Caribtours has released its 2023 brochures featuring its largest collection of handpicked hotels and itineraries across the Caribbean, Mexico, the Indian Ocean, Europe and Arabia.

The luxury tour operator’s Our Caribbean, Mexico & Indian Ocean brochure features new destinations including Aruba and expanded product in Mexico, with a focus on Los Cabos. The brand has added new resorts on the Caribbean coast, increasing its offering in Jamaica to 13 properties, and in Indian Ocean destinations such as the Maldives and Mauritius.

Caribtours has also unveiled a dedicated Our Europe & Arabia brochure for the first time following “incredible demand” in the region. 

Chief executive Paul Cleary said the operator’s European portfolio was now “bigger than ever”, with new additions across Greece, Spain and Turkey.

Cleary told Aspire: “We've just had the best year in our history. We've seen 60% growth in sales compared to 2019, which was our best year ever. 

“What we're doing for 2023 is really trying to build and capitalise on that. The brochures are beautiful and they are our biggest ever. We've been expanding our programme in the Bahamas and in Jamaica. Caribbean accounts for probably 60% of our business, so luxury Caribbean has been very strong. But the biggest area of growth and investment for us is in Europe. Europe has exploded. It was doing incredibly well pre-pandemic but it has gone to new levels.”

Cleary said Caribtour’s average booking value had increased from £10,000 in 2019 to £17,000 in 2022, with the company “expecting more growth” in 2023.

Caribtours acquired direct-sell Caribbean specialist Just Grenada Group in March. Cleary said product from the group, whose brands include Just Grenada, Just Tobago, Just Bequia, Just Antigua, Just St Lucia, Just Barbados, Just St Kitts & Nevis and Just Slovenia, would be “introduced” to the trade in January.

“We're expecting another good year,” he said. “We are expecting more growth in 2023, partly because we've got so much new product, partly because there is still high demand post pandemic and partly due to the introduction of this new brand. We're expecting to add about another £4million onto turnover next year.” 

Caribtours unveiled the 2023 brochure collection at a gala dinner at Claridge’s in London on December 1. 

The event also saw the operator hand out several awards to high-performing agents. Top honours went to Elite Travel Boutique, which was awarded Caribtour’s Agent of the Year, while Traveltime World was recognised for Outstanding Contribution to Luxury and Thames Travel commended as the operator’s Diamond Agent of the Year, bringing in more than £300,000 worth of business each year. 

Cleary said: “The event is always about celebrating luxury travel agents. It's not just the business we get from those agents, but it's the partnership and the spirit of partnership that we enjoy with so many of them.”