Claudia Gardner, Sunday Gleaner Writer

PORT-OF-SPAIN, Trinidad:

Jamaica is the Caribbean country with the most significant growth potential in tourism for 2008, according to a survey conducted by international consulting firm KPMG. The disclosure was made at the Caribbean Hotel Tourism and Investment Conference in Trinidad last week.

KPMG Travel, Leisure and Tourism report's fourth annual regional banking survey lists Jamaica, followed by Anguilla and St Lucia, ahead of The Bahamas, Turks and Caicos and the Dominican Republic, which had led the way in terms of tourism-growth potential last year.

Reasons for rating

Among the reasons given for Jamaica's high rating were the ability to attract European travellers, a diversified economy, good airlift and low-cost carriers. European vacationers tend to make longer visits and spend more than the average tourist from elsewhere. The local boom in hotels by Spanish investors will complement this trend.

The survey was carried out among leading financiers and developers in the Caribbean to assess investment trends within the region. "Of the financiers surveyed, more than half considered Central America to be the region that posed the greatest competitive threat to the Caribbean. Lower costs, lower perceived crime rates and strong airlift capabilities were given for competitive strength," the report said.

More expensive destination

It noted, however, that the majority of financiers agreed that rising oil prices would increase the cost of operations, as well as the cost of travel in the region, making the Caribbean a more expensive destination to visit.

Where emerging trends were concerned, the report said green tourism would be a major factor.

"There has been a growing trend in the region towards eco-friendly and green-hotel brands and this continues to be important in 2008 as more developers concentrate on environmentally friendly hotels," the report said. "Examples include integrating environmental protection and energy-cost-reduction programmes into new buildings and renovations of existing properties.

"Focus on environmental issues is expected to rapidly become an increasingly important trend in the future."

It added: "The trend towards high-end luxury projects continues with the increased presence of internationally reknowned brands such as Conrad, Ritz-Carlton, Aman Resorts and Rosewood. It is expected that the impact of the economic downturn and tightening of credit terms will have less of an impact on the high-end market as second-home buyers are often lifestyle purchasers and very high net-worth individuals, less susceptible to changes in the economic cycle."