first five months of 2020 (down 45.8 percentage points compared with the first five months of 2019), an ADR of $141.55 (up 2.4% compared with the same five months of 2019) and a RevPar of $61.01, down 50.4%, also compared with the same five months of 2019.
Gaming revenue fell by 44.9% from $4.280 billion in the first five months of 2019 to $2.358 billion in the same five months of 2020.

Cuba announces total visitor arrivals fell by 99.7% in May.
The Cuban Government’s Office of National Statistics and Information (ONEI) recently announced that total tourist arrivals fell by 99.7% in May 2020, from 358,321 arrivals in May 2019 to 993 arrivals in May of this year. This number includes both stopover visitors and cruise visitors.
Cuba closed its borders to international visitors as of March 24th 2020.
The number of visitors from the USA fell by 100.0%, from 78,002 arrivals in May 2019 to zero in the same month of 2020 (Note: this would include cruise visitors). The number of visitors from the number one market, Canada, also fell by 100%, from 57,967 arrivals in May 2019 to zero this May.
In the first five months of 2020 Cuba saw a 57.0% decrease in total arrivals, falling from 2,286,882 arrivals in 2019 to 984,178 this year. Total tourist arrivals from the USA, which comprised 5.1% of all arrivals, fell by 84.9% from 335,408 in 2019 to 50,528 in the first five months of 2020. Arrivals from Canada, which comprised 41.0% of all tourist arrivals, fell by 40.9%, from 682,458 arrivals in 2019 to 403,620 in the first five months of 2020.

Costa Rica saw a 98.2% drop in stopover arrivals in May.
According to the Costa Rica Institute of Tourism ICT, Costa Rica saw the volume of stopovers drop by 98.2% in May 2020, falling from 211,598 stopovers in May 2019 to 3,803 stopovers in 2020. The number of stopovers from the USA fell by 99.7% in May 2020, falling from 99,540 stopovers in May 2019 to 285 in May 2020 while the number from Central America declined by 93.1%, from 47,984 in May 2019 to 3,326 in May 2020.
After declaring a state of emergency, Costa Rica closed all borders to foreigners on April 18th 2020.
The volume of stopovers decreased by 40.8% in the first five months of 2020, falling from 1,477,267 stopovers in 2019 to 874,812 stopovers in first five months of 2020. The number of stopovers from the USA dropped by 43.3% in the first five months of 2020, from 628,253 stopovers in 2019 to 356,084 in 2020 while the number from Central America declined by 40.9%, falling from 311,041 in the first five months of 2019 to 183,696 in the same five months of 2020. 

Hawaii saw a 98.9% decline in air arrivals in May.
According to the Hawaii Tourism Authority, Hawaii saw the volume of air arrivals decrease by 98.9% in May 2020, falling from 830,038 arrivals in May 2019 to 9,116 arrivals in May 2020.
The state of Hawaii imposed a mandatory 14-day self-quarantine for incoming out of state visitors on March 26th , which was extended on April 1 to include inter-island travelers. Neither quarantine is slated to end before June 30.
Air arrivals from the USA fell by 98.5%, from 583,876 in May 2019 to 8,489 in May 2020, fell by 100.0% from Japan (from 113,218 arrivals in May 2019 to 14 air arrivals in May 2020). Air arrivals fell by 99.9% from Canada (from 25,794 to 20 air arrivals).
Through the first five months of 2020 Hawaii saw a 49.3% decrease in the volume of air arrivals, falling from 4,164,120 arrivals in the first five months of 2019 to 2,109,375 air arrivals in the same five months of 2020. Air arrivals from the USA decreased by 47.6% in the first five months of 2020, falling from 2,741,415 air arrivals in 2019 to 1,435,925 air arrivals in the same five months of 2020, fell by 51.6% from Japan (from 607,656 arrivals in 2019 to 294,255 air arrivals in 2020) and fell by 46.5% from Canada (from 291,009 in 2019 to 155,764 air arrivals in 2020).
The Hawaii Tourist Authority was unable to collect any visitor expenditure data during May 2020.

The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index Increased in June
30 June. 2020
The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index® increased in June, after virtually no change in May. The Index now stands at 98.1 (1985=100), up from 85.9 in May. The Present Situation Index – based on consumers’ assessment of current business and labor market conditions – improved from 68.4 to 86.2. The Expectations Index – based on consumers’ short-term outlook for income, business, and labor market conditions – increased from 97.6 in May to 106.0 this month.
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 June 18.
“Consumer Confidence partially rebounded in June but remains well below pre-pandemic levels,” said Lynn Franco, Senior Director of Economic Indicators at The Conference Board. “The re-opening of the economy and relative improvement in unemployment claims helped improve consumers’ assessment of current conditions, but the Present Situation Index suggests that economic conditions remain weak. Looking ahead, consumers are less pessimistic about the short-term outlook, but do not foresee a significant pickup in economic activity. Faced with an uncertain and uneven path to recovery, and a potential COVID-19 resurgence, it’s too soon to say that consumers have turned the corner and are ready to begin spending at pre-pandemic levels.”
Consumers’ appraisal of current conditions improved in June. The percentage of consumers claiming business conditions are “good” rose from 16.4 percent to 17.4 percent, while those claiming business conditions are “bad” decreased from 51.2 percent to 43.2 percent. Consumers’ assessment of the job market was also more favorable. The percentage of consumers saying jobs are “plentiful” increased from 16.5 percent to 20.8 percent, while those claiming jobs are “hard to get” decreased from 29.2 percent to 23.8 percent.
Consumers’ short-term outlook was less pessimistic in June. The percentage of consumers expecting business conditions will improve over the next six months was virtually unchanged at 42.6 percent, while those expecting business conditions will worsen decreased from 20.5 percent to 15.3 percent. Consumers’ outlook for the labor market was mixed. The proportion expecting more jobs in the months ahead declined from 39.5 percent to 38.4 percent, however those anticipating fewer jobs in the months ahead also decreased, from 19.9 percent to 14.2 percent. Regarding their short-term income prospects, the percentage of consumers expecting an increase improved from 14.6 percent to 15.1 percent, while the proportion expecting a decrease declined from 15.4 percent to 14.4 percent.

LIAT to be liquidated and new airline formed – PM of Antigua, Gaston Browne
“From all indication, LIAT will be liquidated,” Prime Minister Gaston Browne has just announced.
The Prime Minister said there will be a meeting of all shareholders shortly to discuss collapsing LIAT.
A new entity will be formed.
“COVID would have actually, let’s say increased the losses exponentially, so whereas in all of 2019 LIAT made a loss of about EC$12 million, that was within the means of the shareholder governments to subsidize,” Browne said on local radio in Antigua.
“You would have found that since COVID, the planes have been grounded, they have to pay the lease payments and they are not getting any revenue.
“A decision will have to be made to collapse it and then maybe the countries within the region will have to come together to form a new entity,” Browne added.
The Antigua and Barbuda leader says he cannot see the region moving forward without a form of connectivity and you cannot have an integration movement if people cannot connect.
read more/...

Airline recovery will be ‘slow and shallow’
Consumers have grown more cautious about flying, making the return of air travel “slow and shallow”, according to airline association IATA.
A majority of air travellers will wait six months or longer before taking a flight, research by IATA suggests.
Brian Pearce, IATA chief economist, warned: “We are going to see a relatively slow and shallow return of air travel until we see either a vaccine or easily available tests.
“Consumers have grown more cautious in the last month. A majority say they are going to wait six months or more.”
Speaking on a World Aviation Festival webcast, Pearce said: “Consumers have also changed their booking behaviour which makes it difficult for airline network planners. They are booking much, much later.”
Pearce noted airline capacity in China, Vietnam and South Korea “is about 25% below where it was last year, at least in terms of flights” and said: “We’ve passed the low point [of the crisis].
“There are some positive signs. Business confidence rebounded to some extent in May. We are starting to see some bilateral arrangements of travel bubbles and travel corridors.”
But he said: “We are nowhere near over the first wave of the virus and it’s quite possible we could see a second wave.
“The fear of governments and health authorities is of importing Covid-19.”
Pearce insisted: “First and foremost this is a health crisis [and] the future of air travel is going to depend on what happens to the Covid-19 virus and on governments’ response.
“We are not going to see the sort of recovery we have seen after previous pandemics. It’s going to be some time before we see a widespread opening of borders.”
IATA does not expect a recovery to 2019 levels before 2023 and Pearce said “a second wave could lead to another quarter of lockdown and mean we will not see a return to 2019 levels until 2024”.
He warned: “It is going to be particularly difficult for long-haul travel. Bookings are very low and late. Visibility is almost zero. Cargo is the only bright spot.
“We will see countries negotiate bilateral agreements with their neighbours.”
He added: “There is a risk city-pair connections may not fully recover. Probably more than 90% of city pairs around the world are connected via hubs, but so many feeder markets remain closed.
“We forecast the number of connected city pairs around the world will probably be 25% lower than it was. Airlines are going to be a lot smaller.”

The Maldives announces visitor arrivals fell to zero in April 2020 as a result of the closure of its borders.
The Maldives Government’s Ministry of Tourism recently announced that total tourist arrivals fell by 100% in April 2020, from 163,114 arrivals received in April 2019 to zero arrivals in April of this year as a result of the closure of the country’s borders as of March 27th.
The Government of the Maldives prohibited visitors from China effective February 4, from Iran as of February 26, from South Korea as of March 3, from Italy as of March 8, from Germany, Spain and France as of March 15, from Malaysia as of March 17, from the United Kingdom as of March 19, from Sri Lanka as of March 21 and from Bangladesh as of March 24. As of March 27, all foreign nationals were prohibited entry to The Maldives.
In the first four months of 2020 The Maldives saw a 40.8% decrease in total arrivals, falling from 646,092 in 2019 to 382,760 this year.
The Maldives has seen the overall number of accommodation establishments in operation fell by 94.1% from 856 in April 2019 to 50 establishments this April. The number of beds fell by 78.3% from 45,936 last April to  9,976 this year. Through the end of April overall average room occupancy has fallen by 29.7 percentage points from 74.3% in 2019 to 44.6% this year.
Of the 50 establishments in operation 40 were resorts which offered 9,350 beds (93.7% of the overall number of beds). These resorts achieved a 51.2% average room occupancy through the first four months of 2020 down from 86.7% for the first four months of 2019. In April 2019 there were 142 resorts in operation offering 32,118 beds.  

Hawaii’s hotels report a 64.9 percentage point drop in average room occupancy in May to reach 14.2%.
According to the Hawai‘i Hotel Performance Report published by the Hawai‘i Tourism Authority (HTA), statewide hotel room occupancy fell by 64.9 percentage points from 79.0% in May 2019 to 14.2% in May this year. ADR fell by 50.4% from $255.47 to $1126.72 while revpar fell by 91.1%, from $201.91 in May 2019 to $17.95 in May this year.
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 May, the survey included 81 properties representing 18,306 rooms, or 34.1 percent of all lodging properties and 66.3 percent of operating lodging properties with 20 rooms or more in the Hawaiian Islands, including full service, limited service, and condominium hotels.
In May, Hawai‘i hotel room revenues statewide fell by 95.5 percent to $15.4 million. Room supply was 48.9% lower than in May 2019 (819,800 room nights) and room demand dropped by 90.8% to 121,300 room nights. Many properties closed or reduced operations starting in April 2020.
Since March 26, all passengers arriving from out-of-state were required to abide by a mandatory 14-day self-quarantine. The quarantine order was expanded on April 1 to include inter-island travelers.
For the first five months of 2020 statewide hotel room occupancy fell by 25.2 percentage points from 79.8% in 2019 to 54.6% in the first five months of 2020. ADR grew by 5.7% from $279.88 in 2019 to $295.76 while revpar fell by 27.7%, from $223.25 in the first five months of 2019 to $161.36 in the first five months of this year.
In the first five months of 2020, Hawai‘i hotel room revenues statewide fell by 41.4% from $1.824 billion in 2019 to $1.068 billion this year. Room demand fell to 3,612,500  room nights, down 44.6% compared to a year ago. Room supply fell by 19.0% and fell to 6,621,700 available room nights.

Curacao gradually opening its borders on July 1, 2020
WILLEMSTAD - July 1st, 2020 is official. Curaçao is ready to welcome back its first visitors from the European market.  Opening the borders and implementing safety & hygiene procedures does not mean that we have overcome this economic crisis or that business as usual is back. It’s the first step to regain our strength and build up our tourism industry.
CHATA predicts a hotel performance of 20-25% for the tourism industry for summer (July/Aug) 2020. The year to date (January 2020 -May 2020) occupancy for Curacao is 37.6%. Compared to the same period of 2019, this is considered a decrease of 50.5%; from 75.9% in 2019 to 37.6% in 2020. Year to date figures indicate an ADR of $136.54. Compared to 2019, this is a decrease of 21%; from $172.78 to $136.54. When it comes to the RevPAR, the year to date numbers have also shown a decline compared to 2019. The year to date RevPAR in 2019 was $132.24 and in 2020 it decreased with 46.9% to $70.33.
Furthermore, considering the quarantine hotels, occupancy in the month of May was 3.8%, compared to the same month in 2019 (64.9%), this is a decline of 94.1%. Regarding the ADR in May, it was $116.28, compared to the same month in 2019, this is a decrease of 16%, from $138.49 to $116.28. The RevPar in the month of May in 2020 was $4.37, which is a decrease of 95.1% compared to the RevPar of the same month in 2019, which was $89.85.
This significant decrease in year to date hotel performance is unfortunately a result of the global pandemic measures taken to prevent the spreading of COVID-19. It should also be noted that for the month of April, Curacao’s hotels were completely closed.
Earlier this year, CHATA predicted that it would take roughly 2-3 years for the tourism industry to reach the numbers that were achieved in 2019. “The gradual reopening of the borders will be contributing to the recovery of the industry. We expect that 45% of our room inventory on island will open up its business to focus on the European market. Hence the importance not to stand still but to continue to evaluate the opportunity to move forward with important secondary markets such as the North American and South American market. Tourism is known to be resilient, we are confident that with the right approach and mindset we can be too,” shares CHATA President and CEO, Miles Mercera.
With the limited hotel inventory being operational, a destination hotel occupancy of 50% is expected to be reached by the end of this year. CHATA hopes that the government will continue to support the industry with the NOW program after July 1st, 2020 as the financial crisis is still real for a majority of the business owners and employees despite the gradual opening of the borders.

