Barbados is set to dazzle the region and the world as the curtain rises today on CARIFESTA XV, with organisers promising an unforgettable celebration of Caribbean pride, talent and unity.
With the finishing touches being applied, excitement is reaching fever pitch.
“We are ready,” said Jewel Forde, local media relations and communications coordinator for CARIFESTA XV, assuring the public that all systems are in motion for a grand showcase of regional culture.
Rehearsals continued last night, as anticipation was building for a spectacular parade today from Golden Square Freedom Park to Queen’s Park in The City, where thousands are expected to gather to witness the official start of the ten-day festival.
The event will bring together performers, artists and cultural practitioners from across the Caribbean and the diaspora in a vibrant display.
Celebration
“Tomorrow [today], it will be an amazing and spectacular celebration of Caribbean art, culture and who we are as a people. We welcome the region and the world to CARIFESTA XV,” Forde said, noting that the evening will be more than just entertainment, but a living expression of shared heritage and artistic brilliance.
The staging of CARIFESTA XV has also injected a welcome lift into Barbados’ summer tourism performance, pushing occupancy levels above last year’s figures and reaffirming the value of major cultural events as a driver for the economy.
Delivering the Barbados Hotel and Tourism Association’s (BHTA) third-quarter briefing yesterday, chief executive officer (CEO) Ryan Forde said the festival has given hotels a much-needed bump during the traditionally slow summer months.
“We saw increased demand from delegations, performers and patrons across the Caribbean who chose to come to Barbados not only to attend events, but also to enjoy our wider tourism product,” he said.
According to data from STR, the global hotel reporting agency, occupancy across the membership stood at 58.7 per cent for the May to July period, compared to 55.9 per cent for the same period last year. Even in June – usually the weakest month of the year – hotels recorded an average 59 per cent occupancy, up from 55.3 per cent in 2024.
Forde said early readings for August also pointed to a strong finish once CARIFESTA XV
figures were fully captured.
“Based on our business on the books sample across more than two-thirds of our membership, we are currently in the mid-50s, which is on par with last year’s performance with two more weeks of August to go still. We suspect with CARIFESTA bookings for the ending
of August, we shall be closer to ending the month at around 60 per cent,” he said.
Forde reported that smaller properties benefited the most.
“The majority of business is seeing improvements over that period in the B Class and Apartments. They have seen a 14 per cent increase in business across the same period August 22-31, 2025, and we are hopeful that other members will also see the same by the end of August.”
Important leverage
The BHTA said these results underlined the importance of leveraging such events to create stronger year-round performance.
“The impact of events, meetings and national festivals on top of leisure travel is very important to evolving Barbados to a consistently strong performing destination.”
He added that although September remained one of the most challenging months for tourism, there were already signs of improvement, with two major conferences – the Motivational Luxury Summit from Latin America, and the Caribbean Tourism Organisation’s annual conference – scheduled to help drive arrivals.
Forde struck a cautiously optimistic tone for the upcoming winter season, noting that bookings were pacing ahead of last year.
“Winter is currently shaping up nicely with two new hotel products set to open between late (Quarter 4) 2025 and early (Quarter 1) with Hotel Indigo and the Blue Monkey Hotel & Beach Club, respectively. On top of this, several of our members, such as the Marriott Group and All Seasons Europa, are upgrading their properties, which will further strengthen our product offering,” he said.
He added that the Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc. was already expanding its promotional push into new and traditional markets, with trade shows scheduled in Georgia, Eastern Canada and the United Kingdom, as well as sports and MICE conferences in the United States. The resurgence of KLM flights from Amsterdam, he said, was also expected to drive fresh growth from Europe.
(CLM/NS)
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