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BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, Aug 05 2016 – Barbados tourism industry is rapidly putting the years of decline behind it and is on an upward trajectory, according to the state agency charged with promoting the destination.
The Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc (BTMI) reported visitor arrivals were up 5.6 percent during the first half of this year when compared to the same period in 2015.
In announcing the industry’s performance for the period January to June 2016, BTMI Chief Executive Officer William Griffith suggested there was reason to be upbeat. And, Griffith promised, this performance was only the beginning.
“All of our major indicators are performing well – arrivals are up, visitor spending is up, property investment among the accommodation sector is up, new experiences are being created for our visitors and that much needed confidence is returning to our industry. In short, we need to keep up the momentum and we need to be relentless in our pursuit for success. Let it be known that we are only getting started in realising our potential as a destination,” the BTMI boss said.
During the first half of the year Barbados welcomed 320,953 long-stay visitors, 17,094 more than the corresponding period last year.
Although the United Kingdom recorded a three percent drop, it remained the primary market with 36 percent of the arrivals.
The United States, on the other hand, saw growth of 13.3 percent, providing 24 percent of the visitors, while both the Caribbean (15 percent) and Canada (14 percent) grew by one percent each.
However, Griffith told journalists gathered at the Savannah Hotel that within the Caribbean market, arrivals from Trinidad and Tobago climbed by 21 percent, with the rest of the region recording growth of 6.6 percent.
Griffith indicated that the performance of the European market was a concern, with total arrivals from that market down by four percent, suppressed by a 7.3 percent drop in visitors from Germany. The rest of Europe performed slightly better, declining by 3.5 percent.
He explained that a fall in airlift and security concerns were the major contributing factors.
“This period coincided with a decrease in airlift via Condor, the only airline with direct service from that market. We are also of the view that a general reluctance to travel would have been sparked by political turmoil and unfortunate acts of terrorism,” the tourism head reported.
He announced that efforts were underway to reverse this situation, with new airlift scheduled for November, and new digital marketing campaigns to come.
Griffith also reported that the Brazilian market slumped by a near precipitous 31 percent, blaming the economic situation and the Zika outbreak for the steep drop. However, he said this was offset by an equally strong 31 percent rise in arrivals from Columbia, due to a new Avianca service, which began in 2015.
Overall, he said, the Latin America market, which accounts for a one percent market share, grew by 6.3 percent.
Quoting figures from the Barbados-based Caribbean Tourism Organization, the BTMI executive indicated that first quarter earnings from tourism were better than previously thought, with tourists spending US$288 million here between January and March, up from the US$280 reported earlier.
“So there were more gains recorded after the adjustment in 2015 and that is the first quarter of 2015. This means we did better than previously assessed in 2015,” Griffith said.
The tourism official said the island was anticipating increased airlift for the upcoming winter period, with 42 additional flights – or just over 57,000 additional seats – out of Canada; new services out of Munich, Germany and Paris, France; additional flights out of the UK by British Airways and Virgin Atlantic and an additional flight by Jetblue out of New Jersey. (Barbados TODAY)
