Antigua & Barbuda details growth strategy for 2024 and beyond

Antigua and Barbuda Tourism officials have concluded a productive showing at the 42nd edition of Caribbean Travel Marketplace hosted by the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA) in Jamaica.

The Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority delegation led by CEO Colin C. James, included US Director of Tourism Dean Fenton, UK and Europe director of tourism Cherrie Osborne, Canada director of tourism Tameka Wharton, director of tourism for the Caribbean and Latin America Market Charmaine Spencer, and Maria Blackman, marketing communications manager.

The Tourism Authority joined forces with leading tourism partners the Antigua and Barbuda Hotels and Tourism Association represented by executive director Patrice Simon alongside representatives from Carlisle Bay, Sun Tours, Tamarind Hills, Cocos, Keyonna, Hawksbill, Blue Waters and Elite Island Resorts to promote the destination at the event, which brings together buyers and sellers of the region’s tourism products and services.

Discussions centred on boosting airlift capacity, securing more business to the destination through strategic marketing agreements, showcasing new hotel offerings and promoting destination events, notably cricket, as Antigua and Barbuda celebrates a year of cricket.

The delegation engaged in over forty-five meetings with travel trade and airline partners to evaluate the destination’s performance, chart progress and explore avenues for future collaboration.

Coming out of the meetings, ABTA CEO Colin C. James said, “Antigua and Barbuda has had a phenomenal 2023/2024 winter season.  All our major source markets experienced growth in stay-over visitor arrivals for the first quarter of 2024 when compared to the same period in 2023.”

Antigua and Barbuda welcomed 97,341 stay-over visitors in the first quarter of 2024, an 11 per cent increase compared to 87,667 visitors in the same period of 2023. Additionally, the 2024 first-quarter figures are seven per cent higher than those of the benchmark year, 2019.

“Our partners are buoyed by the destination’s positive performance, and we can expect to benefit further from the notable increases in airlift capacity which is a result of strong demand for the destination and robust marketing,” said James. “In addition to increased flights coming out of our US markets, we will see Sunrise Airways starting service this May increasing regional airlift into the Caribbean, the expansion of British Airways flights to seven for the 2024/2025 winter season and the return of Condor in November, set to open up the Central European market.”

While at Caribbean Travel Marketplace, CEO Colin C. James also addressed a captivated audience of over thirty media professionals at a press conference which provided the regional and international media with an update on destination arrivals, airlift, hotels, attractions, key initiatives aimed at growing demand and the new ‘Be’ marketing campaign to position Antigua and Barbuda as a premier tourism destination.

The launch of the ‘Be’ marketing campaign, coupled with consistent negotiations with airline partners, and the Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority’s presence at the event, underscores the ABTA’s commitment to the sustainable growth of Antigua and Barbuda tourism.