Bermuda Tourism Authority report points to grim outlook for tourism.
Air arrivals for the second half of 2020 are expected to be one third of what they were last year, while hotel occupancy is expected to average about 25 per cent for the next six months.
The statistics, which portray a grim outlook for tourism, appear in the Bermuda Tourism Authority’s flights demand update, dated June 15, which was circulated among hoteliers.
LF Wade International Airport will reopen next week, after the island moves into Phase 4.
The report has dismal expectations for July, when only 35 commercial flights are expected.
The total number of commercial airline seats available for next month is estimated at about 4,500. That number takes social-distancing measures on aircraft into account and represents a 92 per cent fall in airlift from the same month last year.
The BTA forecasts hotel occupancy in July at between 0 per cent and 10 per cent, compared with more than 84 per cent in 2019.
In August, things are forecast to pick up a little, with air arrivals of between 11,500 and 13,100 reaching more than one third of last year’s total of 33,188, translating into an estimated hotel occupancy rate of between 33 per cent and 37 per cent, compared with 79 per cent last year.
Air Canada’s flight from Toronto is scheduled to be the first flight to arrive next month on July 2.
Pascal Déry, a spokesman for Air Canada, confirmed yesterday: “We do plan to operate once a week from Toronto starting July 2. We might also increase frequencies for the month of August.”
The only flight coming to the island from the US next month is Delta Air Lines’ daily Atlanta service from July 6.
The only other airline coming to the island in July is British Airways, which resumes its flights from Gatwick on July 17, twice a week on Mondays and Fridays.
One airline that does not appear on the July schedule is American Airlines.
Laura Masvidal, a spokeswoman for American, said yesterday: “We are currently planning to resume our operation in Bermuda on August 5 with one daily flight from New York, JFK.”
That will be a morning flight, arriving in Bermuda at 11.44am.
She added that the airline planned to resume its Miami-Bermuda service in October.
The International Air Transport Association does not expect passenger air travel to return to 2019 levels until 2023.
Credit rating agency Moody’s said yesterday that it expected small-island economies, including Bermuda, to be impacted by a steep drop-off in tourism this year, with continuing soft demand next year.
David Rogovic, Moody’s vice-president, said: “We expect tourist arrivals to decline between 35 per cent and 50 per cent for most sovereigns, followed by only a partial recovery in 2021.”
While Moody’s expected Bermuda would be less impacted than many islands that are more dependent on tourism, the rating agency estimated that a 50 per cent drop in visitor numbers over a year would have a negative 5 per cent impact on the island’s gross domestic product.

Seychelles to re-open borders to low-, medium- risk COVID countries on Aug. 1
Seychelles will re-open its border to commercial passenger flights from low- or medium-risk COVID-19 countries beginning of August to revive the tourism sector with a new structure put in place to manage the re-opening, said a top health official. 
The Public Health Commissioner, Jude Gedeon, told a press conference on Tuesday that the Aug. 1 reopening will be done under a national framework for the integrated management of reopening Seychelles' borders. Under the framework, countries are classified in three risk categories; low, medium and high risk. 
Gedeon said the three categories are based on “the trends in outbreak, potential for travellers to get infected, testing pattern, ratio of recent case to one month ago and the quality of data.” 
He pointed out that countries in the low risk category which are part of the island nation’s tourism markets currently are Switzerland and Ireland. The countries which are the main markets for Seychelles such as Germany, Italy and France are in the medium risk group with England still in a high-risk category. 
Based on these criteria, the authorities “can decide from which countries we can allow visitors and what they have to do before they can come to Seychelles without putting our country at a higher risk.” 
Although the passengers will not be quarantined, they will have to observe certain regulations under the national framework. 
This includes a mandatory PCR test done 72 hours before departure for visitors coming from medium-risk countries and an antigen test for those from low-risk countries. 
“The second filter is how the booking is done. It has to be done through travel agents and visitors need to have their booking voucher,” said Gedeon, adding that “visitors will stay in establishments approved by the Ministry of Tourism.” 
Additionally, airlines are already boosting security measures onboard their aircraft to make travelling safer. 
Although visitors will not be placed in quarantine as of Aug. 1, the establishment where they will be staying must be aware of where they are through maintaining daily movement records. 
Gedeon added that “when the visitors are at their respective accommodation, they will not have to wear face masks, but should they use public transport, such as buses or taxis they will have to do so. The taxi drivers will have to keep a log of the visitors who avail of their services. This will be used as a tracking measure.” 
Before the reopening in August, two evaluations of the measures will be carried out on July 14 and 21. 
Seychelles, an archipelago in the western Indian Ocean, is free of COVID-19 and reopened its international airport to commercial flights for private jets and chartered flights on June 1.

Many destinations have stopped producing tourist arrival numbers.
In case you were wondering a significant number of destinations/countries have curtailed the publication of 2020 tourist arrival numbers.
The most recent published data

• for Aruba is for February 2020,
• for The Bahamas, March 2020,
• for Barbados, September 2019,
• for Belize, March 2020,
• for Cancun’s hotels, March 16 2020,
• for the Cayman Islands, February 2020,
• for Curacao, March 2020,
• for Jamaica, February 2020,
• for hotel registrations by market for Puerto Rico, August 2019,
• for the Turks and Caicos Islands, December 2019.

As soon as more current numbers are published, we will make them available to you.

​Cruise industry stretches suspension of sailing from U.S. ports to at least Sept. 15
More than three months after first suspending cruises from U.S. ports, operators said they will now continue that pause for another two months — if not longer.
Cruise Lines International Association, a trade group, said in a statement Friday that its members would voluntarily extend the suspension until Sept. 15 or later if necessary. That’s almost two months after a no-sail order issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is scheduled to lift on July 24.
“Although we had hoped that cruise activity could resume as soon as possible after that date, it is increasingly clear that more time will be needed to resolve barriers to resumption in the United States,” the association said in a statement.
Carnival Cruise Line had tentatively said it hoped to resume cruising on Aug. 1 with eight ships, though the line said the plan was “contingent on a number of factors." On Monday, the cruise company announced it was canceling all cruises through Sept. 30.
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Jamaica Re-Opening Going Smoothly
There haven’t been a lot of Canadians arriving so far, but Jamaica’s re-opening is going well after a week of open borders.
Speaking with TravelPulse Canada on a Zoom call on Monday, Donovan White, Director of Tourism for the Jamaica Tourist Board, said things have gone well after a couple days of fine-tuning.
“We’re doing things in a safe and responsible way to allow visitors to have their vacations and still enjoy Jamaica,” he said.
There are a number of new rules in place for tourists, White said. One of the most innovative programs, and one that hasn’t received a lot of attention in the travel press, is Jamaica’s so-called COVID-Resilient Corridor, a tourism ribbon that stretches from Negril to Montego Bay and on to Ocho Rios and Port Antonio.
The corridor allows Jamaican authorities to “have a controlled environment within the tourism spaces where our guests can be, so in the event there is an emergency and we have any positive testing we can track and trace those persons relatively quickly and efficiently.”
White said only hotels and resorts that are certified by health authorities have been allowed to re-open in this phase, and that hotels in the corridor are all on the beach side of the highway. Roads on the other side of the highway, which usually lead to smaller towns and villages, aren’t open for tourists.
“Only accommodations within this corridor are allowed to be open” in Jamaica’s first phase of reopening, he said.
White said all travellers to Jamaica have to complete what’s called a Travel Authorization Form before they arrive. Once they land, health screeners meet visitors to talk about their health, go over their Travel Authorization Form and determine if they have any symptoms. Passengers then go to have their passports stamped at immigration before proceeding to baggage claim. More health workers are at the baggage claim area to chat with visitors about where they’re staying. Anyone not staying within the dedicated corridor can download the Jamaica COVID-19 tracking app, White said.
After baggage claim and customs, all arriving visitors have to undergo a nasal swab for COVID-19. Results come within 24 to 48 hours, during which guests are expected to stay at their hotel or other accommodation.
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Riviera Maya Hotel Association says reactivation has started favorably
The Riviera Maya Hotel Association (AHRM) announced that the reopening of Riviera Maya has started favorably with the operation of 19 hotels. The Asociación de Hoteles de la Riviera Maya (AHRM) announced that they anticipate reaching up to 25 percent occupancy for the upcoming summer months with the arrival of tourists from Mexico the United States and Canada.
A little over a week after the reopening of the Mexican Caribbean, Conrad Bergwerf, AHRM president, said that they continue to record a gradual increase in hotel activity, and notes that as more of the state is reactivated, visitors will increase.
“Although the occupation rate is low at the moment, of approximately 10 percent, the important thing is that we have already started to improve these figures,” he said adding that another 11 hotels have announced that in coming weeks, they too, will reopen.
Manuel Paredes, executive director of AHRM clarified that “open hotels do not have all their rooms in operation” due to the maximum capacity rate according to the traffic light color system. However, he did say that they will continue to gradually activate more and more rooms “according to demand until the entire hotel is operational.”
“We are sure that tourists will gradually gain confidence in traveling until a vaccine comes out,” said Bergwerf who estimated that they could reach an occupancy rate of 30 percent in the second half of the year, “as long as something does not happen worldwide that affects the destination.”
According to the association, establishments set to reopen include El Dorado, Thompson Beach House and Viva Wyndham Maya, which are expected to reopen July 1. A day later, the Vivanta Group is scheduled to reopen.
According to Cancun managing company ASUR, the Cancun International Airport continues to see increases in the amount of daily flights. Over the weekend, a flight from Italy landed. Neos Air made its first flight back to Cancun since the pandemic.
Airlines flying in and out of the Cancun International Airport include American Airlines, United, Jet Blue, Sun Country, Air Canada and Neos airlines. Points of origin include the US cities of Philadelphia, Charlotte, Chicago, New York, Houston, Miami (two flights), and Dallas (four flights), as well as Toronto, Canada, and Milan, Italy.
 
Punta Cana received five tourists in May.
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 100% in May, falling from 312,887 arrivals in May 2019 to five arrivals (from Brazil) in May 2020 consequent upon the closure the Punta Cana airport to all foreign visitors. Stopover arrivals from the USA fell by 100% in May, from 153,919 arrivals in May 2019 to zero arrivals in May 2020.
The Dominican Republic closed its borders to visitors as of March 19th 2020.
During the first five months of 2020 Punta Cana saw a 57.8% decrease in the volume of stopover arrivals, falling from 1,758,489 arrivals in 2019 to 741,971 non-resident arrivals in the first five months of 2020.
Arrivals from the USA fell by 73.9% in the first five months of 2020, falling from 765,509 arrivals in 2019 to 199,551 arrivals in the same five months of 2020. Arrivals from Russia fell by 28.7% in the same period, from 31,476 in 2019 to 22,444 in 2020. Traffic was also down 60.8% from Germany, down 54.0% from Brazil, down 58.4% from Argentina, down 53.4% from the U.K., down 50.6% from France and down 37.2% from Canada.
Stopover arrivals to Punta Cana made up 53.3% of all non-resident arrivals to the Dominican Republic in 2020.

The Dominican Republic received 389 non-resident visitors in May as its borders remained closed.
According to the Central Bank of the Dominican Republic, the Dominican Republic saw the volume of non-resident stopover arrivals decrease by 99.9% in May, falling from 527,732 non-resident arrivals in May 2019 to 389 arrivals in May 2020. Stopover arrivals from the USA fell by 100%, from 222,556 arrivals in May 2019 to 56 arrivals in May 2020. 
The Dominican Republic closed its borders to visitors as of March 19th 2020.
In the first five months of 2020 the Dominican Republic saw a 53.4% decrease in the volume of stopover arrivals, falling from 2,988,155 arrivals in 2019 to 1,393,065 non-resident arrivals in 2020. Non-resident arrivals from the USA decreased by 68.1% in the first five months of 2020, falling from 1,113,640 arrivals in 2019 to 355,273 arrivals in 2020.

