By the Caribbean Journal staff

Caribbean hotel occupancy continued its decline in May, according to the latest report from analytics firm STR.

The region’s occupancy was 64.4 percent in May, a 0.9 percent drop compared to the same period in 2017.

The Caribbean’s average daily room rate rose by 1.5 percent, however, to $180.37, while revenue per available room rose slightly to $116.12.

For the year, Caribbean hotel occupancy is at 70.7 percent, a 1.3 percent decline over the first five months of 2017.

STR’s data surveyed 1,965 hotels comprising 250,827 rooms in the wider Caribbean region.

— CJ