Barbados??? tourism sector is back on a path of growth following six years of recessionary conditions.

This declaration was made recently by Chief Executive Officer CEO) of the Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc. (BTMI), William Griffith, during an international media briefing at the Caribbean Tourism Organization???s State of the Industry Conference in Cura??ao.

Mr. Griffith stated that this year, growth has been seen in ???all of the major areas of importance???, including airlift, accommodations, and programmes to enhance the quality of Barbados??? product.

???We are also enjoying favourable global economic conditions in several key source markets; the price of oil is down and travellers are gaining greater confidence and now booking further in advance,??? he added.

The CEO revealed that for the upcoming winter season, the island was set to realise a seven per cent increase in airlift, having negotiated several inaugural flights, including a new service out of Bogota, Colombia, on December 2.

The new Avianca service will permit connections between Barbados and Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Santiago de Chile, Buenos Aires, Panama City, Mexico, Lima, San Salvador, Guayaquil and Quito, with connection times of 2.5 hours or less.

Mr. Griffith also disclosed that on November 7, the island will welcome two new JetBlue flights: the new Mint service out of New York and the new Boston direct service. Arrivals out of the USA were already at a healthy 27.9 per cent, he said.

In addition, there will also be a new Thomas Cook service from Glasgow, Scotland, commencing the following day. Air Canada???s Rouge service is also set to return on January 7, 2016.

Author: BTMI/BGIS

Pin It on Pinterest