by Brian Major
Last updated: 1:00 PM ET, Wed February 25, 2015
PHOTO: Barbados's 2014 visitor total was its highest since 2007. Shown is the historic St. Lawrence Anglican Church. (Courtesy of Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc.)
Barbados is taking halting steps toward a tourism recovery following several years of declining visitor arrivals. The country's long-stay visitor arrivals increased for the first time in two years in 2014, Alvin Jemmott, chairman of Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc. (BTMI) said Tuesday, and arrivals are expected to increase by 5 percent in 2015.
Barbados recorded 56,132 long-stay visitors in 2014, the country's highest total since 2007, when the nation also hosted the Cricket World Cup. "This is admirable considering that our destination is one of the more mature holiday spots in the region," said Jemmott in BTMI statement. "It also comes against the background that there was a projection of a 4 percent decline in arrivals for the year back in December 2013."
William Griffith, BTMI's CEO, attributed the increase "largely to marked economic recovery and growing consumer confidence in the United Kingdom." Barbados' U.K. arrivals totaled 186,858 visitors in 2014, an 11 percent increase over 2013. U.K. residents accounted for 37 percent of the country's 2014 arrivals.
Barbados' North American market is also showing signs of improvement. Although long-stay arrivals from the United States declined by 2 percent in 2014, Barbados recorded 14,460 U.S. arrivals in December, the third-highest December total to date, according to Griffith.
Also while Barbados' Canadian visitors were down by 2 percent in 2014, the figure represents a significant improvement over the 8 percent decline officials had forecast for the Canadian market in late 2013.
Griffith said "preliminary figures" indicate Barbados hosted 56,132 land-based, long-stay arrivals in January 2015, "the highest on record for the past 15 years," said Griffith. The numbers include a 14 percent increase in U.S. visitors to 10,810. The U.K. visitors were up 15 percent and Canadian arrivals were up 27 percent during the month.
Barbados has struggled in recent years to reverse a trend of ebbing visitor arrivals. The country hosted 508,520 overnight travelers in 2013 according to Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) data, a 5.2 percent decline from 2012.
In September, Barbados' government announced the launch of BTMI and the Barbados Tourism Product Authority (BTPA), agencies created to replace the former Barbados Tourism Authority. BTMI is tasked with marketing the country while BTPA focuses on development of Barbados tourism attractions and infrastructure.
Griffith, most recently director of tourism for Bermuda, was named BTMI's CEO. Efforts are also underway to restore several of Barbados' historic buildings.
Barbados' hotel base received a boost earlier this year when Sandals Resorts International opened the Sandals Barbados property following a $65 million renovation. The popular all-inclusive brand is expected to attract more North American travelers to the country.
Griffith pointed to reduced air transportation as one of several factors behind Barbados' lagging visitor arrivals. "The Caribbean market experienced a 10 percent decline in seats via regional carrier LIAT," he said. Antigua-based LIAT has suffered from operational difficulties over the last several years.
Griffith also said Barbados was forced to endure American Airlines' 2013 cancellation of direct flights to the island from New York. "Thus far, BTMI has been able to replace 82 percent of the 55,702 seats lost after the withdrawal of the American Airlines service out of JFK," he said.
Griiffith also blamed the island's tourism struggles on "diminished spending power among potential visitors and high airfares" that "placed regional travel in an uncompetitive position, in some instances, when compared to the cost of international travel."
Barbados' once-strong cruise tourism sector is also seeking to rebound. The country recorded a 2 percent decline in cruise-ship arrivals in 2014, hosting 557,898 guests. In addition, the number of ships using Barbados as a home port declined 5 percent in 2014.
Still, while Barbados recorded fewer passengers in 2014, the country actually hosted more, albeit smaller, vessels. There were 395 cruise ship calls in Barbados in 2014, an increase of 21 ships compared to 2013. The number of cruise passengers who combined their voyage with a land stay in Barbados also grew in 2014, with 1,164 additional guests compared with 2013.
Furthermore Griffith said cruise ship arrivals will rebound in 2015 to an increase of between 5 and 6 percent, as Barbados is scheduled to host around 750,000 cruise visitors this year. Home-porting ships will increase by 17 percent in 2015, and 12 new vessels will call at Barbados' Bridgetown cruise terminals during the year.
Griffith said BTMI will launch a new digital marketing campaign under the brand name "Brilliant Barbados in March." The campaign will feature visitor discounts available at 30 participating hotels and several local attractions.
In addition, "strong alliances" are being formed with travel agencies, tour operators and local partners "to increase Barbados marketing presence at key gateways," said Griffith.
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