Antigua and Barbuda Reports Summer Visitor Surge

Count Antigua and Barbuda among Caribbean destinations reporting record-breaking summer visitor arrivals. The dual-island nation is reporting a seven percent increase in overnight, land-based visitors in July of 2022, a total that exceeds the nation’s pre-pandemic record numbers set in 2019, said Ministry of Tourism officials.

Antigua and Barbuda hosted 24,673 overnight visitors in July, a five percent increase over the 23,405 visitors reported in 2021. July’s total represents a 6.6 percent increase over the record of 23,031 arrivals reported in 2019.

“For a second year, we are experiencing a healthy summer season as consumer travel confidence grows,” said Charles Fernandez, Antigua and Barbuda’s minister of tourism, “and travelers make the decision to take that long-awaited vacation or previously delayed trip.”

In a statement, Ministry of Tourism officials cited increased airlift, “aggressive destination marketing [and] easy travel protocols” as responsible for the increased July visitor arrivals. “The enthusiasm amongst consumers to return to travel, and their eagerness to once again participate in Antigua’s summer carnival,” also drove July visitor totals, officials said.

Fernandez also spotlighted group travel as instrumental in Antigua and Barbuda’s summer visitor surge. One group originating in the U.S. contributed “approximately 500 visitors travelling to enjoy our summer events,” he said. “We are optimistic that we will maintain this strong position of growth into August.”

The Antigua and Barbuda Hotels and Tourism Association also reported “occupancies of 63 percent across a sample of their hotel members,” in July, Fernandez said. A total of 9,678 of visitors stayed at hotels in July, while 11, 487 visitors stayed in guest houses and apartments or villas.

Antigua and Barbuda continues to approach full-year, pre-pandemic visitor totals, said Colin James, CEO of the Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority. The destination reported 154,099 overnight visitor arrivals from January through July of 2022, a 48 percent increase over the 80,509 visitors recorded in 2021. The country’s year-to-date 2022 arrivals through July were 16 percent behind the 184,465 visitors the destination recorded in 2019.

“With good month-on-month growth and our overall tourism arrivals for the year to date only 16 percent less than the 2019 figures,” said James, “Antigua and Barbuda’s tourism rebound prospects are looking positive, particularly when we consider global tourism forecasts.”