By the Caribbean Journal staff

Caribbean hotel occupancy declined sharply in June, according to the latest numbers from hotel analytics firm STR.

The region’s hotels reported occupancy of 61.1 percent last month, a 6.7 percent decline that was the largest year-over-year monthly decline for the region since October 2018.

The primary reason for the steep decline was not immediately clear, although dramatic drops in bookings to the Caribbean’s most popular destination, the Dominican Republic, due to ongoing visitor concerns about safety could partly be to blame.

Average daily rates rose by 1.8 percent in the same period to $196.26, however, with revenue per available room down, however, 5.2 percent to $119.97.

For the year, hotel occupancy in the Caribbean is down 1.4 percent to 68.7 percent, while daily rates are up 9 percent and revenues are up 7.4 percent

STR’s data surveyed 1,951 hotels comprising 255,172 rooms across the wider Caribbean region.

— CJ