Antigua and Barbuda remains a safe tourist destination, so visitors need not fear becoming victims of crime.
The assurance was made by Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Board CEO Colin James during an interview on May 22 at the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association’s (CHTA) Caribbean Travel Marketplace in Montego Bay, Jamaica.
“Antigua is a very safe destination, whether you’re exploring St. John’s or renting a car and exploring on your own. The crime rate is extremely low,” he said.
“And in business these days, it’s almost an unspoken rule: First of all, people need to feel safe when they come to their destination, knowing they’re in a safe environment.”
James’ comments came as the country recorded five murders this year.
All the victims were young Antiguan men.
The US government has warned its citizens against traveling to countries such as Jamaica, the Bahamas and Trinidad and Tobago, citing rising crime.
Following the advisory, U.S. visitation to the Bahamas and Jamaica fell by 24 percent and 20 percent, respectively, according to ForwardKeys Destination Insights statistics.
However, bookings recovered to pre-crisis levels within two weeks in the Bahamas and within four to six weeks in Jamaica.
Speaking at the conference’s opening presentation, CHTA chair Nicola Madden Greig said Mastercard survey data showed people overwhelmingly felt safe when visiting the Caribbean.
Speaking to media after the presentation, Madden Greig said the recommendations were having a negative impact on businesses in the region and that great efforts had been made to convince tourists that they should not fear visiting the Caribbean.
“While we face some challenges domestically as a region, I would say the impact on visitors to the region is literally negligible. We have incidents from time to time, but we have over 30 million visitors to the Caribbean and the impact in terms of safety and security is less than 0.0001%. So I think we’re doing extremely well. Our region is very safe. We have received our visitors and they have a great time,” Madden Greig said.
Antigua and Barbuda has seen tourism boom since COVID-19, with air traffic reported to increase by 11 percent in the first quarter of 2024.
More than 97,000 people traveled to the country by air in the first quarter.
James said Antigua and Barbuda “is going to significantly exceed the numbers this year and it’s going to be a really phenomenal year.”
American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, WestJet, British Airways and Virgin Atlantic have all increased or confirmed service to the island for winter travel.
Regionally, Sunrise Airways began operations in Antigua on May 25, and LIAT is due to begin operations in June.
Antigua and Barbuda is set to play host to several major events this year.
The Fourth International Conference on Small Island Developing States is scheduled to be held in St. John’s from May 27-30.
The conference is expected to attract over 3,000 delegates from around the world.
Most of the hotels and guesthouses are fully booked.
Additionally, the country will also host the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup and Caribbean Premier League matches.
