Is This an Untapped Market for Caribbean Tourism?

The United States. The United Kingdom. Canada.

These have long been, unsurprisingly, the hubs for travel to the Caribbean.

But now the region is looking to expand its tourism numbers — by looking to Europe.

Karolin Troubetzkoy, president of the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association, says she sees Germany and other European countries as a region with “untapped potential” for Caribbean destinations.

Accordingly, she is now advocating for open skies and easing of travel restrictions to stimulate arrivals.

“Many of the traditional popular travel destinations for Germans such as Tunisia, Egypt and Turkey have lost some attractiveness to German travelers due to recent events that have taken place there,” Troubetzkoy stated. “German travelers are looking for what they perceive to be safe destinations, and the Caribbean ranks very high in that category. The Caribbean is also being considered for 2016 summer vacations, as many other traditional summer destinations such as Spain, are already booked and are priced higher than a Caribbean getaway.”

She pointed to several destinations like Cuba and the Dominican Republic that had already found success by looking to Germany.

Last year alone, 805,000 passengers departed from German airports to the Caribbean, according to data from the German Statistical Office.

“German travelers are savvy, like to explore, and are interested in the spectrum of available accommodations, from bed and breakfast properties and all-inclusive resorts to high-end boutique hotels. Plus, if better and easier connections between our islands were readily available, German travelers are a good target market to be the ultimate island hoppers.”