Category: CANA News

The main opposition New Democratic Party (NDP) is promising to double public assistance, reduce the 16 per cent value added tax (VAT) on ‘everyday goods’ and residential electricity while also paying a bonus salary to public servants.

In addition, he NDP, is promising that within 60 days of being elected to office, it will reinstate public sector workers who were fired under the COVID-19 vaccine mandate.

General elections are constitutionally due in February next year, but there are indications that Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves, whose Unity Labour Party (ULP) is seeking an historic sixth consecutive term in office, may call the polls in November.

NDP leader Dr. Godwin Friday, told a news conference that the party is launching a series of proposals ‘spelling out not only what we are planning to do, but when we aim to do it.

‘That is, within 60 days of a New Democratic Party government, we will deliver real progress for everyone in this country,’ he said, adding that the NDP is attaching timelines to its commitments because it believes in delivery and accountability.

‘You heard me talk about accountability before, in the context of this present government,’ Friday said, adding that an NDP government will ensure mechanisms are in place for the people to hold it accountable.

‘This present government has failed on that.This election, the upcoming general elections, we’re going to have many grand promises from the ULP. They’ve done it in the past, but what we have noted about them is that most of these promises were not fulfilled,’ Friday told reporters, saying ‘the NDP will tell it like it is, setting out what we’re going to do and when we will do it’.

Friday said the election will be about what will be delivered to the people and who delivers it and that the vote is also about who has a plan for the development of the economy and who can be trusted to deliver that plan.

‘As we ramp up to the election, there will be a lot of noise and fanfare, so I want to take a moment now to make my personal pledge and to state, or I should say, restate, before the noise gets too loud, the NDP’s commitment to the voters.’

Friday, who has been representing the Northern Grenadines since 2001 and who became opposition leader in 2017, said voters are aware he does not make ‘ idle promises nor do I seek to take advantage of people by misleading them. I tell it like it is’.

He said the NDP will place the economy at the centre of everything it does ‘because we understand that we must have robust economic growth to deliver more and better-paid jobs as we have promised, to tackle the high cost of living, to create opportunities for young people, to invest in reliable health care and to rebuild and expand the roads and infrastructure in the country.’

‘These are things that are real and practical,’ Friday said.

‘So we are pledging to immediately make people’s lives better within 60 days of being elected,’ he said noting that an NDP government will ‘slash prices by cutting VAT on everyday goods and on residential electricity, your VINLEC bill;

‘Two, we will provide salary bonuses to all public servants. This is to help to deal with the cost-of-living crisis. And, three, double Poor Relief from EC$250 to EC$500 (One EC dollar=US$0.37 cents). Who can make ends meet and EC$250?’ Friday said.

The NDP had promised since 2020 to reduce the VAT from 16 to 13 per cent if elected to office and Friday said that the fourth pledge is to reinstate jobs and benefits lost under the ULP government’s ‘draconian vaccine mandate’.

Hundreds of public sector workers lost their jobs in November 2021 when the government passed a law mandating that they either take a COVID-19 jab or be deemed to have abandoned their jobs.

Friday said that the NDP intends to act on those four things within 60 days, adding, ‘this is not the whole five-year term of an NDP government.

‘So these are practical measures, immediate measures, that will bring relief and a greater sense of prosperity to our people. We have to tackle the high cost of living. Too many families are being increasingly crushed and crippled under the yoke of ever-increasing prices.’

The Opposition Leader said he does his own shopping and has seen how prices have increased.

‘So I experience it on a daily basis, and the government has done nothing to address it,’ he said, adding ‘I’m talking about staples here; ordinary folk have to buy these things.

‘I ain’t talking about cream cheese and fancy items,’ Friday said, adding, ‘and as you know, the cost of utilities has also gone up.

‘This is crushing many families throughout St. Vincent and the Grenadines. And everywhere I go, it is the number one thing on people’s list of things they want to see government to help them with.’

