Now one of the hottest destinations in the Caribbean

Tourism in Antigua and Barbuda is on a record breaking run, making the country one of the most sought after Caribbean destination.

The twin-island Caribbean destination is breaking all-time records, buoyed by a surge in visitor arrivals, particularly from the United States. This surge is visitor arrival is making the country one of the hottest destinations in the Caribbean, particularly in the summer of 2022. 

Antigua and Barbuda welcomed 24,673 visitors to the destination, representing a seven per cent increase over the same month in 2019, before the pandemic, which had itself been a record for the month. The destination is also seeing strong growth from the United Kingdom market with a five per cent increase in United Kingdom visits over the same period in 2019.

Healthy summer tourism projected

Canadian arrivals showed a one per cent increase over 2019. Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Minister Charles Fernandez reports that, “for a second year, we are experiencing a healthy summer season as consumer travel confidence grows and travelers make the decision to take that long-awaited vacation or previously delayed trip”.

Some 13,305 of the tourists visiting the twin-island destination last month were from the US, a 30 per cent jump compared to July 2019. Last month, just under 9,700 visitors stayed in hotels, while just under 11,500 visitors stayed in villas and guest houses. 

For his part, Colin C. James, CEO of the Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority, commented: “Antigua and Barbuda is presently listed amongst the top ten Caribbean destinations leading the Caribbean tourism recovery efforts. With good month-on-month growth and our overall tourism arrivals for the year to date is only 16 per cent less than the 2019 figures.”

Continuing, he said: “Antigua and Barbuda’s tourism rebound prospects are looking positive, particularly when we consider global tourism forecasts. For the Fall, our teams will continue to focus on closing the gap and achieving full recovery.”

For the first half of the year, visitor arrivals stood at 154,099, a 16 per cent “narrowing of the gap” of the same period in 2019. This is one of the strongest tourism recoveries in the Caribbean since the onset of the pandemic.