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BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, Jun 04 2016 – Barbados has recorded an increase in visitor arrivals for the first quarter of this year as well as well as earning an estimated US$336. 7 million during the same period, according to figures released here.
The Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc. (BTMI) said that arrivals increased 7.4 per cent during the first quarter of 2016 when compared to the previous year, representing an increase of 184,177 visitors compared to 171,413 during the same period last year.
BTMI chief executive officer, William Griffith, said the island has been working with local and international stakeholders to keep the industry competitive.
“Our team has been placing considerable emphasis on business-to-business (B2B) relationships through training for travel agents and participation in trade shows to update these key partners on the latest product developments taking place on the island,” he said.
He said a breakdown of the figures showed that the island’s airlift growth strategy in the United States was paying off, with stay over arrivals increasing by 13 per cent in the first quarter of 2016 from that market. This represented a total of 42,383 visitors compared to 37,487 visitor arrivals in 2015.
The Canadian market was relatively flat, with a 0.8 per cent decline generating 30,675 stay over arrivals. Arrivals out of the United Kingdom rose by 10 per cent for the 24th consecutive month, to reach 71,263 stay over arrivals.
A sluggish European market performance resulted in a decline of 6.1 per cent, representing 13,129 stay over arrivals. Germany, the main producing country, recorded a 7.3 per cent decline to reach just 4,854 visitors.
The Caribbean region continued to be a bright spark, with regional travel to Barbados growing by 14.3 per cent. This was led by a 34 per cent increase in travellers arriving from Trinidad and Tobago, or 7,210 stay over visitors. Demand out of other Caribbean countries also increased by 6.4 per cent, with 14,491 visitors registered.
On the South and Central American front, there was growth of 2.8 per cent, totalling 2,930 stay over arrivals compared to 2,849 in 2015. Demand out of Brazil declined significantly by 48.2 per cent to 705 visitors. However, this decline was buoyed by a 49.6 per cent growth in visitors from the remaining South and Central American market when some 2,225 arrivals were recorded.
Griffith confirmed that the BTMI global team was already working toward achieving a strong summer with the Crop Over Festival, romance and family travel featuring prominently in their promotional efforts.
Meanwhile, the sector earned an estimated US$336.75 million during the first quarter of 2016 based on a visitor exit survey conducted by the Caribbean Tourism Organization.
Griffith said that this figure represented an increase in total expenditure by stay over visitors of 20 per cent over the same period in 2015, and continued the growth in visitor expenditure experienced in 2015 of 3.7 per cent when compared with 2014.
According to the CEO, the growth in visitor expenditure on island in the first quarter was led by the United States (US) market, where average daily spend increased by 22 per cent. As a result, total visitor spend on island by US visitors increased by 64 per cent, the largest increase both in percentage and absolute terms.
With regard to on island revenue from those countries categorised as Other and which includes Latin America, Asia, Africa and other smaller markets, visitor expenditure increased by 22 per cent. The United Kingdom (UK) increased by 19 per cent; Canada by seven per cent and Europe by one per cent. The only exception to this performance was the Caribbean market, where total visitor expenditure declined by 18 per cent.
Griffith said that confidence had returned within the tourism industry and this was being revealed by the creation of new attractions; improved hotel plant and additional accommodation options; and the strengthening of the island’s digital marketing strategy, led by a new destination website at VisitBarbados.org.
“Based on the reports coming from our tour operators, this is the light at the end of the tunnel. We will continue to work with them and incorporate their feedback, and the suggestions from the visitors themselves, so that we can maintain this growth path,” he said.
