Barbados tourism is reaping the rewards of an increase in airlift from North America with double digit growth in arrivals so far this year.
Barbados recorded 303,592 long-stay visitors during the first half of 2015, the first time it has topped 300,000 between January and June for 29 years.
Compared to 2014 it represents a rise of 14.3%.
"This exceptional double-digit performance has been credited as the primary reason for the 0.5% increase in local GDP and comes against the backdrop of the Caribbean Tourism Organization’s 5% growth projection for our region for 2015," said Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc. (BTMI) chairman Alvin Jemmott.
The BTMI chairman said the length of average stay had fallen but spending was up 5%.
Between April to June, cruise traffic grew 12% with 115,231 passenger arrivals on 52 port calls.
Jemmott also said the accommodation sector in Barbados is likely to grow by an extra 2,300 rooms through 2019.
Petra Roach, BTMI director for the US market says villa vacations and destination weddings are among the fastest growing segments, with both up by more than 20% compared to last year.
"We anticipate that within the next five years the US market will exceed the 200,000 visitation mark. In order to achieve this, we are working with our airline partners to ensure that we provide a product that is convenient, accessible, and offers a good value proposition," Roach told the Caribbean Journal.
"Our priority at the moment is ensuring that we open a few more gateways and ensuring the commercial viability of those we currently have."