He said the ULP government has failed completely to deal with the cost-of-living crisis.

‘We in the NDP have proposed ideas such as support payments in school and the cutting of VAT to help struggling families, but the government simply has not been listening, as they live in a bubble, they’re not experiencing what ordinary folk, ordinary people in this country are experiencing.’

He told reporters that an NDP government will establish a well-regulated citizenship by investment (CBI) programme, under which foreign investors are granted citizenship of the country in return for making a substantial investment in the socio-economic development of the island..

‘It will also generate tax-free and interest-free, loan-free revenue to the government to implement these programmes,’ Friday said, adding ‘importantly, as well, we will tackle waste and increase efficiency in government services and the delivery of government projects and return those savings to finance growth and development.’

West Indies elected to bat first after winning the toss against India on the opening day of the first Test here at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Thursday.

For the West Indies, Khary Pierre and Johann Layne make their Test debuts.

SQUADS

WEST INDIES: Roston Chase (captain), Tagenarine Chanderpaul, John Campbell, Alick Athanaze, Brandon King, Shai Hope, Justin Greaves, Jomel Warrican, Khary Pierre, Johann Layne, Jayden Seales.

INDIA: Shubman Gill (captain), KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sai Sudharsan, Dhruv Jurel, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj.

Umpires: Alex Wharf, Richard Illingworth.

TV Umpire: Paul Reiffel.

Reserve Umpire: Jayaraman Madanagopal.

Match Referee: Andy Pycroft.

West Indies reached 90 for five at lunch on the opening day of the first Test here at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Thursday.

WEST INDIES 90-5 in 23.2 overs (Shai Hope 26, Roston Chase 22 not out, Brandon King 13, Alick Athanaze 12; Mohammed Siraj 3-19).

The Guyana government Thursday said that it will be moving towards selling its own crude oil and that it would actively support the local private sector in building the technical and human resource capacity needed to effectively participate in that business.

‘I will be working with the local, private sector and international partners to ensure that we develop our capability and capacity in crude oil trading. We must be able to trade our crude oil from Guyana with the infrastructure, with the human President Irfaan Ali told the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) breakfast forum on ‘Energy Insights’.

‘The real wealth of Guyana will not only flow from beneath the sea, but from creativity, from the creativity of our people on land. And this is why the business community must ask itself: ‘will we be mere suppliers to an oil industry? Or will we be creators of industries of our own?’,’ he told members of the business community gathered at the event.

‘We have to get those who have already done it for other countries to work with us in transferring the knowledge.maybe to enter a partnership for the next three, four, five years until we get the experience to do it on our own. These are the bold decisions that we must embrace. These are the bold ideas that will take us from where we are to where we want to be,’ Ali told the private sector grouping.

Ali said crude oil trading would create ‘enormous opportunities’ for Guyana, and so in order to get into the business in the shortest possible time, an experienced crude oil trader would be contracted to do so and share its expertise.

Through a competitive bidding system, Guyana hires a crude marketing firm for its 50 per cent share of the profit oil from the Stabroek Block. British firms BB Energy Trading Limited and JE Energy have been contracted by the Guyana Government to market crude oil from the Liza Unity, Prosperity, and Destiny FPSOs.

Both companies had previously marketed Guyana’s oil in 2023-2024 and President Ali said Ali, these services can be provided by the local private sector.

ExxonMobil and its partners are producing approximately 650,000 barrels of oil per day from the Stabroek Block offshore Guyana. With the recent successful startup of a fourth FPSO, the ONE GUYANA, the company anticipates growing production to more than 900,000 barrels of oil per day by the end of the year.

President Ali’s announcement followed a statement by ExxonMobil Guyana’s Production Manager, Huzefa Ali, who told the breakfast that the Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessel, One Guyana, which is pumping oil from Yellowtail, would reach name-plate capacity of 250,000 barrels per day in another month. That vessel began production in August.

