1st Quarter 2002
January – March
Data from the Port of Sandy Ground is not included for the quarter.
The decline in visitor arrivals appears to have bottomed out with March showing an increase compared to last year. However, caution needs to be exercised as the Easter holidays came in March this year as opposed to April last year.
For the 1st quarter of 2002, visitor arrivals to Anguilla were 25,792 in comparison to 26,437 for the same period for 2001. This figure represents a 2.4% decline. The first two months of the year registered declines averaging 7.1%, while March on the other hand had a 5.9% increase or 9,966 arrivals. This is the highest recorded figure since March 1999, when 12,580 visitors came to Anguilla.
Overall visitor arrivals (Day & Stay-over) through Blowing Point were 15,907, a 1.0% decline from 2001 whilst overall arrivals through the Airport were 9,885 also down 1.0% from 2001.
Excursionist arrivals to the island for the 1st quarter showed an increase of 7.3% in comparison to 2001. January was the only month that registered a decline of 6.4% this year. February showed the largest increase of 18.0% while March saw a 12.0% increase. Both February and March had the highest recorded figures of 3,798 and 4,271 respectively since 1999 when 5,147(Feb) and 6,672(March) arrivals came to Anguilla.
Excursionist (Day Visitors) to Anguilla through the Port of Blowing Point for the 1st quarter 2002 were recorded at 11,263, up 6.4% when compared to the same period for 2001. Excursionist arrivals through the airport were 313 a 52.0% increase over 2001 when 206 visitors came through.
Tourist or stay-over visitors for the 1st quarter were 14,216, a 9.2% decline from 2001, when 15,560 visitors came to Anguilla. The year got off to a slow start with January and February recording declines in arrivals of 14.4% and 16.0% respectively. March had a mere increase of 1.8% over 2001.
78.2% or 11,129 of the 14,216 tourists that visited the island in the 1st quarter 2002, stayed for a period of 4-15 days, 1,875 visited for 1-3 days and 1,212 visited for 16-23+ days. On average for this 1st quarter 2002, the length of stay was 8.8 days, the same for the corresponding period in 2001.
The United States of America continues to be the major source of Tourist arrivals. Arrivals from this country fell 5.3% and accounted for 73.5% of the market share. The Caribbean (which includes the French and Dutch West Indies) which, has always been the second largest market, accounted for 1,649 arrivals up 12.0% from 2001. Italy and Germany both accounted for 1.0% of the market share for the aforementioned reporting period. Arrivals from Italy on the other hand declined considerably by 84.2%. The United Kingdom and Canada represented market shares of 5.2% and 3% respectively. Visitors from the United Kingdom also declined over this period by 17.0%. Other European countries represented 2.8%.
Passenger arrivals (which include all visitors and Anguillans) through the airport were 13,234 and for Blowing Point 38,058 for the period January – March 2002.