The Grenada Tourism Authority is pleased to announce that for the third consecutive month commencing in September, visitor arrivals showed a significant increase over the benchmark year of 2019. Available data suggested that November 2022 was the highest ever, with a total of 14,232 visitors, representing a 17% increase over 2019 figures.  December is also projected to surpass the previous high of December 2019.

This last quarter of 2022 has seen the return of all international flights into Grenada, including the expansion of British Airways’ flight schedule from London Gatwick, which now includes a third flight to Maurice Bishop International Airport on Sundays. Air Canada now has a twice weekly service and Sunwing Airlines operates flights every Sunday from Toronto. Condor Airlines, from Frankfurt also returned with a direct flight service every Sunday and regionally, Caribbean Airlines Limited now provide a daily service from Trinidad and Tobago.

November also saw Grenada hosting a number of major conferences including the CXC Annual Ministerial Summit, the Caribbean Society of Endoscopic Surgeons, and the AGM of the Caribbean Chambers of Commerce.

Another highlight was the second annual Tour Operators Marketplace which saw tour operators from the UK, USA and Canada meet with local hoteliers and tourism stakeholders for one-on-one meetings, getting a first-hand look at Grenada’s hotels and attractions, while also visiting the sister isles of Carriacou and Petite Martinique.

 

CEO of the Grenada Tourism Authority Petra Roach stated, “During the pandemic, we did a lot of groundwork putting systems in place to create a more efficient operation and also to evaluate our activity.  We engaged new PR teams in North America and the UK and strengthened our overseas sales teams. Our digital footprint has expanded significantly which has given us a much more cost effective marketing reach.  A lot of time was prioritised for deepening the relationships with our distribution channels in the marketplace, such as our travel agent and tour operator partners, to better understand how their businesses align with our product. We continue to build our brand equity so that travellers keep Grenada in their consideration of destinations they want to visit. We are laser focused on attracting visitors who want to take advantage of our safe environment, numerous community initiatives and who want to get out and about.”

The Honourable Lennox Andrews, Minister of Economic Development, Planning, Tourism, ICT and Creative Economy, Agriculture and Lands, Fisheries and Cooperatives stated, “We are heartened to see our arrival figures rebound so strongly with September, October and November showing increases of 11%, 6% and 17% respectively over the previous banner year of 2019. This is historically the highest November arrivals recorded. It speaks to a sound and focused strategy where connectivity and accessibility to our tri-island state remain highly prioritised. We as a government are committed to ensuring that we provide every opportunity for our people to benefit from this industry.”