The ExxonMobil official said that efforts were underway to bring the eight project, Longtail, on board and bearing a significant natural gas deposit, ExxonMobil said Longtail could potentially supply that hydrocarbon for a second power plant, an alumina plant, a fertiliser plant and a data center in Berbice.

‘I will highlight project number eight, which we expect to be Longtail is also well progressed in terms of regulatory reviews and discussions for further discussion,’ Ali said, adding that ExxonMobil was advancing plans to determine the actual amount of gas that is deposited in Longtail.

‘We are well on our way to appraise those resources and then also take that to the next step, which is consider what is the most valuable development concept that brings the highest value for the people of Guyana, for the Government of Guyana, and for the other stakeholders,’ he said.

Meanwhile, President Ali has underscored the importance of establishing a modern stock exchange as part of broader efforts to modernise the country’s financial sector.

‘The creation of a modern stock exchange and options for capital mobilisation. Many people are speaking about diaspora bonds and all of this. All of these options will be examined,’ he said, adding that the government is also exploring the establishment of a junior stock exchange, which is a type of stock market specifically designed for smaller or emerging companies to raise capital, often under less stringent regulatory requirements than those of a main or senior stock exchange.

Ali said that the private sector must play a crucial role in ensuring that wealth, opportunity and commerce flow into the economy and that the government will create a favourable environment by adopting effective policy frameworks, infrastructure, and financial sector modernisation.

‘Someone asked me recently if Guyanese businesses are ready for the oil economy. I told them, well, we are ready in spirit. But readiness is more than dreams. It is about skills, partnerships, and wealth creation. Otherwise, the opportunities will come and pass us by. We must prepare, not just dream,’ Ali said, adding that by 2030, Guyana should have a diversified economy, powered by modern infrastructure, technology, knowledge, and innovation, not just oil.

Oil is temporary. But sustainability is forever. You must use oil to build for the future, not deny the future to spend oil,’ he said

Police say they have seized more than TT$300 million (One TT dollar=US$0.16 cents) in illegal drugs during a two day exercise in the south western section of the island.

The lawmen said that on Wednesday, acting on intelligence, they dealt a blow to a prominent drug trafficking network operating in the South Western Division, seizing over TT$292 million worth of illegal drugs during an operation in Palo Seco, a town and district in the Siparia region of southwestern Trinidad,

They said the seizure, included large quantities of high-grade Colombian ‘creepy’ marijuana and cocaine, and that acting on intelligence gathered following the arrest of a key associate of the drug trafficking network on Tuesday, police maintained surveillance in a remote area , known for its dense forest and limited access.

The police say that they suspect that the network was planning to relocate the remaining drugs from a hidden stash in the area to avoid detection and that the search led to the discovery of 1,177.4 kilogrammes of Colombian ‘creepy’ marijuana packed in 41 crocus bags, estimated street value of TT$129,216,117, and 117.14 kilogrammes of cocaine packed in five crocus bags, with estimated street value of TT$163,283,788.

The combined value of narcotics seized on the two days has been put at TT$314,666,605.

Hurricane Imelda is moving quickly away from Bermuda on Thursday and is expected to become extra tropical later during the day, the Miami-based National Hurricane Center (NHC) said Thursday.

It said that the storm, with maximum sustained winds of 85 miles per hour (mph) was about 170 miles east north east of the British Overseas Territory and that it is moving towards the the east-northeast near 30 mph.

The Meteorological Service of Bermuda has changed the Hurricane Warning for Bermuda to a Tropical Storm Warning, meaning that tropical storm conditions are expected during the next few hours.

Bermudian authorities are reporting that the worst of Hurricane Imelda has passed, but hurricane-force winds and gusts abound and residents are advised to stay indoors until the Emergency Measures Organisation (EMO) has given the green light.

The NHC said that Hurricane Imelda is expected to continue on a northeastward motion on Friday and Saturday and that ‘the core of Imelda will move farther away from Bermuda during the next several hours.

