Barbados is experiencing a record year for tourist arrivals, largely due to the recent ICC T20 Cricket World Cup and the popular Crop Over festival

President of the Barbados Hotel and Tourism Association (BHTA) Javon Griffith said: “tourist arrivals are expected to surpass pre-pandemic levels in all markets. This is supported by the ICC World Cup, Crop Over, and increased airlift capacity into Barbados this year.”

Arrivals from CARICOM countries increased by 16 per cent with 42,063 visitors between January and June.

Canada and the United States also showed impressive growth with 16 and 31 per cent increases, respectively.

The cruise sector has not been left behind in this tourism resurgence. From January to June 2024, the island welcomed 381,997 stayover arrivals, a 15 per cent increase from the 323,948 arrivals during the same period in 2023 based on figures from the Barbados Statistical Service.

According to Griffith, “the appetite for Barbados remains very strong, with early forward bookings from major source markets exceeding 2023 by 18 per cent.”

Cruise shipping making strong comeback

Cruise activity is projected to continue recovering from pandemic setbacks, aided by the return of summer cruise activity and an increase in cruise calls in the last quarter.

From January to June 2024, Barbados welcomed 475,028 cruise passengers, compared to 434,565 for the same period in 2023.

While Barbados didn’t receive any cruise ship arrivals between June to September 2023, this year there have been regular visits from the Rhapsody of the Seas every Friday.

Looking ahead, the island is set to benefit from a gradual increase in flights starting with the winter 2024-2025 flight schedules.

British Airways and Virgin Atlantic will both double their London Heathrow to Barbados flights. In addition, TUI will continue to service the destination with up to 99 flights a month from various UK cities.

From the United States, JetBlue will triple its flights from Boston to Barbados, while American Airlines will resume daily flights from New York JFK.

In an exciting development, Delta will return to Barbados after an eight year hiatus, offering a daily service from Atlanta in winter.