Page 39 - IAADFS World Summit 2025 Special Issue_Neat

INSIDER

After a remarkable seven-year journey
of recovery from Hurricanes Irma and
Maria in 2017 and the global pandemic,
2025 is poised to be a marquee year for
the BVI with numerous new developments
and revitalizations. Peter Island Resort
reopened in December 2024 after a
full restoration, the famous Bitter End
Yacht Club will debut four luxury Beach
Bungalows and eight additional Marina
lofts, with an 18-room boutique hotel and
Biras Creek Resort has been reimagined
as Biras Marina & Resort. In addition, it
is now easier to get to the destination than
ever before with the first-ever nonstop
flights from Miami to Tortola daily, on
American Airlines.
Seven Mile Beach, Grand Cayman. Photo Credit: Cayman Islands Official Touriam Website
The Government of the Virgin Islands
remains committed to fostering sustainable
tourism practices and enhancing
with its airline partners, who provided Accommodations infrastructure to accommodate the growing
additional evacuation flights pre-storm and Grand Cayman also added two new number of visitors. Efforts to preserve the
immediately resumed their regular flight hotels in 2024 - VIDA Cayman Islands and natural beauty and cultural heritage of the
schedule post-storm. Hotel Indigo Grand Cayman. These added islands remain a top priority as the Virgin
Cayman tourism officials attribute 578 bedrooms, for a total of 8,356 to the Islands continues to position itself as a
the growth to continued engagement islands’ notable hotel portfolio. leader in the global tourism landscape.
with the travel trade as well as a robust VIDA Cayman Islands brings a
PR strategy which included features on new boutique, luxury experience to the Top-trending Turks and Caicos Islands
the Cayman Islands in luxury lifestyle destination attracting an affluent visitor attract nearly 2 million arrivals in 2024
and travel magazines as the result of the looking for wellness and adventure. The Turks and Caicos Islands attracted
Cayman Islands Department of Tourism’s Hotel Indigo Grand Cayman is the third close to two million arrivals in 2024. The
(CIDOT) Visiting Journalist and Influencer IHG Hotels & Resorts property in the multi-island destination saw 1,959,563
Programme (VJIP). Additionally, in destination - a global brand with 6,000+ arrivals across air and cruise from January
November 2023, Canadians were enticed to properties worldwide whose extensive to December 2024.
escape the cold via Cayman Country - a PR network will allow new visitors to discover Air arrivals reached 734,308, a
activation which saw Breakfast Television, the Cayman Islands. 10.66% Year on Year increase over
Canada’s number one morning show, 2023; cruise arrivals reached 1,225,255
broadcast live for a week. The British Virgin Islands: Visitor passengers, a huge 30.48% Year on Year
arrivals reached over one million for increase over the previous year.
Flight Capacity second time in the Territory’s history There were 311 cruise ships calling to
The Cayman Islands saw a significant following devastation of 2017 hurricanes the Grand Turk Cruise Centre in 2024, up
increase in its airlift between January and The British Virgin Islands (BVI) 19.16% over 2023.
December 2024 with 884,279 airline seats, welcomed over one million visitors to the “I am elated at the continued upward
an increase of 8% over 2023, and 5,342 archipelago for the first time since 2016, trajectory of our tourism sector,” said
flights into the destination, an increase of an all-time high since the devastation of Minister of Tourism Josephine Connolly.
461 flights over 2023. Hurricanes Irma and Maria in 2017. “Through the efforts of Experience Turks
In the U.S. this increase was driven by According to the Central Statistics and Caicos and our hotel partners, our
United Airlines with expanded service from Office, total visitor arrivals surged to ‘Beautiful by Nature’ island has become
Newark, Washington DC and Houston. 1,092,139 in 2024, a 9.8% increase one of the top trending destinations in the
Delta Airlines increased its flights from compared to 994,896 in 2023. Growth Caribbean. I am optimistic that as we enter
Atlanta while JetBlue Airways increased its was reflected in all visitor categories with the 2025 season that we will perform even
Boston capacity. cruise ship visitors seeing a 6.8% increase better and I am looking forward to the
In Canada, Air Canada and WestJet with 768,293 visitors in 2024, compared many exciting initiatives planned to boost
enhanced their Toronto Service with 237 to 719,519 in 2023; overnight visitors our tourism industry and ensure that all of
flights into the destination in 2024, an seeing a 16.7% increase with 305,876 in our citizens benefit from it.”
increase of 36 flights year over year. In the 2024, compared to 262,080 in 2023; and Enhanced relationships with travel
UK and Europe, British Airways showed day trippers seeing a 35.1% increase with advisors, expanded media coverage and
positive growth in its flight capacity with 17,970 in 2024 compared to 13,297 in new and expanding room counts helped
an increase of 8.4%. 2023. drive interest in the destination, say tourism
officials.

39 March 2025 Summit of the Americas