LOCAL COMMENTARY

Caribbean tourism to benefit from China

by Leroy Noel

Monday,  January  7, 2005

With the boosting of relations between China and all the Caribbean Islands more Chinese tourists are expected to visit the region and as a major tourist destination, the Cayman Islands is also expected to benefit from any influx of these Asian tourists.

Vice President of the People’s Republic of China Zeng Qinghong, told participants at the China-Caribbean Economic and Trade Cooperation Forum 2005, that China stands ready to offer support for the Caribbean in the World Trade Organizations and other multilateral groups, while promoting investment and tourism between the two regions.

There are millions of Chinese tourists that travel every year and the strengthening of economic and diplomatic relations as witnessed in recent times, is bound to boost the regional tourism industry. 

The Chinese Vice President said his government would be encouraging Chinese tourists to choose the Caribbean as one of their holiday destinations.

It was good to hear the Chinese Vice President show interest in having governments in this region along with China play their role in providing quality services; promoting cultural exchanges; enhancing mutual friendship; as well as consultation and cooperation to safeguard common interests. 

This augurs well for the region and its people, since tourism is one of the key pillars in our economic growth, and every opportunity must be seized to develop that sector. 

According to reports, China is the largest developing country in the world, maintaining an average of 9.4 per cent annual growth for 26 consecutive years. 

Presently, China enjoys diplomatic relations with eleven Caribbean countries, the most recent being Grenada. But all sixteen countries and non-sovereign territories of the Caribbean are engaged with China through some form of economic and trade relationship. However in order for the much smaller islands, like Cayman, to benefit substantially, emphasis must be put on developing the product. 

Cayman’s neighbour Cuba is one of the upcoming tourist destinations that will be a force to reckon with very soon, if not already, and stands to benefit enormously from this emerging Eastern tourism.

Over the last 12 years, Cuban tourist development has been the most dynamic in the America’s. That resounding pace supports the fact of having passed from the 23rd place in the list of most preferred destinations in 1990, to the eighth place in 2004, an achievement that the Cubans are proud of. 

The regional tourism specialists forecast this year 20 million tourists will visit the Caribbean and of this figure, 2.5 million will go to Cuba, for an increase of 12 per cent. 

Recently, Cuba’s Vice Minister for Tourism highlighted as a big success, that in 2004 his country received two million, 48 thousand tourists, representing a 14 per cent boost. He confirmed, Cuba is prepared to receive about four million visitors in 2010, although, it is difficult to foresee world developments.

The main emitting markets to the island are Canada with half a million visitors, Italy with a similar figure and the United Kingdom that increased by 33 per cent in the last year. Spain reached 146 thousand 236, but it had grown in January by 25 per cent. 

Gonzalez reported the Cuban hotel network has 41 thousand 200 rooms with a growth in quality of 9.0 per cent, as from 278 hotels, most of them are in the four and five-star range. 

Cuba has one out of every, six hotel rooms of the 250 thousand operating in the Caribbean.

So as demonstrated here, if other Caribbean Islands are to attract any influx of Chinese tourists to the Caribbean they will have to be very competitive to match Cuba, the up and coming tourism giant in the region.

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