Antigua and Barbuda will host about 100 top-selling travel agents for the inaugural Black Pineapple Awards in December, when the destination expects to celebrate a record-breaking year for tourist arrivals.
Around 25 agents will be selected from the UK and Europe for the three-day trip, with guests staying at properties in the Elite Island Resorts portfolio and at Blue Waters Resort & Spa.
“The trade is very important for us,” said Colin James (pictured), chief executive of the Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority. “We have to reward the agents who have been selling Antigua and Barbuda.”
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To be considered for a place on the trip, agents must log any bookings made in the last year – between September 2023 and September 2024 – via www.AntiguaBarbudaRewards.com.
Total visitor numbers at the end of July were 16% higher than at the same point last year, according to James.
“We were also 10% up on where we were in 2019, and 2019 was our best year ever so we’re on track to have a record year for arrivals,” he added.
Asked how the success had been achieved in the last five years, he cited enhanced airlift, new accommodation, strategic marketing and “a lot of hard work”.
The destination has worked “very closely” with the UK travel trade, he said, as British travellers continue to seek Caribbean trips.
“There was a time when people hadn’t heard of Antigua and Barbuda, but we’ve changed that and we’re right up there with Barbados and Jamaica and one of the top four in the Caribbean,” said James.
Virgin Atlantic is operating four flights per week from Heathrow this year, up from three in 2019, while British Airways is ramping up its Gatwick service from six to seven flights a week.
“There is increased demand for the destination and we’re seeing the increased airlift,” said James.
Asked about recent trends identified in the UK source market, he said destination weddings and honeymoons had grown in popularity – as had wellness-themed trips – and the cruise sector was also performing well.
“We should be on target for a record cruise year,” he said. “Antigua and Barbuda is now a major homeport for Carnival UK. Starting in October, almost every week we’ll have charter flights coming in on Norse Atlantic every time there’s a cruise from St John’s.”
Looking forward to the Black Pineapple Awards, taking place from December 6-8, James said: “This is not a work fam trip – it’s our way of saying a big thank you to the folks who really help us to do what we do.”
The awards ceremony will be held on Saturday, December 7.