Tourism is booming to Antigua and Barbuda — with the twin-island destination surpassing pre-Covid levels in July. 

Antigua and Barbuda welcomed 23.405 tourists in July via the VC Bird International Airport – a total that exceeded the 23,031 tourists that visited the destination in July 2019.

2019 was itself a record-breaking year for the country, meaning that was the best July ever for Antigua and Barbuda. 

“There has been a visible change in the travel behavior of our visitors brought on by the covid-19 pandemic and we continue to see a steady increase in arrivals during the summer months,” said Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Minister Charles Fernandez. “July has been an extremely strong month with demand for the destination from the US Market as well as the UK market, booming, with growth above 2019 figures.  We are also beginning to see an uptake from our Caribbean and Canadian market.”

The July totals included 15,350 visitors from the United States – up from 10,221 in July 2019. 

That was along with 6,521 visitors from the United Kingdom, up from 5,378 in the same period in 2019. 

“We are indeed buoyed by this continued upward trajectory in the air arrival numbers which is a clear indication that the recovery is well underway,” said Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority CEO Colin C. James. “This is particularly encouraging in that this July which is the best July ever for air arrivals was accomplished in a year when Antigua’s carnival was again cancelled due to the pandemic as compared to 2019 when we had carnival. This good news only serves to redouble our efforts for the remainder of the year.”

Last month, hotel occupancy on the island was “very high,” according to Vernon Jeffers, executive chairman of the Antigua and Barbuda Hotels and Tourism Association. 

That included occupancy surpassing 80 percent across the country’s mid-sized hotels, he said. 

The destination will also get a boost next month with the reopening of one of its most popular resorts, The Verandah.

“We certainly hope that these occupancy levels are sustained over the next few months as travelers continue to make last minute decisions to travel to the destination,” he said. 

For more, visit Antigua and Barbuda. 

— CJ