Carlos Munoz, Airbnb Policy Manager for Central America and the Caribbean.
Caribbean Beach
• Local nights, defined as travel between member countries and territories of the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO), almost doubled during the first quarter of 2023.1
• Top 6 countries with the highest growth of domestic nights booked were: Antigua & Barbuda, Jamaica, St. Kitts, St. Lucia, The Bahamas and Barbados2.
• Even though international tourism represents most of the nights booked on Airbnb in the Caribbean, the share of travel between CTO country members vs total travel to these destinations grew ~80%.
June 6th, New York City, United States. The Caribbean, a region made up of over 30 countries and territories3, is known for being a prime international tourist destination, however more locals have started to travel around the CTO countries thanks to Airbnb. The platform shared during the CTO’s Caribbean Week in New York City that local nights booked on Airbnb within CTO member countries almost doubled during the first quarter of 2023.4
“Local tourism has proved to be more resilient, a more immediate and frequent option to drive positive economic impact. During the Pandemic, when international borders were closed, it was locals who restarted the tourism economy and opened new destinations; we are happy to see the growth of this segment in the Caribbean”, mentioned Carlos Muñoz, Airbnb’s Director of Public Policy and Communications for the Caribbean and Central America.
The platform shared that the CTO countries with the highest growth of domestic nights booked were: Antigua & Barbuda, Jamaica, St. Kitts, St. Lucia, The Bahamas and Barbados.
International travelers still represent the majority of guests arriving to the Caribbean, however Airbnb also highlighted a new trend in the Caribbean region, the nearby interisland traveling. On Airbnb, the share of nights booked between islands of the CTO compared to the total nights booked nearly doubled during the same period, indicating new economic opportunities for the region.
“I welcome this news as homesharing opportunities have been a gamechanger with respect to enabling the benefits of tourism to be more evenly spread throughout our communities”, indicated Kenneth Bryan, CTO Chairman.
“I am very pleased that destinations in the region are benefitting from their affiliation with Airbnb, particularly in the domestic context. The CTOs ongoing efforts to improve regional connectivity will further enhance the economic, social and cultural benefits of homesharing by making domestic travel easier and more convenient”, he added.
Airbnb Economic Impact
The benefits of Airbnb go beyond the income of Hosts. Based on Airbnb information, in 2022, 81% of Hosts part of the CTO who gave recommendations of local attractions to their guests, such as restaurants and shops, recommended places in the neighborhoods where their listings are located5.
According to an Oxford Economic research, for each $10 US spent on accommodations in Latin America and the Caribbean, Airbnb Guests spend an additional $45 US for other businesses during their trip like restaurants, transportation, and other activities6.
The sector is rebuilding from pandemic impacts and Oxford Economics’ forecast anticipates visitor spending in Latin America and the Caribbean will approach $500 US billion in 2025 ($492.6 US billion), over 16 percent above its pre-pandemic level7.
Responsible Tourism
Early this year, Airbnb announced the recipients of the 2022 Airbnb Community Fund grant. In 2022, the program focused primarily on sustainability, with more than USD$6 million in grants awarded to more than 20 organizations working to protect our planet and promote sustainability and environmental conservation, in 19 countries on six continents, including Latin America and the Caribbean.
The Global Tourism Resilience Crisis Management Centre (GTRCMC) in Jamaica received $250,000. The GTRCMC project will benefit Jamaica, Barbados and Grenada to help raise awareness among Caribbean Micro, Small and Medium Sized Tourism Entrepreneurs (MSMEs) about the importance of climate-responsible practices in their operations, as well as encouraging them to take urgent action to combat climate change.
1 Based on the total of nights booked from travelers from CTO countries made in their own country during Q1 2023 compared to Q1 2022.
2 Based on the total of nights booked in 2022 vs. 2021 from domestic travelers.
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