Will COVID-19 Testing Be A Key Requirement For International Flights?
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) is clear: the application of tests to detect COVID-19 should not be a necessary aspect to resume international air operations or reopen borders.
The organization, made up of more than 290 airlines and 120 countries, is one of the main instruments of air cooperation in matters of security and operation. Precisely, together with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), it develops protocols and proposals to resume activity in the midst of the crisis caused by COVID-19.
The application of tests to detect the coronavirus is at the center of the debate on reopening international flights. Not all countries are in a position to apply them and there are sectors that fear that their mandatory nature will become a barrier to reactivate air activity.
On June 16, the ICAO published Takeoff Guidance which is the global guidance for governments to follow in reconnecting their people and economies by air. Takeoff outlines layers of measures to mitigate the risk of COVID-19 transmission during air travel and the risk of importation of COVID-19 via air travel.
This body is proposing that the tests should preferably be applied to passengers from countries classified as “high risk”.
“Technology for rapid point-of-care Polymerized Chain Reaction (PCR) testing could be a useful layer of protection for travelers from countries considered as higher risk, potentially removing the need for more burdensome and intrusive measures such as quarantine which is a major barrier to travel and the recovery of demand,” detailed IATA.
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The United States Virgin Islands saw an 86.4% decline in air arrivals in April 2020.
According to the USVI Bureau of Economic Research, the USVI saw the volume of air arrivals decrease by 86.4% in April 2020, falling from 43,317 air arrivals in April 2019 to 5,903 air arrivals in April of this year.
Through the first four months of 2020 the USVI saw the volume of air arrivals decrease by 23.5%, from 236,771 air arrivals in the first four months of 2019 to 181,181 air arrivals in the first four months of 2020.

Cuba announces total visitor arrivals fell by 99.8% in April.
The Cuban Government’s Office of National Statistics and Information (ONEI) recently announced that total tourist arrivals fell by 99.8% in April 2020, from 458,104 arrivals in April 2019 to 1,051 arrivals in April of this year. This number includes both stopover visitors and cruise visitors.
Cuba closed its borders to international visitors as of March 24th 2020.
The number of visitors from the USA fell by 100.0%, from 75,699 arrivals in April 2019 to zero in the same month of 2020 (Note: this would include cruise visitors). The number of visitors from the number one market, Canada, also fell by 100%, from 128,245 arrivals in April 2019 to zero this April.
In the first four months of 2020 Cuba saw a 49.0% decrease in total arrivals, falling from 1,928,561 arrivals in 2019 to 983,185 this year. Total tourist arrivals from the USA, which comprised 5.1% of all arrivals, fell by 80.4% from 257,406 in 2019 to 50,528 in the first four months of 2020. Arrivals from Canada, which comprised 41.1% of all tourist arrivals, fell by 35.4%, from 624,491 arrivals in 2019 to 403,620 in the first four months of 2020.

Will A $4,000 Tax Credit For Travel within the USA Be In The Next Stimulus Package?
The tourism industry loves the idea and so does President Trump, but will Congress get on board?
If approved, the “Explore America” Tax Credit would dangle up to $4,000 in front of Americans for vacation expenses spent in the U.S. at hotels, theme parks, restaurants and other tourism-related businesses through the end of 2021. The credit would cover up to 50% of a household’s total vacation expenses, up to a maximum of four grand.
President Trump brought up the proposal last month in a White House roundtable with restaurant industry leaders, mentioning an “’Explore America’ tax credit that Americans can use for domestic travel, including visits to restaurants.”
Approval of such a tax credit would be a win for the U.S. tourism industry, which has been pummeled by the coronavirus crisis. Before the pandemic, the industry contributed $2.6 trillion to the economy, supported 15.8 million American jobs overall—8.9 million directly— and delivered a $69 billion trade surplus last year, according to the U.S. Travel Association. But travel businesses and employees were among the first and hardest hit during the crisis, representing nearly 40% of all job loss through April.
White House economic advisor Kevin Hassett told the Wall Street Journal last week that the odds of a “Phase Four” stimulus package before Congress’s August recess are “very, very high.”
The travel industry lobby has pitched a handful of policy proposals for inclusion in any future package. The tax credit would “encourage domestic business and leisure travelers to travel within a specified time frame, similar to what was done through the homebuyer tax credit in the wake of the housing crisis.” The credit would apply to any travel expense “over $50 that is incurred while traveling away from home in the U.S., with explicit reference to the expense of meals, lodging, recreation, transportation, amusement or entertainment, business meetings or events, and gasoline,” according to the proposal.
It’s difficult to tell if this idea is picking up any traction. Since Trump mentioned the “Explore America” Tax Credit last month, the administration has been mum on further details, and Congress has not introduced legislation as of yet.
“We are grateful to the president for hearing our call for a national effort to get Americans traveling again as the country shifts into the recovery phase,” said Roger Dow, CEO of the U.S. Travel Association in a statement last month.
“Travel supported jobs for one in every 10 Americans before the pandemic,” said Dow. “Measures to incent travel will not only give people a renewed appreciation for this great country in which we live, but they are an efficient and effective way to ignite a recovery and restore jobs in every corner of the nation.”
The U.S. would not be the first country to consider using incentives to promote domestic travel. The Japan National Tourism Organisation (JNTO) has proposed a plan that would dole out travel vouchers to Japanese citizens for lodging and dining. And in Switzerland there is a proposal to stimulate domestic tourism by giving every citizen a voucher to be spent on a Swiss staycation.
 
Aruba starts opening borders on Monday June 15th.
Aruba will be opening its borders for passengers from Bonaire and Curaçao per Monday, June 15, followed by Europe, Canada and the Caribbean on July 1. Visitors from the United States (US) will be allowed as of July 10.
Aruba Prime Minister Evelyn Wever-Croes announced this during a press conference on Wednesday evening. In the first phase, starting on Monday, a “bubble” will be created for Aruba, Curaçao and Bonaire whereby free movement of passengers will be allowed.
Visitors and returning residents from European countries are welcome per July 1, as well as passengers from Canada and the Caribbean, with the exception of the Dominican Republic and Haiti where, the prime minister said, the number of COVID-19 infections was still high.
The border will be open for passengers from the US as of July 10. Despite the higher risks of importing the coronavirus from the US, Aruba has still decided to take that “calculated risk,” as Minister of Tourism Dangui Oduber put it, because the country’s economy greatly depends on visitors from the US.
Wever-Croes said that no date has been set as yet for the opening of the borders with South and Central America, and the rest of the world. “We will keep monitoring the situation.” She said the decision to reopen Aruba’s borders in phases had not been easy to make and had only been done following extensive meetings and gathering advice from local, Dutch and international experts.
All arriving passengers, except for the ones from Curaçao and Bonaire, must comply with a number of conditions, assured Minister Dangui Oduber. A screening is mandatory. Passengers should do a test 72 hours before their departure to Aruba, and upload the test result on a special online facility.
Passengers must also fill in a health declaration form before departure. If the test results are negative, the visitor can freely enjoy their vacation. Of course, they have to stick to the preventive measures such as the 1.5-metre social distancing and proper hand hygiene. 
Passengers who did not do the pre-departure test, will have to take a test at the Aruba airport. These visitors will then have to go 24 hours in quarantine at their hotel, and they will only be cleared after the test is negative, explained Head of the Aruba Tourist Authority (ATA) Ronella Tjin Asjoe-Croes.
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U.S. Travel Searches Indicate Initial Signs of Hotel Recovery
According to new consumer research from BVA BDRC and supported by Expedia Group search data, Americans are increasing their intent to travel this summer, a positive indicator for the industry. While U.S. domestic and regional travel searches steadily dropped throughout March and into the first week of April, according to Expedia Group data, search has been steadily climbing over the last month in total volume. Expedia Group data also showed that for domestic travelers who searched within the last month for July trips, there has been an average gain of 20% week-on-week.
According to BVA BDRC, nearly 40% of consumers polled plan to book an accommodation, whether a hotel or vacation rental, within the next three months. In addition, providing clear communication on cleanliness measures should be top of mind for accommodation providers.
Here are points for accommodation partners to consider:

• More than 50% of respondents expect hand sanitizer to be available throughout the hotel and enhanced cleaning regimes
• 40% of respondents expect staff to wear protective gear, such as face masks
• Vacation-rental guests similarly expect new cleaning standards, with more than 50% expecting hand sanitizer on property
• Nearly half also expect a company-wide cleanliness standard for vacation rentals comparable to hotels.

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The Caribbean has a unique opportunity to reset the relationship with the cruise lines
David Jessop – Caribbean Council.
Even at the best of times, the cruise lines are controversial Caribbean partners, sharply dividing opinion between happy travellers, citizens, hoteliers, environmentalists, academics, and governments.
Now, having been absent from the region since early March when the US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention issued its first ‘no sail’ order, many questions surround how and when they should return.
The Caribbean clearly wants to welcome cruise passengers back, but it has yet to be seen whether this will be on a common regionally agreed basis.
So far there has been little sign that the Caribbean has realised that the absence of sailings offers what is probably a once in a lifetime opportunity to reset in a more equitable way the relationship, and  to capitalise on its e role as a prime cruise destination.
Although CARICOM heads agreed on May 5 to a joined-up approach to reopening, since then the signs are that this is unsustainable. The decisions taken by Antigua and St Lucia last month to announce unilaterally opening dates and health protocols for tourism suggests that the cruise companies will continue to be able to divide and rule and retain the uniquely beneficial tax and regulatory spaces they occupy.
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Cuba plans cautious reopening to tourists
Cuba is planning to welcome tourists with COVID-19 tests and limit their contact with locals as part of a raft of measures designed to get its vital tourism industry back up and running.
The government of President Miguel Diaz-Canel said it would gradually open up the economy in the next weeks, with a particular focus on recovering tourism dollars lost to the lockdown.
Foreign tourists, the lifeblood of Cuba's economy, will be restricted to a well established string of coastal resorts to limit contact with the local population in a country, where Diaz-Canel insisted, the coronavirus pandemic was "under control."
Havana and the rest of the country will be initially be reserved for local tourism.
"There will be no abrupt opening in the first phase," warned Prime Minister Manuel Marrero. He emphasized that Cubans will have to inch their way out of lockdown, and that face masks will have to be worn outdoors.
Although there has been no official word, international flights are not expected to begin until August 1, forcing Spanish company Evelop to cancel several flights tentatively scheduled for July.
When flights resume, tourists will have to undergo medical checks on arrival and have their temperature taken. Health checks will also be a feature of stays, and hotel occupancy will be limited to allow for social distancing measures.
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34% of Canadians say they’ll travel 4-6 months after advisory lifted.
The latest challenge for the travel industry will be getting clients to feel comfortable booking travel for a post-pandemic world, at least for the short term, according to new findings from Travelweek’s COVID-19 Consumer Survey.
The survey, in partnership with Star Metroland and garnering close to 3,000 responses from consumers across Canada, indicates that 65% of respondents are not willing to book travel now for 2021, compared to 35% who said they would book now for next year.
When asked how soon after travel restrictions are lifted will they travel again, 34% of respondents said they would within four to six months, 32% said within one to three months, and 24% said they wouldn’t travel until seven months or longer. Only 10% said they would travel less than one month of restrictions being lifted.
In order to entice them to book future travel, nearly 28% of respondents said flexible cancellation policies would be the most important consideration, followed by price discounts (19.8%). Cleanliness/social distancing policies (19.3%), destinations with low numbers of COVID-19 (19.2%) and quality product (13.8%) rounded out the list of considerations when booking travel now.
As for when consumers foresee travel restrictions easing, 51% said 2021, 41% said sometime in fall/winter 2020, while a very optimistic 7% are hopeful that travel will open up again this spring/summer.
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Mexican Caribbean on track to reopen 75% of hotels by July 1
The Mexican Caribbean, which started its gradual reopening to tourists on June 8, has approximately 30% of hotel rooms now open and anticipates seeing this increase to 45% by June 15.
In its first ever virtual conference yesterday, the Quintana Roo Tourism Board, which represents 12 destinations including Cancun, Riviera Maya and Playa del Carmen, detailed its reopening plans in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic as well as its newly launched Clean & Safe Check Certification program.
The region’s gradual reopening is being regulated according to a “traffic light system,” says Dario Flota, Director of the Quintana Roo Tourism Board. Featuring four stages, or colours, the system is reassessed every Thursday and monitors the readiness of various sectors as they transition to a full reopening.
Currently, the northern region of Quintana Roo is in the Orange phase, meaning that most sectors are operating at 30%. These include hotel rooms, restaurants, amusement and water parks, transportation, golf courses, car rentals, tour guides and water activities. Sectors are expected to operate at 45% capacity by next week ahead of their transition to the Yellow phase, at which point they will reach 60%.
By July 1, 75% of all hotels in the Mexican Caribbean are expected to reopen.
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Tourism begins with a slow start as Cancun airport, hotels reactivate
Cancun, Q.R. — After two days of reactivation, the Cancun International Airport reports both national and international flights landing. Airport managing company ASUR says on Monday June 8th, they saw 56 operations of which 22 were international to and from Philadelphia, Charlotte, Chicago, Houston, Miami and Dallas, in addition to a round-trip humanitarian flight from Grand Cayman Island.
Tuesday June 9th, the airport reported 45 operations. Cancun airport spokesman Eduardo Rivadeneyra reported that 23 arrivals and 22 departures were scheduled for Tuesday, which included 21 international operations to and from Buenos Aires, Charlotte, Chicago, Houston, Miami, Dallas and Montreal.
US airlines currently operating into Cancun include American Airlines, United Airlines and Sun Country, while Spirit has announced its return to the Cancun International Airport starting June 25. Spirit says they will begin with six routes and 11 weekly frequencies, which will increase to 36 in July when they start flying from Baltimore, Dallas, Detroit, Fort Lauderdale, Houston and Chicago.
Snr. Rivadeneyra noted they are currently operating with load factors of around 20 percent, which is expected to gradually increase according to hotel reservations.
On Monday, with the reactivation of state tourism, the Hotel Association of Cancun, Puerto Morelos and Isla Mujeres reported the opening of 39 hotels. They say the hotels are operating at 30 percent capacity as allowed under the current light system.
The association says that 22 of the reactivated hotels are in the center of Cancun and 17 in the tourist area. Ulises Guzmán Peregrina, head of the Cozumel Hotel Association says as of Monday, five accommodation centers on the island have resumed operations with a reduced occupancy and with strict sanitary protocols with the balance of affiliated hotels doing the same over the course of this month.
“We are open with eight percent capacity. Staff are taking the appropriate sanitary measures to provide services to guests who have arrived,” he said. He noted that an increase in tourism is anticipated after an advertising campaign to attract national and international tourism.
Coronavirus has marked Cancun's worst crisis since it was founded as a planned tourist destination 50 years ago, according to state tourism secretary Marisol Vanegas. She's hoping occupancy will reach 30 percent this month and increase by five percent the month after that.

