There is concern about the increasing United States military presence in the Caribbean and the implications for the region’s tourism industry.
Chief executive officer of Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc. Andrea Franklin listed this among the “global headwinds” against which Barbados’ tourism must battle, while giving the BTMI’s update on the State of the Tourism Industry at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre yesterday.
She said tourism continued to register encouraging growth, noting “it has not been an easy year”.
“Across several of our major source markets, geo-political turmoil has led to a noticeable drop in consumer confidence . . . . At the same time and more recently in the Caribbean, we have seen greater military presence in the region, which raises some concern for us,” Franklin said, noting the island continued to show resilience against “these global headwinds”.
Steady growth
She cautioned, however, that it was “not a moment for comfort”.
In a performance overview, Franklin reported steady growth in tourism business across the island’s main source markets, with long-stay visitor arrivals to date this year increasing by 5.3 per cent, reflecting “steady recovery and diversification across the key source markets”. She said the United States remained the main driver of growth for the year, accounting for 35.2 per cent of total arrivals.
She noted the European and CARICOM markets also recorded increased performances, while there were slight declines in arrivals from the United Kingdom and Canada. In addition, there was “notable growth” in the cruise sector, with intransit cruise passenger arrivals increasing by more than 31 per cent even as the number of cruise calls declined.
Despite such an encouraging performance, the BTMI head said it “has not been an easy year” for Barbados’ tourism.
Franklin appealed to all tourism stakeholders to put their heads together and “foster a greater sense of collaboration as we chart the path forward
and move into the winter season and 2026”.
She said the BTMI was fully aligned around seven strategic objectives designed to strengthen competitiveness, build resilience and ensure tourism’s benefits were felt across every community in Barbados.
Franklin added the BTMI’s strategy was to intensify Barbados’ presence in its key source markets, through the use of its Data Analytic, the deepening of airline and trade partnerships and strong demand generation campaigns.
Market diversification
She said market diversification was “no longer optional but essential”, while giving notice of plans for Barbados to expand its reach into new markets beyond Latin America and niche European regions.
“We are strengthening our ties with targeted African markets where cultural connection, shared history and rising out-bound travel align with Barbados’ strengths. We are unlocking high value luxury-driven travel demand from the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Kuwait and we are also looking at other new options, including East Asia and the Oceanic regions.”
Above all, Franklin appealed for greater collaboration and deeper engagement from all partners involved in the tourism business in order to expand the island’s offerings while building a more resilient industry. ( GC)
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