Barbados says it has “weathered the Covid-19 storm” as it reported more than 10,000 air passenger arrivals last month.
The Caribbean destination’s tourist board said its July visitor figures, published this week, mark a “major tourism milestone” and suggest a “positive turn for the industry ahead of the 2021-22 winter season”.
A total of 10,819 visitors travelled to Barbados in July, which Barbados Tourism Marketing said represents “a significant increase” on the 6,745 visitors in July 2020.
The UK was the second biggest source market, with 34.4% of visitors, behind only the US at 43.3%
Barbados joined the UK’s green list on June 30 following an update from transport secretary Grant Shapps on June 24.
Craig Hinds, interim chief executive of Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc. (BTMI) said the figured represented a step in the right direction.
“Barbados has, and continues to weather this COVID-19 storm, but while this period has been difficult for the industry, the BTMI is so pleased to see the recent sprouts of positive growth,” he said.
“This growth is a direct result of the excellent sales and marketing efforts in our overseas markets through campaigns like our Sweet Summer Savings promotion, as well as maintaining strong partnerships with our airline, cruise and tourism partners.”
Hinds partly put the success down to marketing work, including hosting segments on UK TV programmes such as the BBC’s Hard Talk and ITV’s The Lorraine Show.
He also praised the impact of Barbados’ Welcome Stamp, a visa which allows people whose work is location independent to work remotely from Barbados.
Hinds said: “The programme has proven to be a successful innovation which has positioned Barbados as a leader in the world’s eyes as we adapt our tourism product to complement the changing global climate.
“BTMI is looking forward to continuing the promotion of the initiative for another year, allowing those already here to extend their stay, while giving prospective ‘Welcome Stampers’ the chance to experience all that Barbados has to offer.”