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IN DEMAND: Barbados

MINISTER OF Tourism Richard Sealy is reporting that the industry in Barbados remains buoyant, according to Caribbean 360.

The island had recorded a 17 per cent increase in visitor arrivals from the United States market for the year so far compared to the same period last year, and he attributed much of that to the partnership the island has with low-cost US-based carrier JetBlue.

With the island set to get a total of about 190,000 JetBlue seats this year, Sealy said the carrier continued to contribute significantly to the island’s tourism product and the partnership between Barbados and the airline was a very important one.

“So, we are in a very good place and therefore this relationship, this partnership, I can say in all sincerity, is a meaningful one and would have fueled the growth that we are seeing, particularly out of the US market,” Sealy continued.

“This growth that we are seeing from JetBlue is accruing in a point in time when airlines have been more about protecting their yields, which means they are just holding on to what they have and not venturing out into anything new, but JetBlue has been prepared to work with us,” he added.

The Tourism Minister also reported that the Canadian and Caribbean markets remained very strong. The United Kingdom market registered a moderate increase.

“So, overall, tourism is in a good place,” Sealy said.

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