Mauritius announces stopover visitor arrivals fell by 100% in May as its borders remained closed.
The Mauritius Government’s Ministry of Finance and Economic Development recently announced that total stopover arrivals fell by 100% in May 2020, from 96,814 arrivals in May 2019 to 20 arrivals in May of this year. This number includes both air and sea stopover visitors. The number of visitors from France, the number one market, decreased by 100%, from 19,100 arrivals in May 2019 to 0 in the same month of 2020.
Mauritius closed its border to all international visitors indefinitely as of March 19th 2020.
In the first five months of 2020 Mauritius saw a 45.3% decrease in total stopover arrivals, falling from 557,684 arrivals in 2019 to 304,872 arrivals this year. Total stopover arrivals from France fell by 40.6% from 132,468 arrivals in the first five months of 2019 to 78,638 arrivals in the same five months of 2020.

Orlando saw a 79.8 percentage point decline in average room occupancy in April to 16.4%.
According to STR Orlando had 128,000 hotel rooms in April 2020 and achieved an average city-wide room occupancy of 16.4% (down 79.8 percentage points compared with April 2019), and an ADR of $62.35 (down 54.3% compared with April 2019).
According to Visit Orlando, Orlando saw the volume of air passenger enplanements decrease by 96.3% in April 2020, falling from 2,332,498 enplanements in April 2019 to 85,184 enplanements in April 2020. This includes enplanements at both Orlando International and Sanford airports.
In the first four months of 2020 Orlando achieved an average city-wide room occupancy of 59.5% (down 27.3 percentage points compared with 2019), and an ADR of $131.55 (down 5.0% compared with 2019). 
In the first four months of 2020 Orlando saw a 32.8% decrease in the volume of air passenger enplanements, falling from 9,121,862 enplanements in 2019 to 6,130,970 enplanements in the first four months of 2020.

Curaçao preparing to open borders for Dutch tourists
WILLEMSTAD - Dutch tourists may be able to fly to Curaçao again from 1 July. According to epidemiologist Dr. Izzy Gerstenbluth, the island will then open its airport to travelers from a number of European countries, including the Netherlands, Germany, and Belgium.
According to Minister Steven Martina of Economic Affairs, Curaçao initially thinks of a maximum of 10,000 travelers per month. They will have to participate in tests to see if they are infected with the coronavirus before they can travel.
Other islands
Aruba, Sint Maarten, Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, and Saba also want to open-air borders under certain conditions for Dutch passengers, among other things.
All restrictions will also be lifted between the islands on 1 July.
According to Dr. Gerstenbluth, the borders can be opened for flights from the Netherlands and Western Europe if they no longer pose a danger. There are certain requirements such as PCR test before boarding the flight, travel insurance, and health statement.
 
Should national tourism portals be part of travel's recovery plan?
By Linda Fox | June 8, 2020
As governments across Europe shape their tourism recovery plans, some see reducing the power of the large online booking platforms as a way forward.
The COVID-19 crisis has brought the commissions earned by players such as Booking.com and Expedia into the spotlight as well as the feeling that suppliers need to regain their relationship with customers.
In addition, there has been a backlash from many hoteliers for the lack of help that has come from intermediaries.
In Italy, for example, hoteliers are angry that Booking.com refunded guests for forthcoming stays even though some guests had been prepared to accept a credit.
Expedia recently announced a $275 million partner recovery program, and Airbnb has allocated $250 million to help its hosts who have lost out during the COVID-19 crisis.
At the hotel association and even government level, many are now thinking there may be a better way going forward.
France was the first to declare its hand a few weeks ago with talk of a massive data platform containing all tourism information about restaurants, attractions and more for visitors to the country.
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Curacao reports stopover arrivals fell by 55.6% in March.
According to the Curaçao Tourist Board, Curaçao saw a 55.6% decrease in stopover visitor arrivals in March, falling from 41,866 stopovers in March 2019 to 18,599 in March of this year. Stopover visitors from the USA fell by 57.5%, from 8,425 visitors in March 2019 to 3,582 visitors in March 2020. Stopover visitors from the Netherlands fell by 53.2%, from 16,166 visitors in March 2019 to 7,559 visitors in March 2020.
Average hotel room occupancy fell from 74.0% in March 2019 to 34.0% in March 2020 consequent upon the decline in arrivals. While ADR grew by 6.8% in March to $188.00 revpar fell by 51.1% to $64.00.
Curacao closed its borders to international arrivals as of March 17 2020.
In the first three months of 2020 Curaçao saw a 14.7% decrease in the number of stopover visitors, falling from 127,170 visitors in 2019 to 108,488 visitors this year. The number of stopovers from the USA has declined by 6.5% during the first three months, from 22,329 in 2019 to 20,874 through March 2020. The number of stopovers from the Netherlands has fallen by 14.6% during the first three months, from 51,771 in 2019 to 44,217 through March 2020.
The number of cruise visitors fell by 37.0% in March, from 75,908 visitors in March 2019 to 47,846 cruise visitors this year. Through the first three months of 2020 the number of cruise visitors to Curaçao fell by 7.9%, from 278,105 visitors in 2019 to 256,033 cruise visitors this year.

Los Cabos saw a 99.0% decline in international air traffic movements in May.
According to Aeroportuario del Pacifico , which manages many of Mexico’s airports, Los Cabos Airport saw a 99.0% decline in international passenger traffic in May 2020, that is enplanements and deplanements, falling from 299,900 international passenger movements in May 2019 to 3,100 international passenger movements in May 2020. Domestic traffic declined by 89.0%, falling from 160,800 passenger movements in May 2019 to 17,700 passenger movements in May 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. These measures were extended until May 30 2020.
In the first five months of 2020 the volume of international air traffic decreased by 44.0%, falling from 1,702,000 international passenger movements in 2019 to 952,500 in the first four months of 2020 while the volume of domestic air traffic fell by 38.3%, from 717,500 movements in 2019 to 442,500 in the first five months of 2020.
 
Costa Rica saw a 96.8% drop in stopover arrivals in April.
According to the Costa Rica Institute of Tourism ICT, Costa Rica saw the volume of stopovers drop by 96.8% in April 2020, falling from 262,016 stopovers in April 2019 to 8,342 stopovers in 2020. The number of stopovers from the USA fell by 99.8% in April 2020, falling from 107,717 stopovers in April 2019 to 260 in April 2020 while the number from Central America declined by 86.9%, from 60,424 in April 2019 to 7,901 in April 2020.
After declaring a state of emergency, Costa Rica closed all borders to foreigners on April 18th 2020.
The volume of stopovers decreased by 31.2% in the first four months of 2020, falling from 1,265,669 stopovers in 2019 to 871,009 stopovers in first four months of 2020. The number of stopovers from the USA dropped by 32.7% in the first four months of 2020, from 528,713 stopovers in 2019 to 355,799 in 2020 while the number from Central America declined by 31.4%, falling from 263,057 in the first four months of 2019 to 180,370 in the same four months of 2020.
  
Saint Lucia saw a 56.6% decrease in stopover arrivals in March.
According to the Saint Lucia Tourism Authority, Saint Lucia saw the volume of stopover arrivals decrease by 56.8% in March 2019, falling from 41,674 arrivals in March 2019 to 18,086 arrivals in March 2020.
Stopover arrivals from the USA fell by 58.3%, from 19,986 visitors in March 2019 to 8,333 visitors in March 2020 and by 45.9% from the U.K., falling from 7,657 arrivals in March 2019 to 4,145 arrivals in March 2020.
The number of cruise visitors fell by 71.0% in March, from 131,991 in March 2019 to 38,299 in March 2020.
In the first three months of 2020 Saint Lucia saw a 20.1% decline in the volume of stopover arrivals, falling from 114,386 arrivals in 2019 to 91,399 arrivals in 2020. Arrivals from the USA decreased by 17.8% in the first three months 2020, falling from 50,042 arrivals in 2019 to 41,155 arrivals in 2020 while arrivals from the U.K. fell by 28.2%, falling from 25,483 stopovers in 2019 to 18,298 stopovers in 2020.
The number of cruise visitors fell by 17.7% through the first three months of 2020, from 362,046 in 2019 to 297,885 in 2020.
 
Cancun saw a 99.4% decrease in international air passenger movements in May.
According to ASUR, which manages many of Mexico’s airports, Cancun Airport saw a 99.4% decrease in international passenger movements in May 2020, falling from 1,327,014 movements in May 2019 to 7,355 movements in May 2020. Domestic passenger movements fell by 94.8%, from 792,854 passenger movements in May 2019 to 41,255 movements in May 2020.
In the first five months of 2020 the volume of international air passenger movements  decreased by 45.2%, falling from 7,594,934 movements in 2019 to 4,165,482 movements in 2020 while the volume of domestic air passenger movements fell by 44.7%, from 3,437,052 movements in the first five months of 2019 to 1,902,083 in the same five months of 2020.
 
San Juan, Puerto Rico (SJU) saw an 89.7% decrease in air passenger movements in May.
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 an 89.7% decrease in passenger movements in May 2020, falling from 776,383 movements in May 2019 to 79,906 movements in May 2020.
In the first five months of 2020 the overall volume of air passenger movements decreased by 39.2%, from 3,829,801 in 2019 to 2,328,108 in 2020.

Dominican Republic to reopen 30% of its hotel rooms on July 1
The executive vice president of the Association of Hotels and Tourism of the Dominican Republic ( Asonahores ), Andrés Marranzini, revealed that as of July 1, 30% of the rooms in hotels will be reactivated to receive tourists and also depending on demand will activate the re-entry of staff.
“The integration must occur from July 1, it will be a process, depending on how that demand is, the activation of those rooms. We do not see the activation of 100%. We see somewhere between 20-30 percent of rooms being activated by July. Depending on demand generated, we will assign corresponding staff.”
During the Central Interview of El Despertador of the SIN Group, the vice-president of Asonahores assured that to relaunch the tourism sector and recover the losses, after enduring more than two months without operating, they will do whatever it takes to stimulate that sector. They will make any necessary variations in prices and guarantee the health of guests due to the pandemic.
Regarding the suspended workers, 70% were affected by the COVID-19 health crisis and 20% remain in the areas of the tourist complexes for the maintenance of infrastructure and executive personnel.
“In our case, they exceed 100,000 thousand of the hotels, the tourist sector, bars, restaurants are close to 350,000 thousand, in the hotel sector we are close to 180,000 thousand and in the Asonahores membership, because not all are from Asonahores, we have to be around the 100,000 employees,” he said.
Although in the initial reopening phase they expect a tourist demand of 30%, Andrés Marranzini expects that up to 70% can recover by December, but it is due to the fact that the summer months (July and August) are attended by more travelers, compared to September and October, the rate is lower due to the hurricane season.
“At the moment we are seeing that the market that would be interested in the Dominican Republic, is probably the east coast of the United States and Canada that comprise about 60 to 65 percent of our clientele, we notice a dynamic of COVID-19 that not as many long flights are available,” he said.
According to Asonahores data, the housing offer in tourist accommodation establishments in the Dominican Republic exceeds 80,000 rooms, so it will take time and hard work to supply the hotel offer available in the country.
As for restaurants, he said that these establishments have a difficult road in the country and need the support of diners who visit these service centers once they open.
“It has been very difficult during these months, firstly because they have continued to be charged for the electricity, even though the restaurants have been closed and the distributor will have to find a way, either by extending or nullifying those payments ..,” said the Asonahores executive.

Are Travel Bubbles the Key To Getting Consumers To Travel Cross Border?
The summer travel season is upon the Northern Hemisphere, and while many consumers would normally be setting their sights on visiting new lands, international travel seems to be by and large on hold for summer 2020. Too many people fear contracting coronavirus while traveling abroad.
Are “travel bubbles” the answer?
Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania started the idea of “travel bubbles,” allowing residents of the three nations to move between them but keeping out all other international travelers who could contaminate the “bubble.” Islands like Fiji and Bali, which rely heavily on tourism and boast low infection rates so far, have also been clamoring to create travel bubbles to attract tourists from Asian nations where infections are low thanks to tracking-and-tracing efforts.
Meanwhile, Denmark and Norway are opening to each other on June 15, but have excluded nearby Sweden because that nation’s loose lock-down rules have led to COVID-19’s wider proliferation.
read more/...

