UK no longer top visitor source as Barbados tourism makes strong recovery

The United States has supplanted the United Kingdom as Barbados’ primary source market for tourists, marking a historic shift in visitor arrivals as the sector demonstrates robust growth, President of the Barbados Hotel and Tourism Association (BHTA) Javon Griffith has revealed.

He told the BHTA’s fourth quarterly press briefing on Tuesday that US arrivals surged by 24 per cent, reaching 170 595 visitors compared to 128 794 in 2023, while the traditionally dominant British market experienced a marginal one per cent decline.

“The United States has, so far for 2024, surpassed the United Kingdom as our number one source market,” Griffith said, noting that the transformation aligns with the BHTA’s concentrated efforts to expand airlift capacity and enhance promotional activities targeting North American travellers.

He also reported that forward bookings from key source markets are outpacing 2023 figures by nine per cent, with additional growth expected from the upcoming England cricket tour and an 11.5 per cent increase in scheduled cruise calls for the final quarter.

“Our goal is to ensure that this growth is not only sustained but that it helps to solidify our position as a premier destination,” Griffith said, acknowledging the collaborative efforts of the Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc. (BTMI) and industry partners in driving the industry’s recovery.

As the winter season begins on December 15, the BHTA president said expectations remain high for continued growth. Early projections point to record arrivals and increased spending, driven largely by the robust US market and an active schedule of cultural and sporting events in 2025. 

The tourism industry’s resilience has played a pivotal role in the island’s economic performance, with real GDP advancing by 3.8 per cent during the first nine months of 2024, despite challenges including Hurricane Beryl’s disruption.

From January to September 2024, the island welcomed 509 673 stay-over arrivals, representing an 11 per cent increase from the 451 491 recorded in the same period last year. CARICOM arrivals rose by six per cent to 70 309, whilst Canadian visitors increased by 14 per cent to 63 228.

Hotel performance metrics have shown consistent improvement, with revenue per available room (RevPAR) posting significant gains throughout most of 2024. 

“Our RevPAR…was up every month this year except February when we had a minor dip of 3.3 per cent and September where it declined 11.8 per cent,” Griffith reported, noting increases ranging from 1.4 per cent to 50.5 per cent across other months.

The average daily rate (ADR) similarly demonstrated resilience, with year-on-year gains observed in most months, including an 8.4 per cent rise in January, 11.9 per cent in March, and 10.4 per cent in July, despite a 5.7 per cent decrease in September.

Cruise tourism has also staged a remarkable recovery, with arrivals increasing by 13 per cent to 501 727 between January and September 2024, supported by a 14 per cent rise in cruise calls to 286 vessels.

The expansion of air connectivity is set to further strengthen the US market’s position. Delta Airlines is to resume daily service from Atlanta on November 23, adding 4 960 new seats monthly, while also reinstating weekly flights from New York’s JFK from December 21. Regional carrier Winair is launching new routes connecting Barbados to St Maarten, Saint Lucia, Martinique, and Dominica. 

(RG)