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{"source_url": "http://jamaica-gleaner.com", "url": "http://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/business/20200101/2019-good-year-regional-tourism", "title": "2019 a good year for regional tourism", "top_image": "http://jamaica-gleaner.com/sites/default/files/styles/250px/public/media/article_images/2020/01/01/642247/3075618.jpg?itok=F_PxinrL", "meta_img": "http://jamaica-gleaner.com/sites/default/files/styles/250px/public/media/article_images/2020/01/01/642247/3075618.jpg?itok=F_PxinrL", "images": ["http://jamaica-gleaner.com/sites/default/files/styles/jg_article_image/public/media/article_images/2020/01/01/642247/3075618.jpg?itok=3F1iIUD8", "http://jamaica-gleaner.com/sites/default/files/styles/250px/public/media/article_images/2020/01/01/642247/3075618.jpg?itok=F_PxinrL", "http://jamaica-gleaner.com/sites/all/themes/gleaner/logo.png"], "movies": [], "text": "The Barbados-based Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) Tuesday described 2019 as \u201ca varied year, which both highlighted the strengths in Caribbean tourism and its inherent weaknesses\u201d.\n\nIn a New Year\u2019s message, CTO acting secretary general, Neil Walters, said the sector\u2019s strengths were evident in the significant growth rates experienced by most Caribbean countries.\n\nHe said that despite contraction in some larger destinations, such as Cuba and the Dominican Republic, the Caribbean experienced an overall 6.1 per cent level of growth in visitor arrivals during the first nine months of the year.\n\n\u201cIt is noteworthy that the growth rates of those countries affected by the 2017 hurricanes were substantial, in some cases up to triple-digit levels. This level of recovery speaks volumes about the commitment of the Caribbean to this industry which has become the lifeblood of several countries,\u201d he said.\n\nWalters said that when Hurricane Dorian, a Category 5 hurricane, swept through the Bahamas, the destruction \u201cwas a further wake-up call to us in the region that the climatic changes are here and likely irreversible.\n\n\u201cIt is our responsibility to create resilience in not only the tourism sector, but all sectors of our economies, and by extension all sections of our societies. We continue to commiserate with our brothers and sisters in The Bahamas on the loss of life and property experienced as a result of Dorian.\u201d\n\nWalters said that the cruise sector has also had a strong showing in 2019 with a 5.8 per cent growth rate for the first three quarters.\n\n\u201cImplicit in this growth of cruise visits is the fact that as occurred in 2018, there has been consistent growth of cruise visits in each quarter of 2019, albeit at rates which are lower than those experienced in 2018,\u201d he said.\n\n\u201cThe Caribbean tourism sector is ending 2019 in a position of which all of us can be proud, having seen an overall reversal of the position at the end of 2018. As we look to 2020, we should not rest on our laurels, but continue to work to sustain the growth which was realised this year,\u201d Walter said.\n\n\u201cAt the same time, we must remember that we live in a volatile climatic region which, while providing the palate for amazing experiences for our visitors, must always be respected and considered in our planning and development.\u201d\n\nWalters said that in the new year, the CTO will continue with the theme of the \u2018Year of Festivals\u2019 as it recognised that it was all but impossible for it to fully embrace the rich culture of the Caribbean in one 12-month period.\n\n\u201cThis year we hope to move even further along the path of integrating our festivals and other cultural events into the tourism product in all our countries. We recognise that not only do these aspects of our individual countries distinguish us from each other, but they also hold significant potential in the quest to attract even more visitors to our shores,\u201d he said.\n\n\u201cWhat is also becoming clearer to us is that we have not begun to fully and responsibly harness the power of our culture and heritage in defining who we are, and this is critical as we seek to offer authentic experiences which benefit both the visitor and the communities in which these experiences exist.\u201d\n\nWalters said that given the results recorded so far in 2019, \u201cit is our expectation that 2020 will, all things being equal, be another year of growth, likely at a rate slightly lower for both stay over arrivals and cruse visits.\n\n\u201cOne way that we can arrest the reduction in growth \u2013 or even maintain growth at current levels \u2013 is to embrace the value of speaking with one voice, ONE CARIBBEAN, to the rest of the world,\u201d he added.", "keywords": [], "meta_keywords": [""], "tags": [], "authors": [], "publish_date": "Wed Jan 1 20:00:00 2020", "summary": "", "article_html": "", "meta_description": "The Barbados-based Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) Tuesday described 2019 as \u201ca varied year, which both highlighted the strengths in Caribbean tourism and its inherent weaknesses\u201d. In a New Year\u2019s message, CTO acting secretary general, Neil...", "meta_lang": "en", "meta_favicon": "http://jamaica-gleaner.com/sites/all/themes/gleaner/favicon.ico", "meta_data": {"viewport": "width=device-width, initial-scale=1, maximum-scale=3, minimum-scale=1, user-scalable=yes", "description": "The Barbados-based Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) Tuesday described 2019 as \u201ca varied year, which both highlighted the strengths in Caribbean tourism and its inherent weaknesses\u201d. In a New Year\u2019s message, CTO acting secretary general, Neil...", "generator": "Drupal 7 (http://drupal.org)", "og": {"title": "2019 a good year for regional tourism", "description": "The Barbados-based Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) Tuesday described 2019 as \u201ca varied year, which both highlighted the strengths in Caribbean tourism and its inherent weaknesses\u201d. 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