Mexico Plans To Reopen Cancun To International Tourists But It’s Not At All Prepared For Visitors
BY JUSTIN LESSNER | JUNE 3, 2020 AT 2:01 PM
There are millions of people just itching for a vacation right now, and Cancun wants to welcome visitors with open arms. However, there’s a huge problem with their plan. Most of Mexico is still in a severe phase of the pandemic – with all 32 states reporting daily increases in confirmed Covid-19 cases.
read more/...

​KLM resumes additional Caribbean passenger service in June 2020
Posted 4 June 2020
KLM starting this week is resuming passenger service to additional points in Caribbean, including Aruba, Bonaire and St. Maarten. Due to operational routing, overall service for Curacao will also be increased.
Planned operation for June 2020 as follows.
 
Amsterdam – Aruba – Curacao - Amsterdam eff 06JUN20 1 weekly A330-200
KL783 AMS1230 – 1630AUA1735 – 1815CUR1940 – 1120+1AMS 332 6
Amsterdam – Bonaire – Curacao – Amsterdam eff 04JUN20 1 weekly A330-200
KL785 AMS1055 – 1455BON1600 – 1640CUR1810 – 0950+1AMS 332 4
Amsterdam – Curacao 2 weekly A330-200
KL733 AMS1230 – 1640CUR 332 36
KL734 CUR1540 – 0715+1AMS 332 47
Amsterdam – St. Maarten – Curacao – Amsterdam eff 05JUN20 1 weekly A330-200
KL789 AMS1055 – 1355SXM1455 – 1635CUR1810 – 0950+1AMS 332 5

Covid-19 pandemic slashes Florida's tourism numbers
The number of tourist arrivals to Florida fell 10.7 percent in the first quarter of 2020 from the same period a year earlier, and the estimate may be optimistic.
The final month of the quarter, March, was impacted heavily by the COVID-19 pandemic which essentially shut down the hospitality industry statewide. A report posted online by Visit Florida, the state’s tourism-marketing arm, said “data previously used to estimate Florida visitation may not paint the full picture during COVID-19.”
The report estimates that 31.95 million people visited the state during the first three months of the year. That compares to 35.79 million visitors during the first quarter in 2019.
Domestic travelers, accounting for 28.5 million of this year’s first quarter visits, were down 9.7 percent from last year. Overseas travelers dropped 20.6 percent and the number of Canadian visitors dropped by 14.4 percent in the same quarter to quarter comparison.
Passengers getting on board planes at Orlando International Airport were down 10.8 percent for the quarter and 13.1 percent at Miami International Airport.
read more/...

Four travel stories that were too good to be true
We yearn for positive travel news these days. And in a day and age when headlines dominate, who has time to read the fine print?
Here are four popular travel stories from the past two months where details were later clarified that made the original headlines substantially less impressive than they originally seemed.
​
1. Japan may cover half your expenses if you visit
Well only if you are a resident of Japan taking  a domestic vacation. And it won’t be half.

2. Passengers on Emirates get Covid-19 blood tests before flying
Well no, the tests were serology tests for antibodies (which shows evidence of past infections), not active Covid-19 infections. And after the Dubai Health Authority, who administered the tests, discovered efficacy rates were only around 30%, it banned the testing.

3. You can get tested at Vienna Airport, to avoid quarantine
Well yes but the testing on arrival is available only for those who have both a residence in Austria and a valid residence permit.

4. Countries will pay you to visit 
Well, a number of destinations are planning “two for one” deals etc but whether travel deals and free medicine amount to “paying you” is subject to your own interpretation.
read more/...

Tourism and gaming in Macau plunge more than 60% in 1st quarter
MACAU, May 30 (Xinhua) - The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of Macau dropped by 48.7 percent year-on-year in real terms in the first quarter of 2020, the special administrative region (SAR)'s statistic service said here on Saturday May 30th.
The latest report from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) said that although no widespread transmission of COVID-19 was observed in the region, the economy of Macau, mainly driven by exports of services, was severely hit amid the epidemic with a substantial decline in total demand.
In terms of external demand, exports of services dropped by 60.0 percent year-on-year, with exports of gaming services and other tourism services falling by 61.5 percent and 63.9 percent respectively. Moreover, exports of goods saw a decrease of 23.5 percent.
The number of same day visitors to Macau fell by 69.8% in the first three months of 2020, falling from 5,624,732 in the first quarter of 2019 to 1,698,337 in the same three months of 2020. The number of overnight visitors fell by 67.9%, falling from 4,735,026 in the first quarter of 2019 to 1,520,833 in the same three months of 2020.
The domestic demand slid further by 17.5 percent year-on-year, dragged down by the reduction in investment in fixed assets and private consumption expenditure. On the other hand, government final consumption expenditure rose by 5.0 percent.
Imports of goods and services went down by 30.8 percent and 30.3 percent respectively, the DSEC report added.
The implicit deflator of GDP, which measures the overall changes in prices, increased by 2.0 percent year-on-year in the first quarter.
The private consumption decreased by 15.2 percent year-on-year amid the epidemic, as residents went out less and made fewer trips abroad while economic outlook remained uncertain.
Household final consumption expenditure in the domestic market and abroad fell by 11.9 percent and 44.3 percent respectively.
In response to the epidemic, the Macau SAR government scaled up the procurement of protective gear and medical supplies, rented hotels to be used as quarantine facilities and introduced economic relief measures, which drove up government final consumption expenditure by 5.0 percent.
Investment in fixed assets declined further by 37.2 percent year-on-year, with construction investment and equipment investment dropping by 37.0 percent and 37.8 percent respectively.
Meanwhile, public construction investment rose by 47.8 percent year-on-year on account of increased investment in infrastructure by the government. But equipment investment reduced by 30.4 percent.

UNWTO Recommendations to address the Covid19 pandemic
This 42 page report provides recommendations on

• Managing the crisis and mitigating the impact
• Providing stimulus and accelerating recovery
• Preparing for Tomorrow

read more/...

​World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) Protocols.
Please click on this link to download various protocols developed by the WTTC to address the Covid19 pandemic
wttc.org/COVID-19/Safe-Travels-Global-Protocols-Stamp

The Maldives’ New Travel Restrictions Are Going to Make Visiting the Country Even More Expensive.
The Maldives are famous for being one of the most expensive vacation destinations in the world. But the archipelago could get even more expensive in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.
A statement from the Ministry of Tourism stated that the Republic of the Maldives is considering reopening to international tourism as early as July 1 — but it would come with some major rules and regulations.
Tourism minister Ali Wahed detailed the potential plan to The Telegraph. Travelers willing to spend two weeks in the Maldives would have to

• Have a minimum stay of 14 days.
• Apply for a tourist visa ahead of their visit, which will cost $100.
• To purchase travel insurance for their trip and will need to submit either a negative antigen test or a positive antibody test a week before their arrival.
• When they arrive in the Maldives, they would have to pay another $100 for another test and they would be quarantined in their rooms until the test results come back, which could take anywhere from three to 12 hours (which, admittedly, wouldn’t be torturous if you’re in one of the country’s famous overwater bungalows).

There are about 200 resort islands throughout the Maldives, most of which remain closed at this time. About 26 resorts, or 3,000 rooms, have been repurposed by the government for quarantine or isolation purposes during the coronavirus lockdown. And about 10 resorts are housing foreign visitors who believe it safer to remain in the Maldives than to return home.
The country has been closed to foreign arrivals since March 27, which has taken a significant toll on its tourism-reliant economy. But even if the Maldives reopen this summer, Americans might not be able to visit. The country currently has travel restrictions against 12 countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, and China, according to the tourism website. (But if you’ve been on a private yacht for a few weeks before arrival, you could likely enter the Maldives this summer without problem.)
The government could reopen its borders to regional traffic from Asia in the third quarter of 2020 and arrivals from Europe could be re-welcomed by October or November, according to TTG Asia.
During their coronavirus outbreak, the Maldives have so far reported 1,457 confirmed cases and five deaths.
  
Las Vegas saw a 97.0% decrease in visitors in April.
According to the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority Las Vegas saw the volume of visitors decrease by 97.0% in April 2020, falling from 3,542,000 visitors in April 2019 to 106,900 arrivals in April 2020.
Las Vegas had 148,755 hotel rooms in April 2020 (up 0.2% compared with April 2019) and achieved an average city-wide room occupancy of 1.7% (down 89.3 percentage points compared with April 2019), an ADR of $60.50 (down 53.6% compared with April 2019) and a RevPar of $1.03, down 99.1% also compared with April 2019.
Through the first four months of 2020 Las Vegas saw a 38.5% decrease in the volume of visitors, falling from 13,841,000 arrivals in the first four months of 2019 to 8,516,400 visitors in the same four months of 2020.
Las Vegas achieved an average city-wide room occupancy of 53.5% in the first four months of 2020 (down 34.9 percentage points compared with the first four months of 2019), an ADR of $142.62 (up 3.6% compared with the same four months of 2019) and a RevPar of $76.30, down 37.3%, also compared with the same four months of 2019.
Gaming revenue fell by 31.7% from $3.445 billion in the first four months of 2019 to $2.352 billion in the same four months of 2020.

Hawaii saw a 99.5% decline in air arrivals in April.
According to the Hawaii Tourism Authority, Hawaii saw the volume of air arrivals decrease by 99.5% in April 2020, falling from 831,445 arrivals in April 2019 to 4,564 arrivals in April 2020.
The state of Hawaii imposed a mandatory 14-day self-quarantine for incoming out of state visitors on March 26th , which was extended on April 1 to include interisland travelers. Neither quarantine is slated to end before June 30.
Air arrivals from the USA fell by 99.2%, from 548,058 in April 2019 to 4,245 in April 2020, fell by 100.0% from Japan (from 119,492 arrivals in April 2019 to 13 air arrivals in April 2020). Air arrivals fell by 100.0% from Canada (from 55,690 to 9 air arrivals).
Through the first four months of 2020 Hawaii saw a 37.0% decrease in the volume of air arrivals, falling from 3,334,082 arrivals in the first four months of 2019 to 2,100,259 air arrivals in the same four months of 2020. Air arrivals from the USA decreased by 33.8% in the first four months of 2020, falling from 2,157,539 air arrivals in 2019 to 1,427,436 air arrivals in the same four months of 2020, fell by 40.6% from Japan (from 494,438 to 294,241 air arrivals) and fell by 25.7% from Canada (from 265,215 to 155,744 air arrivals).
The Hawaii Tourist Authority was unable to collect any visitor expenditure data during April 2020.

Punta Cana saw a 100% decrease in stopover arrivals in April.
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 100% in April, falling from 343,026 arrivals in April 2019 to zero arrivals in April 2020 consequent upon the closure the Punta Cana airport to all foreign visitors. Stopover arrivals from the USA fell by 100% in April, from 144,170 arrivals in April 2019 to zero arrivals in April 2020.  
During the first four months of 2020 Punta Cana saw a 48.6% decrease in the volume of stopover arrivals, falling from 1,445,602 arrivals in 2019 to 743,293 non-resident arrivals in the first four months of 2020.
Arrivals from the USA fell by 67.4% in the first four months of 2020, falling from 611,590 arrivals in 2019 to 199,551 arrivals in the same four months of 2020. Arrivals from Russia fell by 20.6% in the same period, from 28,258 in 2019 to 22,444 in 2020. Traffic was also down 54.3% from Germany, down 42.6% from Brazil, down 47.3% from Argentina, down 35.0% from the U.K., down 43.7% from France and down 30.0% from Canada.
Stopover arrivals to Punta Cana made up 53.3% of all non-resident arrivals to the Dominican Republic in 2020.

The Dominican Republic saw a 100% decline in stopover arrivals in April.
According to the Central Bank of the Dominican Republic, the Dominican Republic saw the volume of non-resident stopover arrivals decrease by 100% in April, falling from 584,279 non-resident arrivals in April 2019 to 217 arrivals in April 2020. Stopover arrivals from the USA fell by 100%, from 214,279 arrivals in April 2019 to 9 arrivals in April 2020. 
In the first four months of 2020 the Dominican Republic saw a 43.4% decrease in the volume of stopover arrivals, falling from 2,460,423 arrivals in 2019 to 1,392,676 non-resident arrivals in 2020. Non-resident arrivals from the USA decreased by 60.1% in the first four months of 2020, falling from 891,084 arrivals in 2019 to 355,217 arrivals in 2020

Hawaii’s hotels report a 69.1 percentage point drop in average room occupancy in April to reach 8.9%
According to the Hawai‘i Hotel Performance Report published by the Hawai‘i Tourism Authority (HTA), statewide hotel room occupancy fell by 69.1 percentage points from 78.0% in April 2019 to 8.9% in April this year. ADR fell by 51.8% from $272.33 to $131.16 while revpar fell by 94.5%, from $212.28 in April 2019 to $11.70 in April this year.
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 April, the survey included 87 properties representing 22,929 rooms, or 42.7 percent of all lodging properties and 77.5 percent of operating lodging properties with 20 rooms or more in the Hawaiian Islands, including full service, limited service, and condominium hotels.
In April 2020, Hawai‘i hotel room revenues statewide fell by 97.0% from $344.7 million in 2019 to $10.4 million this year. Room demand fell to 79,100 room nights, down 93.7% compared to a year ago. Room supply was substantially lower (down by 45.4%) and fell to 887,200 available room nights. Hawaii has 53,639 hotel rooms.
About 130 Hawaii hotels have closed since the March 26 start of a mandatory 14-day self- quarantine for incoming out of state visitors, which was extended April 1 to include interisland travelers. Neither quarantine is slated to end before June 30.
For the first four months of 2020 statewide hotel room occupancy fell by 19.0 percentage points from 80.0% in 2019 to 61.0% in the first four months of 2020. ADR grew by 5.5% from $286.10 to $301.70 while revpar fell by 19.6%, from $228.76 in the first four months of 2019 to $183.99 in the first four months of this year.
In the first four months of 2020, Hawai‘i hotel room revenues statewide fell by 29.1% from $1.486 billion in 2019 to $1.053 billion this year. Room demand fell to 3,490,300  room nights, down 32.8% compared to a year ago. Room supply was lower (down by 11.9%) and fell to 5,723,300 available room nights.