‘Maximum sustained winds are near 85 mph with higher gusts. Imelda is expected to become an extratropical low later today, with gradual weakening forecast for the next several days.’

It said that swells generated by Imelda are affecting the Bahamas, Bermuda, and much of the U.S. East Coast.

‘Swells from Imelda will spread toward the Greater Antilles and northern Leeward Islands on Friday and continue through the weekend. These swells are likely to cause ife-threatening surf and rip current conditions,’ the NHC warned.

The Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) has released a new initiative aimed at helping the countries develop a new approach to strengthening their technical, operational, political and prospective (TOPP) institutional capacities.

ECLAC has described the new plan as an analytical and operational paradigm for managing the essential transformations needed in the region to advance towards more productive, inclusive and sustainable development.

The publication sets forth a roadmap and related instruments to help institutions enhance their ability to design, implement, sustain over time, and flexibly adapt public policies in changing environments.

The document, ‘Technical operational, political and prospective (TOPP) institutional capabilities for managing transformation’ Underpinnings of new paradigm’ was presented by ECLAC’ Executive Secretary, José Manuel Salazar-Xirinachs, at the 20th Meeting of the Regional Council for Planning of the Latin America and Caribbean Institute for Economic and Social Planning (ILPS) which ends here on Friday.

ECLAC said building on its diagnosis regarding development traps and gaps, and the indispensable transformations needed in development models, the document argues that the discussion on what to do must be complemented by reflection on how to do it, and that institutional TOPP capabilities are key to answering this question.

The Commission has identified three development traps in which most countries of the region are caught: one of low capacity for growth and transformation; another of high inequality, low social mobility and weak social cohesion; and a third of low institutional capacities and ineffective governance.

The latter limits the effectiveness and continuity of public policies and reduces the possibility of adapting them in contexts of change and uncertainty. How to escape from this trap is the main objective and focus of the new document and the TOPP approach.

The current global context – marked by geopolitical tensions, greater uncertainty, and rapid technological changes in markets, supply chains and climate conditions – poses both challenges and opportunities for development.

These require public institutions to adopt a new approach, focused not only on designing more effective policies, but also on managing transformations and having the capacity to swiftly adapt policies in a world in transition.

‘The critical question is how to manage complex processes of change in fragile institutional contexts, with pronounced political fragmentation and urgent social demands,’ Salazar-Xirinachs states in the prologue of the document

‘This is precisely the aim of the transformation management approach: a proposal that adds to traditional discussions – focused on what must be done – a perspective on change processes, the capacities and conditions that make change possible – focused on how to do it – and with an anticipatory governance approach,’ he added.

The TOPP institutional capacity approach, developed and promoted by ECLAC, offers an integrated framework for understanding and strengthening the essential functions that make transformative action viable. Without a technical basis, policies lack a solid foundation. Without operational capacities, their implementation is weakened. Without political legitimacy, they lack viability and continuity. And without a prospective vision, they lose direction and relevance in the face of changing scenarios.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Trk, Thursday warned that the human rights situation in Haiti has reached a boiling point and that violence and human rights violations and abuses have escalated and intensified since his last visit to the French-speaking Caribbean Community (CARICOM) country.

In an address to the Human Rights Council on the situation in Haiti, Trk, said he welcomed the decision of the United Nations Security Council to strengthen the Kenya-led Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission by transitioning to the Gang Suppression Force (GSF) saying ‘this is a strong signal of international support for the Haitian people.

United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Trk

‘International commitment and backing for this are urgent. Without them, the worst may be yet to come for Haiti and the broader region. More than 16,000 people have been killed and some 7,000 people injured in armed violence since 1 January 2022, when we began our monitoring on gang related violence,’ Trk told the Council.

He said, currently, gangs are spreading fear beyond the capital, Port-au-Prince, into nearby regions, including in the Lower Artibonite and in the Centre department and that this violence is fertile ground for further cross-border arms, drugs, and human trafficking, which threaten to destabilize the wider sub-region.

