A path of recovery for Dominica’s tourism industry is evident in the performance of stayover visitor arrivals in the first half of 2022, which has already surpassed total arrivals in 2021. Preliminary data suggests a total of 21,162 arrivals for the period. Despite falling below the corresponding pre-pandemic period (2019), this performance is reflective of a 348% increase over the same period in 2021 (4,715) and a 42% increase over the full year 2021 (14,888). H1 2022 performance exceeded the corresponding period in 2020 by 15% and fell slightly below full year 2020 (3%). April registered the highest number of arrivals for H1 2022 and was also the best performing month since the pandemic struck in 2020. The US market dominated H1 2022 stayover arrivals, accounting for 35% of the total, which can be attributed to direct flights from the US mainland. The French West Indies, which dominated stayover arrivals in recent pre-pandemic years, accounted for 13% of arrivals due to a decrease in the level of ferry activity since the pandemic.
The positive trend in stayover arrivals is expected to continue in upcoming months. Arrivals are expected to increase as people continue to enjoy hassle-free travel due to the removal of travel restrictions in most countries. Additionally, the return of the World Creole Music Festival in October, after a 2-year absence, should result in an influx of visitors to the island. The recently introduced daily flights from the US mainland, the introduction of new flights and routes by existing airlines, and an increase in ferry activity will stimulate visitor arrivals to the island.