St. Lucia’s New Tourism Plans Sound Like A Beautiful, Expensive Prison…
As positive signs emerge about a safe return of travel in the near term, countries are finding ways to ensure that it stays that way. There’s just one thing: going too far in one direction could alienate potential visitors, making any plans for economic recovery even more difficult to realize. St. Lucia’s announcement of a June 4th welcome date is great news for those hoping to visit, but the draconian measures sound somewhat like a very expensive trip to prison, albeit a beautiful palm tree filled one.
It’s true, St. Lucia the vacation heaven filled with mystical mountain peaks, lush valleys and beautiful beaches is opening to tourists from June 4th, 2020. The country is not however declaring a free for all. Measures will be put in place to ensure the safety of visitors and locals alike from before you’re ever allowed to board a flight, starting with a recent covid-19 test, which must be recent within 48 hours of boarding a flight to the island.
Though it seems impossible to enforce, or monitor, the country also states masks must be worn on the inbound flight whether or not the airline mandates one. As someone who recently flew out of necessity, I’m all for the mask plan, since it provided a meaningful level of added safety.
All good so far, but then it starts to get a bit hokey, at least you could call it hokey if you were paying thousands for the privilege of these things, rather than being locked up for a crime.
On arrival into St. Lucia your temperature is checked and luggage disinfected, both of which are great moves. You’re then instructed, or rather, required to take an authorized taxi only. Instantly, this creates huge potential for a price grab, but so be it. If your buzz hasn’t yet been killed by the many reasonable measures thus far, it may be in the next paragraph.
St. Lucia is effectively confining you to your resort, and limiting the activities you can enjoy. No outside restaurants are open for seated service, and currently all attractions are closed too. Not only that, the country is mandated temperature checks before every meal, and requiring all visitors to wear a mask at all times without any noted exceptions. Expect many thing someone might dream of on vacation like a massage, or even some water sports to be cut. Just to reiterate the story so far, you can come to St. Lucia, but…

• you must go straight to your hotel in an approved vehicle.
• once there, you will be subjected to more temperature checks.
• Every time you go for a meal at the hotel your temperature will be checked again.
• you can’t really dine outside of the resort,  it’s take out only and bars are closed.
• all attractions are closed, so there’s really nowhere to go or anything to do.
• if someone at the resort tests positive, you’ll likely be 14 day quarantined.

Let’s hope you’ve got a room with a view.
 
Mauritius announces stopover visitor arrivals fell by 100% in April as its borders remained closed.
The Mauritius Government’s Ministry of Finance and Economic Development recently announced that total stopover arrivals fell by 100% in April 2020, from 108,565 arrivals in April 2019 to 10 arrivals in April of this year. This number includes both air and sea stopover visitors. The number of visitors from France, the number one market, decreased by 100%, from 27,738 arrivals in April 2019 to 0 in the same month of 2020.
Mauritius closed its border to all international visitors indefinitely as of April 18th 2020.
In the first four months of 2020 Mauritius saw a 33.9% decrease in total stopover arrivals, falling from 460,870 arrivals in 2019 to 304,852 arrivals this year. Total stopover arrivals from France fell by 30.6% from 113,368 arrivals in the first four months of 2019 to 78,638 arrivals in the same four months of 2020.

Keeping Economic Data Flowing During COVID-19
Accurate and timely economic data are crucial for informing policy decisions, especially during a crisis. But the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the production of many key statistics. Without reliable data, policymakers cannot assess how badly the pandemic is hurting people and the economy, nor can they properly monitor the recovery.
We are working with member countries and other international agencies to address these data disruptions and keep economic data flowing.
The significant data disruptions due to the COVID-19 pandemic require innovative data collection methods and data sources. More accurate and real-time information will help countries continue to respond more effectively to the crisis and start planning for the recovery.
Three key statistical challenges
First, many staff in national statistical offices are now working from home due to lockdowns, often with limited access to the tools and data they need to produce and disseminate economic indicators. For example, the calculation of retail prices often requires physical visits to stores but this is currently not possible in many countries. Similarly, surveying businesses about their production and investment plans is difficult as many have temporarily shut down or simply do not have the resources to respond to statistical questionnaires. These disruptions mean that data on prices and production—critical for calibrating monetary policy and fiscal stimulus measures—may either be delayed or have to be estimated based on partial information.
Second, inconsistent approaches to recording government support to people and businesses may complicate the assessment of their impact on public finances. How best to reflect some of these measures is not so straightforward. For example, when a government provides financial support to companies affected by COVID-19, is it making a financial investment or is it providing subsidies with no return expected? Depending on the answer, policymakers will get a different picture of the fiscal deficit and public debt.
Third, to make the best-informed decisions, policymakers need a real-time readout of the economy. Many traditional official statistics—even those with monthly frequency—are just not sufficiently up to date to be useful at this time. Higher-frequency alternative data are needed to complement official statistics. While the important role of alternative indicators was already recognized before the pandemic, the disruptions of traditional statistics caused by the current crisis have made it more urgent.
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Update on American Travel in the Period of Coronavirus—Week of May 25th
Every week since March 15th, Destination Analysts has surveyed 1,200+ American travelers about their thoughts, feelings, perceptions and behaviors surrounding travel in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. The findings presented below represent data collected May 22nd-24th.
Key Findings to Know:

• American travelers continue a slow march towards feeling safer.
• The pandemic has wreaked havoc on the industry’s future, with significant declines in American travel intentions, spending and sentiments from January 2020—and worse than what was seen in the Great Recession.
• Air travel, non-private transportation and indoor attractions are seen as the least safe aspects of the common travel journey.
• A majority of travelers still do not yet feel that either a hotel or Airbnb/vacation home rental experience are safe right now.
• Only 5.9% reported taking a Memorial Day weekend trip.
• Younger travelers will very likely be key to many destinations’ and travel providers’ recovery.

read more/...

International air arrivals to Mexico fell by 98.6% in April.
According to the Government of Mexico’s SECTUR (Department of Tourism) the volume of international air arrivals to Mexico fell by 98.6% in April 2020 from 1,580,596 in April 2019 to 21,629 in April 2020. The volume of air arrivals from the USA fell by 98.1% in April, to 16,260, with the volume from Canada falling by 99.8%, to 352.
Cancun Airport saw a 99.8% decrease in international air arrivals in April 2020, falling from 702,445 arrivals in April 2019 to 1,126 arrivals in April 2020, while Los Cabos saw a 99.6% decrease falling from 160,881 arrivals in April 2019 to 594 international air arrivals in April 2020. Puerto Vallarta saw a 99.4% decrease, falling from 130,170 international arrivals in April 2019 to 774 in April 2020.
In the first four months of 2020 the volume of international air arrivals to Mexico fell by 34.7%, from 6,972,772 in 2019 to 4,553,668 in the first four months of this year. The volume of air arrivals from the USA fell by 34.7% in the same four months, from 3,645,194 in 2019 to 2,382,053 in 2020 while the volume from Canada fell by 29.8%, from 1,260,116 in 2019 to 884,003 in 2020.
Cancun Airport saw a 36.0% decrease in international air arrivals in the first four months of 2020, falling from 2,978,887 in 2019 to 1,905,643 in 2020 while Los Cabos saw a 34.6% decrease falling from 671,944 international air arrivals to 439,228 air arrivals in 2020. Puerto Vallarta saw a 32.9% decrease, falling from 727,866 international arrivals in 2019 to 488,133 in the first four months of 2020.

How the Coronavirus Pandemic Will Change the Way We Travel
Architectural Digest.
With the entire travel industry essentially on pause and no clear answer about when things will return to normal, one thing is certain: Traveling in a post-coronavirus world will not be the same as before. Traveling provides us an opportunity to connect with others, find inspiration in foreign ways of life, and support local economies. But it also has negative impacts on the environment, with carbon emissions speeding up the process of global warming and can be damaging to destinations and communities if not done sustainably. Now that the coronavirus has forced millions of people to stay home, we’ve seen the earth enjoying a much-needed respite. The canals of Venice are crystal clear, air pollution in cities like Milan is reduced, and wildlife is returning to places formerly overrun by humans. So, what does this mean for the future of travel? We surveyed leaders within the tourism industry to find out their predictions for how travel will change.
A Slow Return
All of the experts we spoke with agreed that travel will return gradually over the course of months, if not years, and people will probably stick to local destinations for a while. “Initially people won’t want to venture far from home, preferring long weekend stays to drive-to destinations and the corona-cation will be born,” Misty Belles, the managing director of global public relations for worldwide travel network Virtuoso, told AD. “This is an important first step because with 20% of people expressing concerns over air travel, restoring consumer confidence will be a key part of recovery.”
read more/...

Cancun And Playa Del Carmen Hotels Will Not Reopen June 1st Says Quintana Roo Government
Hotels in the Mexican tourism hotspots of Cancun, Playa Del Carmen and Isla Mujeres will not reopen June 1st as planned.
The government of Quintana Roo has quashed the hopes of optimistic Quintana Roo hotels that expected to reopen on June 1.
Tourism Minister Marisol Vanegas Pérez burst a few bubbles when she said that “it’s not true that they’ll be able to reopen, since the companies themselves don’t determine that, nor the market. It will be the federal and state governments,” reported Mexico News Daily. 
She added that the only hotels that should be open for the foreseeable future are those providing service for people carrying out activities deemed essential during the coronavirus pandemic.
Swimming pools, gyms, spas and other tourist services will remain closed until conditions allow, as reopening early could lead to “disastrous [public health] situations,” Vanegas said.
Although she could not give a specific date, Vanegas did say that they can expect to begin to return to something resembling normal sometime in June.
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Wealthy Travelers Are Starting to Book Year-End Vacations
Yachts and private villas are in; skiing is out.  
The new offering from Roar Africa is lavish, even for the safari outfitter’s well-heeled, often well-known clientele. With Roar Privé, they can experience an eight-day safari in South Africa without coming into contact with another human—except for their private pilots, guide, butler, chef, and whomever they choose to bring along.
These very socially distant safaris start at $60,000 per person. Since early May, Roar has sold them to a half-dozen groups for the year-end “festive” season and beyond.  
“I would never have thought to put it out there [during normal times],” says Roar chief executive Deborah Calmeyer, because of the additional cost of the trips. But these are not normal times and, in this moment, the appeal goes beyond exclusivity. “I’m so fearful for our wildlife and the people dependent on travelers coming back. Whatever we have to create to make it safe, that’s what we’re going to do.”  
The coronavirus crisis has all but shut down travel around the world and across the board. The number of people going through U.S. Transportation Security Administration checkpoints has dropped by some 95% since the start of March. That month, private jet companies began turning away customers as international borders closed. 
It’s still unclear when shuttered resorts, airports, and borders will reopen. But wealthy jetsetters are betting that by November or December, travel will be somewhat normal—and that spending additional dollars can keep them sufficiently safe.
“We had several weeks of crickets … not a single request,” says Brooke Lavery, co-owner of New York-based travel consultancy Local Foreigner. “Probably two weeks ago [in early May] is when it really started to come back.”
Some of the earliest requests are coming from clients who have the means to fly privately. Aside from being at reduced risk of infection, these travelers are also unaffected by flight cancellations or other airline disruptions. “At the drop of a hat, they could get themselves out if they needed it,” she explains. “They’re more free.”
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Air Travel Prices Set To Double: U.S. Europe $2,200 Economy Fare
As airlines return to Europe skies for summer, the cost of air travel looks set to double on some carriers. A U.S.-Europe economy return in early June cost from $2,126 with Delta. A first class ticket for the same Atlanta-Paris flight costs from $7,085.
Mind, Europe’s borders are shut to most foreign travelers until at least June 15. Travel bans at both ends mean only those with essential reasons to travel can.
That has not stopped several airlines ramping up summer flight schedules for Europe. Delta, Emirates and Qatar are taking off again on many European routes from as early as today. As the EU’s internal borders start to tumble, Lufthansa together with its subsidiaries SWISS and Eurowings are launching a major comeback on Europe-wide destinations across June. Also on international routes.
Is Delta inflating those prices a little? A Lufthansa Paris Los Angeles return from May 28 costs less than half that: From $970 for a basic economy return fare, $1,330 in the case of premium economy.
Post Covid-19 Air Travel Freedom At A Price?
There has been huge speculation as to whether post Covid-19 air travel will be cheaper or more expensive. The variation in prices between Delta and Lufthansa suggests it depends in part which airline you choose.
Flights in and out of London from the U.S. are often cheaper, I find, than into Paris. Yet Delta’s Atlanta-London offerings for May-June sport a similar price tag: $2,235 return. BA meantime is selling Heathrow-JFK roundtrips economy in June for around $650.
Many travelers take $700-900 as a ballpark economy return fare on transatlantic flights. Early on in Europe’s corona crisis, in March, Delta and others were selling them for $285. Today Delta’s tickets cost over 600% more.
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When cruises from Florida reopen, many popular destination ports wonder when and whether to welcome back tourists
Cruise lines have been hit especially hard during this pandemic. Now, as cruise companies look to regain some semblance of normalcy, they're facing a new struggle. Many ports seem disinterested in welcoming them back any time soon.
Nearly all – 96 percent – of travel destinations around the world have imposed some form of restrictions, with some of the most extreme being directed at the cruise industry. While many cities and countries have yet to commit to a reopening date, some of those which have are presenting a major hurdle ahead.
Seychelles rocked the travel industry last week when they announced the country would be banning cruise ships at its Port Victoria until 2022. The nation, which sits off the coast of East Africa, has been a popular spot in the burgeoning Asian cruise market.
For one thing, an estimated 100,000 cruise ship crew members are currently still stuck at sea.
By far the most extreme closure yet, Seychelles may soon be joined by other countries with Australian politicians now debating banning international travel until at least mid-2021.
In the Caribbean Sea, where the largest number of cruise sailings happen, the Cayman Islands have closed Grand Cayman to cruise ships until at least September. The CDC has a No Sail Order on all cruise ships from operating in U.S. waters through at least July 24.
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​Travel and Leisure: Here's What Summer Travel Might Actually Look Like, According to Experts 
Will the coronavirus pandemic change your summer travel plans? Experts share their predictions.
Summer travel usually means family vacations, sun-drenched beach getaways, meandering road trips, and extended jaunts to far-flung destinations like Europe and Asia. However, with a global pandemic unfolding, those experiences might look a little different this year. Coronavirus outbreaks continue to flare up around the world, international travel restrictions remain in place, and over half of the world's airplanes are still grounded. Many families are also feeling a financial sting due to the economic downturn. And folks who already had plans were likely forced to cancel them.
With that in mind, we don’t know exactly what summer travel will look like, but one thing is certain: You can expect change. To get a better idea of what may be in store for those who do wish to travel this summer, we turned to a handful of experts for their predictions. 
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Is International Travel Still Banned? Here's What You Should Know
International travel is at a near-standstill this year. The good news is that travel advisories are gradually easing for general tourism. But can (and should) you travel outside the United States yet?
This is a crazy year for traveling anywhere outside your front door. Flights are still helping people get across the United States and the world for essential reasons. But the reopening of international borders is going to be a slow process. Even though you can book a flight abroad, do you have permission to travel? If so, is it worth your time?

