By the Caribbean Journal staff

Antigua and Barbuda tourism is off to a surging start so far in 2018, according to new data from the Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority.

Stayover visitor arrivals to the destination are up by 9 percent for the first month of 2018, with an increase to 27,895 in January.

The United States continues to be the biggest feeder market for Antigua and Barbuda, showing 3.5 percent growth, but it was Canada that paced the growth, with a 77 percent increase in visitors, driven in part by the launch of new Sunwing service.

“In 2017, the Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority alongside our stakeholders worked hard to maintain stayover visitor arrivals in our main source markets,” said Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Minister Charles Fernandez. “Constant review of trends in overseas markets and strategic market planning sessions with stakeholders in Antigua, led to the development and execution of in-market activities specifically designed to address concerns of visitor declines and produce the positive results we are noticing as the 2017/2018 winter season unfolds.”