Barbados Tourism Minister expects increase in Barbados holiday bookings during 2012-2013 Winter Season

The Barbados Tourism Minister Richard Sealy has stated that the island's winter tourist season will be an improvement compared to 2011 due a steady schedule of flights and a number of "encouraging developments" that came as a result of the recent World Travel Market in London. More tourists are expected to set off on their Barbados holidays over the next few months thanks to several weekly routes from British Airways and Virgin Atlantic.

Richard Sealy, the Tourism Minster of Barbados has announced that he is expecting this winter’s tourist season to be “an improvement on where it was last year”.

The minster stated that there is a steady schedule of flights available this winter despite the repositioning of the airline BMI and tour operators such as TUI and Tropical Sky have reported “favourable numbers” for tourists booking Barbados holidays over the 2012/2013 winter season.

“Our flights are intact,” Mr Sealy explained. “We will have 10 flights from British Airways during the winter season, up from seven.”
Virgin Atlantic will also be offering nine Caribbean flights to Barbados every week over the winter months.

“That is also very encouraging, considering both of those carriers have been reducing capacity into the Caribbean,” he added. The Tourism Ministry is currently working to expand the existing number of flights to the Caribbean island make it easier for British holidaymakers to book tropical holidays in Barbados.

The majority of tourists visiting Barbados originate from the United Kingdom and the government is continuing its efforts to explore more options with airlines, including plans to introduce a flight between Glasgow or Belfast and Barbados for the winter 2013 season.

Barbados is an island nation situated in the North Atlantic Ocean, north east of Venezuela, and it is a favourite for celebrities including Simon Cowell, Cliff Richards, and Michael Winner who all have luxury homes on the island.

A brand new modern cruise facility is currently being constructed on the island and once completed it will feature separate cruise and cargo activities and become a hub for cruise tourism.

The beautiful Caribbean island boasts a wide selection of luxurious beachfront Barbados hotels, pristine white sugar-soft beaches, lush golf courses, gourmet restaurants and lively bars and nightclubs.

During holidays to Barbados, tourists can hike through verdant nature reserves including the Graeme Hall Nature Sanctuary and the Farley Hill National Park; enjoy retail therapy in stylish boutiques and traditional street markets; visit the historic towns of Holetown, Speightstown, and the UNESCO World Heritage Site, Bridgetown; or scuba dive and snorkel in crystal clear turquoise ocean waters where colourful coral reefs are home to an abundance of colourful and diverse marine creatures such as turtles, dolphins, lobsters, sea horses and tropical fish.