• CDC Travel Advisories
• State Department Travel Advisories
• Canada
• Mexico
• The Caribbean
• Latin America
• Europe
• Asia/Oceania
• FAQ

For details read more/...

As Americans gradually open back up to travel, they are making plans for their trips—the likes of which include beaches, parks, social distancing and hand sanitizer.
Every week since March 15th, Destination Analysts has surveyed 1,200+ American travelers about their thoughts, feelings, perceptions and behaviors surrounding travel in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. The findings presented below represent data collected May 15th-17th.
Key Findings to Know:

• American travelers are demonstrating increased comfort with (or in spite of) their concerns surrounding COVID-19.
• Feelings about the virus and travel are not uniform–geographically, demographically or psychograpically.
• American travelers are opening back up to attending conferences and conventions.
• Travel planning is happening.
• Marketing could be effective in swaying travelers to choose a specific destination.
• Travelers need destination-level information on safety.
• Rural residents are the least comfortable with tourists presently, setting up potential tensions with travelers desiring the types of assets found in these places.
• Travel remains recognized for its positive emotional benefits for families.

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IATA: The impact on Long-Haul Travel will be much Longer Lasting
Geneva – The International Air Transport Association (IATA) released new analysis showing that the damage to air travel from COVID-19 extends into the medium-term, with long-haul / international travel being the most severely impacted.
Quarantine measures on arrival would further damage confidence in air travel.
A risk-based layered approach of globally harmonized biosecurity measures is critical for the restart.
IATA and Tourism Economics modeled two air travel scenarios.
Baseline Scenario
This is contingent on domestic markets opening in Q3, with a much slower phased opening of international markets. This would limit the air travel recovery, despite most forecasts pointing toward a strong economic rebound late this year and during 2021.
In 2021 we expect global passenger demand (measured in revenue passenger kilometers, RPKs) to be 24% below 2019 levels and 32% lower than IATA’s October 2019 Air Passenger forecast for 2021.
IATA does not expect 2019 levels to be exceeded until 2023.
As international markets open and economies recover, there will be further growth in air travel from the 2020 low point. But even by 2025 we would expect global RPKs to be 10% lower than the previous forecast.
Pessimistic Scenario
This is based on a slower opening of economies and relaxation of travel restrictions, with lockdowns extending into Q3, possibly due to a second wave of the virus. This would further delay the recovery of air travel.
In this case, global RPKs in 2021 could be 34% lower than 2019 levels and 41% below our previous forecast for 2021.
“Major stimulus from governments combined with liquidity injections by central banks will boost the economic recovery once the pandemic is under control. But rebuilding passenger confidence will take longer. And even then, individual and corporate travelers are likely to carefully manage travel spend and stay closer to home,” said Alexandre de Juniac, IATA’s Director General and CEO.
The impact on Long-Haul Travel will be Longer Lasting
When the recovery begins, it is expected to be led by domestic travel.
An IATA survey of recent air travelers conducted in April 2020 found that 58% are somewhat or very likely to restrict their initial travel to domestic journeys.
“The impacts of the crisis on long-haul travel will be much more severe and of a longer duration than what is expected in domestic markets. This makes globally agreed and implemented biosecurity standards for the travel process all the more critical. We have a small window to avoid the consequences of uncoordinated unilateral measures that marked the post-9.11 period. We must act fast,” said de Juniac.
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This iconic beach destination just banned cruise ship arrivals until 2022
Don’t expect to cruise to the Seychelles anytime soon.
The sun-kissed beach destination in the Indian Ocean has banned cruise ships from visiting until 2022, citing fears of another wave of coronavirus cases, according to the Seychelles Nation, the archipelago’s main newspaper.
The news outlet says the Seychelles minister for tourism, Didier Dogley, announced the ban this week as part of measures to prevent or minimize a second wave of COVID-19 cases.
The Seychelles has fared well so far during the global outbreak of the new coronavirus, with an initial wave of just 11 cases and no deaths. The country moved fast to ban cruise ship arrivals and shut its international airport after the first cases were discovered in mid-March. The airport remains closed with a reopening date currently set for June 1.
The cruise ship ban will block ships from stopping at Port Victoria, the gateway for arriving cruise vessels. 
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Mauritius announces stopover visitor arrivals fell by 51.2% in March.
The Mauritius Government’s Ministry of Finance and Economic Development recently announced that total stopover arrivals fell by 51.2% in March 2020, from 114,419 arrivals in March 2019 to 55,863 arrivals in March of this year. This number includes both air and sea stopover visitors. The number of visitors from France, the number one market, decreased by 49.2%, from 26,471 arrivals in March 2019 to 13,443 in the same month of 2020.
Mauritius closed its border to all international visitors indefinitely as of March 18th 2020.
In the first three months of 2020 Mauritius saw a 13.5% decrease in total stopover arrivals, falling from 352,305 arrivals in 2019 to 304,842 arrivals this year. Total stopover arrivals from France fell by 8.2% from 85,630 arrivals in the first three months of 2019 to 78,638 arrivals in the same three months of 2020.
​
​Future Air Travel: Four-Hour Process, Self Check-In, Disinfection, Immunity Passes
Once airports and borders open again and people are able to fly freely — a process already in play as airports of all sizes around the world ready strategies to ensure healthy air travel — how much are you ready to change your flying habits?
As much as was required after 9/11? Less? More?
Considering some of the changes already happening and the many more recommended before airports can reopen safely to commercial routes, experts are referring to the coronavirus pandemic as ‘the new terrorism,’ triggering the biggest crisis the airline industry has ever faced.
Let’s start with the entire process of checking in for flights, which some calculate that it could take up to four hours and involving social distancing, sanitation of passengers and luggage, wider spaces for various lines and waiting to board.
Nine out of 10 experts expect slower turnarounds between flights due to the need of thorough cleaning of cabins and following of sanitary measures at airports.
In the short run, though, it’s expected that reduced passenger numbers and airlines traveling to a smaller pool of destinations may reduce delays.
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TUI outlines 10-point plan for post-coronavirus hotel operations
TUI has introduced a 10-point plan with measures and standards relating to Covid-19 in order to reopen its hotels.
In addition to organisation, capacity planning and hygiene measures, the plan also includes intensive training of local staff.
The new standards will be implemented in TUI's own hotel brands as well as joint venture and hotel partners.
Sebastian Ebel, member of the Group Executive Board responsible for Holiday Experiences, said: "Customer surveys clearly indicate that safety and hygiene will be of paramount importance for holidaymakers after the lockdown.
"With our Group-wide, integrated health and safety management system, we can ensure that our hotels meet guests' high expectations and offer the best possible protection against infections during these unusual times. We are laying the foundations for an agile and safe return to business so we can be ready to offer our unique holiday experiences again as soon as possible."
click here for detailed 10 point plan

The Maldives announces visitor arrivals fell by 63.4% in March 2020.
The Maldives Government’s Ministry of Tourism recently announced that total tourist arrivals fell by 63.4% in March 2020, from 162,843 arrivals in March 2019 to 59,627 arrivals in March of this year. A major reason for the decline was because of a 97.4% drop in arrivals from China, falling from 19,479 arrivals in March 2019 to just 498 in March 2020, although arrivals from Italy were also down, by 78.1%, falling from 18,285 in March 2019 to 3,996 in March 2020 and were down by 59.1% from Germany, falling from 16,320 in March 2019 to 6,671 in March 2020.
The Government of the Maldives prohibited visitors from China effective February 4, from Iran as of February 26, from South Korea as of March 3, from Italy as of March 8, from Germany, Spain and France as of March 15, from Malaysia as of March 17, from the United Kingdom as of March 19, from Sri Lanka as of March 21 and from Bangladesh as of March 24. As of March 27, all foreign nationals were prohibited entry to The Maldives.
In the first three months of 2020 The Maldives saw a 20.8% decrease in total arrivals, falling from 482,978 in 2019 to 382,760 this year. Total tourist arrivals from China fell by 55.7% from 76,568 in 2019 to 33,889 in the first three months of 2020.
The Maldives has seen the overall number of accommodation establishments grow by 14.5% from 836 in March 2019 to 949 establishments this March. The number of beds increased by 13.7% from 44,721 last March to 50,869 this year. Through the end of March overall average room occupancy has fallen by 16.8 percentage points from 75.4% in 2019 to 58.6% this year.
Of the 951 establishments 155 were resorts which offered 36,179 beds (71.0% of the overall number of beds). These resorts achieved a 67.4% average room occupancy through the first three months of 2020 down from 87.2% for the first three months of 2019. In March 2019 there were 139 resorts offering 31,129 beds, with the number of resorts increasing by 11.5% in 2020 and the number of beds up by 16.2%.

The Bahamas reports stopover arrivals fell by 69.7% in March.
According to the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism, The Islands of The Bahamas saw a 69.7% decline in stopover visitor arrivals in March, falling from 201,578 stopovers in March 2019 to 75,656 in March of this year. Nassau/Paradise Island saw a 62.2% decrease in stopover traffic, falling from 155,093 stopovers in March 2019 to 58,653 this year while Grand Bahama Island saw an 89.6% decline, falling from 14,793 stopovers in 2019 to 1,544 in March 2020. Stopover traffic to the Out Islands fell by 86.9%, from 50,640 in March 2019 to 6,640 in March 2020. Overall traffic from the USA fell by 70.1% in March, falling from 183,943 in March 2019 to 54,980 stopovers in March 2020.
In response to the Covid 19 pandemic on Thursday, March 19, expanded travel restrictions were introduced. Foreign nationals and foreign individuals who had travelled within the previous 20 days from the United Kingdom, Ireland and Europe were prohibited entry into The Bahamas. This was in addition to restrictions already in place for China, Iran, Italy and South Korea. On March 20th, a curfew from 9 pm until 5 am was implemented and all non-essential businesses were closed. On March 24th, the Bahamian border was closed until further notice to incoming visitors and returning residents.
During the first three months of 2020 The Bahamas saw a 34.5% decline in the number of stopover visitors, falling from 524,126 stopover visitors in 2019 to 343,439 stopovers in 2020. Nassau/Paradise Island saw a 24.3% decrease in stopover traffic, falling from 369,894 stopovers in 2019 to 279,891 stopovers in the first three months of 2020, while Grand Bahama Island saw a 61.0% decline in stopover traffic, falling from 38,729 stopovers in 2019 to 15,088 in 2020. Stopover traffic to the Out Islands decreased by 58.0%, from 115,503 visitors in 2019 to 48,460 in the same three months of 2020.
The number of visitors from the USA fell by 35.6% in the first three months of 2020, from 417,245 visitors in 2019 to 268,809 in 2020. The number of visitors from Canada fell by 22.2%, from 52,171 in 2019 to 40,570 in 2020, while the number of visitors from Europe fell by 37.3%, falling from 34,787 in 2019 to 21,821 in 2020.
The number of cruise visitors fell by 59.6% in March, from 530,038 visitors in March 2019 to 214,035 visitors in March of this year. During the first three months of 2020 the number of cruise visitors to The Bahamas fell by 10.0%, from 1,474,573 visitors in 2019 to 1,327,084 cruise visitors in the first three months of 2020.

