#BTSpeakingOut – BHTA tourism industry update

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by the author(s) do not represent the official position of Barbados TODAY. 

by Rudy Grant,
CEO – Barbados Hotel and Tourism Association (BHTA).

Research and member feedback indicate that the 2021/2022 winter season is promising and, in this regard, we continue to be cautiously optimistic.

However, the COVID-19 environment continues to be fluid, which means that the tourism landscape can be negatively impacted with little warning.

In December 2021, occupancy was estimated at 65.8 per cent in comparison to 45.1 per cent in 2020 and 75.7 per cent in 2019. This highlights that while occupancy is improving, it is not back to the 2019 levels.

The projection is for a reasonably well performing winter with occupancies for the months of January, February, March and April 2022 projected at 66 per cent, 62 per cent, 65 per cent and 45 per cent respectively.

As we assess our tourism performance it is important to highlight that although tourism business is returning, the total hotel revenues received in 2021 are approximately 43 per cent of the 2019 revenues.

The critical performance marker of Revenue Per Available Room (RevPAR) is approximately 46 per cent of what it was in 2019. This clearly signals that the road to full recovery for the tourism industry may still be two or three years away.

Barbados has benefitted from the return of significant airlift. While the global average for the return of airlift to tourism destinations is 60 per cent, Barbados has had the benefit of more than 90 per cent of the airlift returning.

Most of the aircrafts are coming to Barbados with high loads which demonstrates significant confidence in Barbados as a tourism destination.

The recently concluded five-match T20 series was beneficial for some of our members, particularly certain “A” and “B” Class hotels and

Direct Tourism Services (DTS) such as restaurants and car rentals. We are therefore looking forward to the test series in March this year. Cricket has been a welcomed event and has certainly enhanced our visitor arrivals.

The BHTA believes that as we encourage and welcome visitors to Barbados we must ensure that the visitor experience is exceptional. One of the persistent sources of concern continues to be the airport experience.

Against this background, we will shortly be recommending to the Government of Barbados, through the Ministry of Tourism and International Transport, changes to the Barbados Travel Protocols in a manner that maintains our competitiveness while ensuring that health and safety are not compromised.

The Barbados tourism industry is on the rebound but is still faced with many challenges and great uncertainty. The industry recovery must be assessed in a holistic manner that takes account of all the variables in this dynamic environment.