Stay over arrivals to the currency union as a whole declined marginally, mainly due to the lingering effects of hurricane Ivan on Grenada. However, most of the other countries recorded increases in stay-over arrivals. The number of cruise visitors declined, but this followed a record level of cruise passengers in 2004.
Output in the agricultural sector, which on average contributed 6.4 per cent of GDP in 2004, declined significantly in 2005 due to the weak performance of the traditional export crops. Production of bananas, sugar, nutmegs, and cocoa fell sharply. The rate of inflation in the currency union for 2005 has been provisionally estimated at 3.5 per cent.