BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (CMC) — Barbados’ tourism sector has recorded a 5.43 per cent increase in stayover arrivals between January and August 2025, for a total of 503,000 visitors. And for the first time, the United States (US) has surpassed the United Kingdom (UK) as the island’s leading source market.

Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc.’s (BTMI) Chief Executive Officer, Andrea Franklin, said the US led tourist arrivals, followed by the UK and the Caribbean.

“Arrivals from the United States of America stand at 179,753 visitors, making the US now our number one source market this year,” she said on Friday, the final day of the Caribbean Tourism Organisation’s State of the Tourism Industry Conference at the Hilton Barbados Resort. “This is particularly significant because all of you who may know Barbados and the history of tourism in Barbados, you know that the United Kingdom has always been our number one source market.”

“This year, as well, we have the Caribbean performing very well. They are now our number three market, with 70,984 visitors coming from the region,” she stated.

Franklin credited the BTMI’s focus on airlift expansion for the US becoming the leading source market for the island.

“So, what we did was a real double down on our airlift strategy. And we really went after building airlift to the destination out of the US market. So, in winter 2025, we had in excess of 60,000 additional seats from the US market. So, our airlift strategy was the pivotal point for us in terms of building the capacity to the destination out of the market,” she explained.

“From January to August this year, stayover arrivals in Barbados increased by 5.43 per cent compared to the same period in 2024. That’s an additional 25,000 visitors who chose our island. To put that into perspective, arrivals grew from 477,891 in 2024 to 503,000 in 2025. These numbers tell us that Barbados is not only attracting more visitors but also strengthening its position as a destination of choice in the region.”

Cruise arrivals also showed some growth, with an increase of 117,776 cruise passengers visiting the island.

“Cruise performance so far for the year, and our stats are only showing January to July, we’ve welcomed 599,826 cruise passengers, which is a growth of 24 per cent over the same period,” Franklin reported.

She further revealed that the Barbados Port Inc. is enhancing its cruise infrastructure aimed at improving the visitor experience.

“Some of the things that the port are working on are ongoing modernisation and expansion of the facility at the Bridgetown Cruise Terminal, including improving the passenger flow, embarkation and disembarkation services and port aesthetics. Plans are also on the way for greener port operations, including looking at digitalisation and shore power readiness and the introduction of smart port technology to streamline logistics and enhance operational efficiency,” she noted.

Franklin also mentioned significant investments in the island’s accommodation sector, with new hotels expected between 2026 and 2027. These include the Blue Monkey Hotel and Beach Club, Hotel Indigo, the Royalton Vessence (the Barbados property will be the first one under that label), Pendry Barbados, Hyatt Ziva, Beaches Barbados (Sandals brand).