He said an estimated 270,000 to 500,000 firearms are circulating illegally in Haiti, with most weapons in the hands of gangs.

‘Gangs are killing and kidnapping people, extorting them at illegal checkpoints, hijacking trucks transporting food and other supplies, and burning and destroying homes, hospitals, schools, and public buildings.

‘They are committing widespread sexual violence to assert dominance and territorial influence, and displace people. The gangs kidnap women and girls, and subject them to extreme brutality, including killing and sexual exploitation,’ Trk added.

The UN human rights Commissioner said that his office is working with the authorities to step up investigations and prosecutions, including through Specialized Judicial Units and is urging the Council’s ‘strong support for programmes to protect survivors of sexual violence.

‘The humanitarian toll is staggering. Half of Haiti’s population – six million people, including 3.3 million children – need humanitarian aid. Some 1.3 million people, half of them children, have fled their homes. Haiti is now among the five global food insecurity hotspots of highest concern.’

Trk said he remains deeply worried about the fate of children in Haiti, noting that UNICEF estimates that one in seven children is out of school, and almost one million more are at risk of dropping out.

‘More children are being subjected to trafficking, exploitation and forced recruitment by the gangs. They are used as couriers, lookouts, or weapons carriers, and are sometimes coerced into combat roles against rival gangs, security forces and so-called self-defense groups.

‘We can only imagine the long-term impact, for the children of Haiti, and for society as a whole. In a glimmer of hope, in July, the authorities opened the first Transit and Orientation Centre in Port-au-Prince, to provide temporary shelter and reintegration support for children formerly associated with armed gangs. We need more such measures.’

Trk said that he is also concerned that State law enforcement have used ‘unnecessary and disproportionate lethal force’ in their operations against the gangs.

‘For example, operations by law enforcement account for more than half of killings and injuries so far this year – a steep increase compared to 2024. Almost one third of people killed or injured were hit by stray bullets,’ Trk sid, noting that specialized police units have summarily executed 174 people this year, for alleged affiliation with gangs.

He said that since March, the government has stepped up its use of explosive drones in its anti-gang operations in Port-au-Prince.

‘As of mid-September, drone strikes have killed at least 559 people, including 11 children. Most of these drone strikes are likely unlawful under international human rights law,’ Trk said, adding that ‘the use of force by police and security personnel needs to respect the principles of legality, necessity, proportionality, non-discrimination, precaution, and accountability.

‘I urge the authorities to investigate all allegations of unnecessary and disproportionate use of force, and ensure perpetrators, regardless of affiliation, are brought to justice. It is deeply worrying that so-called self-defence groups and spontaneous crowds of people have killed more than 500 alleged gang members this year – with the alleged support of police officers.’

Trk said that a spiral of violence between gang members, the population, and the security forces will only add to people’s feelings of insecurity.

‘Efforts to restore security need to be rooted in human rights and go hand in hand with rebuilding the rule of law and justice in the country.The authorities, with the support of the international community, urgently need to root out impunity and corruption, including within state institutions.

‘It is also crucial to take meaningful steps to bring perpetrators to account for the grave human rights violations and abuses that have been committed,’ Trk added.

He said in addition, work needs to begin to address the country’s pervasive inequalities and poverty.

‘The people of Haiti need the unwavering attention and support of the international community. All States need to implement the Security Council’s arms embargo in full, to prevent the illicit trafficking of firearms and ammunition into Haiti. Enforcement at borders is absolutely crucial.

‘I urge States to support the Gang Suppression Force with sufficient funding and personnel. It is vital to ensure that robust human rights safeguards underpin its work. My Office is ready to continue providing advice on the conduct of operations in line with international human rights law. We can – and must – turn this situation around for the people of Haiti,’ Trk said.

Meanwhile, the World Food Programme (WFP) warned Thursday that rising violence by gangs in Haiti’s capital is restricting humanitarian access and pushing families deeper into hunger as extreme funding shortfalls force WFP to slash rations and suspend programmes.

