Antigua and Barbuda to welcome 23 luxury cruises this Winter, major tourism boost expected

Antigua and Barbuda is all set to welcome 23 luxury cruise ship calls, bringing 5,039 passengers to the island nation for the upcoming winter cruise season.

This detail was unveiled at the John E St Luce Financial Centre at the Antigua Cruise Connect Conference. The event brought together key stakeholders with a vision to emphasize on the success and economic impact of the tourism sector. Also to discuss the growth opportunities and strategies for the upcoming season.

While shedding light on the cruise calls, the Minister of Tourism, Charles Fernandez and CEO of the Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority, Colin James, stated that they are taking significant steps with a vision to modernize the island nation and are making critical investments in the tourism industry.

They shared their vision of offering a plethora of experiences to all the visitors by showcasing the island’s beauty, pink sand beaches, eco-experiences, wellness attributes and culture to all their visitors.

They also mentioned the opening of the new Barbuda International Airport and added that it would garner huge attention from tourism officials to market the island nation.

Recently, Antigua and Barbuda has officially opened the Barbuda International Airport on October 3, 2024, signalling the start of a new chapter for Barbuda tourism sector. The Tourism Authority asserted that this airport is a testament to the visionary leadership of their government in order to ensure remarkable growth in the country’s tourism.

“We have taken bold steps to modernize this island, ensuring that its air links are second to none in this region so that Barbuda can also take advantage of the remarkable growth in our country’s tourism that we have seen this year,” mentioned Charles Fernandez, Tourism Minister.

Antigua and Barbuda have witnessed a significant growth of +17% in stay-over tourism air arrivals in the first 8 months of 2024, welcoming 229,225 visitors. These figures have also beaten the record of the best considered tourism year, 2019, marking 13% growth on arrivals.

The Tourism officials stated that the opening of the Barbuda International Airport and the arrival of 23 cruise calls is a testament to the commitment of the authorities towards transforming the island nation into one of the most prosperous and flourishing sustainable island communities in the Caribbean and beyond.