The Caribbean island of Grenada is on track to achieve its half-a-million visitor target for 2018.
The Grenada Tourism Authority is seeing record numbers of tourist arrivals (stayover, cruise and yachting) with the total number of visitors from January to September up by 20% in comparison with last year, equating to 364,743 tourists. Should this continue it will mark the first time that the tri-island destination of Grenada and sister islands Carriacou and Petite Martinique will have welcomed half a million visitors in a year.
Patricia Maher, chief executive officer for the Grenada Tourism Authority, said: ?For a small island we pack a big punch in terms of what we can offer visitors. Grenada has 40 white sandy beaches, beautiful rainforests complete with 15 waterfalls, two lakes off the mountains, hot springs, five chocolate factories and three rum distilleries all of which holidaymakers can visit. More and more people are coming to Grenada and once you arrive it sells itself.?
Thanks to the island?s natural spices which are used to enhance its wellness experiences, the destination was recently recognised in the Caribbean Tourism Organisation?s Guide to Wellness and Rejuvenation.
The destination will soon see the opening of the Silversands Grenada on December 1 ? the first new-build resort on Grand Anse beach in a generation, reflecting the maturation of Grenada into contemporary luxury destination and looking ahead the opening of Kimpton Kawana Bay in 2020. This phased approach of increasing bed stock will mean that travel agent will have more choice to sell on the island than ever before.
For diving enthusiasts, the destination has more than 50 dive sites and now officially offers over 15 wreck dives with two just added over the last 12 months. One of these was the destination?s first ever 'clean' wreck - a long term project in Grenada culminating with the sinking of the MV Tyrell Bay.
This autumn also saw the tourism authority run its 'Sell the Spice Isle' travel agent booking incentive. Maher added: ?We have some new ideas and initiatives planned for the new year to help drive demand and to help travel agents sell. We will continue with our very strong initiatives in the UK market and continue with our training ? it?s important for us to be there and to educate agents and make them aware of the destination and what it has to offer.?
Working with its airline partners, the tourism authority will be running fam trips for those agents with an established record of selling the destination helping them to experience it first hand, and will be looking to more fam trips, face to face training and digital training throughout the new year.
