Find Tourism and Travel partners in Antigua and Barbuda

Overview

The tourist industry of Antigua and Barbuda was one of the earliest to be developed in the Eastern Caribbean and is now amongst the largest and most established. The travel and tourism sector contributed XCD2,408m to the economy in 2011, supporting 19,500 jobs, a hugely substantial 69.8% of total employment in the country. Indeed it came second in the world (out of 181 countries) in terms of the relative contribution of the industry to the economy, with a 74.9% share of GDP, more than five times the world average of 14% (World Travel and Tourism Council 2011). In 2010 the country saw 231,000 tourists, alongside 557,000 cruise passenger arrivals. Visitors make an invaluable contribution – in 2011 visitor exports generated XCD1,192.6mn, constituting 78.6% of total exports in the country. The greatest source market for the islands is the United States, accounting for 34% of tourist arrivals in 2010. This was closely followed by the United Kingdom with 28% and the rest of the Caribbean with 18%. The Ministry of Tourism is the main government body in charge of marketing the sector, whilst the Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority coordinates the efforts of all overseas Antigua and Barbuda tourist offices, markets the islands and drives visitor arrivals. It runs tourism offices in the United States, Canada and the United States.

Investment

The diverse coastline of Antigua and Barbuda provides many white sandy beaches, protected inlets and natural harbours. A wide variety of water activities are available, including diving, snorkelling, sailing and fishing. There are also a number of popular historical sites containing military and naval fortifications and architecture. Investment opportunities arise from these natural and historic attractions, alongside the development and marketing of heritage sites. The islands are popular with high-value tourists and the country is keen to promote this angle.  

There is an increasing focus in the country on alternative tourism sectors. A large part of this is the growth of ecotourism, alongside a concentration on the business, culinary, faith, health and historical sectors. As part of its response to the economic crisis, the Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority began marketing the country as the ‘Romance Capital of the Eastern Caribbean’, and efforts are increasingly being put into the growing wedding industry. Players in the tourism sector are keen to focus on non-traditional tourist packages in order to make Antigua more competitive in the market.

Investment in the travel and tourism industry was XCD590.3m in 2011, constituting 26.2% of total investment.  This was expected to rise 4.8% in 2012, and then continue to rise by 5.1% pa over the following ten years, reaching XCD1,020.2m by 2022.