Barbados is expected to receive more than 79 000 airline seats from its key source markets— the United States, United Kingdom and Canada — in April, as tourism officials reported growing global demand and step up efforts to expand the island’s reach into new and emerging markets.
Chairman of the Barbados Hotel and Tourism Association (BHTA), Javon Griffith, shared the projections during the association’s first quarterly general meeting at the Hilton Barbados Resort on Tuesday.
“If there was ever a time for Barbados to be more accessible than ever, it’s now,” Griffith said. “This increased capacity reflects the confidence our source markets continue to show in the destination.”
A total of 79 278 airline seats are projected for April, with 41 534 from the US – including flights from American Airlines, JetBlue, Delta, United Airlines, and Frontier; 25 357 from the UK, with additional service from British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, and Aer Lingus; and 12 387 from Canada, from Air Canada and WestJet.
The airlift boost includes three extra weekly flights from both British Airways and Virgin Atlantic out of London Heathrow in April, to meet strong demand over the Easter holiday. American Airlines has upgraded its Philadelphia service to year-round, while WestJet will resume flights from Toronto in June after a brief pause.
Despite these positive indicators, the BHTA cautioned that Barbados cannot afford to become complacent.
“While we celebrate strong numbers out of our core markets, we must now turn our attention to new ones,” said BHTA CEO Ryan Forde. “We must re-approach other countries in Europe, diversify our Latin America and Canadian footprint, welcome newer submarkets in the USA, and most importantly, we must also find a way to bridge the gap with Africa.”
Forde noted that Barbados’ recent presence at global aviation and trade events, including the Routes Americas conference in Bahamas and ITB Berlin, is already opening up promising conversations for future airlift and business partnerships.
“Europe still has untapped potential. Agents in cities where Barbados has not been marketed heavily in the past are still loyal to the brand. But we need to be more present and active in those areas,” he said.
While April and May are pacing in the 50 per cent range for hotel occupancy and summer at around 40 per cent, Forde noted that with stronger international engagement and niche offerings, these numbers can improve.
“We need to diversify with consistency,” he stressed. “Special programmes, internationally marketed local festivals, the MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions) market, and upgraded product offerings will go a long way toward growing summer business.”
He further noted that continued investments by tourism operators—through refurbishments, expansions, and new builds—are putting Barbados in a strong position to absorb and attract greater airlift.
“Owners should be proud of the investment they’re pouring into their properties. It’s not just about hotels anymore—our entire tourism ecosystem is evolving,” Forde said. “Barbados is in demand but to keep that momentum going, we must keep evolving.”
(SM)
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