By the end of 2011, tourist arrivals from the United States to the main Caribbean markets had declined by 3 ½ percent from 2007 levels, when the global crisis originated. Tourist arrivals from Continental Europe, which accounts for nearly one-quarter of the Caribbean tourism market, were more than 10 percent lower in 2009 than in 2007.
Although Canada accounts for one-tenth of Caribbean tourism flows, it was the only main market to show substantial growth in tourist arrivals since 2007. The islands of Jamaica and St. Lucia are experiencing a faster pick up in tourist arrivals while Barbados and Belize are seeing some degree of stabilization.