10 Percent of Riviera Maya Hotels Could Reopen June 1
At this week’s press conference, the Riviera Maya Hotel Association’s president, Conrad Bergwerf, announced that he anticipates ten percent of the region’s hotels to reopen by June 1, 2020, provided that the state restarts its activities in time.
Speaking alongside the association’s director, Manuel Paredes, Bergwerf met with media to discuss the present state of the sector and its immediate future, post-COVID-19, reported 
Bergwerf said that the association expects to be able to confirm these reopenings by no later than May 15. Fifteen of the organization’s 140 member hotels have already signed up to open their doors on June 1, with the rest indicating that they will reopen as customer demand increases.
The Riviera Maya Hotel Association’s representatives explained that, in addition to the pandemic, the local economy and tourism sector is also being impacted by factors like the U.S.’ electoral year and its trade war with China, but said that it expects the situation to have become relatively stabilized by year’s end.
Although the area only currently has only five hotels in operation to host stranded travelers and house essential workers, with occupancy rates barely reaching four percent, Bergwerf speculated that hospitality in this Mexican Caribbean locale could reach 100 percent operational capacity by the end of 2020, with estimated increases in demand building toward December. Still, factoring in the current crisis, “If we reach 30 percent annual occupancy, it will be a good number,” he explained.
Riviera Maya Hotel Association Treasurer, Néstor Ospina, stated that most of the region’s 140 hotels will require financial support in order to reopen, and that he anticipates full recovery could take between eighteen and 24 months. The association takes heart from the fact that none of their affiliated hotels have notified them of bankruptcy or indicated an inability to reopen, and assured that, “everyone is waiting for better times.”

IATA Bio-security for Air Transport: A Road map for Restarting Aviation
On Tuesday May 5 2020 IATA released a comprehensive set of guidelines to restart aviation. Meeting this challenge will mean making significant changes across the arc of the air travel experience: pre-flight; at the departure airport; onboard; and post-flight.
▪ It will require governments to assume broad new responsibilities in terms of assessing and identifying traveler health risks, as governments did for security after 9.11.
▪Airlines and airports will need to introduce and adapt processes and procedures to minimize contagion risk in the airport and aircraft environments;
▪ Passengers will need to be empowered to take more control of their travel journey, including responsibly assessing their own level of health risk before a journey.
This document represents the airline industry’s effort to identify a roadmap to resuming operations, based on our longstanding commitment to safety as our highest priority. Success depends on a partnership approach among the key participants in the travel chain.
IATA recommends mandatory face-coverings for passengers and masks for crew as one of several actions to reduce the already low risk of contracting COVID-19 on board aircraft.
In addition to face coverings, these layers of temporary biosecurity measures being proposed include:

• Temperature screening of passengers, airport workers and travelers,
• Boarding and deplaning processes that reduce contact with other passengers or crew,
• Limiting movement within the cabin during flight,
• More frequent and deeper cabin cleaning; and
• Simplified catering procedures that lower crew movement and interaction with passengers.

When proven and available at scale, testing for COVID-19 or immunity passports could also be included as temporary biosecurity measures.
IATA does not recommend restricting the use of the ‘middle seat’ to create social distancing while onboard aircraft.
Evidence, although limited, suggests that, the risk of virus transmission on board aircraft is low even without special measures.
for full report click here

Global tourism could plummet by 80 per cent this year.
International tourist numbers could fall by up to 80% this year, according to a report by the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).
In a report out today, it outlined three different scenarios which pointed to declines in arrivals of between 58% and 78%, depending on the speed of containment of Covid-19 and how long travel restrictions and border shutdowns are kept in place.
The report said international tourism was down 22% in the first three months of the year.
Arrivals in March dropped sharply by 57% following the start of lockdowns, travel restrictions and the closure of airports and national borders, translating to a loss of 67 million international arrivals.
UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili said: "The world is facing an unprecedented health and economic crisis. Tourism has been hit hard, with millions of jobs at risk in one of the most labour-intensive sectors of the economy."
According to a UNWTO survey of tourism experts, domestic demand is expected to recover faster than international demand.
The majority of experts expect to see signs of recovery by the final quarter of 2020 but mostly in 2021.
Based on previous crises, leisure travel is expected to recover quicker, particularly travel for visiting friends and relatives, than business travel.
The estimates regarding the recovery of international travel is more positive in Africa and the Middle East with most experts foreseeing recovery still in 2020.
Experts in the Americas are the least optimistic and least likely to believe in recovery in 2020, while in Europe and Asia the outlook is mixed, with half of the experts expecting to see recovery within this year.
For full report click here.

Los Cabos saw a 99.3% decline in international air traffic movements in April.
According to Aeroportuario del Pacifico , which manages many of Mexico’s airports, Los Cabos Airport saw a 99.3% decline in international passenger traffic in April 2020, that is enplanements and deplanements, falling from 345,800 international passenger movements in April 2019 to 600 international passenger movements in April 2020. Domestic traffic declined by 86.4%, falling from 162,000 passenger movements in April 2019 to 22,100 passenger movements in April 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. These measures have been extended until May 30 2020.
In the first four months of 2020 the volume of international air traffic decreased by 32.3%, falling from 1,402,000 international passenger movements in 2019 to 949,400 in the first four months of 2020 while the volume of domestic air traffic fell by 23.7%, from 556,700 movements in 2019 to 424,800 in the first four months of 2020.

Montego Bay saw a 99.9% decrease in air passenger traffic in April.
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 99.9% in April 2020, falling from 424,700 movements in April 2019 to 600 movements in April 2020.
In the case of Montego Bay, the Jamaican government canceled all incoming international flights, with the exception of cargo and freight transport flights, allowing only the departure of commercial flights. These measures have been extended until May 31, 2020.
In the first four months of 2020 the overall volume of passenger movements decreased by 35.6%, from 1,762,700 passenger movements in 2019 to 1,134,500 passenger movements in the first four months of 2020.

Bahamas, Haiti want negative COVID tests from returning citizens. Antigua wants same from tourists.
At least two countries in the Caribbean are requiring COVID-19 test certificates from stranded nationals before they can return home, while another, Antigua and Barbuda, plans to have tourists undergo rapid testing for the novel coronavirus before boarding aircraft to visit its sun splashed beaches.
The Bahamas announced the requirement Sunday, joining Haiti, which was among the first in the region to do so. Other Caribbean nations are also considering the so-called “virus-free” certificates as health and tourism ministers weigh the return of stranded nationals and tourists amid the devastating economic blows of the global pandemic.
But the push for a COVID-19 “passport” in order to fly comes as the World Health Organization signals its discomfort with such documentation for travel, doctors and scientists still lack a lot of information about the coronavirus, and getting access to testing remains difficult in the United States.
“Requiring some kind of COVID passport is going to be difficult,” said Carlos Espinal, director of the Global Health Consortium at the Robert Stempel College of Public Health at Florida International University.
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Mnuchin: International Travel Could Be Done For 2020
Dreaming of escaping to France, New Zealand or Costa Rica later this year? Secretary of the Treasury Steve Mnuchin says travelers may have to rethink their plans for a globetrotting getaway for the rest of 2020.
In an interview with FOX Business Network this morning, Mnuchin said it’s “too hard to tell” whether international travel will be possible this year as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to across the globe.
“Our priority is opening up the domestic economy,” said Mnuchin. “Obviously, for business people, there will be travel on a limited basis.”
COVID-19 cases continue to rise in most states, but Mnuchin suggested Americans might want to vacation domestically. “This is a great time for people to explore America,” he said. “As the economy opens up, I think you’ll see demand coming back.”
Secretary Mnuchin also said that the Trump administration is considering ways to boost the travel and restaurant industries. “The president’s also looking about ways to stimulate travel,” said Mnuchin.
Most Americans are cautious about future travel plans, according to new research from Skift, the travel intel site. Only a third of Americans say they’ll travel within three months after travel restrictions are lifted, and four out of 10 Americans say their first getaway will be a road trip less than 100 miles from home.
 
Hawaii’s hotels report a 34.3 percentage point drop in average room occupancy in March to reach 44.5%
According to the Hawai‘i Hotel Performance Report published by the Hawai‘i Tourism Authority (HTA), statewide hotel room occupancy fell by 34.3 percentage points from 78.8% in March 2019 to 44.5% in March this year. ADR fell by 1.7% from $284.63 to $279.90 while revpar fell by 44.4%, from $224.39 in March 2019 to $124.68 in March this year.
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.
In March 2020, Hawai‘i hotel room revenues statewide fell by 44.9% from $376.0 million in 2019 to $207.3 million this year. Room demand fell to 740,700 room nights, down 43.9% compared to a year ago. Room supply was slightly lower (down by 0.8%) and fell to 1,662,800 available room nights. Hawaii has 53,639 hotel rooms.
For the first three months of 2020 statewide hotel room occupancy fell by 9.9 percentage points from 80.5% in 2019 to 70.6% in the first three months of 2020. ADR grew by 4.9% from $291.30 to $305.50 while revpar fell by 8.0%, from $234.50 in the first three months of 2019 to $215.83 in the first three months of this year.
In the first three months of 2020, Hawai‘i hotel room revenues statewide fell by 8.7% from $1.141 billion in 2019 to $1.042 billion this year. Room demand fell to 3,410,600  room nights, down 12.9% compared to a year ago. Room supply was slightly lower (down by 0.8%) and fell to 4,827,600 available room nights
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Battered global tourism industry makes reopening plans
The battered global tourism industry is facing unprecedented uncertainty in the wake of the new coronavirus
Six months ago, the global tourism industry was celebrating a record year for travel. Now, it's decimated and facing a recovery that could take years.
Tourism Economics, a data and consulting firm, predicts global travel demand won’t resume its normal pace until 2023.
When tourists do finally return, they will face a changed landscape that incorporates social distancing and other measures to calm residual fears over COVID-19, the disease that has so far killed more than 244,000 people worldwide and infected millions more.
The road to recovery will be long and hard for the tourism industry. The United Nations World Tourism Organization predicts global tourist arrivals — or visits from tourists who come to their destinations and stay at least one night — will fall 30% this year from the record 1.5 billion in 2019. Airlines have grounded nearly two-thirds of their planes as passengers vanish. Cruise ships are docked; some won’t sail again until November.
Millions of people who depend on tourism are laid off or furloughed. In the U.S. alone, an estimated 8 million tourism-related workers are jobless right now, or about one-third of total U.S. unemployment, said Roger Dow, the president and CEO of the U.S. Travel Association.
Alexandre de Juniac, CEO of the International Air Transport Association, the leading airline trade group, said carriers need to fill at least 70% of seats to break even on most flights. If they're required to block or remove many seats, they will either stop flying or raise prices 50%, he said.
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Planning for the Future of Hotel Marketing
By Dan Wacksman, CHDM, CRME, principal at Sassato LLC, and member of HSMAI’s Marketing Advisory Board.
As most of the country has been in lockdown mode for more than a month, many hoteliers are beginning to focus on what the future will look like once things start opening up again. HSMAI’s Marketing Advisory Board (MAB) met on a call April 16 during which members shared their predictions, fears, and hopes for the future. Here are a few highlights from that discussion:
1. Cleaning Measures
2. Social Distancing
3. Opening Plans
4. Advertising
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Air travel will never be the same after coronavirus
Whenever you're ready to fly again, be prepared: air travel after the coronavirus will look and feel a lot different from the last time you boarded a plane.
The big picture: With passenger traffic down 95% during the height of the pandemic, airlines have all but given up on trying to salvage the lucrative summer travel season. The global industry expects to lose $314 billion this year, and airline executives say it could be two to three years before air travel recovers to pre-crisis levels.
In the meantime, pack your patience along with your face mask: everything is going to take longer.
Expect new procedures for everything from luggage check-in to security clearance and boarding.
You might even need to have your blood tested to prove you're in good health before boarding.
“9/11 changed travel completely with added security checks and longer check-in times. The impact of COVID-19 on air travel will be even more far-reaching,” says airline consultant Shashank Nigam, CEO and founder of SimpliFlying, in a blog post.
The big question: How much hassle will people tolerate, or will they avoid flying altogether?
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Destination marketers feel squeeze as funding dries up
For the travel industry, one key to recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic shutdown will lie in smart, sensitive and well-timed marketing campaigns, according to marketing experts.
But those efforts are also likely to be very lean, as one of the industry’s most relied-upon promotional partners, the destination marketing sector, is struggling  to stay afloat.
With the bulk of convention and visitors bureaus funded by local hotel and tourism taxes, destination marketing organizations (DMOs) have seen funding virtually dry up, forcing deep budget cuts and layoffs. 
Exacerbating the problem: Most DMOs operate as nonprofits, under a classification excluded from the Cares Act.
Although the sector was hoping for a lifeline in the latest small-business relief package passed by the Senate on Tuesday, layoffs and budget cuts have been widespread.
In Las Vegas, for instance, where authorities say room tax revenue is expected to drop from $300 million to between $100 million and $200 million in the upcoming fiscal year, the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority slashed its budget by $79 million, laying off 80 full-time workers, eliminating 400 temporary and on-call trade show positions and cutting executive pay.
Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau president and CEO Bill Talbert said 10% of his staff has been furloughed and the rest have taken pay cuts.
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The way ahead for Caribbean tourism
May 1 2020: David Jessop
What might the shape of post COVID-19 ec