'Canada will account for larger share of Barbados travel market', predicts Peter Mayers
November 22, 2022
The Caribbean is primed to have an outstanding winter season, predicts Barbados Tourism Marketing Canada office Director Peter Mayers.
He is also confident that Canada will account for a larger share of the travel market in Barbados next year.
Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Canada suspended flights to several Caribbean destinations during the first quarter last year.
“That is the period when visitors from Canada to the Caribbean is at its highest,” Mayers said at the Caribbean Travel Marketplace conference in Puerto Rico last month. “Canada was unique in that there were so many different degrees of protocols that it was difficult for Canadians to really plan with confidence. We were happy when travelers no longer needed to quarantine and the ArriveCan app became optional. It has been a long journey.”
Beginning at the end of October, WestJet is operating 14 weekly flights – 11 originating from Toronto and three out of Montreal – to Barbados.
“There are flying Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, but you are also looking at how they have tried to shape their domestic market to ensure that the connectivity into gateways is seamless,” Mayers said. “They have put a lot more focus on Western Canada which means our ability to drive business from Vancouver, Calgary and Edmonton. That is really a good opportunity for us.”
Air Canada is also resuming seasonal service in mid-December with 10 weekly flights.
“When we met with the airline in August talking about the schedule, we recognized we needed to do a lot more consumer activity to persuade Canadians to choose Barbados,” he said. “As a result, we launched a partnership with the Montreal Alouettes and we are already seeing a bit of an uptick in terms of loads out of Quebec.”
Hosting festivals and international events, noted Mayers, is a central plank of the island’s tourism strategy.
Last January, Barbados hosted five cricket T20 Internationals in nine days featuring West Indies and England, a Test match with the same two countries in March and another Test against New Zealand.
The Ninja Throwdown, that attracted competitors from around the world, took place in September while the Barbados Jazz & Golf Weekend and the Barbados Food & Rum Festival were held last month.
The Run Barbados Marathon is on December 10 and 11.
“These are all good things in terms of inspiring confidence in our ability to host events,” he said. “The incremental business that they bring allows us to showcase different elements of our product in 166 square miles and that is what makes us special.”
Increasing room inventory also helps drive tourism.
Sam Lord’s Castle, a beachfront mansion built by the famous buccaneer in 1820, has been transformed into a five-diamond resort managed by Wyndham Grand Resort and will open next year.
The 132-room seven-storey Indigo Barbados hotel on the island’s south coast is expected to welcome visitors in late 2024.
Located on the site of the former Caribbee Hotel in Christ Church, Indigo is a chain of boutique hotels with 130 properties globally.
“What a wonderful vote of confidence in terms of the level of investment that this group is prepared to put in,” said Mayers. “It will certain add to the room stock on the ground.”
