Antigua and Barbuda Tourism officials have concluded a productive showing at
the 42nd edition of Caribbean Travel Marketplace hosted by the Caribbean Hotel
and Tourism Association (CHTA) in Jamaica.
The Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority delegation led by CEO Colin C.
James, included US Director of Tourism, Dean Fenton, UK and Europe Director of
Tourism, Cherrie Osborne, Canada Director of Tourism, Tameka Wharton,
Director of Tourism for the Caribbean and Latin America Market, Charmaine
Spencer and Marketing Communications Manager, Maria Blackman. The Tourism
Authority joined forces with leading tourism partners the Antigua and Barbuda
Hotels and Tourism Association represented by Executive Director, Patrice Simon,
alongside representatives from Carlisle Bay, Sun Tours, Tamarind Hills, Cocos,
Keyonna, Hawksbill, Blue Waters and Elite Island Resorts to promote the
destination at the event, which brings together buyers and sellers of the region’s
tourism products and services.
Discussions centered on boosting airlift capacity, securing more business to the
destination through strategic marketing agreements, showcasing new hotel
offerings and promoting destination events, notably cricket, as Antigua and
Barbuda celebrates a year of cricket. The delegation engaged in over forty-five
meetings with travel trade and airline partners to evaluate the destination’s
performance, chart progress and explore avenues for future collaboration.
Coming out of the meetings, ABTA CEO Colin C. James said, “Antigua and
Barbuda has had a phenomenal 2023/2024 winter season. All our major source
markets experienced growth in stay-over visitor arrivals for the first quarter of
2024 when compared to the same period in 2023.”
Antigua and Barbuda welcomed 97,341 stay-over visitors in the first quarter of
2024, an 11% increase compared to 87,667 visitors in the same period of 2023.
Additionally, the 2024 first-quarter figures are 7% higher than those of the
benchmark year, 2019.
James added, “Our partners are buoyed by the destination’s positive performance,
and we can expect to benefit further from the notable increases in airlift capacity
which is a result of strong demand for the destination and robust marketing.
“In addition to increased flights coming out of our US markets, we will see Sunrise
Airways starting service this May increasing regional airlift into the Caribbean, the
expansion of British Airways flights to seven for the 2024/2025 winter season and
the return of Condor in November, set to open up the Central European market.”
While at Caribbean Travel Marketplace, CEO Colin C. James also addressed a
captivated audience of over thirty media professionals at a press conference which
provided the regional and international media with an update on destination
arrivals, airlift, hotels, attractions, key initiatives aimed at growing demand and the
new ‘Be’ marketing campaign to position Antigua and Barbuda as a premier
tourism destination.
The launch of the ‘Be’ marketing campaign, coupled with consistent negotiations
with airline partners, and the Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority’s presence
at the event, underscores the ABTA’s commitment to the sustainable growth of
Antigua and Barbuda tourism.
