ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA CLOSING CARIBBEAN TRAVEL MARKET 2026 | News
Minister of Tourism, Civil Aviation, Transport and Investment, The Hon. H. Charles Fernandez (center), with Antigua and Barbuda Tourism officials and industry partners, welcomes delegates to Caribbean Travel Marketplace 2026 at the American University of Antigua. (Photo courtesy of the Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority)
For the second consecutive year, Antigua and Barbuda proudly served as the host destination for the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA) Caribbean Travel Marketplace (CTM) 2026, welcoming travel industry professionals, tour operators and media from around the world during Antigua and Barbuda Culinary Month in May. The event provided an immersive showcase of the destination’s world-class tourism offering, bringing together industry leaders against the backdrop of one of the Caribbean’s most naturally beautiful and culturally energetic countries.
CHTA is the leading private tourism organization in the region, representing national hotel and tourism associations and their members in more than 30 Caribbean destinations. The premier annual trade event, the Caribbean Travel Marketplace, connects international tour operators, travel agents and airline partners with Caribbean tourism stakeholders for business engagements, networking and destination discovery.
Minister of Tourism, Civil Aviation, Transport and Investments, Charles H. Fernández, and CEO of the Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority (ABTA) Colin C. James, spoke at the press conference during CTM 2026 about a strong start to the year. Antigua and Barbuda recorded 110,832 overnight arrivals in the first quarter of 2026, compared to 103,843 in the same period in 2025, representing a 6.7% increase year-on-year. The growth was consistent throughout all three months. The number of arrivals in January increased by 5% to 36,052; February rose 6% to 36,133; and March recorded the strongest gains with 8%, reaching 38,097 visitors.
The United Kingdom led the source market growth in the first quarter of 2026, with an increase of 14% year-on-year for the same reporting period. For the quarter, the US remains the largest source market with 46% of overnight stay arrivals, followed by Europe (34%), Canada (12%), the Caribbean (5%), LATAM (1%) and other markets (2%). The destination is also actively pursuing diversification into Latin America and Africa as emerging growth corridors, responding to a global trend of visitors seeking more authentic and immersive travel experiences.
The strong performance in stayovers is reflected in the cruise sector, where Antigua and Barbuda predicts a 21.9% increase in arrivals by 2026, with the expected number of cruise visitors reaching 894,469, compared to 733,526 in 2019. The number of cruise ships is expected to increase from 388 to 483 over the same period, partly due to increased activity from homeports. To support this growth, a new $30 million cruise terminal opened on January 24, 2026, as part of the broader Upland Development Project, designed to modernize the visitor arrival experience and expand cruise capacity. Full completion of the project is expected in July 2026.
New air routes further open up the destination to the world. Sunrise Airways launched biweekly service between Antigua and the Dominican Republic on May 1; Liat Air began biweekly flights to Guadeloupe on May 8; and Air Peace will launch a twice-monthly route from Antigua to Lagos via Barbados on May 25. On the infrastructure side, the rehabilitation and expansion of the VC Bird International Airport runway is underway, and the recently opened Burton-Nibbs International Airport on sister island Barbuda was purpose-built to support Barbuda’s growing eco-luxury tourism segment.
Investments in the destination’s accommodation offering are continuing steadily. Expected to open in 2026, Moon Gate Hotel & Spa will offer 71 suites across nine buildings plus seven two-bedroom villas. In Barbuda, the Nobu Beach Inn is under construction with completion expected in late 2026. Looking further ahead, the Nikki Beach Resort and Spa, comprising 84 hotel rooms and 127 luxury residences, is targeting a 2029 launch, while the Rosewood Hotel Barbuda, with 50 resort suites and 35 residences, is scheduled for 2028. A 114-key Marriott Leisure World Hotel with eight overwater villas is also in development.
Recently named the Caribbean’s ‘Best Meetings and Conference Destination’ by the World Travel Awards, the destination’s proven capacity as a host country will reach a milestone later this year with the 28th Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), scheduled from November 1 to 4, under the theme ‘Accelerating Partnerships and Investments for a Prosperous Commonwealth.’ Between 3,000 and 5,000 delegates, participants and media are expected, and Antigua and Barbuda will make history as the first CHOGM host to include a concert and cricket tournament in the official programme. Underlying all this is a strong government commitment to sustainable, high-quality tourism, with conservation measures such as the Redonda Island Restoration Project, reef protection initiatives, anti-overfishing monitoring and a strategic focus on greater local community participation in the tourism product.
As global uncertainty continues to influence travel decision-making, Antigua and Barbuda is well-positioned to benefit from a growing shift towards safe, stable and welcoming destinations. The two-island nation’s reputation for tranquility, easy access and genuine hospitality places it at the heart of the Caribbean’s identity as a globally recognized zone of peace.
