Barbados tourism hits growth track

Chief executive officer of the Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc reports the tourism sector is growing again after 6 years of recessionary conditions

The island aims at a 7 per cent boost in airlift with a new service out of Bogota, Columbia operated by the new Avianca service that will connect Barbados and South America in less than 2.5 hours. Two new JetBlue flights connecting Boston and New York will be welcomed starting November 7. A new Thomas Cook service from Glasgow, Scotland and Air Canada’s Rouge services are also set to operate flights starting this winter.

“This year we have seen growth in all of the major areas of importance, including airlift, accommodations, and programs to enhance the quality of our tourism product,” chief executive officer of the Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc (BTMI) William Griffith reported at the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO)’s State of the Industry Conference in Curaçao.

“We are also enjoying favorable global economic conditions in several key source markets, the price of oil is down and travelers are gaining greater confidence and now booking further in advance”, Griffith added.

Moreover, with the opening of new luxury resorts such as Sandals Barbados, Sugar Bay Hotel and The Sands and refurbishment of additional 24 other all-inclusive locations, Barbados investment in hotel plans raises up to US$1 billion dollars and 2.300 extra rooms.

Cruise arrivals are also set to increase by 7 per cent, as the Mein Sheiff 3 and the Carnival Britannia mega ships are docking at the Bridgetown Port.

Additionally, the Barbados Tourism Product Authority (BTPA) is currently implementing new tourism initiatives to promote attractive experiences, quality services and to raise awareness over the country's travel industry market.

Source: http://www.caribbean360.com/news/top-barbados-tourism-official-reports-sector-back-on-growth-path