Posted at 10:05 a.m., Monday, July 30, 2007
Caribbean vacations losing allure for U.S. tourists
Associated Press
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — The turquoise waters and white-sand beaches of the Caribbean appear to be losing some of their allure for U.S. tourists.Americans who flocked to the islands in record numbers until recently are finding new destinations or staying home, leading to declines of more than 10 percent this year in islands including Jamaica, St. Lucia and Grenada.
Governments have aimed marketing pitches at Canada and Europe to compensate for slippage in the American market, which accounts for about 60 percent of the region's vital tourism business.
"The trickle-down effect is huge," said Richard Kahn, a spokesman for the Caribbean Tourism Organization. "In the long run, this could mean the loss of jobs throughout the Caribbean."
A new passport rule has discouraged some travelers. Americans returning by air from the Caribbean were required to present the document beginning earlier this year, although the U.S. is temporarily accepting proof of application because of a backlog.
But even U.S. territories unaffected by the new security measure have seen declines — the number of Americans visiting Puerto Rico dropped 9 percent in January compared with the same month last year, and the U.S. Virgin Islands saw a 7 percent drop.
