From All-Inclusive Resorts to Beaches, Travelers Are Falling in Love With Antigua and Barbuda
The plunge-pool villas at Hammock Cove. The historic streets of Nelson’s Dockyard. Pool days at Sheer Rocks. Unforgettable honeymoons. Vibrant meals of pepperpot and fungee. Beach bar hopping on the south coast. Endless serenity in Barbuda.
Travelers keep flocking to the 365-beach-strong Antigua and Barbuda, and the surge in visitors has helped lead to what destination officials are calling a “phenomenal” winter season.
That was the takeaway from the recent Caribbean Travel Marketplace conference in Montego Bay, where Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority CEO Colin C. James led a high-level delegation including US Director of Tourism Dean Fenton, UK and Europe Director of Tourism Cherrie Osborne, Canada Director of Tourism Tameka Wharton, Director of Tourism for the Caribbean and Latin America Market Charmaine Spencer, and Maria Blackman, ABTA’s Marketing-Communications Manager.
The 2023-2024 winter was “phenomenal,” James told Caribbean Journal.
“All our major source markets experienced growth in stay-over visitor arrivals for the first quarter of 2024 when compared to the same period in 2023,” James said.
That included 97,341 stay over visitors in the first quarter of 2024, an 11 percent increase compared to the same period in 2023.
And it seems that’s just the beginning for the twin-island hotspot.
“Our partners are buoyed by the destination’s positive performance, and we can expect to benefit further from the notable increases in airlift capacity which is a result of strong demand for the destination and robust marketing,” James said.
That includes just-launched flights to Antigua on Sunrise Airways, along with the return of Condor in November, among others.
It’s just part of what has made Antigua and Barbuda one of the most exciting destinations in the wider region in recent years, from its world-class portfolio of all-inclusive resorts like The Verandha, Cocobay, Hammock Cove and, most recently, the new Royalton CHIC to a buzzing restaurant scene and an enviable cultural and historical offering that includes one of the top UNESCO World Heritage sites in the Caribbean.
Even better? It’s getting easier to visit, including Delta’s launch of nonstop flights between New York and Antigua.
To learn more, visit Antigua and Barbuda.
