The Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority will focus more on its international tourism presence in Germany as part of efforts to restore air traffic between both countries and increase tourist inflow from Europe into the island.
According to the Authority’s chief executive officer Colin C. James, the island will begin to prioritize arrivals from Europe as it intends to maximize the continent’s strong market economy and the high demand for Caribbean travel in Europe.
In a statement, James noted that 21 percent of foreign arrivals to Antigua and Barbuda in 2022 came from Europe, with more than 5 percent coming from German-speaking countries. Also, 15 percent of cruise arrivals came from German-speaking areas alone.
The Caribbean is the third most popular travel destination for Germans, after the USA and the Indian Ocean. As such, Germany is one of the biggest potential markets for Antigua and Barbuda’s travel and tourism industry.
At the just concluded ITB Berlin travel trade fair of which James was in attendance alongside Cherrie Osborne, the director of Tourism UK and Europe, the delegation from Antigua and Barbuda engaged with major airlines KLM, Eurowings, NEOS, and Condor about future possibilities of flight networks between Germany and Antigua and Barbuda especially from the 2023/2024 winter season.
Tourism is a large contributor to the economy of Antigua and Barbuda. In 2020, the island of 93,000 inhabitants received over 125,000 international tourists.
Although the country’s tourism industry was immensely hit by COVID-19 and its related restrictions, 2020’s inflow figures doubled to 300,990 in 2022, with revenues reaching US$300 million.
