k374,
Not sure. The Caribbean Hotel Association forecasts for hotels, etc for 2010/2011 "high season" is up a VERY small percentage compared to 2009/2010 high season, but the resorts etc, still haven't made up for 2008/2009 season. Hotels/Resorts, etc are still in recovery mode. I'm thinking that because we do see a small increase in percentages from last year high season, they are hoping the recovery is on its way.
I, for one, am a bit skeptical. I think that airfare within the US will continue to rise, so for those who need to get to places like Miami, Houston, Newark, the major hubs, to get the Caribbean, it will be a lot more expensive. We have had really cut rate deals at our place this past year, and with the airfare from the US and EU prices package pricing for people is still really high.
Ed and I used to vacation in Aruba at least 3-4 times a year (we live on Bonaire), go back to the US to visit family and friends a couple times a year. Thank goodness we are holding our own, but have cut back a lot on travel (1x to Aruba, 1x US), as we feel we need to keep our "safety net" up just in case.
We shall just wait and see what high season brings. We are still seeing a huge increase in last minute bookings though. On a positive note, we are starting to see people inquire for 2011, and have a few bookings for 2011, to that is good.
Liz