Barbados Tourism Growth Continues

By: - September 14th, 2016

More Barbados Tourism Growth

By Sarah Greaves-Gabbadon
CJ Travel Editor

Barbados is feeling bullish about the coming tourist season and reporting across-the-board growth in the industry for 2016.

Speaking at the Caribbean Tourism Organization’s annual State of the Industry Conference, Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc.’s CEO William Griffith revealed the island’s latest arrival figures, which are up 5.3 percent and totaled 421,914 between January and August 2016. Griffith said that the BTMI is confident that the island will surpass the annual arrivals record set in 2015 of 591,000 visitors, forecasting that it will welcome 600,000 arrivals in 2016 – the highest number in history.

Visitor spend is also up, currently at $867 million, which is a four percent increase from 2014.

“The trend in spend is encouraging,” Griffith said, noting that estimates for the first quarter of 2016 are $337 million, an increase of 16.6 percent.

There will also be increased airlift to the island for the winter season.

JetBlue is doubling its service from Boston to twice-weekly, and will continue once-weekly service year-round after the season has ended. The airline’s weekly direct service from Newark, N.J. starts in November. British Airways will offer 13 flights a week into Barbados, and, from December 2016, Air Canada will operate 10 weekly flights into the island, offering a total of 11,629 seats.

Barbados Tourism Growth

Cruise arrivals January through June 2016 are also up, Griffith reported, totaling 340,043 during the period.

In the hotel sector, the island is projecting the addition of 2,300 new or refurnished rooms by the end of 2019.

Griffith noted the addition of several new accommodations in the last few months, including all-inclusive hotels Waves Hotel & Spa (which opened this week) and Sugar Bay Barbados. He said that the Sands Hotel is scheduled to open in early 2017, and that the former Sam Lord’s Castle will reopen as the 450-room Wyndham Grand Barbados in 2018. Griffith also pointed to Sandals Barbados’ addition of 222 rooms, scheduled to be complete by winter 2017.

Barbados celebrates 50 years of independence next month, and has designated 2017 the Year of Sport.

News

Leading Caribbean Tourism Conference Kicks Off in Barbados

 Leading Caribbean Tourism Conference

The Caribbean’s leading tourism conference kicked off Wednesday night at the Hilton Barbados resort. This year’s conference is being held under the theme “Honoring Our Legacy, Defining Our Future.” The conference brings together stakeholders from across the wider Caribbean, from tourism ministers and commissioners to hotel and airline executives to travel agents and media. It was […]

Barbados

The Best Fish Shack in Barbados

 Cuzz' Cafe

Why Cuz’s Fish Shack is the Best Fish Shack in Barbados By Sarah Greaves-Gabbadon CJ Travel Editor There are only two choices. But you can’t make a bad one. That’s because, on Barbados, you won’t find a better fish or fish-and-cheese cutter than here at Cuzz’ Café on Pebbles Beach, where they’ve been serving up the […]

News

JetBlue Traffic Continues to Rise; Revenue Numbers Decline

 jetblue strong start

JetBlue traffic continues to rise in 2016, according to the New York City-based airline’s latest monthly report. The company reported 4.21 billion revenue passenger miles last month, up 6.2 percent from August 2015. JetBlue also reported an increase in available seat miles to 4.82 billion, up 5.7 percent from the same period last year. Load […]

BVI Arrivals

Tourist Arrivals Rising in British Virgin Islands

 The British Virgin Islands is having a solid year. Speaking at the Caribbean Tourism Organization’s annual State of the Industry Conference (SOTIC) in, Barbados, the Islands’ director of tourism, Sharon Flax Brutus, announced an across-the-board increase in BVI Arrivals from January through June 2016. BVI overnight arrivals are up by 3.5 percent; cruise arrivals have increased by […]
Island Routes Conference

Island Routes Is Holding Its First Conference

 Fifty Caribbean attractions operators are converging in Ocho Rios, Jamaica this week to discuss their industry’s current challenges and opportunities. Organized by tour company Island Routes, the Certified Partner Conference will be the first for the Jamaica-based company, which operates land and sea excursions in a dozen Caribbean destinations. “Whether it’s moving from one excursion […]
Manoah Hotel

New Boutique Hotel Coming to Anguilla

 The British Virgin Islands is having a solid year. Speaking at the Caribbean Tourism Organization’s annual State of the Industry Conference (SOTIC) in, Barbados, the Islands’ director of tourism, Sharon Flax Brutus, announced an across-the-board increase in BVI Arrivals from January through June 2016. BVI overnight arrivals are up by 3.5 percent; cruise arrivals have increased by […]
Nonstop Flights to British Virgin Islands

Nonstop Flights to British Virgin Islands Launching Soon

 The highly-anticipated new nonstop flights from Miami to the British Virgin Islands are set to launch this year, according to British Virgin Islands Director of Tourism Sharon Flax-Brutus. The new BVI Airways flights will be operated on an 86-passenger Avro RJ jet plane, with initial plans for three flights per week from Miami International Airport […]