UK visitor numbers to the Caribbean have increased overall despite parts of the region being ravaged by two hurricanes last September.
Arrivals were up marginally by 0.2% year on year in the first three months of 2018, while arrivals and hotel performance from January to June were ahead of 2017, according to the Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Association.
The six hurricane-impacted destinations, including Barbuda and Turks and Caicos, saw UK arrivals fall by between 30%-50%.
However, the association said it expected to see most room inventory back to original numbers by early 2019, with hoteliers taking the opportunity to enhance their offering when rebuilding.
Chief executive Frank Comito said: “Most of the Caribbean is doing remarkably well this year, not least because more than 75% of the region was untouched by last autumn’s two hurricanes.
“In terms of arrivals and hotel performance, our year-to-June figures compare favourably with the same period in 2017.”
Helen Tabois, senior product and marketing manager for the Caribbean at Inspiring Travel Company, said: “We’re seeing high demand from repeat bookers, who want to be among the first guests to experience [refurbished] hotels in St Barts and Anguilla.”
UK arrivals by destination have been more mixed. Jamaica’s figure dropped by 1.4% to 102,500 for January to June, due in large part to the state of emergency declared in Montego Bay in January.
Torrance Lewis, district manager at the Jamaica Tourist Board, said: “We didn’t have a strong January, which is why the numbers are down slightly, but in the months since, arrivals have flatlined or increased (compared with last year).”
Barbados is currently the most-visited Caribbean island by Brits with 119,200 arrivals, up 2.8%.