ST. GEORGE’S, GRENADA — Grenada’s tourism industry continues on an upward trend, with total visitor arrivals up 1.15% for the first half of 2019.

Following double-digit growth and a landmark total visitor arrival of 528,077 in 2018, the Grenada Tourism Authority (GTA) has reported a total of 318,559 arrivals between January and June 2019, compared to 314,916 for the same period in 2018.

The stayover market, which represents the destination’s most lucrative visitor, grew by 3.81% with 82,399 visitors staying in hotels, guesthouses and villa accommodations. The average length of stay of these visitors from Grenada’s sources markets is 8.5 days.

The U.S. accounts for 45% of the island’s market share, followed by the U.K. with 17% and the Canadian market with 12%. Its focus on is on expanding its reach in traditional source markets, with four current international gateways in the U.S. for the upcoming winter season, including JFK-New York, Miami, Atlanta and Charlotte, North Carolina.

As for the cruise segment, GTA says it was able to hold its own with a slight increase of 1.33% in cruise visitor arrivals of 223,051 for the period compared with the phenomenal growth numbers of 220,125 last year. “This is testimony of the hard work by the team to increase engagement with the cruise lines and keep Grenada top of mind with cruise executives,” said the GTA.

With increased airlift from some of Grenada’s major airlines – Jetblue, LIAT, Caribbean Airlines and American Airlines for the carnival and winter seasons – the GTA projects stayover visitor arrivals to grow by 5% in 2019.

Chief Executive Officer of the GTA, Patricia Maher is encouraging visitors to enjoy the many attractions and experiences throughout Grenada, Carriacou & Petite Martinique. She added: “With our abundance of natural assets, warm and friendly people and safe environment, visitors can discover every parish and island of Pure Grenada, the Spice of the Caribbean.”