On Saturday, December 21, 54 planes arrived at Barbados’ Grantley Adams International Airport (GAIA), marking a historic milestone for the airport and the tourism industry.
Ian Gooding-Edghill, Minister of Tourism and International Transport, who was present for the arrival of the first Delta Saturday-only flight out of John F. Kennedy International Airport, stated that approximately 8,000 passengers would have arrived on the island as a result of the 54 flights, with 2,200 of those passengers being air-to-sea transfers.
Mr. Gooding-Edghill stated that the milestone demonstrated the success of the Ministry’s and Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc.’s (BTMI) airlift strategy. He provided a breakdown of the aircraft that landed at GAIA.
“Our airlift approach has increased the number of visitors to Barbados. Today is also a landmark day for Grantley Adams International Airport. I must inform you that today this airport will see 54 flights, 15 broad body aircraft, 15 narrow body flights, and 24 regional,” Minister Gooding-Edghill stated.
He thanked the Ministry’s staff, the BTMI, people in the aviation sector, tourist stakeholders, and, in particular, Peter Mayers, BTMI’s Director for the USA.
“I’d also like to congratulate the Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc. team, which is situated in the United States. This team accompanied us on our trip and assisted us in negotiating with the airlines to achieve the success we see with our airline strategy. The team is led by our Director, Peter Mayers.
“Peter, I want to say thank you, not only on behalf of Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc., not only on behalf of the Ministry of Tourism but certainly on behalf of the Government and the people of Barbados, for your continuing service excellence and your dedication to the development of Barbados as a tourism destination, I want to say that to you,” according to the Tourism Minister.
He stated that the increased number of airlifts was evident in visitor arrival figures compared to 2019. “Another intriguing fact is that the Grantley Adams International Airport is expected to handle 2.35 million passengers by the end of this year. According to Mr Gooding-Edghill, this significantly increased from the 2.29 million passengers reported in 2019.
The minister also stated that the ministry plans to increase airlifts to the island from the United States and Europe.
Hadley Bourne, Chief Executive Officer of the GAIA, also provided an update on the organization’s operations. He explained that one of the measures to improve the airport experience was the implementation of the Concorde Experience.
“So, we would have heard the Minister speak about his tourism strategy and the growth that we are seeing in all of the various markets, including air-to-sea, and one of those pretty good initiatives that we would have also engaged in to improve the overall experience at the Grantley Adams International Airport is the opening of the Concord experience.”
“It’s been open for about six weeks, and we’ve had excellent response from all stakeholders, including passengers, ship workers, and local stakeholders. On any given Friday or Saturday, the facility handles more than 1,500 travellers. This alleviates a major burden on the main terminal, allowing the Minister to expand his commercial activity, and this is just one of the initiatives we’ve seen. Because, for us, client experience is critical to preserving and sustaining the tourism product that we promote,” Mr. Bourne said.
