Grenada says it is gearing to welcome half a million visitors to the island with tourism officials saying the “marketing beyond the main hub” campaign,
Targeting 500,000 visitors
“We’re on track to meet our target of 500,000 overall visitors to Grenada, Carriacou and Petite Martinique this year and being at World Travel Market provided an unrivalled opportunity to champion Grenada to the global travel industry and media,” said Patricia Maher, the chief executive officer of the Grenada Tourism Authority (GTA).
“In 2017 we set this target of welcoming 500,000 visitors to the island and from what we are seeing now, we are going to achieve this as we expand our reach within the traditional source markets,” said Maher who explained that as of September the island had recorded an increase of 20.45 per cent in visitor arrivals when compared to the same period last year.
US, UK and Canada main markets
The GTA said that the main source markets continue to be the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada and that plans are also in place to target more cities in those countries.
“For example, Scotland is now included as a main market within the United Kingdom; Atlanta, Chicago and Boston is now a focus within the USA market and Montreal is now included as a place for essential marketing in the Canadian market, we are deepening our connections in these markets,” she said.
“Growth in these markets, can lead to changes and so we will continue our marketing efforts and strategies in these cities as we embark on initiatives to encourage more visitors to the island,” she added.
GTA has also linked the growth in arrivals to a number of new flights from Canada.
Air Canada is adding a new flight as of mid-December and on December 18, Grenada will have three direct flights weekly from Canada’s Toronto Pearson International Airport.
“This additional weekly flight will give Canadians more options to fly from Toronto direct into St. George’s, Grenada,” said Maher.
GTA figures show that since 2009, the island has welcomed an increasing number of Canadian visitors. In 2015, an estimated 10,790 visitors came to the island, increasing to 11,383 last year.
