Barbados started the year with great growth

1.How do you evaluate Q1? 
We are happy to report a strong 2019 thus far, thanks in part to major activities like the recently concluded Barbados Reggae Festival, the growing Vujaday music festival, and the England cricket tour. Between January and April of 2019, we welcomed 273,831 stayover visitors; a favourable increase of 4.8% or 12,448 more visitors when compared to the corresponding period of 2018.
In particular, Central & South America saw a growth of 8.2% and the Caribbean registered an increase of 31,471 arrivals, or 5.5%.

2.After Connect last year what results have you had? 
After Connect 2018, Barbados continued its path of positive growth attracting 680,269 stayover visitors for the period January to December 2018. This was a favourable increase of 2.5% or 16,758 more visitors for us when compared to 2017. 
Of significant note was the introduction of Panama’s flag carrier airline, Copa Airlines, offering a new twice-weekly direct service from Panama City, Panama. The service commenced on July 17, 2018. We were very excited about the gateway this flight opened up for us within the Latin American market. Not only does this market have great potential but there is a very deep historical connection between Barbados and Panama. We therefore welcome this new service, not only for the business opportunities it brings, but also how it continues to facilitate the connection of Barbadians and Panamanians.
Our other source markets also had great success stories since last Connect. Nearby in the US, we saw American Airlines adding a third daily flight from Miami which commenced December 2018. They also introduced a daily flight from Charlotte in December of the same year. Over in our primary source market, the U.K., Virgin Atlantic started a twice-weekly service from London, Heathrow, which re-commenced in Winter 2018/19 and we saw a new once-weekly service from London, Gatwick on Thomas Cook also during the 2018 Winter season.
Canada saw an 8% percent increase in seats last summer from WestJet, and Air Canada also increased its capacity by 75% from Montreal with a larger aircraft and three weekly flights.
And we don’t only measure our success in visitor arrivals or spend, but also by the external awards and accolades from established tourism partners, and of course, our visitors. Most recently we were honoured at:
2019 Travvy Awards – we took home three coveted awards including Silver in Best Destination Overall and Best Honeymoon Destination in the Caribbean/Bahamas
2018 Caribbean Travel Awards – Caribbean Director of the Year (William Griffith)
Travelers' Choice Awards 2018 – Barbados’ accommodation sector captured 13 awards in the Top Hotels Overall, Luxury, All-Inclusive, Small, Best Service, Bargain, and Romance categories.

3.What is the expectation for this year? 
We expect another record year with both air and sea arrivals as we continue to promote Barbados as the number one vacation destination. Projections for the rest of 2019 show us growing towards another strong year, with a projected 710,322 visitor arrivals or 4.4% more than 2018.
We have also achieved success through increasing air capacity to the destination by 8% over the past three years. This year alone, we are projecting an overall 5.2% growth in capacity, particularly from Latin America and Europe.

4.How do you notice the tourism market in the Caribbean region? 
Overall, the Caribbean remains the idyllic warm weather vacation destination of choice. And according to the most recent Business Research and Economic Advisors (BREA) report, the Caribbean remains the most popular cruise destination in the world. Barbados, which has long been cited as a Marquee destination, is tasked with continuing to develop new as well as enhancing existing product offerings to ensure we maintain and capitalize on this status.
Our Caribbean and Latin American team has been tirelessly executing programmes such as the #NoCrewLeftBehind Crop Over campaign which ran during the Trinidad, Jamaica and Guyana carnivals. By increasing awareness for the annual Crop Over Festival, we are seeking to capitalise on the potential in this neighbouring low hanging fruit.
Apart from carnival-goers, we also see opportunities for the region to support our local festivals and events, such as the Barbados Food and Rum Festival in October and the Run Barbados Marathon Weekend in December.

5.In reference to connectivity do you have any short-term updates? 
On April 15, we saw the start of the Caribbean Airlines non-stop service between Kingston, Jamaica and Barbados. We're looking forward to the additional 300 seats that this new Caribbean Airlines service from Jamaica will bring. In 2018, we had over 9,000 arrivals from Jamaica – up 2.2% over 2017. This demonstrates this market's potential for growth, and with a strong marketing programme and Barbados’ well-packed annual calendar of events, we have high hopes for significant business from the island.
The Lufthansa Group will also be flying from Frankfurt to Barbados and the BTMI is looking to capitalise on the extra seats the partnership will bring. With the addition of some 900-plus seats per week, we will be more aggressive than ever in working with our tour operator partners, local groups such as the Barbados Hotel and Tourism Association and Intimate Hotels of Barbados, as well as in our traditional and digital marketing efforts.

6.What is the private sector doing to expand hotel capacity and attractions? 

Recent updates
Over the past two years, we saw a number of major hotels under extensive renovations and refurbishments as well as the opening of new hotels such as the Luxury Included® all-inclusive resort leader Sandals Resorts International (SRI) who opened their new resort, Sandals Royal Barbados, the brand’s second hotel on the island, on December 20, 2017.
Sea Breeze Beach Hotel also re-opened in December 2017 following a multi-million-dollar transformation. Fairmont Royal Pavilion underwent an exciting renovation project designed to significantly enhance the facilities of this West Coast hotel and provide a comfortable and luxurious experience for future guests.
We also saw the biggest hotel chain on the island - Elegant Hotels acquire Treasure Beach Hotel, a four-star, 35-room property and since then, the property has been refurbished, repositioned and rebranded as Treasure Beach by Elegant Hotels. It was re-opened in November 2017.

New and upcoming
In addition, we will see The Abidah by Accra, open this Summer 2019. It will be an all-inclusive, adults-only boutique hotel, stationed on the South Coast.​
International brand Sandals is set to break ground on their third resort on the island, Beaches, just a kilometre away from Speightstown, which is already under construction. With 400 rooms, this all-inclusive hotel will be the crowning jewel of the north. The development of the 5* Wyndham Grand Hotel on 58 acres of property in St. Philip has begun. It will feature 450 rooms plus a SPA and large conference facilities, including 20,000 square feet of convention space. The property is due to open in. Finally, also slated for 2020 is global brand Hyatt, which promises two 12-storey towers with 190 rooms in historic Bridgetown.

Attractions
As for the attractions, last December, we saw the grand opening of Virgin Holidays Departure Beach. The first of its kind, the beachfront departure lounge allows Virgin customers to spend their last moments in Barbados soaking up the sun on the beautiful Browne’s Beach.
Visitors to Barbados are now able to take a trip back in time and experience riding the railway line from St. Nicholas Abbey and up the picturesque Cherry Tree Hill. St. Nicholas Abbey has worked on the million-dollar project to restore the German locomotive and expand its visitor experience. The first trip on the Heritage Railway was opened on January 21, 2019.
We’ve also seen a number of new restaurants open on the island:

Chip Chop & Co. Barbados – The newly opened soul food eatery is located in Limegrove Lifestyle Centre. The menu consists of a range fish and chips and salads.

Salt Café – Located on Hastings Main Road, Salt Café serves both lunch and dinner and has a menu which caters to all pallets.

La Cabane- This beach haven concept offers guests a unique experience in the Caribbean where great memories are made. A place to relax all day, from a sunny lunch until late for dinner under the stars.

Blue Pineapple - Offers beach front dining with stunning views. They have an international menu with Asian and Mediterranean influences and a relaxed atmosphere with chilled sounds.