Grenada is on a roll. 2018 was a record-breaking year for Grenada, Carriacou and Petite Martinique as the three-island destination welcomed more than half a million total visitors to its shores. Building on this solid foundation, supported by continued aggressive public relations and marketing efforts to attract target audiences, Grenada maintained its growth momentum in 2019, which resulted in a preliminary total visitor number of 525,453 as released by the Grenada Tourism Authority (GTA) today.
Stayover visitor arrivals, which are considered the most valuable visitor in terms of on-island spend, accounted for 162,902, a 1 percent increase over 2018’s bumper growth (10 percent) of 160,970 arrivals. With the addition of American Airlines’ new direct service from Charlotte’s Douglas International Airport and considering that one of the largest hotels on island, the Rex Grenadian, has been closed for refurbishment since May 2019, this is a good indication of the destination’s growth and high demand with intrepid travelers.
As the market share increases, so will Grenada’s accommodations portfolio with the addition of The Royalton Grenada hotel, scheduled to open on March 1, 2020, as the largest hotel on island with 269 rooms. Sandals Grenada with 257 rooms and Radisson Grenada Beach Hotel with 227 rooms will become the second- and third-largest hotels on island, respectively. The destination will also be home to the Kimpton Kawana Bay hotel, which will have 220 rooms, with construction well underway on Grand Anse Beach.
Cruise visitor arrivals accounted for 337,940 arrivals, maintaining solid numbers after 2018’s record number of 342,826 (a 15 percent increase from the year prior). Plans are in place for Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. to increase visits from 19 cruise calls in 2019 to 29 cruise calls in 2020 split between Celebrity Cruises and Royal Caribbean International. Carnival Corporation’s Carnival Fascination is planning 12 new calls to Grenada throughout the year 2021.
Grenada also continued its impressive growth in yachting with preliminary visitor arrivals currently at 24,611, with the Camper and Nicholson’s marina currently under expansion.
The GTA’s CEO, Patricia Maher, stated that tourism prospects are excellent for the destination—not just for 2020 but beyond, with the announcement of a Six Senses Hotel to open in 2022. This upscale 100-room hotel project is part of a two-hotel development plan at La Sagesse. It will be the first Six Senses brand hotel in the Caribbean.
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