WFP said that more farmers are cut off from markets, further straining already fragile food systems and pushing food prices even higher.

Funding shortfalls have also forced WFP to suspend hot meals for newly displaced families and to slash food rations in half. And for the first time, the lack of resources has prevented WFP from prepositioning food stocks to respond to a natural disaster during the Atlantic hurricane season.

Despite restricted access and extreme insecurity, WFP said it has reached more than two million people with assistance since January.

Efforts to support longer term food security and reduce dependence on aid are also continuing as WFP works with the government to provide school meals for 600,000 Haitian students. Alongside this, WFP has also been able to launch targeted community infrastructure projects, including in areas controlled by gangs, to restore irrigation systems and boost local food production.’

UN Deputy spokesman, Farhan Haq, said Haiti is the only country in the Americas, and one of only five countries globally, with people facing catastrophic (IPC5) levels of hunger, which is equivalent to famine-like conditions. It is also one of the world’s most severe food crises with 5.7 million people facing acute food insecurity.

He said the WFP requires US$139 million for the next 12 months to reach the country’s most vulnerable families.

Director of Cricket at Cricket West Indies (CWI), Miles Bascombe has maintained that there were some bright sparks in the regional side’s loss to minnows Nepal in their recently concluded T20I series.

Despite sending a young team missing several senior players and boasting six possible debutants, the sixth-ranked West Indies were still expected to comfortably defeat 18th-ranked Nepal in their three-match T20I Unity Cup series last month in the United Arab Emirates.

However, the West Indies lost the first two matches on their way to suffering an embarrassing 2-1 defeat that sent shockwaves across the cricketing community.

It also gave Nepal their first-ever win over a Full Member in any format.

Ackeem Auguste scored an unbeaten 41 in the third T20I against Nepal which West Indies won by 10 wickets

Speaking during CWI’s quarterly press conference on Wednesday, Bascombe said the T20I series against Nepal was always going to be a challenging one due to the construction of the team and the available timeline.

‘The Nepal series had always been earmarked as an opportunity for exposure for emerging talent.

‘We always knew that turnaround time would have been a challenge. They pretty much had one day to acclimatise and one practice session going into that series and in a very short tournament of three matches, if you’re not off the ground running from match one you can very much find yourself behind the eight ball as we did,’ Bascombe said.

‘But as I mentioned, the opportunity for exposure has been key. We need more information in terms of filling those positions and shoring up some of those positions that we have in our international T20 team, and while we saw some struggle in those first couple of games, we definitely saw what we all knew in terms of what we saw in the CPL and what we saw in the Breakout League, that we definitely have quality in that group and we have capable players.

‘So, I think that that series, albeit a very disappointing loss, we were still able to identify some options. We have seen some players that have come all the way from the Breakout League all the way through to international T20 cricket and have shown that they may have what it takes to make the step up to the international level.

‘So, while I wouldn’t want to disarm anyone of that emotional response to a West Indies loss to a minnow, we still need to be able to expose our players and give them that opportunity to shine in challenging conditions. I’m quite confident that we have seen some good signs.’ Bascombe further added.

The Barbados-based Caribbean Tourism Organization( CTO) says tourist arrivals to the Caribbean region grew by nearly two per cent during the first half of 2025, despite softening demand from North America.

Speaking during the 2025 State of the Tourism Industry Conference (SOTIC) taking place here through Friday, the CTO’s database administrator, Paul Garnes, said that overall, the region still recorded arrivals 6.1 per cent above 2019, pre-pandemic levels.

‘Considering tourist arrivals then, in the first half of the year 2025, the Caribbean tourism industry showed strong resilience, continuing to grow despite external challenges,’ Garnes said.

He said stay over arrivals remained above 2024 and pre-pandemic, 2019 levels, signalling sustained recovery, noting that while growth has moderated compared to the sharp rebound of recent years, the sector continues to move positively forward.

Preliminary estimates show 18.5 million arrivals in the first six months of 2025, up from 18.2 million in 2024 and 17.5 million in 2019, reflecting a 1.9 per cent year-on-year increase and a 6.1 per cent increase over 2019 levels.

Performance differed across Caribbean destinations, but the majority of the 24 reporting destinations achieved positive growth.

‘Fifteen destinations reported higher arrivals compared to the same period in 2024,’ Garnes said, adding that the top performers were Guyana. St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Curacao, Trinidad and Tobago and Dominica.

Declines range from one per cent to 10.7 per cent, driven mainly by external shocks, recovery from environmental events and natural limits on further rapid expansion.

At the half-year mark, most Caribbean destinations recorded arrivals above pre-pandemic levels, underscoring resilience and continued growth, Garnes said, adding that among the 17 destinations with growth, expansion ranged from 1.3 per cent to 68.2 per cent, compared to 2019.

‘By contrast, a smaller group of destinations still lag behind pre-pandemic volumes, showing an uneven pace of recovery,’ he said.

The monthly data, however, show that some of the uncertainty and volatility at the start of the year has begun to settle.

During the first quarter of the year, arrivals dipped 0.6 per cent compared to 2024, linked to softer demand, reduced airlift and seasonal timing. Despite the dip, volumes during the first quarter were still 3.6 times higher than in 2019, showing that the long-term recovery trend remains intact.

However, second quarter tells a much stronger story with monthly arrivals to the region ranging between 2.8 and 3.1 million tourists.

Compared to 2024, April was up 8.4 per cent; May, 2.2 per cent and June, 3.7 per cent, with overall growth in Q2 rising to 4.8 per cent, representing some 8.9 million visitors to the region.

‘This growth has more than offset the small dip in quarter one, showing clear momentum as the year progressed.’

Garnes said several factors boosted this rebound, including the fact that Easter was in April this year, the international cricket series with Ireland and England, the delayed Liberation Day tariff changes, expanded marketing, better air connectivity and new hotel capacity.

‘When compared to pre-pandemic levels, quarter two was particularly strong, up nearly 9 per cent over 2019, a clear sign that the region is on a growth trajectory.’

Garnes said the overall performance showed a softening in major northern markets driven by economic uncertainty and shifting consumer behaviour.

This was partially onset by stronger demand from South America.

However, the United States continues to be the region’s main market, comprising about half of all visitors to the region, followed by Europeans with 14 per cent and Canadians -just under 10 per cent.

At the same time, just over nine million people visited the Caribbean from the United States, which was generally flat compared to 2024.

However, the United States remains the Caribbean’s anchor market, making up nearly half of all the visitors, though growth momentum has slowed.

Meanwhile, Aliyyah Shakeer, the CTO’s director of research, said data from the first quarter of 2025 show that room rates in the region continue to rise even as occupancy slipped.

Shakeer said the average daily rate rose just over three per cent, reaching US$424 but occupancy slipped by 1.4 per cent to 73 per cent.

‘But even with that, the overall room revenues still grew by almost three per cent, held by a steady supply, which was up just less than one per cent,’ she said, adding that it appears that 19 properties are under construction across the region.

In terms of the short-term rentals, data from Airbnb collected by CTO for 24 destinations in the region showed the sector stayed relatively strong in 2024.

‘By the end of 2024, there were about 79,500 active listings across the region, and this was up just 10 per cent compared to 2023,’ Shakeer said.

‘However, as we fast forward into the first quarter of 2025, we saw a small dip or small pullback in listings – about 78,000; but compared to the same time in 2024, it is still a healthy increase of more than five per cent.’

Shakeer said the activity numbers tell a much stronger story, with check-ins rising by 7 per cent and room nights jumping by 12 per cent

‘So altogether, this means that there were 1 million check-ins and 5 million room-nights per the short-term rental economy in just the first three months of the year. What’s more is that the average length of stay is moving upwards, moving from 4.4 days to 4.6 days,’ Shakeer said.